Guild Wars 2

What if mantras were ground targeted aoe skills that effected targets in that area.
I think that would add more use considering there long recharge times

That’s a cool idea but it would be hard to do since a mantra is supposed to be an instant cast. Unless, it just cast directly where your mouse was or directly around your player (probably a better idea).

It would definitely add a lot of util if you could instant heal / clear condition / grant stab to a bunch of players. The daze and damage one though might be weird with targeting around a player (especially if you deal mostly ranged damage with GS or Staff). Cool idea!

Aoe daze would be awesome for wvw mass interrupt or group damage spike

FULLY support the idea tbh. I love Mantras but I just find they’re lackluster unless doing Shutdown on a specific target.

Someone in a recent thread suggested that mantras build charges over time instead of requiring casting, I thought that was a really cool idea to make mantras more viable.
For example, every 10 seconds gain 1 charge, up to a maximum of X charges.

I really like the mantra casting animation and chant though, so perhaps a way to have both? cast it once for one charge, then they auto gain a charge every few seconds up to a maximum of 3. You can then use 2 charges without having to worry about manual re-casting(because they would auto build charges over time so long as there’s at least one charge left), and the trade off for using all of them would be having to recast (Anet could then re-increase the cast time to balance it).

We already have glamours for AoE utility.

It’s funny how all those who can’t manage to use Mantras want to change them in a way so they can use it. But those who already use them will be ****ed when they’ll change that way.

Right now mantras are indeed precasted skills with a high (well, medium now) casttime. But their actual purpose is that you can use the charges any time, while reviving, while dodging, while attacking with other skills and even while charging other mantras. You simply don’t use mantras as you use other skills.
They have great uses and potentials, but alot mesmers just want to use them like all other classes …

I wish enemies couldn’t see how many charges I have. Zero stability charges is like a big sign over my head saying “cc and nuke me at will”. Or when I do have condi clears charged it’s “don’t blow your condi burst just yet”. But then again, I could could also use that to my advantage

Arewn.2368:

Someone in a recent thread suggested that mantras build charges over time instead of requiring casting, I thought that was a really cool idea to make mantras more viable.
For example, every 10 seconds gain 1 charge, up to a maximum of X charges.

This is what “Karma” (a character) in League of Legends used to be o.O How familiar :o

i feel like more aoe dazing other than the shatter could make the interrupt-buffing traits very op ._.

Nretep.2564:

Right now mantras are indeed precasted skills with a high (well, medium now) casttime. But their actual purpose is that you can use the charges any time, while reviving, while dodging, while attacking with other skills and even while charging other mantras. You simply don’t use mantras as you use other skills

This.
The essential design idea of mantras is that they are a precharged skill that can be cast at any time. Any change to mantras has to be true to this formula.

Personally, I think some of the mantras could benefit from shorter cooldowns. Mantra of Distraction has a 30 sec cooldown, a 2.75 sec charge time, and 5 sec cooldown between casts. That’s 2 dazes every 37.75 sec. That doesn’t seem worth an entire utility slot to me.

Nretep.2564:

It’s funny how all those who can’t manage to use Mantras want to change them in a way so they can use it. But those who already use them will be ****ed when they’ll change that way.

Right now mantras are indeed precasted skills with a high (well, medium now) casttime. But their actual purpose is that you can use the charges any time, while reviving, while dodging, while attacking with other skills and even while charging other mantras. You simply don’t use mantras as you use other skills.
They have great uses and potentials, but alot mesmers just want to use them like all other classes …

I can use mantras but they are very niche.
Granting them the ability to be aoe makes them tons more useful.

Nretep.2564:

Right now mantras are indeed precasted skills with a high (well, medium now) casttime. But their actual purpose is that you can use the charges any time, while reviving, while dodging, while attacking with other skills and even while charging other mantras. You simply don’t use mantras as you use other skills.

And therein lies the problem with mantras: this ability is not unique or well supported.

Many utilities are already instant cast. Cantrips, Meditations, and Shouts are all instant without interrupting other abilities, and most stunbreakers are instant or nearly instant abilities, etc. None of these abilities have to pay anything in return to get this instant activation, but the Mesmer is expected to invest enormous amounts of time to let their utilities activate. Why should other classes get this power for free when Mesmers are required to drastically slow down their combat pace just to get their utilities to work?

It also doesn’t help that the traits for mantra are all over the place. Harmonious Mantras should not be a grandmaster trait in a line that has no other mantra support, Dueling shouldn’t be paying you with passive bonuses to not activate utilities (that’s what signets are for), and there isn’t a single trait out there cutting down the mantra cast time.

For the instant cast feature to actually be useful, the Mantras would all have to bring something unique to the table that greatly benefits from brief, instant bursts. If Mantra of Resolve gave you Power Flux “gain distortion” and Mantra of Pain’s Power Spike provided “briefly immobilize your target and inflict several seconds of torment”, they might be worth it. Both of those abilities would benefit tremendously from properly timed spikes to control the battlefield. But instead, you have redundant condition cleansing that competes with the sheer might of Null Field and the lower recharge and low cast time of Phantasmal Disenchanter, and a basic damage spam that simply cannot compare itself to the godlike utilities Mesmers can bring to the table. Finally, Power Break has to compare itself against all other stunbreakers, and dazing must face the rather erratic nature of interruption in this game as well as the clunky Defiant mechanic in PvE play.

That’s why mantras aren’t used very much: they are a mechanic looking for a reason to exist. Arenanet latched onto the charge up mechanism as a way to power up awesome and mighty spells, but forgot to check that the spells are awesome and mighty in relation to the game mechanics and other utilities. Inflicting an instant daze isn’t amazing. Breaking stun shouldn’t require several seconds of charging up. Dealing spam damage is not special, and curing conditions is one of the most basic jobs of utility skills. Mantras bring too many restrictions to the table to be worth their incredibly basic abilities, especially in comparison to the other incredible utilities Mesmers have to offer AND the utilities of other professions that steal the instant-cast-during-other-skills power for free.

Xyonon.3987:

Arewn.2368:

Someone in a recent thread suggested that mantras build charges over time instead of requiring casting, I thought that was a really cool idea to make mantras more viable.
For example, every 10 seconds gain 1 charge, up to a maximum of X charges.

This is what “Karma” (a character) in League of Legends used to be o.O How familiar :o

I was thinking Akali from LoL, never played the old version of Karma. I really like this idea.

AOE mantras would also be really nice. Only thing I would like to add is make mantras viable for power and condition set ups: Mantra of pain could do both power and torment. Mantra of distraction… halting strike and bountiful/chaotic interruptions. None of these really benefit condition damage. Maybe bleeds or posion on the mantra.

As for changes that would happen to traits.
Decrease passive recharge time. Maybe make it so that it is 5% damage for each equipped mantra that IS NOT charged so it could sort of be like an anti-signet. 400 toughness when all of your mantras are “reloading.”

Mantra of Pain should be a PBAoE at the target. The 4 additional enemies are hit for 50% of the damage the target takes. Power Spike scales with power (can’t crit) and is mitigated by the armour of the target, but the AoE effect ignores armour. Target the squishiest foe and go to town (sorry Thieves).

Finnway.2183:

The essential design idea of mantras is that they are a precharged skill that can be cast at any time.

This is part of the problem for those of us Mesmers in WvW. Mantras can be useful when precharged, but battles in WvW can go long, or situations change quickly. I’d hate to run into fight with only 1 charge left to only cleanse 2 conditions off just myself. Sure, I can charge a Mantra in a zerg fight no problem, the problem is their benefit isn’t worth it.

I could easily overlook the whole precharging issue if they were a little more worthwhile. That being said I support the idea of having them be PbAoE. Yes, Anet would have to be careful not to make them too overpowered, but right now they’re underwhelming.

Don’t tell me Mesmers have AoE with Glamor skills. Feedback is the only true AoE with reflection that Mantras don’t have. Null Field will either strip one condition or boon, maybe two if people linger in the field. Veil and Portal are not used for AoE purposes.

We could definitely use some ground-casted AoE for WvW, but I’d rather gain it with new/revamped weapon skills, since our utility slots are already taken (stun breaker, null field, veil/portal)