Guild Wars 2

Hey everyone.
This Build still isn’t finished yet so i’d like you to post your suggestions to improve it

I’d like to suggest a new (maybe not for everyone) way of playing the Mesmer in WvW-Fights.

The Idea was to create a mesmer that can:

• clear enemies boons
• buff himself and his allies
• support with skills like veil or nullfield
• deal damage with shatterskills on range

Link to the Build
I don’t use full berserk because sometimes you don’t have as mutch free space as you’d need to survive.
I’m still not sure what utilitys i should use. Signet of inspritaion, mirror images, veil, blink, nullfield, feedback,… they’re all good for the build (help pls?)

Your role is to support your allies and deal damage from behind.
Well support doesn’t only mean to grant boons or heal, it also includes removing boons from your enemy to make him deal less dmg or not having stability.
I think every WvW-player knows how important boons like stability are. you can just remove it with 3 of your shatters or nullfield.

advantages with this build:

• more boonremoval then with just using nullfield(more often and not static)
• quite good dps from behind
• good teamsupport with signet of inspiration(bountiful interruption)
• chance to daze very many enemys at once (used the right time this might cause the victory for your world) +5 stacks vulnerability per daze
• many clones to shatter (scepter)
• still not bad with singletarged dmg (scepter)
• even when you do not shatter and your clones die you support through weakness/vulnerability (chaos 5)
• staff is always nice in teamplay

please write constructive criticism and post your suggestions for improving the build

Honestly, I’m not convinced that Diversion is really worth the trait points. Yeah, it helps get more interrupts, which would then get you more stacks of might… but if you’re running in a zerg ball, I’d be willing to bet the ball has ways to give itself might already (which makes 25 stacks from Bountiful a little bit overkill).

I feel like those points would be better spent in the Inspiration line. You can grab the -20% glamour recharge (for veil and null field, both of which will make you exceedingly more effective in your supportive role). That allows you to run Feedback if your group wants/needs it and already has enough might generation (which makes Sig of Inspiration redundant). If you don’t like the -20% trait, then you can instead pick up Vigorous Revelation and give your zerg ball some vigor while you debuff the enemies. Everyone loves vigor.

Anyways, after doing a little theorycrafting (so take this all with a grain of salt!), I came up with this build. I swapped the staff for the greatsword. I decided to trade survivability, and a little utility (chaos storm), for ranged auto-attack damage (to help off-set losing mind wrack buffing traits), some misc. utility (#2, #5 for interrupt and boon generation), and most importantly, another consistent no travel time shatter (iBerserker).

You mentioned a few goals you had in mind when making your build, so I tried to compare how my version compares to yours in fulfillment of those goals:

• clear enemies boons (-, possibly equal)
  Left boon-strip on shatter in. Added -20% glamour recharge for null field use. Overall, my version would strip boons a little less than your original, due to reduce shredding recharge rate, and no iCelerity for faster illusion generation. But, has an extra phantasm for on demand, no travel time shatters.

• buff himself and his allies (+ to ++)
  Added Signet of Inspiration. Points into the Inspiration line allows for group vigor on shatter trait (if not taking -20% glamour). Greatsword #5 should about match the loss from Chaos Storm, and -20% recharge on focus is wonderful for more focus pulls.

• support with skills like veil or nullfield (++)
  The -20% glamour trait allows their use more often. In addition, Warden’s Feedback gives reflect on focus use, especially notable with Temporal Curtain, and more curtain and iWarden use.

• deal damage with shatterskills on range (-, possibly —)
  My version has reduced shredding recharge rate and lacks iCelerity, as well as the mind wrack buff traits. However, it has a better auto-attack weapon, a no travel-time phantasm for shattering, and more aoe vulnerability.

The damage output will be lower, but iBerserker allows for another middle of the zerg shatter, and temporal curtain can be used much more flexibly. I feel like that is worth the trade-off of imbued diversion. The biggest issue might be the lack of stun-breaks in my version (while yours has MI and staff #2). This was all some quick theorycrafting, but think my suggestions hold any merit?

The build I came up with was this

I took out diversion and bountiful interruption because if your rolling with a group, more than likely somebodys already stacking might. I took those points and added them to dueling for increased damage from phantasms, and deceptive evasion. Although the clones spawn near you and have to run to the target, I just find that it helps with clone output and survivability. I added to the regen to allies near phantasms, because if your sitting in the back line, its a nice way to keep allies health up before you shatter.

You can leave the scepter if you want. But if you did I would take 5 points out of illusions and trait it so you can get reflects on it.
I swapped out scepter for greatsword as scepter I just feel is lacking in a power build. However you do lose out on focus, but as it wasn’t traited it didn’t provide reflects for your group or anything.

The other build which has less clone creation but a little more support is [http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAR7dlwziqXVzpGb9IxpHMf5THlCtbdSKaNrB-jUyAYLBZyCAdBiABn8KiGbFrIasaHMVJRUt3oIa1SBExwI-w]this[/url]

You remove conditions from allies and boons from foes on shatter, along with having reflection from focus and feedback, with added boon and condi removal with null field. As a added bonus your glamour fields apply blind, allowing for your melee buddies to stay alive longer. I added the chill on weapon swap for if your getting melee focused and try to get away and the chill on critical to help slow down targets from a distance.

Thank you for your replies!
I forgot to mention that I created the build for the wvw-squad in our guild. The leader told me that I have to use a staff, deal as mutch dmg as possible and that at least 2 mesmers have to go with nullfield and veil. The others may use other utilities.

I’d like to ask you (all of the mesmers out there) why noone uses Imbued Diversion. I think it’s quite OP in Zergfights.

Richard Nixon.6573

clear enemies boons (-, possibly equal)
Left boon-strip on shatter in. Added -20% glamour recharge for null field use. Overall, my version would strip boons a little less than your original, due to reduce shredding recharge rate, and no iCelerity for faster illusion generation. But, has an extra phantasm for on demand, no travel time shatters.

I agree that the boon removal in your build is as good as in my one.
let’s think of the best case for both

• nullfield: duration 7s, 5 targets, 1 boon/s = 35 boons with 32s cooldown 35/32 -> 1,09 boons/s
• shatter mindwrack: 3 clones with 5 targets each =15 boons with 13,75s cd 15/13,75-> 1,09 boons/s
• cry of frustration: 3 clones with 5 targets =15 boons with 27,25s cd 15/27,25->0,55
• diversion: 3 clones with 1 target= 3 boons with 40,75s cd -> 0,07 boons/s
• greatsword 3: 5 targets with 12s cd 5/12 -> 0,41 boons/s

With all skills perfectly hit your build strips 3,21 boons per second

my build:

• nullfield 35/40 -> 0,875
• mind wrack 15/11,5 -> 1,3
• cry of frustration 15/23 -> 0,65
• diversion 15/34,5 -> 0,4

3,23 boons per second with every skill perfecly hit

Richard Nixon.6573

buff himself and his allies (+ to ++)
Added Signet of Inspiration. Points into the Inspiration line allows for group vigor on shatter trait (if not taking -20% glamour). Greatsword #5 should about match the loss from Chaos Storm, and -20% recharge on focus is wonderful for more focus pulls.

I agree with you in that point. I also want to use Signet of Inspiration and wrote it in my post:

I’m still not sure what utilitys i should use. Signet of inspritaion, mirror images, veil, blink, nullfield, feedback,… they’re all good for the build (help pls?)

Richard Nixon.6573

support with skills like veil or nullfield (++)
The -20% glamour trait allows their use more often. In addition, Warden’s Feedback gives reflect on focus use, especially notable with Temporal Curtain, and more curtain and iWarden use.

I though of using this. Thanks!

deal damage with shatterskills on range (-, possibly —)
My version has reduced shredding recharge rate and lacks iCelerity, as well as the mind wrack buff traits. However, it has a better auto-attack weapon, a no travel-time phantasm for shattering, and more aoe vulnerability.

I have a Question: How can you cause more aoe vulnerability than with the combination of “Imbued Diversion” and “Dazzling”?
Also this is why I can’t use your suggestion. Damage is too important to let it out. Even if it’s only the shatterskills damage.

Me Games Ma.8426:

Thank you for your replies!
I forgot to mention that I created the build for the wvw-squad in our guild. The leader told me that I have to use a staff, deal as mutch dmg as possible and that at least 2 mesmers have to go with nullfield and veil. The others may use other utilities.

I’d like to ask you (all of the mesmers out there) why noone uses Imbued Diversion. I think it’s quite OP in Zergfights.

It’s not that it isn’t nice… but the dazes are pretty short, and won’t reliably interrupt key skills. If there was some way to insta-cast and insta-shatter with it, I’d more than welcome its use, and your build would be perfect for (ab)using it. But as it stands, you’re likely to only interrupt auto-attacks.

Looking at it another way, the daze is 1 second, right? So if you get kittens, then that’s 5 seconds worth of a person not casting (more or less) on a 30+ second recharge. In comparison, something like Warden’s Feedback allows for reflection that is capped only by positioning; on top of that, it not only prevents damage the damage (same as daze), but it also causes the opponents to take said damage… and on about a 20 second recharge. That is a whole lot better, and the Inspiration has a few traits that are wonderful for group support. It just seems all around better for the same purpose.

Me Games Ma.8426:

I agree with you in that point. I also want to use Signet of Inspiration and wrote it in my post:

I’m still not sure what utilitys i should use. Signet of inspritaion, mirror images, veil, blink, nullfield, feedback,… they’re all good for the build (help pls?)

Mirror Images is a great skill, but imo, is not worthwhile in this type of build. If you need a stun-breaker, Blink or Signet of Midnight are much preferred (Blink for more selfish survivability, Sig of Midnight for group survivability at the cost of your individual survivability). The mirror images clones are going to die way too fast to be near reliable.

I’m of the mindset that Veil is needed for a mesmer to be worthwhile over other classes in a zerg, so that’s a given (your instructions support that too). What’s better than Veil? More Veil. And the glamour trait also gives more Null Fields, which can be used for boon stripping, or condition removal, or even both if used on the melee groups. I feel like these two are going to be staple for a effective zerg mesmer. The last one is just down to preference- do you need survivability? Grab a stun-breaker. Do you need more group support? Use Sig of Inspiration. Do you want a mix of the two, plus more offense? Get Feedback, which also benefits from the glamour trait in my version (it’s still the same situation in your original build though). Pick whichever you feel you need for each individual situation and also depending on the rest of your group setup.

Me Games Ma.8426:

I have a Question: How can you cause more aoe vulnerability than with the combination of “Imbued Diversion” and “Dazzling”?

Also this is why I can’t use your suggestion. Damage is too important to let it out. Even if it’s only the shatterskills damage.

I didn’t mean it causes more than yours could, just that I added another source of it to help compensate (so there’s more of it compared to without that one trait). Sorry I didn’t make that clear.

Thinking about it more though, the 20% mind wrack damage trait is probably stronger than this. Assuming 5 stacks get applied per shatter (1 per person), and an average player’s health is somewhere around 16k, if all those players were downed in the 8 seconds it’s applied for, it would account for about 800 damage. That also assume that each player takes enough damage to be downed, and all of it has to be direct damage… Whereas the mind wrack trait only needs to hit for 4k to match Rending Shatter’s maximum potential. Even though Rending Shatter activates on Diversion and Cry, Mind Wrack has the lowest cooldown.

So if we swap out Rending for 20% MW damage, perhaps the damage output wouldn’t be as low as I thought. You’ll just miss out on a few stacks of vulnerability from Dazzling, and a bit less frequent shattering than your build.

Anyways, since damage is your top priority, Feedback would compliment my version the best. And getting all that reflection could result in more damage output than yours. I suppose it depends on good usage though, and how much value you place in reflection damage compared to traditional dps.

I had some distractions going on while typing that up, so I apologize if anything there doesn’t make sense or is confusing.