Guild Wars 2

I’m trying this build now. http://bit.ly/14W53US

There are a couple things the build site can’t show:
– I’m using Bountiful Interruption as the Chao master trait
– I’m using mostly Sentinel armor
– I’m trying out Mistfire Wolf as my elite since its cooldown is much shorter

But mostly, I’m trying to use interrupts. My goal is basically to stack enough Might that my damage, my condition damage, and my phantasm damage are all good enough.

So far, I’ve seen Halting Strikes hit for between 1100 and 3300 in Orr and WvW.

Sometimes, it seems like I interrupt and I only get the might stacks, but I need more practice.

Torment seems to work OK on the scepter block. It feels like it might be hitting more than every second if the opponent moves.

If anyone else is trying an interrupt build, I would love to see what you’re trying.

you ever kill anything with interrupt? in wvw can you really tell how many people are around you 90% of the time? serious… in my experience wvw is just spam all i got while running around trying to survive..

I killed about 30 mobs in Orr to try to get the feel of this build. I was probably able to interrupt about 2/3 of them. Definitely the 1000 – 3000 damage I did from Halting Strikes wasn’t enough to kill any of them. However, getting 5 stacks of might helped with my other damage. And putting 8 stacks of vulnerability on also helped. The kill speed felt slightly slower than the phantasm build I was using, but I was getting used to the feel of this.

In WvW, I mostly do camps. The guards all have a clear tell when they heal, so I can interrupt them regularly (and I did a few camps to try this – but there were always others there). While doing my quick testing, I did run into a couple of other players. I saw in my combat log that I landed a couple of interrupts based on the Halting Strikes damage. But these fights were all 2 or 3 to 1 with the numbers on my side, so it’s hard to say how it plays on even footing. Certainly helped stop a thief by interrupting him once.

I don’t have any experience trying this in a larger scale fight in WvW. I’m hoping there are others trying out interrupt builds to see if they are viable.

I had experimented with interrupt builds before this. To Pyro’s point in another thread, it’s hard to stop fast-casting skills. What I found in my limited testing was that you can sometimes anticipate a skill. For example, against mobs, if you throw Mirror Blade and then shatter with F3 basically immediately, it often interrupts. My other big learning was that I need fast interrupts because I don’t always notice things quickly – so that’s why I have the 3x mantra of distraction in this build.

Anyone else giving interrupts a real try? Thx!

Without foes showing their skill bars, you’ll be relegated to only interrupt two or three skills that have a very obvious tell. IMHO running an interrupt mesmer is not good enough right now.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been having ok success in WvW trying out interrupts. It’s so hard to judge how effective it really is because I’m not consistent enough and not reviewing the logs constantly. Against guards, it works well. I’m able to see the heals and get my might stacks consistently. I’ve won a few fights against players, but it’s hard to tell if this was really the deciding factor.

For what it’s worth, I changed the build to pick up Prismatic Understanding. It’s fun to mix in decoy and mass invis sometimes http://bit.ly/17g5TMB

decease.3215:

you ever kill anything with interrupt? in wvw can you really tell how many people are around you 90% of the time? serious… in my experience wvw is just spam all i got while running around trying to survive..

That’s the playstyle you take advantage of as an interrupt mesmer in WvW.
Everyone you fight in a large battle is just spamming skills, all you really have to do is unload a few dazes and you’re going to proc plenty of interrupts.

Also, one of my mesmer friends has been trying an interrupt build since the patch.
He’s barely above “useless” in roaming, but it’s quite deadly when paired with other control builds and some DPS.

EnRohbi.2187:

decease.3215:

you ever kill anything with interrupt? in wvw can you really tell how many people are around you 90% of the time? serious… in my experience wvw is just spam all i got while running around trying to survive..

That’s the playstyle you take advantage of as an interrupt mesmer in WvW.
Everyone you fight in a large battle is just spamming skills, all you really have to do is unload a few dazes and you’re going to proc plenty of interrupts.

Also, one of my mesmer friends has been trying an interrupt build since the patch.
He’s barely above “useless” in roaming, but it’s quite deadly when paired with other control builds and some DPS.

Problem is that most ‘spammed’ skills are not interruptable. Autoattacks can’t get interrupted, any skill with a cast time of under .75 seconds won’t get interrupted, and obviously in wvw anyone with stability will not get interrupted. It’s a total crapshoot in wvw, sometimes you’ll get lucky and get a ton of interrupts, and sometimes you’ll get nothing. It’s just an extremely unreliable playstyle.

Pyroatheist.9031:

EnRohbi.2187:

decease.3215:

you ever kill anything with interrupt? in wvw can you really tell how many people are around you 90% of the time? serious… in my experience wvw is just spam all i got while running around trying to survive..

That’s the playstyle you take advantage of as an interrupt mesmer in WvW.
Everyone you fight in a large battle is just spamming skills, all you really have to do is unload a few dazes and you’re going to proc plenty of interrupts.

Also, one of my mesmer friends has been trying an interrupt build since the patch.
He’s barely above “useless” in roaming, but it’s quite deadly when paired with other control builds and some DPS.

Problem is that most ‘spammed’ skills are not interruptable. Autoattacks can’t get interrupted, any skill with a cast time of under .75 seconds won’t get interrupted, and obviously in wvw anyone with stability will not get interrupted. It’s a total crapshoot in wvw, sometimes you’ll get lucky and get a ton of interrupts, and sometimes you’ll get nothing. It’s just an extremely unreliable playstyle.

I’ve been making heavy use of interrupts since long before this patch came out,
It might be an unreliable playstyle in the sense that your success is reliant upon your opponent’s actions, but I can tell you I have little problems proccing interrupts.

Even though I’m still using essentially the same shatter build I was before (Which already had 20 deep in Chaos for the staff trait), I switched Staff trait for Bountiful Interruptions and it takes me no time at all to hit 20-25 stacks of Might now.

I just wanted to play around with some of the changed traits at first, but I’m liking using Bountiful Interruptions far more than a cd reduction on staff skills.

Thanks for the feedback. It really helps to hear what others are doing and how it’s working out.

Just a couple quick notes on specifically how I’m playing this so that others can compare.

I have four main ways to interrupt:
– Greatsword 5 (wave)
– Pistol 5 (magic bullet)
– Shatter F3
– Mantra of distraction

For me, the key thing is that I’m going to use the first two skills anyways. I always work using those skills into my rotation (at the very least before I swap weapons).

The F3 shatter is tough for me. It works fine if there’s a GS clone next to the target. Realistically, I need to get better at thinking about when I use it. I’ve been experimenting with using it early (leading off with Mirror Blade and trying the F3 shatter before I cast berserker).

The distraction mantras are great because I can use them any time. I try to use them when there’s a clear tell. But I also use them when I’m in “panic” mode. Like a thief unstealths and I’m trying to get a phantasm out before he re-stealths. I try to throw in the distraction at the same time.

So far, I’ve had some success. I’ve one some 1v1 fights playing this way, but the majority of how I’m playing is no different than it was before. I was always using the “interrupt” skills before.

I agree that many skills are too fast to intentionally interrupt. I’m just wondering how it’s working for people in real-world experience that are trying this.

One interesting thing about this strategy is that, especially combined with Prismatic Understanding, it does create the possibility of lots of boons to share with a team if you’re running in a group.

Anyone else actively trying to play interrupt in WvW? Thx!

To me interrupt is just a gimmick and not what a build should center around. It’s like putting all of your eggs in one basket for something that is not very consistent.

They need to bring back the casting bar. Also, I feel it’s a learn to play mechanic. We will probably get better at interrupting the more we pratice.

I was doing the Obsidian Sanctum yesterday. My interrupt build is with Counter Blade, Power Lock, Signet of Domination (Traited mantras and signets) and instant killed many people before they know what happened (Sigil of Fire damage + Halting 1-3k damage). Quickness on interrupt is awesome.

I can see people being daze/stun locked in PvP.

Like many of you said already, it’s a unreliable playstyle and it gets me angry sometimes.

Krispera.5087:

They need to bring back the casting bar. Also, I feel it’s a learn to play mechanic. We will probably get better at interrupting the more we pratice.

I was doing the Obsidian Sanctum yesterday. My interrupt build is with Counter Blade, Power Lock, Signet of Domination (Traited mantras and signets) and instant killed many people before they know what happened (Sigil of Fire damage + Halting 1-3k damage). Quickness on interrupt is awesome.

I can see people being daze/stun locked in PvP.

Like many of you said already, it’s a unreliable playstyle and it gets me angry sometimes.

This is exactly the problem though. Daze/stun locking doesn’t proc interrupts. Yes, it’s a stunlock, but you don’t get interrupts from that.

True, a Daze/Stun don’t process interrupts in and of themselves. But if they are timed correctly then they are an interrupt.

That’s what Krispera was saying, its a “learn to play” mechanic. You have to pay attention see what the player is doing and anticipate what he will do next.

Good to hear more experience. It’s because it’s unreliable that I’m trying to learn what people are actually trying and how it’s working.

I think that you probably don’t want to create a build totally around interrupts. I have three “investments” in interrupts in this build:
- Halting strikes – I’m on the fence – it’s averaging about 2000 damage – but I may well trade it out for giving phantasms 15% more damage. Still, 2000 damage added on “for free” is nice
- Bountiful interruption – I’m not getting 20 stacks of might in most fights, but I’m usually getting 5 – 10 plus a couple other boons
- Mantra of distraction – it makes a big difference in a fight when you stop a heal. 1v1 or taking camps, it’s probably worth it for me. I’m not great at anything beyond 1v1 anyway, so it’s hard to say if there’s another utility that would totally change that.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who’s giving feedback on what they have tried and how it works. I get a lot of benefit when people who have higher skill levels thank I do try things out – it helps me set expectations on what a build might do.

I use bountiful interruption (BI) in the support focused build in my signature to augment the boon acquiring capabilities we possess via the Staff and runes(altruism)/sigils(battle).

Single target interrupting via daze mantra or pistol is not a good reason to take BI as many have pointed out in this and other recent threads. However, I’ve found the potential AoE interrupts from Chaos Storm and focus pulls, along with the occasional F3 shatter, proc BI often enough for it to be useful both in PvE/dungeons and WvW. I haven’t played with it in yet in sPvP.

skcamow.3527:

I use bountiful interruption (BI) in the support focused build in my signature to augment the boon acquiring capabilities we possess via the Staff and runes(altruism)/sigils(battle).

Single target interrupting via daze mantra or pistol is not a good reason to take BI as many have pointed out in this and other recent threads. However, I’ve found the potential AoE interrupts from Chaos Storm and focus pulls, along with the occasional F3 shatter, proc BI often enough for it to be useful both in PvE/dungeons and WvW. I haven’t played with it in yet in sPvP.

Indeed.
I use my aoe interrupts for trying to proc bountiful interruption and use the single-target interrupts for waiting for my opponent to use their heal.

It’s not a playstyle I would carry over to PvE, though
With the exception of, when bosses have Defiant on them you can still proc Bountiful Interruption through Interrupts even though their action won’t be interrupted). I got an instant 20 stack of Might on bosses today just by 4xDiversion right in their face while they were using a skill with Defiant.
And even that, I would only do when I’m too lazy to completely retrait from WvW

I added some Interupt factor for my build. With my new trait i got a lot of “Raw Stat”… Yeah thx for the nerf of IC ~__~

The only interupt i use only 2, Halting Strike and Furious interuption.

Halting Strike = Deal 3k damage if crit vs 2,4k DEF armor.
Furious interuption = 3s QUickness with 15s Delay

My expectation only when enemy is downed or ally is downed. USe interupt to “Punish” the one who casting with 3k damage → Gain Quickness → Fast Ress/ Fast Stomp.

The quickness i dunno if it’s good enough or not. But i;m still researching it. Need to compensate the loss from Moar delay to keep good sustain damage.

Shatter build kinda got buff from this Halting Strike. It’s like they are having 2x Mind Wrack from F1 and F3

The interrupt mechanic really needs some looking into if they want to make an interrupt build even remotely viable. If they made daze no more than a 1-2s duration and changed it to “The next skill used is interrupted and placed on an X second cool down” THEN it would be viable. This game just isn’t built like GW1 to allow for reactive interrupts reliably.

Dastion.3106:

The interrupt mechanic really needs some looking into if they want to make an interrupt build even remotely viable. If they made daze no more than a 1-2s duration and changed it to “The next skill used is interrupted and placed on an X second cool down” THEN it would be viable. This game just isn’t built like GW1 to allow for reactive interrupts reliably.

Agreed. Plus an interrupt build is practically useless in PVE because of the slower rate of attack for mobs and the infrequency of channeled spells. Maybe someone will theory craft something amazing, but personally I feel like all this chatter by Anet of build diversity resulting in a boost of interrupt traits is kind of an insult. There are so many traits that need to be reworked, and they give us interrupts? A mechanism that is often luck based?

I’ve had my Lockdown build on my stream and in the Build post on the forums here for a few months now (since Confusion nerf) has recieved a buff this patch

(Will be releasing a new video with some extra things that you can do with this build now after the patch)

eldenbri.1059:

Thanks for the feedback. It really helps to hear what others are doing and how it’s working out.

Just a couple quick notes on specifically how I’m playing this so that others can compare.

I have four main ways to interrupt:
– Greatsword 5 (wave)
– Pistol 5 (magic bullet)
– Shatter F3
– Mantra of distraction

I’m quite sure that Into the Void can proc interrupts.

AndrewSX.3794:

eldenbri.1059:

Thanks for the feedback. It really helps to hear what others are doing and how it’s working out.

Just a couple quick notes on specifically how I’m playing this so that others can compare.

I have four main ways to interrupt:
– Greatsword 5 (wave)
– Pistol 5 (magic bullet)
– Shatter F3
– Mantra of distraction

I’m quite sure that Into the Void can proc interrupts.

Confirmed, and a great source of interrupt

AndrewSX.3794:

eldenbri.1059:

Thanks for the feedback. It really helps to hear what others are doing and how it’s working out.

Just a couple quick notes on specifically how I’m playing this so that others can compare.

I have four main ways to interrupt:
– Greatsword 5 (wave)
– Pistol 5 (magic bullet)
– Shatter F3
– Mantra of distraction

I’m quite sure that Into the Void can proc interrupts.

I’m pretty sure he’s just talking about his particular build, which doesn’t use the focus. However, it’d probably be worthwhile (to me at least!) to discuss what skills we have that can provide interrupts – like chaos storm, for example, which seems to work pretty well in a ZvZ situation. Any other skills we haven’t mentioned?

I had the time over to set a smal vid together from my run tonight. Its a experemental interupt build with mass daze. So far love it, extremly good team support and when i got a hang of it did a impressive amount of dmg.

Later we did GvG who i dont add here but in organiced GvG it was just a monster build. 10 vs 10 = daze al targets time after time when stomps/resses was going on + gave might and other boons al time. Never felt so usefull to my team in a GvG as I did tonight before.

/Osicat

Osicat.4139:

I had the time over to set a smal vid together from my run tonight. Its a experemental interupt build with mass daze. So far love it, extremly good team support and when i got a hang of it did a impressive amount of dmg.

Later we did GvG who i dont add here but in organiced GvG it was just a monster build. 10 vs 10 = daze al targets time after time when stomps/resses was going on + gave might and other boons al time. Never felt so usefull to my team in a GvG as I did tonight before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8461PN-Te6E

/Osicat

I was already underwhelmed by what you can do in roaming with interupt builds but after looking at this video it’s just gives me 0 hope in any form of a working interupt build in WvW.

Pausing the video every once in a while when you try to interupt, its mostly 1/5th of the aoe interupt that works. The amount of might you get to stack is amazing, though 1/3rd of it is from your allies and the fact that you barely deal any damage makes the stacks pretty useless. I would almost say switch portal for signet of inspiration so you could be at least a bit usefull.

The amount of dazes/stuns you’re doing is maybe 1/5th of what a guardian does, while your damage is maybe even lower, your surviveability is lower and your support boons/healings are like 0.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see interupt builds becoming the new meta since they’re hard to play, but basicly why it wont work is because what I posted in another thread already:

’’You would at first even hope to get a daze off, then be lucky someone is standing in it without stability and then be lucky to daze/pull while he’s casting a skill.

Not to mention if he’s running -97% cond duration it wont even apply immobilize/random condition.’’

The roll of a mesmer in team WvW didn’t change with this patch. Still the most effective way to be is shatter as damage or with the new patch, shatter cond removal.

Then in roaming, phantasm builds got buffed and 1v1 phantasm builds got slightly nerfed.

I like the concept of interrupt. It is fun and rewarding for skilled play. It feels good when you successfully time the interrupt and pull it off. I’ve only tried against PvE champs, but i can see a lot of its uses in WvW.

While at the moment I still have doubt whether a viable build can center on this mechanic, the recent patch has at least shown that it is something that can be easily incorporated into well-established builds. At the moment, i use it to compliment my main DPS.

Suddenly I need to practice using Diversion, press F3 more often than F1. I also start to consider using Mantra of Distraction for the first time ever (never used Mantra in my mesmer life).

My current traits are 20/20/30/0/0 (Dom II-IX, Duel IV-X, Chaos IV-X-XII).

Any good tips? Cheers.

I’ve stopped experimenting with interrupts.

I went through combat logs after fights, and Halting Strikes just wasn’t showing often in the WvW fights.

I imagine a Staff and Focus build when fighting in groups could get pretty good procs. But I mostly roam solo.

It’s nice to have an interrupt to stop a heal every now and then, but from my experimenting, I think it’s not worth building around given how I like to play.

@eldenbri: what weapon you using? I find that pistol is best for interrupting in solo roaming since it’s instant cast and has good range.

@keenlam I am currently using Greatsword and Scepter / Pistol. The Magic Bullet does quite well. It has a short cast time, and it actually gives two chances to interrupt if there are two targets nearby (both Stun and Daze can interrupt).

But basically, what I found was, even adding a few more interrupting options, I wasn’t getting what seemed to be a great result. It certainly can be from my skill limits, but basically as I looked through the combat logs, I saw few entries for Halting Strikes. So I swapped it out for the 15% phantasm damage. That basically felt like about 600 additional damage per phantasm attack in exchange for a pretty infrequent 2000 points of damage from Halting Strikes.

Then I decided to give up on Bountiful Interruption. Again, it’s mostly from the unpredictable ability to get the interrupts. In exchange, I think there are a couple traits in the Chaos line that are more powerful for me.

I’d love to hear how others are doing with interrupting, but I’ve moved on to new experiments

this is not gw1, making rupt builds are pointless. Halting Strike is good in pve if you’re running a shatter build with GS/Staff or something with focus but nothing to brag home about

Does anybody else think it’s unfair that stability should not negate interrupts? I understand stability resisiting movement effects and wards, but interrupts? Really?

eldenbri.1059:

I’m trying this build now. http://bit.ly/14W53US

If anyone else is trying an interrupt build, I would love to see what you’re trying.

I like this setup, but i go 30/30/0/10/0 for the speed build. Works very well in s/tpvp. Just set all phasers to stun and you have an amazing build. Mesmer runes and paralize sigils + berzerker amulet = huge damage. I prefer to maximize my phantasms too for great burst dmg and GS for long range; but, your sword pistol does a ton of dmg and cc too!

Apologies as I do not have my build on any editor…call it addiction to playing or I’m too lazy lol
Happy hunting!

Dat necro.

/15char