Guild Wars 2

So I really like my mesmer for roaming WvW or kittening around in eotm, but the problem that I keep getting faced with is killing people who decide they want to just run away instead.

With Scptr/torch – Staff setup theres virtually 0 lockdown available (as most guides mention) and its reall frustrating to not be able to hurt people who just kite away/outrun you.

Ive tried to up my cond. dmg as much as possible (usually ~1900 I know it could be higher..) and even messed around with trying some hybrid builds with gs to add physical dmg pressure but the ones I’ve tried seem pretty weak. Is there anything I can do to get better or be able to lock down targets more?

I run traveler runes and mostly Carrion gear with some pre/tough/Cond for crit sigils
(I’m still interested in a possible hybrid build, but Idk if there is one that is at all viable or worth dropping some cond. dmg for… I could never find a balance I really liked)

Same problem here. I try to inflict chill on the escaping enemy by:

• Equipping greatsword with Sigil of Ice.
• Blinking to the escaping opponent while casting a heal and wearing Grenth runes.

The enemy will try to cleanse immediately, but if I manage to catch up I will 0-clone shatter to cover the Chill by Blindness/Confusion.

Make sure you have Blessing of Elements active.

Since you’re using traveler runes, I’m guessing you don’t use Chrono specialization.

If you take Chrono, you can take the “Time Catches Up” trait. This gives your illusions superspeed on shatter. So if you have decent condi duration and maim the disillusioned, you can basically send missiles after the kiters. They might dodge a couple, but eventually you can usually connect with one. That starts to eat some health and make sure they stay in combat.

Druids can run forever.

eldenbri.1059:

Since you’re using traveler runes, I’m guessing you don’t use Chrono specialization.

If you take Chrono, you can take the “Time Catches Up” trait. This gives your illusions superspeed on shatter. So if you have decent condi duration and maim the disillusioned, you can basically send missiles after the kiters. They might dodge a couple, but eventually you can usually connect with one. That starts to eat some health and make sure they stay in combat.

Druids can run forever.

OP:
Even with Superspeed Illusions are rather slow to hit target, if they also have quickness (trait with quickness or weapons), then it will be very hard for illusions to reach them in time. Another option which might work better is to use Size the Moment which will give you quickness from shatter. That would speed up also you illusions both for how fast you will get new ones up and how fast those will hit during that time frame you have quickness.

Many profession have access to block or blind, so that too will prevent illusions from hitting target and then there is the problem with AoE which can kill your illusions before they reach target. Staffs illusions are rather slow moving compared to GS.

Best will be to use any of our utility skills which have daze or stun to keep them in place. Among our Wells we have Well of Calamity (cripple), Well of Action (slow), Well of Recall (chill) and Gravity Well which provide hard CC. All of those Wells can be tricky to get in right place and have a bit too long activation time (can be avoided). Calamity have 20 s recharge and it will become shorter with alacrity from shatter.

You could also change torch to pistol for stun/daze (depending on how much you use stealth or burn in your build). Shield have Tides of Times which stuns (for Chronomancer), so that is also another option. Quickness from shield can also help to apply more conditions (speed up scepter or staff, if you combine those while quickness is active), so it is not necessary one for power builds.

EDIT:
Forgot that it is possible to use Chaos Storm with Chaotic Interruption from staff. CI will always immobilize and give you 5 Might which is 150 Power AND 150 Condition Damage. Staff do have daze and according to wiki it will proc as pulse:

Daze is pulsed as a 0-second effect, meaning that it is a potential interrupt every second instead of being a 5 second daze.

Lose the staff.

Someone leaving the fight in wvw (open space and ability to run to safety of others)has been a Mesmer problem since the start of this game. Usually people only die if they insist at fighting. Just going about your business nullifies these types of builds. They are a pita to fight hence all the hate generated in forum posts. Best advice is drop staff. Switch to power shatter using Gs. Better run stopping.

denis.9487:

Someone leaving the fight in wvw (open space and ability to run to safety of others)has been a Mesmer problem since the start of this game. Usually people only die if they insist at fighting. Just going about your business nullifies these types of builds. They are a pita to fight hence all the hate generated in forum posts. Best advice is drop staff. Switch to power shatter using Gs. Better run stopping.

Denis is right about GS probably being better weapon right now as your best ranged weapon (especially if you don’t have swiftness on you or use Chronomancer for movement speed) and you will still need to keep up with their stability (which might prevent you from apply stun/daze on them) and to keep them from being able to use healing skill and condition removal to counter your conditions effects. Immobilize can be removed by a condition cleanse, so you can use that as a strategy to force use of condition removal and then burst, but be ready that your burst might be returned from some professions.

It is not so much about they need to hurt themself, but more that we don’t have that much stability (as far as I know only Bountiful Disillusions (when you shatter) from Chaos Specialization line and Well of Precognition) ourself and can easy get trapped or even killed by conditions, if you don’t have high enough vitality to sustain yourself which from your own description seem to be based on toughness and precision as your minor stats.

How does your condition duration look, which kind of condition are your base and what kind of traits are you using?

Some condition is better to get high intensity on and other conditions duration to increase total damage from stacks. Power build which use on critical sigils or traits will also have to keep in mind to get enough time for those sigils/traits to actually work, so power vs condition damage isn’t that different for sigils which trigger on critical hits.

If you go into stealth, then you can not use that much of application of damage skills without revealing yourself and you would more or less want to take PU (from Chaos) for a bit more time in stealth to get away and maybe Illusions for recharge reduction/condi removal.