Guild Wars 2

First off, let me give you feedback from my playtesting session this Friday about Mirage: It’s underwhelming. It’s fun to fly around with the axe but it gets me killed a lot. That 2 skill needs to be an evade and axe, in general, doesn’t do nearly as much damage as sword. Why would I want to use it? That skill 3 is pretty sweet though. Mirrors are kind of janky and don’t really help in the heat of battle but otherwise would be good for condition mesmers. Mirage in general just doesn’t seem to be good at all. There’s not much of a selling point aside having a few minutes of fun with the axe mobility. I have no interest in these utility skills and I’d rather use Sword than Axe. I just don’t see what it’s supposed to bring to the table Buff it. Wish I could give you feedback on EVERY spec as I played all of them but I don’t want to type up a thing for each one. But there’s another reason I’m here. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of feedback from other folks so you ain’t losing anything by not getting mine so here’s the real reason I’m here:

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I have a bone to pick with you Anet. You seem to think that only condition mesmers exist. Why? They aren’t even that good or fun. Here’s what I’m getting at: As a power phantasm build mesmer, Elite Specializations offer nothing for me. Chronomancer is too defensive for my tastes and Mirage is underwhelming but both are geared towards conditions builds (though chrono can be used effectively kittenter but not phantasm). What I’m saying is that I don’t want to be stuck with Base Mesmer forever, I want a cool spec but like I said, Chrono and Mirage do nothing for me. I really wish you didn’t only add specs on an expansion to expansion basis because it means I’m going through another expac as Base Mesmer.

So, Anet, here’s what I’m telling you: WE REALLY NEED A POWER BASED ELITE SPECIALIZATION FOR MESMER. We already got two specs geared toward condition, enough is enough. Power mesmers exist and we should have a spec too. Do it for the phantasms, Anet, do it for the phantasms.

Just to note: Chrono isn’t geared toward conditions, it’s just geared toward utility. Nothing in particular in Chrono is conditions, but the meta uses Condi Chrono which just means Mesmer in PvP is more effective at condis at the moment. Power Mesmer really needs some buffs.

And yeah I agree with you. Power Mesmer has been struggling ever since.

Chrono isn’t geared towards conditions.

Chrono can be either be power of condi spec’d. What Anet is guilty of is neglecting power while buffing condi, leading most mes to play boring passive condi builds. Now they have introduced a condi elite spec that is pretty useless with a power build. So it has no versatility compared to Chrono.

Yeah, but you guys get what I’m saying. I did say Chrono can be used effectively as a power shatter build but for some reason that was censored. Even still, Chrono is better as condition.

The fact of the matter is that Chrono, being utility based, still offers very little for power builds, especially if you’re phantasm. It’s still too defensive. So as a result, I’ve no interest in either elite spec since they don’t do much for me. Bottom line, we still need a power based elite spec for mesmer.

This wouldn’t be much of a problem if anet released specs more frequently than one per expansion but that’s what we’re up against here. What can ya do?

Chrono enables the class mechanic of shattering better than any other line (apart from maybe Illusions) which is why it works so well, in addition to other quality of life utilities. Chrono happens to work well with condi because condi shatter traits and gameplay is more flexible, reliable and versatile than power, although Chrono still works pretty kitten well with power anyway.

I don’t think it’s condi or power that is the issue with Mirage, more like Mirage is back to fighting with the class mechanic just like core mesmer does.

Mirage could simply be a damage elite spec that enables both power and condi (and anywhere in between), although in the current state certain mechanics don’t work well together and contradict each other.

Alright, alright. I should have been more specific because that only helps you if you’re shatter build. Phantasm builds are still left with nothing.

Power chrono doesn’t need buff for PvP. It is quite strong.

It is daredevil that needs nerf. If daredevil is not as ridiculous as current are, flying around the map, one shotting ppl, power chrono would be viable in PvP.

Currently if you suspect a daredevil is coming to you(read:no icon showing on minimap), you are forced to save defensive CD and not engaging in fight. This is just so ridiculous.

Don’t even get me started on their completely OP consume plasma stolen skill.

A problem with power mesmer is more core then about elite spec.

In my opinion to give a power mesmer more viability there is should some tweaks to interruption mechanics, some traits, minor utility.

Power mesmers does not have good survivability like current meta require to be viable, they does not have immunity (apart from distortion which quite problematic to upkeep), like their power counterparts of other classes have which mostly make Inspiration trait line mandatory, which does not contribute to damage in any way.

Power mesmer does not have good and viable disengation utility – at best it stealth, which could be broken by quite a lot of mechanics that mesmer have, and teleportation have long cooldown. In current time with build that have permaswiftness, easy superspeed and moving abilities on their weapon skills – mesmer is easly kited or catched up.

In my opinion there is following tweaks needed to make powermesmer viable in current meta.

F – utility must switch your position with targeted illusion, but with reasonable cooldown. Thouse mesmer will have higher mobility on battlefield.

Grandmaster trait Power Block in Domination should ignore CC immunity and stability, in current meta a lot of ways to ignore interruption by which such way of delievering damage quite unreliable. Though a lot of traits across all traitlines rely on interruption:
1) Domination which have Confounding Suggestions, Furious interurption, Power Block
2) Chaos with Chaotic Iterruption
3) Chronomancer with Delayed reaction
None of them making Interruption a reliable way of delievering damage.

Chronomancer’s Lost in Time trait should apply 3 second slow, therefore taking Delayed Reaction and Danger Time be much more efficent choice for power mesmer that do not rely on clone generation, but on interruption.

Offensive mantras should have 3 charges or faster recast and grant buffs for using charges, but not for charging mantras itself.

Projectile speed of pistol 4, GS 2 and 4 should be increased by little margin.

Additionally sword autoattack end chain should transfer 1 condition and steal 1 boon.

Mirror image should create 2 clones of chosen target, but not mesmer.

TL;DR, problem with powermesmer lies not in field of new spec, but at core mesmer itself.

Since we are on the topic of power Mesmer, what are your builds? (for PvE, PvP etc)

Hazz.8109:

Since we are on the topic of power Mesmer, what are your builds? (for PvE, PvP etc)

PvE:

Ill 121
Due 131
Dom 222 (or 223)

You can easily tweak this to your playstyle, but this is the general build.

Hazz.8109:

Since we are on the topic of power Mesmer, what are your builds? (for PvE, PvP etc)

I use Sword/Pistol + Greatsword for my weapons

My heal is Ether Feast

My utilities and elite of choice are Feedback, Decoy(I sometimes swap with Portal when needed), Null Field and Time Warp (Though I do sometimes whip out the Asura Golem elites for funsies and I use Moa for PVP)

My spec is:
Dueling: 133
Illusions: 121
Domination: 131