Guild Wars 2

My goal with this build is to capitalize on synergies available to a Staff-centric PVE Mesmer, both defensive and offensive, as a durable source of condition and phantasm based DPS, while offering support and utility unique to the Mesmer. The end result is a highly survivable, highly supportive, and moderately high dps build that I love playing. Enjoy…

This build was born from Fractals and Dungeons, later I will discuss minor tweaks to apply this build to Pvp/WvW. Like any build, feel free to personalize to suit your playstyle and group makeup.

Trait distribution: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAW8alwzSqHVTmGaNJhJFBH5nPEdUKwe2LfA3A;TMALCGLsDA
(apologies having trouble with link, will list below)

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15 – Phantasmal Fury (II)
20 – Debilitating Dissipation (V) and Chaotic Dampening (X)
15 – Persisting Images (V)
20 – Compounding Power (III) and Illusionary Elasticity (VII)

Utilities: Ether Feast heal. Phantasmal Defender (highly underrated utility phantasm, mitigates 50% of received damage OF THE GROUP to itself, despite the incorrect tooltip description). Null field for AOE removal of ALL conditions of those who enter. The third slot I swap out blink, signets, portal, or feedback situationally. Last but not least, Timewarp.

Theorycraft: Firstly, you will benefit from maximizing phantasm uptime. Both weapon-based phantasms (Warlock and Duelist) are ranged. Combined with their additional 20% health and retaliation from the Inspiration trait line, they are as survivable as can be. Those who stand near to phantasms will benefit from regeneration, on a 3 sec refresh. Furthermore, you will benefit from protection every time you gain regen, which is potentially a lot. You will also see a 10 second regen upon dipping to 75% health.

Speaking of Phantasms, I LOVE (and so do my group-mates) the phantasmal defender, as it mitigates half the damage the group takes. Not just you, but the group. I’m waiting for that to be “fixed”, but in the meantime it’s too good to pass up.

They do also have an offensive side, as we’ve traited for Phantasmal Fury, and all of those iDuelist crits will inflict bleeding while granting vigor. Fun stuff.

Moving on to staff play in a group – assuming you’ve summoned a few Phantasms, or are waiting for cooldowns, keep in mind that Staff clones from Phase Retreat (staff 2) are the best kind, because they can actually contribute to dps by casting Winds of Chaos (the staff auto attack) whereas our other clones tend to be shatter fodder. When possible, run into an ethereal field (staff 5 or null field come to mind) before popping Phase Retreat (staff 2) to benefit from a free bubble of Chaos Armor. I do this a ton. Also, stick to using Chaos Storm defensively – the Aegis buff it provides blocks the next attack for over 3 seconds is pretty amazing. Then of course phase retreat out of it!

A quick note on the Illusionary Elasticity trait: you will need to be at a range of ~800 (not 1200) to benefit from the bounceback, which will essentially double the DPS and conditions you will apply with your staff auto attack. Alternatively, have a teammate in melee range so that the bounceback can bounce off of them instead. This trait also gets you a 4th bounce out of Magic Bullet (pistol 5), a nice synergy.

Gear: Stacking in this order: Condition Dmg, Toughness/Power (tie); Precision and Vitality occurred naturally in several of my pieces as there is no “Cond/Tough/Power” set. I am currently using Runes of the Undead, and logical Sigils. My chest and legs are Rampager, the other 4 pieces are Carrion. My current stats are: 1470 power, 1480 precision, 1660 toughness, 1250 vit, and 1400 condition dmg. Health sits around 19k, and I prefer Lotus Fries for condition dmg and magic find is a bonus. We’re cruising through fractals (25 currently), so ascended rings and amulet are a must. My bleed tics are usually around 120, and burns are about 4x that IIRC.

Finally, if you are flying solo or want to trade in some phantasm health and group retaliation for a bit more DPS I’d suggest this PvP/WvW alternative:
Drop the Inspiration traitline completely and go…
10 – Empowered Illusions (III) *Illusions do 15% more DPS
15 – Phantasmal Fury (II)
25 – Debilitating Dissipation (V) and Chaotic Dampening (X) *adding 5 to get another 5% of toughness added to condition damage
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20 – Compounding Power (III) and Illusionary Elasticity (VII)

Hope this build helps benefit some Mesmers looking for a fun, supportive, tough-as-nails alternative to traditional shatter builds. Like Da Vinci, be a renaissance man who is versatile and skilled in many areas Feel free to post questions/comments.

Thanks for reading and look for Decimma on Yak’s Bend.

Awesome guide! I’ve been craving a staff-centric build that moves away from the traditional “berserker glass cannon” thing into something a bit more conditiony-supporty-tanky

Do you find the need to play this build with a pre-chosen group or is it versatile enough to play with pick-ups or WvW zergs? My two big problems with non-berserker builds are condition caps and lack of perceived contribution during challenging fights (meaning the utility of a support build doesn’t always outweigh the loss of pure DPS)

I generally sniff at hybrid builds like these, but it seems like this build is more about support; so I suppose it could be forgiven. Still, I’d rather focus on either direct damage or condition damage rather than trying to fulfill both: if you could minimise offensive stat investment without compromising DPS, that’s more defensive stats you could incorporate.

In this case I’d personally forget about direct damage (that means dropping Empowered Illusions and Compounding Power) and use only iDuelist and iDefender.

Decimus.1829:

A quick note on the Illusionary Elasticity trait: you will need to be at a range of ~800 (not 1200) to benefit from the bounceback, which will essentially double the DPS and conditions you will apply with your staff auto attack. Alternatively, have a teammate in melee range so that the bounceback can bounce off of them instead. This trait also gets you a 4th bounce out of Magic Bullet (pistol 5), a nice synergy.

Sorry mate but here your not even close. Elasticity doesn’t work on your illusions which is your main source of DPS. It only adds 1 extra bounce on your own staff attacks. Besides half of the conditions on a target are bleeds from your phantasms. So your also not comming close to double conditions with elasticity. This will give around a 33% to 50% damage increase on your own staff attacks. Which are kinda poor anyway. And yeah magic bullit adds another bounce which gives confusion. Which isn’t that usefull in dungeons.

To be honest I wouldn’t spend that many points in the Illusion tree with this build and this is why:
First minor = +20% CDR on illusions
Very nice minor but this is not needed as you don’t want to shatter your illusions but want them to fight for you.
First major = +3% damage for every illusion up
+9% damage is rather nice but not when using a staff. Your attacks aren’t doing that much damage so the increase isn’t that much higher either.
Second minor = Illusions add confusion on shatter
Well as said before you don’t wanne shatter that much. So your not applying that much confusion. Besides a lot of foes in dungeons are immune to confusion. So actually it isn’t doing anything at all.
Second Major = Elasticity
It can be a nice trait skill but your wasting to many points already to get here.

I would spend 5 more points in Dueling for Deceptive Evasion together with all the vigor you have this will supply an infinite source of staff illusions.
Then 10 points in Dueling for Empowered illusions to get 15% more damage on your illusions.
And set the last 5 points in Chaos for more condition damage out of your toughness.

I like your build in someway. But seems your forcing it a bit too hybrid. Try focusing a little bit more into 1 direction. I would use your build in WvW and PvP anytime just not for dungeons.

Bart means in inspiration for the 15% phant trait not dueling. And yes overall I agree with his assessment of the build

@ Kelthien – Thanks; you will enjoy the versatility of this build with PUG’s etc, but it may not be the best option when rolling with a large Zerg in WvW, as your conditions will be redundant and you don’t have alot of options for tagging multiple mobs. You should enjoy the survivability when in a small group though, or if you are into solo roaming.

@BartBacardi – Elusionary Elasticity doesn’t bounce off of illusions, correct, and apologies if that’s what you thought I meant by “teammate”. However, this trait allows 1 single auto-attack to go from you, to the mob, to you (or another grp member who is closer to the mob), back to the mob for a second hit of damage and add a condition. In practice, I would agree that your DPS doesn’t “double”, but a single auto attack does in fact affect the mob twice instead of once. Thanks for pointing that out.
The illusion tree is a mainstay in this build. I like the 20% CDR on phants because they do die, you do switch targets alot, and it helps with phantasm uptime. I like the 9% dmg because you do tend to have alot of illusions up, and I prefer this over other options at first major. Bart, I have tried that very build to be honest, and it was very good but didn’t suit me. I was wiping too many phantasms by dodging, and I really missed Elusionary Elasticity. It would certainly be an effective build though. And yes, Da Vinci is intended to be a hybrid build; I feel trading off some DPS for group and self- survivability are trait points well spent. Thanks guys

Decimus, dodge clone creation and other clone creation methods don’t overwrite phantasms unless you have three phantasms out and I can’t imagine getting three out very often since dungeon mobs will mostly one shot them.

@ kazhiel
Thank you. Both times your absolute right. I meant Inspiration tree indeed. But he could even decide to put the points in the domination tree for 15% damage on all clones and some extra damage on his attacks.

@Decimus
The end result is a highly survivable, highly supportive, and moderately high dps build that I love playing. That are your words.
Please tell me in what way you are supportive other then Phantasmal Healing and a few short boons you supply with the auto attack of your staff?

Debilitating Dissipation why let illusions @ a condition while your trying so hard to keep them alive?
Illusionary Retribution confusion on skatter skills? We are still trying to keep our illusions alive right?

The traits you choose should be able to work together and make each other stronger. Not to counter each other like they do in your build. That’s just throwing traits away.

Yes your completly right on this build being a hybrid. But trying to be this overly hybrid just isn’t gonne work. Sorry but I personally wouldn’t recommend this build. The build tries to be good at everything but you will end up being good at nothing.

Coming from variations of shattercat and phantasm builds where my goal was purely to maximize DPS (historically running GS, Sword, and pistol or focus), the Da Vinci build offers support via staff autoattack bounces, strategic placement and timing of staff 5 and null field as well as the benefits from Phantasms mentioned above by Bart. Also, if you slot a Signet, AoE stun, blind, or boon copying can benefit nearby groupmates. These are inherent to your staff and utilities and skill moreso than any trait.
Debilitating Dissipation could most definitely be substituted for Illusionary Defense. You are, however, durable enough to do without it, so I simply saw this as a means of applying another condition. TBH, I am not thrilled with any of the options for the first major in that line, so feel free to be creative there.
Illusionary Retribution is a minor, and as mentioned previously, Illusionary Elasticity is a staple for me… but like any build, you can (and should) adjust to your playstyle and group makeup. We have a melee warrior in our group, who frequently thanks me for the random boons, choas fields, and null fields which I place on him as the situation allows, letting him be more successful in melee range.
Again, philosophically, I think it is necessary to check your ego at the door when playing the Da Vinci Mesmer. I don’t get the big bursts here that I used to see with more aggressive builds. To embrace this build, you take on the mindset of facilitator, and hopefully you will have an option that is not on cooldown that can assist you and your group through sticky situations. As a static mate of mine says, you can’t DPS when you’re dead!
As Bart mentioned, yes keeping Phantasms up is a good thing. If the fight allows me to keep 3 iDuelists up, I’m loving it! But as we know, those situations are infrequent; phantasms get killed, mobs die, etc. But don’t think that you cannot or should not shatter with this or any build. A few examples… Distortion (F4) with 3 illusions up will buy you 3 seconds of invincibility to quickly rez a downed groupmate, or to weather some Agony in a fractal. Also, if all skills are off cooldown, I will often use Cry of Frustration (F2) to throw in some confusion to the mix, and quickly get 2 or 3 phantasms back up again, and if the mob is almost dead, Mind Wrack (F1) is an obvious finishing move. I have seen confusion hit for up to 4k in this situation, although a groupmate may have added some confusion to the mob simultaneously.
My fractal groupmates and I initially struggled in the early 20’s, and changing to this build and fine tuning some strats have helped get us over the hump (currently pursuing 26)! Good luck out there and thanks for the feedback!

As I play this build more and more, I find myself trying to up my Condition stats while letting some power slide. Stay tuned…
/EDIT : scratch that… tried a “rabid” gear set, wasn’t feeling it in this setting!

Hey Guys -

First of all thank you for the great feedback and discussions we’ve had in game and in these forums. Really great stuff, I think we’ve learned alot about this tricky class.

I’ve been analyzing and modifying this build for a few months now, and wanted to let you know where I’m at. I’ve been gradually pushing the envelope in terms of sacrificing some survivability to gain DPS;
Keep in mind the intent of this build is higher level fractals and challenging PVE content, where our motto is you can’t dps when you’re dead. If you’re just running COF, COE, Farming Orr, etc., please just grab your greatsword, sword and (offhand) and run a shatter build or a phantasm build. Luckily, as a Mesmer, I’m finding we can still gear ourselves aggressively and use our traits, skills, and abilities defensively when needed.

Gear:
1. Rampager’s Armor (with a Carrion Helm).
—-Runes of the Mesmer for pwr/prec.
2. Berserker’s Jewelry and Amulet.
—-Rabid Back piece (not ideal but I’ve got 500 globs invested lol).
3. Weapons:
Staff – Rampager’s
Sword – Rampager’s
Focus – Soldier’s
*(Also keep a Pistol for single target boss fights where reflect is not needed and a ranged phantasm is preferred, see below for trait swap when swapping pistol)
Sigils: I’m flexible here, but I like superior sigil of energy, earth, bloodlust, battle, strength, etc., just make sure they don’t share a cooldown or are redundant.

Stats are much more aggressive than in my original post, and phantasms as well as sword attacks hit pretty kitten hard! (edit – pics at end)

Traits:

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20 – II (Phantasmal Fury), IV (Blade Training) *This Master trait should be traded for Duelist Discipline if you go Pistol for a bossfight, as mentioned above. The iduelist will put crazy bleeds on a single target as it crits on most of it’s 8 rapid shots! Also, if you just can’t live without Deceptive Evasion, you could put that here as well to generate clones on dodge. Generally though, I keep Blade training here as Blurred Frenzy is just plain OP

20 – IV (Illusionary Defense), X (Chaotic Dampening)

25 – V (Persisting Images) Alternatively Glamour Mastery here, VIII (Warden’s Feedback) I <3 THE FOCUS! The reflection from focus skills, the temporal curtain utility, and the hard hitting AOE iWarden are just too good to pass up.

5 – Reduced phantasm cooldowns.

Heal, Utilities, Elite Skill
-Ether feast – heals more for every illusion that is up, short cooldown.
-Phantasmal Defender – soaks up HALF the damage for all groupmates within range. OMG.
-Null Field – AOE condition removal, ethereal combo field.
-Blink – The ultimate in mobility.
-Time Warp – Even with the nerf, large AOE quickness ethereal combo field still worth it.

Obviously, you can swap in portal, feedback, and other utilities as needed, but this is my default set.

Gameplay and Summary

Gameplay remains largely the same. Compared to the original Da Vinci build, we’ve sacrificed some condition damage, toughness and vitality in favor of more aggressive gear. IMO, it is worth it. We remain supportive and highly survivable via our placement of Staff 5 (chaos storm) on our allies, keeping Phantasms up which provide regen to nearby teammates, and we now can strategically use the focus for reflects, very handy for the harpy fractal or any enemy with projectiles. Our high uptime of chaos armor remains, as we are still trying to Phase Retreat (Staff 2) or Illusionary Leap (Sword 3) out of every combo field we see! And, I do love the fact that for select boss fights you can quickly swap the focus for your pistol, and swap Dueling IV for IX without having to pay to retrait. When you can stand safely in melee range, the sword is awesome, and for fights like Alpha in CoE you can often blurred frenzy in lieu of dodging. Like the staff, the focus requires some practice, especially when it comes to the reflect; I’ve read that you want to place temporal curtain either at your feet, or at the mobs feet for the reflect to work properly. Unfortunately not as large and consistent as the Guardian’s wall, but play around with it. The pull can also be used creatively from temporal curtain, and FYI it does not aggro mobs if you remain at range.

Please enjoy and any feedback is welcome We are currently at fractal 34 and cruising smoothly, and I’ve found this build to be fun and beneficial to our static.