Guild Wars 2

Hi guys, i’m playing this game since november, even though most ppl dont like it, i enjoyed pvp much more than pve, but i’m having problems in figuring out how to play pvp well, i’m dieing too much, and i cant seem to get any kills in the matches i play, i mostly end up something like 2/10 everytime.
I’m really looking for help, i want to understand the game, and to understand how mesmers should play pvp, what they do, and how to survive these battles.
Please share your experience… Thanks.

If you’re just starting out I would recommend finding a guild with an active spvp group that uses voice chat. Most groups are more than happy to mold and train a mesmer. Also, take a look at the builds by PyroAtheist, Oscicat or Flimp, they are a good starting point and once you find your own personal play style then you can tweak things to what works for you. Above all else, practice, practice, practice! You can’t just walk into spvp and expect to be automatically awesome,… unless you’re a thief. Just kidding… not really.

I dunno what it is with me and bullet points but..

• I know it sounds kinda redundant.. but as a Mesmer try and play mindgames with your opponent. Think about what they’re thinking when facing you and all of your clones. A stealth like Decoy drops target, so if you stealth and maneuver behind your opponent, they have a much harder time targeting you.

• Learn the attacks you need to dodge. Greatsword Warrior’s 100 blades, Greatsword Guardian’s Spin, Thief’s ungodly frustrating Heartseeker. Its really important to pay attention to what moves your opponent has spent, and save your defensive abilities for the more dangerous attacks yet to come.

• A lot of people coming into PvP from PvE have a bad habit of using dodge rolls simply for maneuverability. A dodge is a 1 second invuln and can be a lifesaver. Speaking of which.. Try and keep a mental count of the dodges your opponent has used up. It takes 10 secs to refill 50% of your endurance (5 seconds with Vigor) so if your opponent blows both his dodges within 10 secs, hes vulnerable to your bursts (Illusionary Leap + Blurred frenzy+F1Mindwrack)

What kind of build do you use?

I dont know builds actually, i just played using a lot of precision for crits, and my weapons were sword + pistol.

Well.. In that case, you could be using a glass cannon without realizing it. Your amulet has a huge roll on your playstyle. Its all about choosing how much defense you want to sacrifice for your damage.

Berserker’s – Power/Precision/Crit Damage. Massive damage output but offers no defense (Vitality or Toughness. Vitality is better against Condition Damage, Toughness mitigates Direct Damage) Best used if you have quick reflexes and a lot of active defenses such as Decoy and Blink.

Rampager’s – Power/Precision/Condition Damage. Same as above. Glass cannon that allows to mix direct damage with condition damage.

If you want more survivability, look to Knights as sort of the next step up. What secondary weapon(s) do you use? Staff is a great defensive compliment to Sword/Pistol’s offensive playstyle.

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If you like keeping your phantasms up and fighting with you, spec your traits into Phantasm damage and take Signet of Illusions. It helps to trait into cooling down your favorite weapon, be it sword or pistol.

If you prefer to shatter hard and often, throw 20 points into Dueling (X) and 30 into Illusions (XI) for a solid shatter build.

The stat bonuses your traits give you make a pretty big difference as well
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Rune-wise, take a look at Runes of the Scholar, Mesmer, and Ogre for direct damage. I tend to go 5x Runes of Nightmare 1x Rune of Necro for condition damage