Chrono-bunker?

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

Hi all
I have been trying to come up with a chronomancer bunker build and would like opinions on the subject:

Why a chrono-bunker
There are basically 3 things chronomancy can add to a bunker I believe:

  • Alacrity: means your utilities (including heal!) have a shorter effective CD
  • Slow: a slowed enemy is less dangerous
  • chronophantasm: a way to keep phantasm support from inspiration while keeping shatterings (damage/defense + boons + alacrity)
    Also, the shield seems like a decent defensive weapon (2 blocks/2 phantasm every 30s + AOE interrupt).

What we loose
Well a lot actually. It is very difficult to have only 2 core trait lines… Inspiration is mandatory. Chaos provide more defense + boons (stab!) on shatter which I think makes it essential too. No dueling means little/no vigor, no blind on shatter, no mantras; no illusion (probably the most painful) means no Persistence of Memory, no Illusionist’s Celerity, no Phantasmal Haste for what I envision being a phantasm build… Should I swap chaos for illusion?

Anyway: my base idea. Please give your feedbacks
sword-shield/staff
cleric? rune of monk?
sigil of energy, water or renewal
Traits

  • chaos: Illusionary Defense, Chaotic Dampening, Bountiful Disillusionment
  • inspiration: Persisting Images or Medic’s Feedback; Restorative Illusions; Illusionary Inspiration
  • chronomancy: Delayed Reactions, Improved Alacrity, Chronophantasma
  • alt: illusion: Persistence of Memory, Phantasmal Haste, Ineptitude

Skills

  • heal: ether feast (Well of Eternity?)
  • utilities: iDefender and/or iDisenchanter for extra phantasm? Well of Action for a small time-warp? Signet of Illusions to be able to keep our phantasms from dying? Signet of Inspiration to share more boons? Stun-break?
  • elite: time warp

So your opinion on the viability/stupidity of the idea? Suggested tweaks?

edit: my current version after some tweaks:
sword-shield/staff
cleric, rune of monk
sigil of energy, renewal
Well of Eternity, well of action, signet of inspiration, blink, time warp

  • chaos: Illusionary Defense, Chaotic Dampening, Bountiful Disillusionment
  • inspiration: Medic’s Feedback; Restorative Illusions; Illusionary Inspiration
  • chronomancy: All’s Well that Ends Well, Illusionary Reversion, Seize The Moment

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: tobascodagama.2961

tobascodagama.2961

You might be better off getting selfish with your Inspiration GM and grabbing Mental Defense instead. I don’t think that the regeneration from Illusionary Inspiration will be worth much. Unless the concept is that you’re sharing the Protection from Chaotic Dampening?

Amberley Avalen – Charr Mesmer
Tanya Larina – Human Thief
Finchy Whyte – Sylvari Ranger

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

Well I think a bunker is not only expected to survive but help any teammate around. If you look at bunker guardian, he’s durable but also an AOE heal machine, a rez bot and boon supplier.

  • We have AOE heal from inspiration.
  • The rezzing is good with medic’s feedback + quickness/slow. Time warp is actually better than the guardian thanks to the slow, but on a higher CD. Well of Action has the slow first and then quickness which makes it less good than both combined, but still fairly decent. Seize The Moment as a chrono GM?
  • So the last part of the puzzle is boons… Yes, I was hoping for some boon-share (which is one of the reason for the chaos traitline).

But it may not be ideal, Mental Defense is indeed very tempting too.

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: AlphatheWhite.9351

AlphatheWhite.9351

Remind me, does boonshare affect quickness now?

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

It probably does, however, we usually have very short-lasting quickness, so it is not that amazing. Before chronomancer, only quickness on interrupt (3s) was reasonably long. Now we have the quickness on shatter (up to 4s) and well of action (3s), the last one being AOE already so can stack to 6s if we share it (without even counting boon duration).
Alacrity is currently not a boon so not shared…

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: AlphatheWhite.9351

AlphatheWhite.9351

And what duration do boonshared boons have?

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

Boon duration: 3% boon duration per boon can probably reach 20%. If I use rune of monk, 15% extra. So let’s say 30-35%…

I guess boonshared boons have the duration currently on you.

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

To prepare myself for the beta, I did try a non-chronomancy boonshare bunker. Am I the only one who feels that iDefender is absolutely pointless (life expectancy borderline 0)? Not to mention why is he going towards the enemy??? I guess with signet of illusion and protected phantasm it may be different (1s longer life expectancy?) but currently, it really didn’t work.

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: FinalFAB.9872

FinalFAB.9872

honestly I think idefender would need to taunt players before it will truely be a needed phantasm.

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: messiah.1908

messiah.1908

bunker mesmer
chrono/insp/chaos

insp – heal / faster res and feedback/ boon share/ cleanse condi
chaos – reflect/protection/stab/another boons
chrono – alacrity/well support/quickness for stomp and res/25%move speed

utilities – 1 well /time warp/null/signet of inspiration
staff+scepter/shield – 3 block/ cc or 1 blind

condition wont touch you
boons will fly
fast res and stomp

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

@messiah
I have been refining my idea by playing chaos-insp-illusion bunker these past days.
The well you mention, I would be tempted by well of action. But then we don’t have any sort of stunbreak. On my attempts without stun break, I was just push out of point and it took me too long to go back to it so they decapped.
I like the evade on the sword which is why I went for it instead of scepter, but going on condi can make sense (staff). Also scepter does more clone which is useful for the heal+cleanse on shatter.

My build on the current iteration (still need to actually try it)

  • sword-shield/staff
  • Well of Eternity, Well of Action, Blink or Mantra of Concentration, Signet of inspiration, Time Warp
  • Illusionary defense, Chaotic dampening, Bountiful disillusionment
  • ?, Restorative illusion, Illusionary inspiration
  • All’s Well that Ends Well, Illusionary Reversion, Seize The Moment

I was tempted by chronophantasm but I just feel phantasms don’t last enough in 1vX. To make up for it, I add Illusionary Reversion to be shatter fodder. I have never shattered as much than with this build… Even without null field, we have more condi cleanse uptime than bunker guardian, but we have less “burst” cleanse. For the inspiration minor now that I have given up phantasms mostly, I lean towards Medic’s feedback.

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: messiah.1908

messiah.1908

@messiah
I have been refining my idea by playing chaos-insp-illusion bunker these past days.
The well you mention, I would be tempted by well of action. But then we don’t have any sort of stunbreak. On my attempts without stun break, I was just push out of point and it took me too long to go back to it so they decapped.
I like the evade on the sword which is why I went for it instead of scepter, but going on condi can make sense (staff). Also scepter does more clone which is useful for the heal+cleanse on shatter.

My build on the current iteration (still need to actually try it)

  • sword-shield/staff
  • Well of Eternity, Well of Action, Blink or Mantra of Concentration, Signet of inspiration, Time Warp
  • Illusionary defense, Chaotic dampening, Bountiful disillusionment
  • ?, Restorative illusion, Illusionary inspiration
  • All’s Well that Ends Well, Illusionary Reversion, Seize The Moment

I was tempted by chronophantasm but I just feel phantasms don’t last enough in 1vX. To make up for it, I add Illusionary Reversion to be shatter fodder. I have never shattered as much than with this build… Even without null field, we have more condi cleanse uptime than bunker guardian, but we have less “burst” cleanse. For the inspiration minor now that I have given up phantasms mostly, I lean towards Medic’s feedback.

stun break – staff phase retreat , stability with each shatter for 5 sec… stand on point and be amazed. i tested this build with soldier versus 1 rampager warrior and dd ele . they couldnt kill me for 2 min while both was on 50% hp and i was 80% hp
i choose scepter as it #3 hit good even with power and AA create clones
sword also good but less dmg no blind and work only melee so if you target range target you cant attack it but staff

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

Do you think soldier is best? We have quite many (AOE) healing sources so I decided to go for cleric (also I am somewhat keeping the bunker guardian as a reference). It feels like higher regen with smaller health pool would work better as long as your sustain the burst. I also tried celestial a few times, since we have both power and condi…

With the perma regen + heal on shatters and weapon swap, a 1v1 is really a joke. Earlier today I did spirit watch, and everyone else was busy elsewhere, so I took the orb. An enemy tried to kill me on the way to the point… ahaha. I was just shattering a bit to keep my stability up and walking comfortably

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: messiah.1908

messiah.1908

i tested cleric versus soldier. soldier gives more dmg which is nice to support and help your team
cleric give bit more healing (200 health) but less hp thus condition eventually can hurt you and less power

for both i would take crusader over cleric as it will net 100 les health on shatter and 200 less power but more crit dmg

bunker guard doest do dmg (unless with might stacks boon share) rather sit on point 1v2 and w8 for help and support with condi cleanse and heal

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

Actually conditions were often the thing that killed me. But the build I used has less cleanse than my plan with chronomancer + I assumed a big part is me playing bad. Since then I put null field to make up for it and it went better.

The problem with our condi cleanse is that it is on our shatter which are already in very strong use and on our healing, but apply AFTER the heal. So if you have poison + a few cover condis, you suffer. So I am looking forward to the cleansing wells.

So in summary, we’ll see in 2 days how it effectively work. It currently worked quite ok while missing the features of chronomancer which I think will improve it greatly, so I am optimistic. Do you also intend to try a chrono-bunker?

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: messiah.1908

messiah.1908

if i have time i will try condi, bunker and power version build

also want to test necro and guard

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: messiah.1908

messiah.1908

the problem i try to handle is staying on point for 1 min in 1v2 with 2 zerk
hard to do that while guard can

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

So, since I could now try the actual chrono build, I have to say I love it. I really feel like this is an efficient set up. I haven’t played guardian much, so I can’t really compare, but I feel very useful in the team.
More constructive point by point feedback:

  • the shield is great!!! It is now my new favorite interrupt skills for mesmer (maybe behind mantras, but in front of pistol), and with the added quickness, it is just a perfect rez-skill!!!! I also love the possible double block for a burst phantasm generation before a shatter.
  • the well of action is just perfect. The healing well is very nice too: it has a very good heal + very supporty + can clean up to 4 condi . I try to always use it when I have my sword, this way I can blurred-frenzy waiting for the second heal without being interrupted (except revenant’s trolling displace).
  • the quickness on shatter is very nice with the boonshare and for rezzing. However, I am sad that illusionary persona does not work with it (but thanks to “Illusionary Reversion” 2 shatters can do the job if I have an emergency need for it)

What wrecks me usually is hard condi like burning. We don’t have that much HP in clerics (maybe I need cele?) and our burst condi removal is not that strong.

Also, maybe it’s a l2p problem but I really have trouble with phase retreat. It is absolutely essential to the staff rotation (clone + chaos armor) but most PvE points are too small (except mid in foefire for example) so I so often end up out of them and start decapping. I know dread when I need to switch to staff!

But globally, I love it. As for the possible incoming nerfs, I sincerely hope they won’t disturb too much this build, because I don’t think it’s OP.

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: messiah.1908

messiah.1908

dont go cleric go soldier. you will do more dmg and can support with well and boon share

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Embolism.8106

Embolism.8106

I feel that Insp-Illu-Chrono is not only a great condition build but also can potentially function as a bunker build. A high Shatter cadence allows you to heal and cleanse constantly, and you can also block very frequently with Sceptre-Shield all while applying heavy condition pressure.

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Silverkey.2078

Silverkey.2078

I feel that Insp-Illu-Chrono is not only a great condition build but also can potentially function as a bunker build. A high Shatter cadence allows you to heal and cleanse constantly, and you can also block very frequently with Sceptre-Shield all while applying heavy condition pressure.

The main benefit of chaos is
1) protection
2) stability
3) in general good boons to share.

When I did run chaos, insp and illusion, I liked the added might to share though. F1 could be a strong boost (guardian staff 4 allows 12 might + healing…, our F1 could do basically the same after boonshare).

I think illusion and in general condi makes a more offensive set up, at the expense of some sustain and support.

(edited by Silverkey.2078)

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: SoulstitchMMO.1396

SoulstitchMMO.1396

So I thank you for this build to start me off. I have since evolved what you started with to the following:

Traits
Dueling: Duelist’s Discipline, Blinding Dissipation, Deceptive Evasion
Inspiration: Feedback, Restorative illusions, Illusionary Inspiration
Chrono: Time Catches Up, Illusionary Reversion, Chronophantasm

Weapons
Sword/Pistol
Sceptre/Shield

Utilities
Signet of the Ether, Blink or Decoy or Well of Calamity, Well of Action, Signet of Inspiration, Gravity Well or Time Warp

My openings are generally Full Blocks (shield 4*2, scepter 2) Continuum Split followed Immediately by Distortion, or on a less aggressive opponent Pistol 4, Pistol 5, Signet of the Ether, Pistol 4, Sword 3, then double shatters.

This generates tons of shatters, which means tons of shatter goodness.

Tons of defense, and good damage. Having decent matches in WvW and Unranked. I generally save my Elite and wells for Continuum Split.

Chrono-bunker?

in Mesmer

Posted by: Embolism.8106

Embolism.8106

I feel that Insp-Illu-Chrono is not only a great condition build but also can potentially function as a bunker build. A high Shatter cadence allows you to heal and cleanse constantly, and you can also block very frequently with Sceptre-Shield all while applying heavy condition pressure.

The main benefit of chaos is
1) protection
2) stability
3) in general good boons to share.

When I did run chaos, insp and illusion, I liked the added might to share though. F1 could be a strong boost (guardian staff 4 allows 12 might + healing…, our F1 could do basically the same after boonshare).

I think illusion and in general condi makes a more offensive set up, at the expense of some sustain and support.

Found another awesome thing about taking Inspiration… both Persistence of Memory and Alacrity affects Mental Defence’s CD. With Sceptre-Shield and Chronophantasma you can actually keep iDefender around a lot even if you Shatter constantly.