Guild Wars 2

I tried blink early (before the ground-targeted skill changes), and I have just recently started experimenting with it again.

I wanted to ask if there were any tips or suggestions particularly around these areas:
- How blink interacts with other skills (e.g. channeled casts, blocks, stomping, etc)?
- How you choose the target spot when you’re in the middle of a fight (any rules of thumb)?
- It seems like blink effectively removes the immobilized condition. Is that right? (I tried testing with a tar elemental)
- How you can tell if you’re going to end up on top of a ledge or at the base? Or any other rules of thumb around positioning the target (like line of site rules)
- I’m doing a phantasm build that focuses on fighting from range. For such a build, do you think the trait that gives faster recharge (24 second cooldown) on Blink is more valuable than the 3% per illusion damage reduction trait?

Any other fun tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated – thx!

If ya learn the blink spots on any one of these maps, you’ll start to look at the geography different and see teleport spots naturally.

Supcutie’s PvP Blink videos

also.. some of this may help

TELEPORTS

If you’ve never traited Blink for longer range (Dueling I) go do it right now, and watch this video (Supcutie’s PvP Blink locations) I’ll wait…

…

Awesome. That’s what you just said to yourself. Mesmers have five teleports, three of which belong to our weapons (Sword/Staff/Spear) and all of which are extremely useful. Blink, Portal and Phase Retreat, being instant-cast, can be used in the middle of other attacks. Blink can even be used while wearing town-clothes. Teleport skills work across gaps if you could normally jump across and occasionally can take you to higher elevations.

- Concerning Skyhammer: DONT use Blink, to teleport over those “breaking glas fields” if you use Blink, you will exactly being ported where the glass begins. ? If there is none and you are pressing W / vorwards, you are going to run right into the hole.

Teleport Skills
Phase Retreat (Staff) / Illusionary Leap (Sword. Still works, when the clone gets destroyed.) / Feigned Surge (Spear) / Blink / Portal

Teleport Traits
Far-Reaching Manipulations (Increase range to 1200) / Master of Manipulations (Reduce cooldown by 2) / Glamour Mastery (Glamours cooldown 20% faster) / Temporal Enchanter (Glamours last 2s longer)

• Sensotix’s Portal and Phase Retreat stomping guides.

• Osicat’s Mesmer Movement Guide (featuring the Phase Retreat + Blink combo dubbed the “Cat Leap” at about 30 seconds in)

Blink does not remove immobilize, that’s one thing you should know. It simply moves you, and it won’t interrupt channeled casts, stomps, or anything like that. Not sure what you mean by choosing the target spot in the middle of a fight.

Now, Supcutie’s blink guide is a great reference for where you can and can not blink, but if you actually want to understand why these things work, I highly recommend watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35ozCg25--E

That’s a video from wooden potatoes where he goes over the exact mechanics of blinks, and why they work or not.

Thx much – very helpful.

I guess the immobilize was expiring as I blinked. It’s good to know that it’s not actually removed.

The question about picking a spot is whether you generally have a priority like:
- First choice is blink behind any current opponent
- Second choice is blink left or right
- Etc

In my limited use in fights so far, I’ve kind of just aimed for the nearest open spot that I think is somewhere close to 900 away and yet still in range because I’m usually using it when things are hectic. But maybe I should be trying to use it more strategically

Well there’s no set rule – just picking a location that will give you an advantage, either defensively or offensively. Can be behind an opponent to disorient and follow up with a burst, can be away in a straight line to gain distance (works better with 1200), can be up on terrain for tactical advantage or escape.

In general, I’d try to use it in the way which is going to confuse the enemy the most (unless directly chasing or runnnig away), so you’ve got to look at yourself from their perspective and where they wouldn’t expect you to move.

Knowing specific blink locations is certainly a key element in some maps – for example just today I was 1v2 in the temple on silent storm, fight not going well so made a move in the direction of the doorway, decoy to break target, then 90 degree blink to the right, up on the wooden platform for a clean escape.

Sometimes I like to start out of range and then blink into range while casting, or behind an opponent to summon a phantsm at their back.

Oh.. you can phase retreat upwards too