Guild Wars 2

I wanted to create a topic of discussion on the best Mesmer traits and why they are the better than others in the same line. Hoping this will show people why you don’t use some traits vs others.

Guidelines: Please only compare them to other traits within a single tree and please give combos you use if any with the traits.

• Dueling:
• Far-Reaching Manipulations: The range of your manipulation skills is increased.
  I like to use this with blink, it allows you to blink a lot farther than normal. Going from 900 range to 1200 range.
• Deceptive Evasion: Create a clone at your current position when you dodge.
  Clone generation ability for shatter builds, for confusing your opponent.

• Chaos
• Debilitating Dissipation: Clones apply a random condition to nearby foes when they are killed.
  Adds additional condition damage in condition builds. Very useful whenever your opponent starts killing off your clones.
• Chaotic Dampening: +50 Toughness while wielding a staff or trident. Reduce rechage of staff skills by 20%.
  I run staff so this increase my clone generation, chaos armor, and chaos storm abilities.

• Illusions
• Illusionary Invigoration: Recharge all of your shatter skills at 50% health. (90-second cool down.)
  I really like using this ability because with enough clone generation you can go through 50+ illusions in about 2 minutes.
• Illusionary Elasticity: Bound attacks have one additional bounce.
  This one is a lovely trait, allowing out staff or great sword bouncing attacks to hit a greater number of people.
• Illusionary Personae: Shattering illusions creates the shatter effect on you as well.
  I love running in before my clones, shattering on the opponent and dodging out twice to toss up more illusions.

These are the ones I use mainly, hoping to see what everyone else thinks of our select-able traits.

Illusionary Persona is the best selectable trait, period. You get a LOT from just that single trait.

-Effectively alters the scaling of Shatters so that a single Illusion now does 50% of the potential effect (I.e 2s out of 4 Max for Distortion, versus 1/3 without).
-Lets you use Shatters without clones. Stomping an enemy? Just time your F4 to avoid their interrupt. Someone stomping your ally? You always have a daze ready.

Now Mind Wrack is where it gets interesting. You see, unlike your other Shatters it doesn’t scale linearly. Whereas with F2-F4 each Illusion is 33% of the max effect, Mind Wrack scales such that the first Illusion does about 50% of the max effect. So for example, a single Illusion Mind Wrack would hit for 500 ( 1x 500), a 2 Illusion Shatter would hit for 700 (350 × 2) and a 3 Illusion Shatter for 999 (333 × 3). Illusionary Persona mimics the per Illusion damage, so if you shatter a single Illusion, IP does 500. If you shatter two it does 350, etc. That means that a single Illusion Shatter with IP does approximately as much damage as a triple Illusion Mind Wrack without it.

All of that and in a path that lowers your Shatter CDs? Yes please.

Inspiration
- IV Mender’s Purity
Remove a condition when you heal.

If you’re a Mantra user, you’re almost immune to conditions.

Two traits which are often overlooked:

Descent Into Madness
For WvW or PvE, this is one of the best selectable traits, I’d go as far as saying that over your entire play time in those areas, it will be the best. It allows you to take routes otherwise impossible, and it makes “getting the drop” on someone possible because it substantially increases how far you can drop without falling on your face and being stunned.
Plus it allows for some tricks since so few people use the -falldamage traits in WvW: Push someone off a ledge, they survive but damaged, jump after them taking virtually no damage. Easy win.
Or jump off a ledge, they see you take little damage, they jump after you, killcredit.

Medic’s Feedback
For WvW, my #1 top spot trait (but only for that game mode). It makes rezzing people in WvW a joy, instead of a chore. You help someone up, and you do more damage than you normally would, both in one. Plus the CD is quite short for such a powerful trait.

There’s alot of good traits that we can use but just one funny thing I find is that I cannot live without the farther manipulation range lol xD. I use blink and for me without 1200 range it isn’t instinctive everytime I click it I have to re target bc it’s out of range. With the trait I can actually evade in time bc it is much more instinctive for me and gets far enough from danger xD

Great suggestions so far. I’ll add Blade Training simply for the 25% invulnerability if you run with a sword. Yes, please.

While Illusionary Elasticity (bounce attacks have one additional bounce) is great, I don’t find it compulsory for pure Shatter builds.

I much prefer Compounding Power which gives you 3% more damage for each active illusion. This 9%/6%/3% also affects your Shatters (your first illusion shatters for 9% more dmg, 2nd illusion shatters for 6% more dmg and 3rd illusion for 3% more damage).

GamerToukotsu.4219:

Xavi.6591:

While Illusionary Elasticity (bounce attacks have one additional bounce) is great, I don’t find it compulsory for pure Shatter builds.

I much prefer Compounding Power which gives you 3% more damage for each active illusion. This 9%/6%/3% also affects your Shatters (your first illusion shatters for 9% more dmg, 2nd illusion shatters for 6% more dmg and 3rd illusion for 3% more damage).

This is actually a very nice suggestion but, couldn’t you choose this as the adept Select-able trait instead?

Maybe they want Illusionary Invigoration too, or Precise Wrack; although IMO Precise Wrack is not worth a trait. Confusing Cry is a nice trait too as it gives quite a bit of Retaliation per Clone (5s per Clone I think).

Embolism.8106:

GamerToukotsu.4219:

Xavi.6591:

While Illusionary Elasticity (bounce attacks have one additional bounce) is great, I don’t find it compulsory for pure Shatter builds.

I much prefer Compounding Power which gives you 3% more damage for each active illusion. This 9%/6%/3% also affects your Shatters (your first illusion shatters for 9% more dmg, 2nd illusion shatters for 6% more dmg and 3rd illusion for 3% more damage).

This is actually a very nice suggestion but, couldn’t you choose this as the adept Select-able trait instead?

Maybe they want Illusionary Invigoration too, or Precise Wrack; although IMO Precise Wrack is not worth a trait.

Yeah I wasn’t actually inside game whenever I made that post. I understand now why you would want it. Shatter reset + Improved Damage is going to leave a lot more damage than a single extra bounce.

Extra bounce is awesome. With my 55% crit and Superior sigil of fire I see almost all the time a fire blast per GS throw (if not always within 2 GS throws which makes tagging a lot easier for loot).

GamerToukotsu.4219:

Xavi.6591:

While Illusionary Elasticity (bounce attacks have one additional bounce) is great, I don’t find it compulsory for pure Shatter builds.

I much prefer Compounding Power which gives you 3% more damage for each active illusion. This 9%/6%/3% also affects your Shatters (your first illusion shatters for 9% more dmg, 2nd illusion shatters for 6% more dmg and 3rd illusion for 3% more damage).

This is actually a very nice suggestion but, couldn’t you choose this as the adept Select-able trait instead?

Most choose Precise Wrack for the first trait. It’s arguable which is better. The extra damage to all attacks while your Illusions are up is nice and consistent, but Precise Wrack helps with bursting more, most shatter builds have about 50% bonus crit damage so crits hit for 200%, making Precise Wrack average to 10% more damage versus an average if 6% with a full Shatter. However, again, it’s more reliable, Precise Wrack may or may not end up getting you the crit, you may even have critted without it, whereas 3% per Illusion is always useful.

The problem with Confusing Cry is that almost all Mesmer specs defend themselves by not getting hit in the first place, which makes Retaliation somewhat wasted most of the time. Now if it also gave your Clones Retaliation…

Embolism.8106:

The problem with Confusing Cry is that almost all Mesmer specs defend themselves by not getting hit in the first place, which makes Retaliation somewhat wasted most of the time. Now if it also gave your Clones Retaliation…

I actually agree with this post. The entire design around Mesmers is to not be hit at all by confusing your opponent into hitting your clones. Confusing Cry just seems like its a waste of a trait.

Dastion.3106:

GamerToukotsu.4219:

Xavi.6591:

While Illusionary Elasticity (bounce attacks have one additional bounce) is great, I don’t find it compulsory for pure Shatter builds.

I much prefer Compounding Power which gives you 3% more damage for each active illusion. This 9%/6%/3% also affects your Shatters (your first illusion shatters for 9% more dmg, 2nd illusion shatters for 6% more dmg and 3rd illusion for 3% more damage).

This is actually a very nice suggestion but, couldn’t you choose this as the adept Select-able trait instead?

Most choose Precise Wrack for the first trait. It’s arguable which is better. The extra damage to all attacks while your Illusions are up is nice and consistent, but Precise Wrack helps with bursting more, most shatter builds have about 50% bonus crit damage so crits hit for 200%, making Precise Wrack average to 10% more damage versus an average if 6% with a full Shatter. However, again, it’s more reliable, Precise Wrack may or may not end up getting you the crit, you may even have critted without it, whereas 3% per Illusion is always useful.

True. I used to use Precise Wrack but the 9% extra dmg also means Blurred Frenzy and iBerzerker does more dmg too.

I’m currently sitting at 47% Crit Chance and 97 Crit damage.