I would like to talk about something that I picked up from a YouTube series by the user MrPrometheus0110. All topics discussed in this post are credited to him, as he made me aware of them as an avid viewer of his videos. A link to the guide where he discusses this idea can be found here:
Anyway, on with my post. What “Build Theory” is, is a basic concept for constructing a build and a flexible way to discover new things about your Mesmer (and/or any other profession for that matter). I am posting this in the Mesmer forum simply because it has come to my attention that MANY players who post here are wanting guides and/or builds to follow for their character. I am hoping bringing this theory to their attention will allow for a lesser amount of discussion on that topic since in my opinion, it is not necessary if this theory is followed.
Back to the theory. Basically what MrPrometheus talks about in his video is that you want to come up with a “theme” that you would like to follow for your Mesmer. Themes can be any of the following (or more, depending on your personal desire to be creative):
- Shattering (commonly known kittenter Builds)
- Boons
- Mantras
- Conditions/Condition oriented
- Phantasm damage
- Signets
Etc…
Basically, a “theme” encompasses the playstyle you would like to adopt for your Mesmer, and gives you a baseline idea to build around. Say I want to play a Condition build that focuses on multiple clones and phantasms to send out said conditions. If that’s the case, I don’t need to go and look up exactly what traits to use and find a build online. I can simply look through the traits and bonuses in each trait line and discover which bonuses I want to best augment that theme.
So in other words, pick an tactic that your class can perform (for instance Mesmers are not extremely melee friendly as far as their traits are concerned) and use the traits that you think would best fit that tactic.
That’s sort of what the trait system is MEANT to do for players: give room for experimentation and personalization. Simply looking around for the best build might not be the best idea because A. the playstyle (and skill) of one person may differ slightly from that of another and B. there is a large amount of variation in what players think is useful or not.
Mesmers tend to be an extremely variable and nuanced class with their mechanics. As in Guild Wars 1, in GW2 they do not affect the flow of battle with extremely powerful and bursty mechanics, but take advantage of their foes and punish them in order to win. If you are not into subtle strategies and planning ahead, then by all means, keep looking up those builds online. But I have to stress that the Mesmer performs best when you know exactly what you want it to do and aim all traits toward that goal. Since we have smaller (but cumulative) effects on battles, it is essential that each trait be focused and beneficial to the core goal that you want to move toward.
Yes, I realize that this is all extremely general, and I would encourage you to watch MrPrometheus’ whole video/series (yes, I realize it’s a long one) in order to get a better understanding. It will allow you to see specific examples of traits that can be switched around and chosen based on player preference.
All in all, I hope this was a helpful post, and that it helps people realize that it’s not just about what build is “absolutely best” in all situations. Play to experiment and experiment to play.
Cheers!
-Redux
