Guild Wars 2

I am hoping for some help or tips on dealing with these two classes. I play WvW not SPvP so I don’t often run into them in a 1v1 situation but on occasion I do and when it happens I never have a chance to kill or escape. My build isn’t exactly meant for 1v1 but group support yet I can do comparably well with any class on a 1v1 situation except for those two.

My build is 30/20/0/10/10 with focus on nades, rifles, speedy kits, and for that moment when I need to get out of Dodge Self Regulating Defense. My utilities being med kit, grenade kit, net turret, radiation field, and the elite supply crate. My accessories are all lvl 80 greens, except my pendent is a rare soldier’s pendent. Armor is mostly exotics except for gloves with power/toughness/vitality my runes are all over the place at the moment until I’m ready to buy the right ones. Basically I’m pretty sturdy. I’m not going in for kills or anything but when attacking/defending an objective or a zerg battle I’m the one you want to bring along. I also want to express I am not some Pro/Elite player here, but I’m not shabby. With my build and knowledge of using my skills/utilizes I can kill just about any class or force them to run away (Eles) if I need to.

My initial tendency when dealing with thieves and mesmers are to play keep away for thieves and keep them close for mesmers. I’ve yet to loose sight of the real mesmer either but sometimes I feel like my gun isn’t shooting at them either even if I have real target selected.

I guess what I am asking is am I doing something wrong? Is there something wrong with my set up? Any tips for those scenarios?

I know you’re talking about WvW, but I’ll explain how to deal with each (using your setup) from a sPvP viewpoint:

Thieves – if they’re using melee (90% will), simply run away / in a circle while throwing grenades over your shoulder. The moment they hit ~70% health, do a 180, hit them with net shot, blunderbuss, jumpshot, grenade barrage, then stomp them (twice, because they’ll use their obviously balanced downed skill to get away).

Mesmers – this is tricky, I’ll admit. It’s almost the same thing – if you can land a netshot on them, they will die quite quickly. If you can’t, you have to resort to pew pewing with your rifle, possibly use supply crate as a backup for netshot (since you use net turret, you have 2 other immobilizes to make this super easy), and wail on them. Mesmers don’t have much in terms of healing – they have a heal based on illusion count (which is pretty weak), mantra of healing (also weak), and a reflect-oriented heal that is also subpar. If you can stick close, hammer them with grenades – any clones or phantasms they create will be promptly obliterated from the ensuing AoE. If you can’t, you’ll have to fall back to pewpewing with the rifle until you can land a root or knockback from overcharged shot.

I thought about that myself too when I played engi. There’s only 1 thing wrong about your playing…. You are not warrior, guardian, thief or mesmer.

I’d say you have the right idea on playstyle and it’s more your spec you need to tweak.

For the thieves you are going to need a better escape. I personally favour Elixir S, even in non-elixir builds because you can use your kits with it and it buys a decent amount of time in which the thief cannot HS spam you. Some people prefer rocket boots or utility goggles. By using your escape at the right time, keeping him at bay with Overcharge and Net, you should stand a chance. It will always be hard though, so don’t expect to get comfortable with thieves.

Mesmers are even worse. Ideally to take on a mesmer, you need heavy condition clearing as well as AoE. Even then they are OP in my opinion. With a nade build, you are not going to get much condition clearing. However, you can get better AoE. I’d suggest you swap radiation field to Bomb Kit and your heal to Healing Turret. Make sure your power traits include larger explosion area for bombs. Now you have bombs, grenades and healing turret (when you explode it) all doing AoE. This should keep the mesmer’s clone population down a bit whilst allowing you to DPS him. Usually the Mesmer will win, but you need to talk to Anet about that because at that stage you’ve done what you can.

It is all about ending the fight quickly….i have static discharge slotted and use utilities with low cast/instant F abilities to deal tons of burst almost instantly

I also play a mesmer and i can tell you mesmers are really weak against AoE and conditions. Without illusions they cant attack. Their escapes(inv) only lasts 3 sec and blink doesnt give as much distance advantage as you think. Besides that, the recent nerf (mesmers need LOS to summon) really hurt them.

I own 2-3 thieves at the same time and mesmers always give up and run away.

You say complain to Anet cuz u’ve done all you can. Obviously you overlooked something.
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Cribbage.2056:

I’d say you have the right idea on playstyle and it’s more your spec you need to tweak.

For the thieves you are going to need a better escape. I personally favour Elixir S, even in non-elixir builds because you can use your kits with it and it buys a decent amount of time in which the thief cannot HS spam you. Some people prefer rocket boots or utility goggles. By using your escape at the right time, keeping him at bay with Overcharge and Net, you should stand a chance. It will always be hard though, so don’t expect to get comfortable with thieves.

Mesmers are even worse. Ideally to take on a mesmer, you need heavy condition clearing as well as AoE. Even then they are OP in my opinion. With a nade build, you are not going to get much condition clearing. However, you can get better AoE. I’d suggest you swap radiation field to Bomb Kit and your heal to Healing Turret. Make sure your power traits include larger explosion area for bombs. Now you have bombs, grenades and healing turret (when you explode it) all doing AoE. This should keep the mesmer’s clone population down a bit whilst allowing you to DPS him. Usually the Mesmer will win, but you need to talk to Anet about that because at that stage you’ve done what you can.

Toolkit and Elixer S.

Never have an issue with them again.

Kamahl.3621:

[…]

Cribbage.2056:

[…]

Thank you both, your posts were quite informative and very helpful. I shall have to try each of yours to see which I am more comfortable with. Again thank you for such detailed responses!

Poizie.5187:

It is all about ending the fight quickly….i have static discharge slotted and use utilities with low cast/instant F abilities to deal tons of burst almost instantly

I’ll have to look into these as well. Thank you!

Grizledorf.5290:

I own 2-3 thieves at the same time and mesmers always give up and run away.

You say complain to Anet cuz u’ve done all you can. Obviously you overlooked something.

What are you talking about? At what point did I ever complain to Anet or say complain to them? I specifically posted in this sub-forum because I am looking for help as my very first line states in the OP as well as my last few questions at the end of my post. Please read more carefully if you so that in the future you do not make posts regarding something that was ever insinuated in any manner, shape, or form.

Turrets & Speed are your friends.

My Engineer is only in the low 20s but I find her very competent 1v1 or 1v2 in WvW, more so than most classes I’ve played by far.

When I WvW I always keep 2 turrets (usually one is net) and 1 weapon kit. I also always keep the med kit handy.

On 1 v 1, you drop the heartier turret and use an immobilizer immediately after (the net f skill is nice especially if you have static discharge), roll to the side so you can get on the opposite side of the enemy, throw the net turret, roll back into range, if you do this right you should be able to keep the enemy pinned and either crippled or immobilized in a spot between the turrets. If they have ranged you’re still only going to have a short time. I like to BBQ them with a flame thrower about now, or what ever else you got, especially with the mesmer the flame thrower is nice cause you can torch them and their illusions at the same time.

If this fails, swap to med pack, hit 5 and book it while they’re slowed down by the turrets.

Grizledorf.5290:

I own 2-3 thieves at the same time and mesmers always give up and run away.

You say complain to Anet cuz u’ve done all you can. Obviously you overlooked something.
—————————————-

Cribbage.2056:

I’d say you have the right idea on playstyle and it’s more your spec you need to tweak.

For the thieves you are going to need a better escape. I personally favour Elixir S, even in non-elixir builds because you can use your kits with it and it buys a decent amount of time in which the thief cannot HS spam you. Some people prefer rocket boots or utility goggles. By using your escape at the right time, keeping him at bay with Overcharge and Net, you should stand a chance. It will always be hard though, so don’t expect to get comfortable with thieves.

Mesmers are even worse. Ideally to take on a mesmer, you need heavy condition clearing as well as AoE. Even then they are OP in my opinion. With a nade build, you are not going to get much condition clearing. However, you can get better AoE. I’d suggest you swap radiation field to Bomb Kit and your heal to Healing Turret. Make sure your power traits include larger explosion area for bombs. Now you have bombs, grenades and healing turret (when you explode it) all doing AoE. This should keep the mesmer’s clone population down a bit whilst allowing you to DPS him. Usually the Mesmer will win, but you need to talk to Anet about that because at that stage you’ve done what you can.

Not same level, same gear or same skilled thieves you are not. As a matter of fact, in wvwvw you wont take down 1 thief.

RoChan.1926:

Kamahl.3621:

[…]

Cribbage.2056:

[…]

Grizledorf.5290:

I own 2-3 thieves at the same time and mesmers always give up and run away.

You say complain to Anet cuz u’ve done all you can. Obviously you overlooked something.

What are you talking about? At what point did I ever complain to Anet or say complain to them? I specifically posted in this sub-forum because I am looking for help as my very first line states in the OP as well as my last few questions at the end of my post. Please read more carefully if you so that in the future you do not make posts regarding something that was ever insinuated in any manner, shape, or form.

My favorite part about this is when you tell me to read more carefully. I didn’t realize you responded to the named “Cribbage.2056” as well as the name RoChan.1926"

Raideen.5973:

Grizledorf.5290:

I own 2-3 thieves at the same time and mesmers always give up and run away.

You say complain to Anet cuz u’ve done all you can. Obviously you overlooked something.
—————————————-

Cribbage.2056:

I’d say you have the right idea on playstyle and it’s more your spec you need to tweak.

For the thieves you are going to need a better escape. I personally favour Elixir S, even in non-elixir builds because you can use your kits with it and it buys a decent amount of time in which the thief cannot HS spam you. Some people prefer rocket boots or utility goggles. By using your escape at the right time, keeping him at bay with Overcharge and Net, you should stand a chance. It will always be hard though, so don’t expect to get comfortable with thieves.

Mesmers are even worse. Ideally to take on a mesmer, you need heavy condition clearing as well as AoE. Even then they are OP in my opinion. With a nade build, you are not going to get much condition clearing. However, you can get better AoE. I’d suggest you swap radiation field to Bomb Kit and your heal to Healing Turret. Make sure your power traits include larger explosion area for bombs. Now you have bombs, grenades and healing turret (when you explode it) all doing AoE. This should keep the mesmer’s clone population down a bit whilst allowing you to DPS him. Usually the Mesmer will win, but you need to talk to Anet about that because at that stage you’ve done what you can.

Not same level, same gear or same skilled thieves you are not. As a matter of fact, in wvwvw you wont take down 1 thief.

maybe you can’t but I don’t lie. I’ll kill two thieves at the same time. Even three. I’ll kill a thief with a mesmer partner who jumped me from behind while i was making toast downstairs. I face tank the supervisor at the camps with her stupid buff. I am a terror on the battlefield, bull dozing through the front lines and clearing the path for you and the other squishies. If you doubt it come on over to Jade Quarry and see for yourself.

Bomb kit excels vs. both thieves and mesmers.

OK Grizledorf, I’ll bite. Your build sounds great – what is it? I’m mainly interested because I’m currently building my engy to be tanky while still squeezing as much damage out as possible.

I am very interested in seeing Grizle’s build as well.

TabMorte.5297:

Turrets & Speed are your friends.

My Engineer is only in the low 20s but I find her very competent 1v1 or 1v2 in WvW, more so than most classes I’ve played by far.

When I WvW I always keep 2 turrets (usually one is net) and 1 weapon kit. I also always keep the med kit handy.

On 1 v 1, you drop the heartier turret and use an immobilizer immediately after (the net f skill is nice especially if you have static discharge), roll to the side so you can get on the opposite side of the enemy, throw the net turret, roll back into range, if you do this right you should be able to keep the enemy pinned and either crippled or immobilized in a spot between the turrets. If they have ranged you’re still only going to have a short time. I like to BBQ them with a flame thrower about now, or what ever else you got, especially with the mesmer the flame thrower is nice cause you can torch them and their illusions at the same time.

If this fails, swap to med pack, hit 5 and book it while they’re slowed down by the turrets.

I’m sorry but if you tried this build on any competent player, they would eat you alive. You might be able to get away with it against a low level thief, but any player who knows their profession will just chew you up.

This is a picture of me sitting next to my build. Cleric/cleric exotics with superior rune of dolyak. rifle, bomb kit, elixir gun, tool kit, supply crate. Don’t go showing off with this build, I don’t want it to get nerfed.

Grizledorf.5290:

My favorite part about this is when you tell me to read more carefully. I didn’t realize you responded to the named “Cribbage.2056” as well as the name RoChan.1926"

Then I apologize for misunderstanding your intention. Top quoting usually means you are talking to the original poster while referencing Cribbage’s post to back up your statements. Again my apologies I did misread and understand your intentions.

As for your set up I can see how you can take on 2-3 thieves at once since your toughness doesn’t like them 1-2 you in 2 or 3 hits. However because you’ve put everything into being a tank how long does it take you to kill them? Do you notice a loss in power or do your utilizes help make up in that? One more question, I’ve only recently started messing around with the elixir gun in dungeons and found it pretty useful for PvE mobs but I have a hard time seeing how it would be good against other players. Can you expand on why the elixir gun?

I crank out a lot of DPS but it’s all pbaoe. fire bomb with a jump shot gives fire aura throw wrench thru and u put burning on them concussion bomb then pry bar puts 8 stacks of confusion on them blunderbuss 3 bleeding stacks, acid bomb does between 500-600 a tick, switching to toolkit drops more bleeding and cripple by that time blunderbuss is up again. drop supply crate on their head when they get low and jumpshot again swap to toolkit and prybar them again. that thief is so dead by then. net shot glue bomb and magnet to keep him next to you and big ole bomb / overcharged shot to push him away. elixir gun drops super elixir then u shoot another super elixir then u use healing mist acid bomb fumigate blunderbuss firebomb jumpshot wrench etc etc if things get sticky, super elixir and gear shield dont forget we havent used bandage self yet or our medkits/antidotes we can drop

dont forget to /dance after ur done

btw i put the quote on bottom cuz it was cluttering the point i was trying to make but i guess u taught me something new today thanks

also if you’re with a buddy who cast’s a lot of bleeds or poison with elixir gun u can help him get the stacks up higher which not only puts your bleed damage on the target but increases the damage your friend’s bleeds/poison will do too

Grizledorf.5290:

What gear/rune-orb/accessories are you running?

That sounds like playing an ele with all the swapping around. Confusing as hell. Would take a lot of practice, certainly, to get the potential out of it.

Grizledorf.5290:

[..]

Ok I have to admit your engi set up sounds incredibly fun and I am seriously curious to try it out even with what I have currently just because it sounds amazing. Thanks for the info and for breaking it down for me. I don’t think I can master the switching about (I have a hard enough time on my ele) but I like that you found and focus on creating combos with the utilities. It shows me that there is more to this than I previously thought and to explore just a bit more. in that area for a play style that I can be comfortable with. Thanks again for sharing!

Pannonica.5378:

What gear/rune-orb/accessories are you running?

He mentioned gear/runes earlier but you might want to PM him in private for more details. While I don’t think he’d mind too much I do think it’s prudent to allow him some secrets.

brogarn.8723:

That sounds like playing an ele with all the swapping around. Confusing as hell. Would take a lot of practice, certainly, to get the potential out of it.

I thought the same thing when reading and then realized that I cannot believe I didn’t think to play it the same way as an ele since those two classes are the only ones who cannot switch weapons and instead have to switch utilities/elements to gain more.

LOL that’s funny, it is a lot like an ele… my other favorite class :P Poor ele’s have to wait 10 seconds after swapping tho to swap back. Switching between kits is a joy with the mouse I have called the “naga razer” which i whole heartily recommend to anyone who wants to PvP in an MMO

my favorite combo is acid bomb to net shot as fast as you can, try it out you will see.

RoChan.1926:

Pannonica.5378:

What gear/rune-orb/accessories are you running?

He mentioned gear/runes earlier but you might want to PM him in private for more details.

Doh, my bad. Thanks for pointing that out.

Grizledorf.5290, since you seem to be using a lot of conditions, would you think that apothicary armor (cond damage) is better than cleric (power)?