Guild Wars 2

Since thieves hard counter Mesmers and there is a whole lot of them out there, would it be a bad idea to play a Mesmer if you want to roam solo? Thanks.

Don’t worry about thieves, there’s a lot of them but they’re not all good players. Also, most of the fights when roaming are unfair not matter which profession you play. You’ll get used to it eventually.

Giants.9362:

Since thieves hard counter Mesmers and there is a whole lot of them out there, would it be a bad idea to play a Mesmer if you want to roam solo? Thanks.

Thieves really only hard counter shatter builds. Any condition build or even lockdown to some degree is going to give you a good matchup or even advantage versus most thieves out there.

I rarely lose to Thieves… I have been playing PU, and while many call it “cheese”, I call it “fighting cheese with cheese”

http://youtu.be/zURS5phJO_c

Ok, as with any question pertaining to both “mesmer” and “wvw” it will all depend on your server. I am on Yak’s Bend. Going solo as a mesmer will require a PU build because while I’m roaming I’m not going to run into a single player. I’m going to run into 2-3-5-20 players. However, going PU also means I won’t be able to flip a camp on my own fast enough before someone responds and by then my HP is already at half and I will be fighting both the NPCs and the responders unless it’s a zerg falling on me and then I will either be able to evade them or just die.

However, if you are so lucky to be on a lesser server, then you will be able to get away with a glassier spec like shatter or lockdown.

Also, I really like lockdown when I’m solo roaming on my own server. I play it with a staff because I feel that is one of our best defensive weapons. Or if I’m going to go for full aggression then I will use GS+Sw/P. I like to have one push or pull on hand in case I do come up on that thief who wants to hide in SR when they realize they’re going to lose.

So, 1. how good is your server, 2. how good are you, and 3. have you considered at least one partner? Thief makes an excellent partner for mesmer.

Calliope.8675:

However, going PU also means I won’t be able to flip a camp on my own fast enough before someone responds and by then my HP is already at half and I will be fighting both the NPCs and the responders unless it’s a zerg falling on me and then I will either be able to evade them or just die.

Good point… move to T6-T8 if you want to roam solo, then you can solo Towers

As I read you quoting that sentence I am suddenly appalled by it. Such run-on and and and… I am disappointed with myself.

I’m on Gates of Madness and prefer Maim condi shatter if solo. Even if I’m running solo I’ll tend to stay “near” other solo roamers. Thieves are not an issue with Maim imo, usually 0/4/4/0/6.

edit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tcjVz12Ago this vid might help ya

Telly.4962:

Calliope.8675:

However, going PU also means I won’t be able to flip a camp on my own fast enough before someone responds and by then my HP is already at half and I will be fighting both the NPCs and the responders unless it’s a zerg falling on me and then I will either be able to evade them or just die.

Good point… move to T6-T8 if you want to roam solo, then you can solo Towers

Nonsence,power PU is same dmg as any other power spec,mean u gonna sit on around 2.3-2.5k power and above 200% crit dmg.U might been missinformed about PU,which is one trait,not build.

As for t6-8,u dont solo towers in here,ppl zerg just the same,and u get overrun by big groups all the time,groups which will chase you for several minutes.

Played T1 since forever on Mes. Thieves are the hard counter to Shatter Mesmer, and primarily so in PvP. You don’t usualy take shatter mes in WvW for other reasons. That said, as a Mes thieves are the least of your troubles in the wide world of WvW.

The stats, and “objectives” are different in WvW, so Mesmer can have a HUGE advantage over your typical thief. There’s plenty of build options available to tailor to the particular challenges you’ll face in WvW. So yeah, go for it, play Mes. It’s great fun.

Giants.9362:

Since thieves hard counter Mesmers and there is a whole lot of them out there, would it be a bad idea to play a Mesmer if you want to roam solo? Thanks.

Good thief is pain for every1,never really understood this hard counter thing,and why ppl say it.Just equip sword,which helps a lot and train a bit,if you got such a serious trouble with thieves.

Mesmer is one of best,maybe even best roamer for WvW,if you are looking at killing others and surviving.As for funn,that is individual

KaporHabakuk.6219:

Nonsence,power PU is same dmg as any other power spec,mean u gonna sit on around 2.3-2.5k power and above 200% crit dmg.U might been missinformed about PU,which is one trait,not build.

PU is also used as the name for the traditional build/set up with staff + sc/t. I am hardly misinformed. Also, I would never the “power” variant of the build, but that’s just me.

I’ve moved to t1 as a fill glkittenter mesmer. Solo roaming started off like hell. All I could find where thieves or zergs. Now i’ve come to learn how to handle myself A LOT better in outnumbered battles and I can also hold my own quite well against thieves, in comparison to a large portion of the mesmer community. I think a thank you to the thief community and myself for persistence is in order. :P

Telly.4962:

I rarely lose to Thieves… I have been playing PU, and while many call it “cheese”, I call it “fighting cheese with cheese”

http://youtu.be/zURS5phJO_c

Owow clicking your utilities and excessive backpeddling. Try moving your heal and utilities to X C V B.

KaporHabakuk.6219:

Telly.4962:

Calliope.8675:

However, going PU also means I won’t be able to flip a camp on my own fast enough before someone responds and by then my HP is already at half and I will be fighting both the NPCs and the responders unless it’s a zerg falling on me and then I will either be able to evade them or just die.

Good point… move to T6-T8 if you want to roam solo, then you can solo Towers

Nonsence,power PU is same dmg as any other power spec,mean u gonna sit on around 2.3-2.5k power and above 200% crit dmg.U might been missinformed about PU,which is one trait,not build.

As for t6-8,u dont solo towers in here,ppl zerg just the same,and u get overrun by big groups all the time,groups which will chase you for several minutes.

Someone forgot to send me that memo, because I solo Towers all the time. I run PU Condi, not Power… And one of the benefits of running PU is that you do not get run over, or chased for several minutes by big groups, you just leave the scene if it gets too hot.

Pwent.2639:

Telly.4962:

I rarely lose to Thieves… I have been playing PU, and while many call it “cheese”, I call it “fighting cheese with cheese”

http://youtu.be/zURS5phJO_c

Owow clicking your utilities and excessive backpeddling. Try moving your heal and utilities to X C V B.

Thanks, I like the idea of moving utils there, will take getting used to.

What’s wrong with backpeddling? It can be useful when dropping clones, and dodging forward.

Telly.4962:

What’s wrong with backpeddling? It can be useful when dropping clones, and dodging forward.

I didn’t watch the video yet, but I think what’s meant is backpedaling. It is not optimal (especially if you do it often and/or for longer than a second or so) because moving backwards is slower than moving normally. It’s also much easier for a Thief to get behind you that way. Thus, it’s usually better to move forward, sideways or in a close arc (if you need to change direction by 180 degrees)… or you hit the about-face key, which you need to keybind first.

Calliope.8675:

… I am on Yak’s Bend. Going solo as a mesmer will require a PU build because while I’m roaming I’m not going to run into a single player. ….

I am on Fort Aspenwood now, so see you on the battlefield
I run the classic PU napalm cat as well for roaming and scouting. But it is easy to find a group to roam with so sometimes I go CI (just because I like it).
For tagging 6-6-0-2-0 with GS+Staff and MoP if with a really big zerg.
You could also go for support alternative with something like 2-6-0-6-0 with mantra heal and the distortion trait on phantasms.

Korusef.3714:

Calliope.8675:

… I am on Yak’s Bend. Going solo as a mesmer will require a PU build because while I’m roaming I’m not going to run into a single player. ….

I am on Fort Aspenwood now, so see you on the battlefield
I run the classic PU napalm cat as well for roaming and scouting. But it is easy to find a group to roam with so sometimes I go CI (just because I like it).
For tagging 6-6-0-2-0 with GS+Staff and MoP if with a really big zerg.
You could also go for support alternative with something like 2-6-0-6-0 with mantra heal and the distortion trait on phantasms.

Try 2/6/0/0/6 in a train sometime. Being able to use your first two shatters on yourself means more bags and Shatter 4 gives you a ton of survivability, even in melee. I run GS/Sw-T and play it like a shatter mesmer but with clone distortion for chokes where being a backline nuker is more advantageous than shatter ganker. As the enemy zerg wipes, run in with sword and Shatter 1&2 to get bag$.

OK since we’re on this topic, could someone explain the fastest way to get a sPvP-twinked level 80 Mesmer with basically no actual PvE gear, up and running in WvW? I’ve played the game since beta, but I have no clue where to even begin to get him ready for WvW. I have like 200g, several hundred laurels, etc. all the stuff you get to hit rank 80 in the Mists.

I realize it depends on build exactly what to get, but I’m not sure what’s the most efficient and economical way to get ready for solo-roaming WvW. Is it realistic given the above resources to get a decent build?

What is best to get off the trading post, and what’s better to spend Laurels on?

Thanks for helping a WvW newb! ;-)

Windwalker.7421:

OK since we’re on this topic, could someone explain the fastest way to get a sPvP-twinked level 80 Mesmer with basically no actual PvE gear, up and running in WvW? I’ve played the game since beta, but I have no clue where to even begin to get him ready for WvW. I have like 200g, several hundred laurels, etc. all the stuff you get to hit rank 80 in the Mists.

I realize it depends on build exactly what to get, but I’m not sure what’s the most efficient and economical way to get ready for solo-roaming WvW. Is it realistic given the above resources to get a decent build?

What is best to get off the trading post, and what’s better to spend Laurels on?

Thanks for helping a WvW newb! ;-)

First: Figure out what build you want to run. This will tell you what gear you need to get.

Spend laurels to get ascended rings and neck. If you have guild comms, use those to get ascended accessories, otherwise use laurels and an kitten -load of ectos.

Buy cheap exotic gear off the trading post; you won’t be spending more than 2-3 gold per piece at an absolute maximum. Buy runes/sigils in the same way.

That’s about it, you’re good to go at that point.

You’ve probably got some badges from achievements, so you can buy your ascended stuff in WvW for some badges + less laurels. DO NOT BUY NORMAL GEAR FOR BADGES!. It can not be salvaged, and so putting a rune/sigil into any gear bought for badges means it is gone forever.

You can also use laurel to get WvW experiences if you’re not going to use them for t6 and legendary (though most people are going for it). There is also a small chance that you get ascended armor/weapon chests in WvW rank chests/bonus chests. The stats in these chests are based on RNG (yuck) but you can choose whatever weapon/armor you want. Armor (particularly chest piece) is quite useful for mesmer if you don’t want to get stuck in farming 10800 silk. Though tbh ascended armor isn’t a necessity…

If you manage to get enough rank you can unlock guard killers and guard defenders. The 2500 extra hp in guard defenders are quite handy in roaming though 100 extra condi/power isn’t quite as useful as vitality.

Thanks guys! That’s exactly the info that I needed to get started and not waste gold or laurels on the wrong things!

I buy ascended trinkets the following way:
-Amulet from wvw laurel vendor – 20 laurels + 250 BoHs
-Accessories from the guild vendor – total 24 gc + 10g
-Rings from fractal vendor – total 20 pristine fractal relics

Rings can be purchased from wvw laurel vendor for total 50 laurels + 500 BoHs but total of 70 laurels is costly. In any case, Lion’s Arch laurel vendor is too expensive.

AnniMira.2506:

I buy ascended trinkets the following way:
-Amulet from wvw laurel vendor – 20 laurels + 250 BoHs
-Accessories from the guild vendor – total 24 gc + 10g
-Rings from fractal vendor – total 20 pristine fractal relics

Rings can be purchased from wvw laurel vendor for total 50 laurels + 500 BoHs but total of 70 laurels is costly. In any case, Lion’s Arch laurel vendor is too expensive.

If you run fractals frequently enough at higher levels there is also a chance you can get the rings you want for free. Just don’t hold your breath on that.

I feel I should mention, also, that there is a slight chance you could get them as a rank up reward in pvp or wvw. That is about as rare as getting an ascended weapon/armor box.

Ascended is like 5% stat difference compared to exo?Sounds quite unimportant,even expensive food could make bigger difference.

KaporHabakuk.6219:

Ascended is like 5% stat difference compared to exo?Sounds quite unimportant,even expensive food could make bigger difference.

That’s armor. Ascended accessories are a very large difference.

Thanks everyone, I’m finally up and running in WvW. The above advice really helped me avoid costly mistakes.

Giants, I only solo roam in WvW and I love it. Thieves indeed are a problem but for me they are really the only problem (except some kittening guardians that just won’t die) and I win about 30-40% of the thief fights.

Some tips and insights.
- Staff, bring a kittening staff. Thieves don’t like them.
- Burst, thieves need to be taken down fast in WvW, if you almost kill them, they just disengage and come back, at least the good ones.
- Condition builds are very strong against thieves, torment and confusion is amazing.
- PU is like a thieves repellent, they come up and sniff you and take off, if they stay you usually win unless noob, then outcome uncertain.
- Learn their rotations, when you start to see the pattern it’s a bit easier to avoid their damage or at least limit it.
- Thieves can cloak & dagger you phantasms without any chance for you to stop them so phantasm builds work only against inexperienced thieves.

I switch a lot between builds but right now I’m in a power shatter mode and it’s amazingly fun to burst down thieves but I often get slaughtered, but it’s worth it.

Get a Rabid and a Berserker set and try both power and condition. If you have problem with rabid/condition you can try a Dire set and with a MtD build. I started with a power PU build with Berserker gear but Rabid armor. Was a good mix to get the hang of things.

TL;DR
Thieves are difficult but not a reason not to. Do it.