Guild Wars 2

Can you tell me how one differs from the other? Compare them in different areas like DPS, PvP, PvE, difficulty to use each one effectively? Thanks in advance.

I play both secondarily, and honestly, they are so different from each other, that the best answer to each of your question is simply that they are completely different.

One similarity between both is the reliance on timing your skills right, but for different effects. With Guardians you time out your virtues, block, retaliation, etc. With Mesmer, you also time out a few blocks, and then shatters, dazes, stuns, etc. One is more supportive and defensive in nature, the other more focused on screwing with your opponents.

It’s a difference in philosophy. Without getting too deep into minutiae, the difference is essentially this: Mesmer playstyle operates by creating controlled chaos, and Guardian playstyle operates by bringing chaotic situations under control.

Mesmer playstyle emphasizes misdirection, damage setups (which is different from ‘frontloaded’ damage) and creating lose-lose situations (confusion, for example, either forces you to not attack or punishes you for attacking) for the enemy.

Guardian playstyle emphasizes defensive setups (i.e, good timing with Aegis and frequent Combo Field: Light), acts as a force modifier (i.e, makes nearby party members stronger), leans toward sustained rather than front-loaded damage, and brings control to chaotic and messy situations (via shouts, wards and condition removal).

They’re essentially opposites in every possible way.

Well…

Mesmers tend to be pretty sexy. So are Guardians. That’s probably their one area of similarity.

A mesmer is just a guardian that wears purple. 99.9% of mesmers are human females, 99.999% of guardians are norn males.

Seriously though, you’ve asked a series of these types of question about a number of different classes. Create a quick character, go to the Heart of the Mists, and test everything yourself. You should be able to immediately realize that these two classes are completely different.

edit:

btw, Great summary Eveningstar.

Really, Kasei? I’ve seen more human male guardians than norn…

The two professions do have their similarities, enough that I would present guardian as a possibility to people who like the mesmer theme but don’t like the illusion mechanic, but here are the differences:

First, the illusions are big. As a mesmer, you can’t avoid having them on your bar and they’ll likely be a significant part of your playstyle. While spirit weapons have some mechanical similarities, there’s a big difference between a guardian that can call a friend for a damage boost, and the mesmer who cultivates a squad of illusions to inflict damage, conditions, and draw aggro.

Second, mesmers tend to play at long range, and guardians at short range. Out of six primary weapons, only two of those available to the guardian are ranged, and while each can reach out to 1200 range, they’re more effective in a close-range skirmish. While the mesmer has a close-range weapon which admittedly has similarities with the guardian’s sword, the other three are all intended for use at long range and, importantly, at least as effective at the edge of their range as at point blank.

Second and a half, guardians have a wide range of area-of-effect skills, while mesmers tend to focus more on picking out single targets.

Third, while both professions can have a punishment style, the focus is somewhat different. Guardians punish as part of protecting – their skills generally focus around protecting a person or area, and any punishment is applied to enemies attacking that area. Mesmers, on the other hand, are more inclined towards protecting as part of punishing – they’re looking to shut down an opponent rather than protect an area.

2 and 2.5 can be regarded as a part of 3. Guardians say ‘this is my patch – if you threaten it, I’m going to hurt you’. Mesmers, on the other hand, pick you out and proceed to insert large numbers of young felines into your day.