Guild Wars 2

I like to hotjoin sPVP.

I have tried these 4 basic builds (no bunkers, they are stupid)

10/30/0/0/30 for ultimate burst shatter
10/20/15/15/10 taugrim legion build (with knight and berserker ammy)
20/20/0/0/30 Xee shantasm build
0/20/20/0/30 Countless 1v1 mesmer spec

Shatter spec (GS/sp AIR)-
This is fun, but sometimes too squishy imo. The burst is insane, but I feel gimped vs many of the situations I come up against in pvp.

Legion spec (GS/sp DIVINITY)-
This build allows me to survive longer, and imo is more of a balance build. I lack burst, but feel competent to go head to head with any class with no fear whatsoever. IMO a great 1v1 spec.

Shantasm build (Staff/sp DIVINITY)-
This is more of an advanced build IMO, but would run this over pure shatter any day of the week, due to the greater options it provides, and less squishy.

Countless spec (GS/sp LYSSA Runes)-
I tried this build last night, it is basically a more balanced version of the shantasm spec(with more bleeds and higher crit chance, and sigils of earth etc), with one key trait IMO being the difference. It basically throws CC on you back to its source, nullifying any CC on you in theory. Tried this build out for the first time last night, and the upfront damage is not as high as the other specs, but the bleeds it can put out actually makes it kill faster than the above mentioned specs. I am not sure about this one yet though.

What builds have you had most success with? I usually like to help zergs, and sometimes go to cap points. I understand I have no mobility, but I get most of my glory from kills on players.

*On a side note, I got my highest glory ever with a booster from a mesmer last night (427) with countless spec.

I usually average 200+ a game, and am lvl 23 at the moment, and consider myself a good player.

I am curious as to what other more intermediate-advanced mesmers think about these builds, which I consider the current meta.

Thanks guys!

Mesmer fo life!

Personally 20/20/0/0/30 is my favorite. It’s ridiculously flexible – you can flip to supportive vuln stacking, GS cooldown, or illusion damage on the first tree… and shatter or phantasm spec on the last tree. Second tree is pretty locked with blade training and deceptive evasion (sword is too good to give up with blur and swapping for a self shatter build). In addition the “Duelist’s Discipline” is glitched right now, so you’re nerfing your duelist phantasm by 20% while the first tree’s empowered buffs it by 15%. Because of this and flexibility, I would say it’s no contest between shantasm and Osicat’s build UNLESS you are a chaser (where a 1200 range lower cooldown magic bullet is great). I do think, however, using GS on a 10/30/0/0/30 is not the best choice. The whole point of pure shatter is in your face shatters, and GS has zero defensive abilities. Staff has 3 defensive moves (as you can trigger chaos armor off storm) on top of it’s nice phantasm. Plus the #2 can be used to bounce off other people to your real target to make it a gap closer. I just can’t think of a better weapon for a mesmer that relies on shatters. You can s/s, s/p, s/f your other weapon set, but your survival depends on not being hit, and Staff has that in spades.

As for the other builds – Legion is a pure phantasm build where the phantasms tank you up (with regens and protection). This USED to be a bunker build until they nerfed illusionary membrane to all hell. Retaliation on your illusions is also nice. Unfortunately I see this struggling against, say a d/d elementalist.

As for the last, I would have to look at it more closely as I have not tried it. Really, I have not had too many issues with conditions – a sigil of purity/generosity has always been enough for me except against condition builds… if they slap a condition on me, I just go up an slap them back. And if you know you’re going to hit against a condition build, just prep Null Field. The countless spec I see as advantageous as a more tanky build.

As for the mobility comment – Mesmer is in the top 3 for combat mobility. Worst in game for out of combat mobility (and claiming runes fixes that is bonk – I shouldn’t have to be the only class to sacrifice runes for non combat mobility). But to be honest – if I were to pick between combat mobility and non-combat mobility, the answer is obvious.

Drawing Guy.3701:

Personally 20/20/0/0/30 is my favorite. It’s ridiculously flexible – you can flip to supportive vuln stacking, GS cooldown, or illusion damage on the first tree… and shatter or phantasm spec on the last tree. Second tree is pretty locked with blade training and deceptive evasion (sword is too good to give up with blur and swapping for a self shatter build). In addition the “Duelist’s Discipline” is glitched right now, so you’re nerfing your duelist phantasm by 20% while the first tree’s empowered buffs it by 15%. Because of this and flexibility, I would say it’s no contest between shantasm and Osicat’s build UNLESS you are a chaser (where a 1200 range lower cooldown magic bullet is great). I do think, however, using GS on a 10/30/0/0/30 is not the best choice. The whole point of pure shatter is in your face shatters, and GS has zero defensive abilities. Staff has 3 defensive moves (as you can trigger chaos armor off storm) on top of it’s nice phantasm. Plus the #2 can be used to bounce off other people to your real target to make it a gap closer. I just can’t think of a better weapon for a mesmer that relies on shatters. You can s/s, s/p, s/f your other weapon set, but your survival depends on not being hit, and Staff has that in spades.

As for the other builds – Legion is a pure phantasm build where the phantasms tank you up (with regens and protection). This USED to be a bunker build until they nerfed illusionary membrane to all hell. Retaliation on your illusions is also nice. Unfortunately I see this struggling against, say a d/d elementalist.

As for the last, I would have to look at it more closely as I have not tried it. Really, I have not had too many issues with conditions – a sigil of purity/generosity has always been enough for me except against condition builds… if they slap a condition on me, I just go up an slap them back. And if you know you’re going to hit against a condition build, just prep Null Field. The countless spec I see as advantageous as a more tanky build.

As for the mobility comment – Mesmer is in the top 3 for combat mobility. Worst in game for out of combat mobility (and claiming runes fixes that is bonk – I shouldn’t have to be the only class to sacrifice runes for non combat mobility). But to be honest – if I were to pick between combat mobility and non-combat mobility, the answer is obvious.

I agree that shatter’s should use staff, and I originally did

I meant mobility as lack of swiftness etc, I love mesmer’s mobility!

Ty for the thought out response!

Just google “countless pvp spec mesmer” I am sure you will find it on youtube

Keep them coming.

was hoping more people would chime in ^^

The issue is Good builds people will horde them. They dont wanna give it away. Hince the competitive nature of spvp

“*On a side note, I got my highest glory ever with a booster from a mesmer last night (427) with countless spec.

I usually average 200+ a game, and am lvl 23 at the moment, and consider myself a good player."

So, are you sticking with the Countless Spec?? That sounds like an amazing round. I’m currently using my take on the Taugrim Build, which emphasizes survivability and phantasm damage, staff/sword-pistol. I too consider myself a good player, although I typically average only 125+-/round, rank 10, I seem to die very little considering I’m just playing PUG matches of sPVP. My strategy is to keep at least 2 phantasms up at any given time, while I focus on survival and using Staff 1 and Sword 1/2 to contribute to damage as the situation allows, other skills are used defensively/situationally. I also tend to use Null field, blink, and decoy to avoid sticky situations, alternatively Phantasmal Defender as a dmg sponge for myself and my grp.

I do find that the regen given by my phantasms is greatly appreciated by groupmates, and their survival is key to my survival and controlling points.

The real question is: Was it the Countless Spec that helped you score so well that round, or was that an anomoly and you would have scored very well even with other specs? I’m looking forward to trying that soon, also I’d like to try a regen/confusion soon as I haven’t in a while.

Keep us posted as to which build you end up keeping

There’s a 0/20/0/20/30 build that shaktiboy made a post about. I use it in spvp with a few changes (just runes and sigils) and it works wonders for me.

Plumsucker.9507:

There’s a 0/20/0/20/30 build that shaktiboy made a post about. I use it in spvp with a few changes (just runes and sigils) and it works wonders for me.

that is countless spec! It is a good spec. Any more opinions?

20/20/0/0/30 osi shatter, staff, sword/focus air runes, super high mobility, focus is great for swiftness, light combo field, pull. This is the build i use for hotjoin farm and tourneys.

Honestly I believe if you success take someone’s build and make it your own. Learn to play to yur strengths AND learn to use your weaknesses in your favor. I think people that think their build is unique are F.O.S. there are countless mesmer players so the chance that your build is a snowflake is astronomically small. As for me I use a bunker build using mantra of healing and arcane thievery and use clone to apply conditions with my staff. Shattering them when I get low for upwards of 4k health. Would post my build but sadly I don’t have it memorized. Best of luck to you sir!

Sincerely,
Riox

Nazer.7301:

20/20/0/0/30 osi shatter, staff, sword/focus air runes, super high mobility, focus is great for swiftness, light combo field, pull. This is the build i use for hotjoin farm and tourneys.

Interesting. I tried this build once, the air runes are cool, but I am not a fan of focus phantasm

Had another game with countless spec where I rocked, but maybe it is because I am just getting to be a better player. If I could rate them atm? Had one game in countless spec where I got a glory boosted 400+ points, and then a shantasm 300+ game when I changed right after. Will do more testing tonight.

Note this is for hotjoin sPVP.

I am not a huge fan of pure shatter builds (10/30/0/0/30 ) dunno why…

Keep the comments coming in!! Thanks

Try bunkering

Sincerely,
Riox

Riox.6129:

Try bunkering

Sincerely,
Riox

The problem in zergish hotjoin sPVP is that bunkers don’t really do anything..because you will die regardless of your spec in seconds if you are zerged, and you add nothing to the fight usually.

IMO bunkering in hotjoin is completely fail.

The people that post guides have solid builds. I tend to try out the build as posted, then modify it to make it work better for me. My current build is based on countless’ i think, but I’ve done phanstasm, pure shatter, and support a bit as well.

Best bet – try a bunch of stuff and find what works for you. I understand that people want unique builds that aren’t “cookie cutter” but the “cookie cutter” gets popular because they work so well. However, using what works for someone else usually gets me into trouble and frustrated because I don’t play exactly the same way.

I have tried all the above builds out, just wondering if I heard some thoughts of some veteran spvp mesmer out there, and share their experiences on what build shines for them!

Thanks guys <3

Since game launch i find that a full rabid with gs/staff (for max illusions spam and cripple from zerker when needed), 0/20/20/0/30 with sigil of energy on both weapons is the best build to troll in hotjoin. almost every game some1 cry and call for mesmer nerfs. So good at killing D/D eles and make them rage and there’s lots of them lmao.

I used to be a hardcore bunker build lover until the protection nerf. My build used to have 100% uptime for regen and protection, which was insane.

Of the specs mentioned above, I tried the countless spec, and I really love it. For pick-up it’s still somewhat “meh” (then again, everything is meh in pick-up unless you are a thief).

It really starts to shine in small-group PvP. What I love most is the 6 piece runes of Lyssa basically give me a free slot to use for whatever I want.

Divinity.8041:

I have tried all the above builds out, just wondering if I heard some thoughts of some veteran spvp mesmer out there, and share their experiences on what build shines for them!

Thanks guys <3

Well I assume you’ve noticed a common theme in this thread is builds taking 30 in illusions. These builds will always work great because Illusionary Persona is so strong, and should really have an internal cooldown.

I was looking for some variety and wanted to do away with that. I decided to try and make a build which revived the GW1 mesmer and properly shut down the opponent. It ended up being a build somewhat based around interrupts using 30/20/20/0/0 with Mantra of Distraction, Blink and Arcane Thievery. I’m by no means saying it is more effective than shatter based builds, but we’re talking hot join here and I can assure you it works fine. If you’re looking for variety I strongly recommend you give it a try.

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-NFRg;1VPk3197ZVV71;9;4TJJ;026B13-27;5IRk6;2sV2DsV2D5RH
(You may need to copy paste the link)

You have so much CC that nobody will ever be able to use their heal skill around you. You really do not need to have an insane Mind Wrack burst when you can prevent the foe from healing. Chaotic Interruption will either increase the cooldown of the skill you interrupted with chill, give you a buy one get one free with blind or make you cry when you roll cripple… but a snare is still a snare…. right?

Confounding Suggestions turns one of your Mantra of Distraction uses into an instant stun, and makes a 2 clone Diversion stun (of course this is all statistically speaking). I don’t run Harmonious Mantras because (in hot join) I found I simply didn’t need the 3rd charge and all it meant was I was running to the next fight with only one charge when I really should have been re-channelling. The decision is one of personal preference based on your play style.

It’s still very much a work in progress build. Furious Interruption and Bountiful Interruption are both good alternatives, and Rending Shatter takes the vulnerability stacking to the extreme.

I’d really like to hear the opinions of someone who isn’t biased by the fact they made the build ^^

While condition builds don’t work very well in Tournament Mode, they are quite respectable in Hot Join. My preferred build is:

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=VNZ-FkFKWPk01y6RW-71c5wUVz0M7-X;5JT-J;149-49B;146-K-F4XJG4jwmAjwmA2Vg

This however is likely not optimal, I use it because I really, really like messing with my opponents with stealth. A more reasonable build would probably look like this:

http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=VNZ-FkFKWPV11y6RW-71c5wUVz0M7-X;5JJ-T;149-49;246AK-F4XJG4jwmAjwmA2Vt

And if you’re not that excited about stealth, replacing the Torch with a Pistol would be acceptable.

Yes 30 for IP is amazing. I believe I am torn between shantasm and countless atm. Countless imo is better for hotjoin, this has only been my opinion after a few games. Both are great, probably comes down to preference at that point.

Some more fiddling around with abilities and sigils yielded me this burst build for hotjoin:
http://tinyurl.com/awe3bra

Basically you do:
Bullet, leap, dodge, swap, Blurred Frenzy+Shatter,
Swap (which will freeze), Mirror Blade, Signet of Illusions, Mirror Image+Shatter
If they are still alive, then Berserker+Knockback.
If they stun break during this, pop Signet of Domination.

Hey I was wondering if you could tell me the traits and utilities used with the countless spec for mesmers that was in your post, and if you still think its a viable pvp build even now.

I’ve used quite a few builds.. but my sPvP progress started to slow after Rank 30 (currently 34) as my computer issues grew worse.

My FAVORITE build, (with a big thanks to Embolism and EasymodeX for the assistance) was a condition-heavy Sword/Torch – Staff 20/20/0/0/30 build. Rabid amulet, 5x rune of nightmare 1x undead.
It spawns clones out the ass, and is actually one of the few builds where your mindgames really pay off. IMO its the best build if you wanna sit back and pretend to be a clone. (Staff auto is your main source of damage. A few clever stealths leave your enemy really unbalanced) the thing about the build is that… well, you HAVE to be clever in order to be effective, and some other builds just flat-out counter this one.

I also used a Bunker, inspired by the Immortal Mes.

I forgot a lot of the stats, but it was something with 0/0/20/30/0, Cleric’s Amulet. It used the high power of the amulet combined with healing power (and mantra heals) for ridiculous survivability. Damage came 90% from double stacks of retaliation from myself and iDefender. As far as bunkering goes, it was pretty awesome. If I managed to get three phantasms out, the enemy would be drowned in clouds of brown retaliation-ticks.

I’m experimenting with an interesting type of shatter/phantasm (Shantasm?) build atm. Knights w/Zerk Jewel.. Runes of the Mesmer, 0/20/0/20/30 Sword/Focus-Scepter/Sword… Sword/Focus is my defensive set, and the defense it gives me actually outperforms the staff considerably with a traited 1h Sword and Focus giving me constant blurred frenzy, iLeap, and focus reflects. I tend to burn enemies down pretty fast before I even swap to the offensive set. Still testing it but its been really surprisingly effective so far.

For your shantasm build you said you were trying out, how does it actually do any output dmg? since you don’t have any traited in increasing dmg in either phantasm or mind wrack from domination trait line and since you don’t have much damage output from the scepter unless you use the sword phantasm.
Also a question about the focus reflects, does it reflect the whole time you have swiftness from the curtain and the phantasm? or how does that work? (assuming you traited the reflect from focus skills)