Guild Wars 2

If anyone could give me any tips in regards to skills, weapons, builds, strategies etc they could think of that would make the leveling process easyish or fun, since ill probably be solo most of the time? Thanks in advance

My advice is to start here: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Lazy-Kai-s-Guide-to-PvE-Leveling-Guide-Update/first

Replace your scepter as soon as.

Grit your teeth until level 40.

Go shatter at level 40.

Hmmm… signets are pretty good for leveling: Signets of Inspiration, Midnight, and then Domination. Additionally, go with GS + Sword/Focus and pickup the traits Blade Training and Signet Mastery.

It’s important to get comfortable with your clones and phantasms. They are your lifeblood. The first hurdle many new mesmers have to overcome is the realization that they are vastly under-utilizing their illusions. It’s better to think of them as ammo rather than pets. Start churning them out early and don’t be timid about blowing them up.

On a tougher opponent, try putting a phantasm on them, switching weapon sets, then putting your other phantasm on them. If your abilities are coming off cooldown, don’t sit on them. Shatter them and replace them. Developing a natural rhythm and feel for illusion creation and destruction will be what ultimately transitions you from “leveling mesmers is hard” to being the destructive force you are capable of being.

Clockwork Bard.3105:

It’s better to think of them as ammo rather than pets.

QFT. Don’t even think about comparing illusions (clones and phantasms) to other class pets/minions/summons.

Also, get to know and understand your shatters (there are 4 of them) as soon as you can.

As I understand it, a Mesmer’s offense and defense is based around using their copies to draw agro and to deal damage. In the low levels, none of my illusions draw agro and only 1/5 of them do any damage. It’s not even a question of if they do good damage, it’s just 0’s popping up.

At what level do the illusions start doing damage? Currently it feels like the fastest way to kill something is to let it put you into a downed state, stack it full of confusion, and let it kill itself.

I had not imagined a class could be this painful to try and play. I seriously want to slap Anet’s whole QA dept. upside the head for passing this.

My mesmer was the 2nd easiest class to level, 2nd only to my Guardian.

Solkard.5136:

As I understand it, a Mesmer’s offense and defense is based around using their copies to draw agro and to deal damage. In the low levels, none of my illusions draw agro and only 1/5 of them do any damage. It’s not even a question of if they do good damage, it’s just 0’s popping up.

At what level do the illusions start doing damage? Currently it feels like the fastest way to kill something is to let it put you into a downed state, stack it full of confusion, and let it kill itself.

I had not imagined a class could be this painful to try and play. I seriously want to slap Anet’s whole QA dept. upside the head for passing this.

There is a difference between Clones and Phantasms. Roughly speaking you can look at the Phantasms as the damage-dealers and the Clones as fodder. This is a REALLY rough scenario though. It all depends on the spec and playstyle. As said before: all is better after 40 (leveling-wise) when Deceptive Evasion is available and Shatter gets much easier.

Edit: messed up the names. Fixed now.

So Illusions just do 0 damage forever? I thought maybe they just scaled poorly or there’s some sort of bug with how damage is calculated because the tooltips say they’re “supposed” to do damage. Even Illusions that inflict condition damage, which is supposed to be unaffected by armor, seem to be doing 0 damage at all.

Illusions is the combined name of clones and phantasms. Clones do pitiful to no damage out of the box but staff and greatsword clones can be traited to do respectable damage. You’ll need a decent amount of precision, Sharper Images and a LOT of condition damage. Phantasms are the main damage dealers and they can be traited to deal more. I’m not going to bother with listing them all but I will say Phantasm mesmers can dominate 1v1 battles if opponents don’t know how to deal with them.

I’d sit back and seriously consider what you want a mesmer for first. I rarely see them nowadays.

fadeaway.2807:

I’d sit back and seriously consider what you want a mesmer for first. I rarely see them nowadays.

A class whose primary means of defense was causing enemies to attack copies of itself, and who defeated enemies by peppering them down with damage originating from multiple sources (ie. clones/phantasms).

Currently, the enemies all but ignore any illusions I cast, who also happen to do literally 0 damage. If the only purpose of clones is ammo for shatter, I feel like playing a Necro would be more interesting.

Solkard.5136:

fadeaway.2807:

I’d sit back and seriously consider what you want a mesmer for first. I rarely see them nowadays.

A class whose primary means of defense was causing enemies to attack copies of itself, and who defeated enemies by peppering them down with damage originating from multiple sources (ie. clones/phantasms).

Currently, the enemies all but ignore any illusions I cast, who also happen to do literally 0 damage. If the only purpose of clones is ammo for shatter, I feel like playing a Necro would be more interesting.

Clones do jack dmg, however, phantasms do exceptional dmg! Duelist, swordsman and zerker do crazy dmg, and if not blown up or killed, will kill any enemy for you.

Clones will also kill any enemy for you.

:)

colesy.8490:

Clones will also kill any enemy for you.

:)

Only if shattered, or if you have Debilitating Dissipation and granted, they can still proc bleeds