Guild Wars 2

As we all know, Deception should be a “trick” skill, but since a player get used to it, they can never be “fooled” again by Deception.

Im not asking to buff it, even tho it doesnt work with Prismatic Understanding, Deception should make a clone and stealthing it with you so both reapper at the same time, making the enemy to think who is the player, and who is the clone.

I’m not entirely sure, but I believe both you and the clone start out in stealth. However the clone immediately starts attacking the target which punts it out of stealth before you run out of yours. And this is possibly the flaw in the system because it is easy to identify the real Mesmer when the clone always shows up first because of it instantly attacking the opponent.

Now if there was a skill-delay on the clone so that it too would remain docile for another second or two before it starts to use its #1 the Deception might work out better.

However, didn’t the real Mesmer also have a giant arrow over their heads; indicating who is the real one? A little uncertain if this is still the case though.

Deception will stop any number of stomps with 100% certainty as long as you have something to target. The only stronger downed skill 2 is Elementalist vapor form. It does not need a rework or change.

Aveneo.2068:

However, didn’t the real Mesmer also have a giant arrow over their heads; indicating who is the real one? A little uncertain if this is still the case though.

It is indeed. No player paying any amount of attention can mistake the original for the clone.

Pyroatheist.9031:

Deception will stop any number of stomps with 100% certainty as long as you have something to target. The only stronger downed skill 2 is Elementalist vapor form. It does not need a rework or change.

I would say that it is like mimic. Those skill are powerful, but give the feeling that they don’t work like they should.
Mimic is basically useless for copying attacks, and deception doesn’t do any deception. Albeit i fear any change to those skills, I do understand that some people would like some correlation between the skill name and its real use ^^

Aveneo.2068:

However, didn’t the real Mesmer also have a giant arrow over their heads; indicating who is the real one? A little uncertain if this is still the case though.

I hated it when they introduced the arrow. It totally defies the skills mechanic.

Just remove the arrow, pretty much. Or even better, add it to the clone.

Pyroatheist.9031:

Deception will stop any number of stomps with 100% certainty as long as you have something to target. The only stronger downed skill 2 is Elementalist vapor form. It does not need a rework or change.

Agreed. There are other downed states in dire need of revamps (ex. necro/eng), mesmer is not one of them.

Well, assuming that downed should ever be more than avoiding a single stomp, then it certainly needs a change. And I don’t like to plan for-the-moment, especially based on smallscale experience.

In any battle of any noticeable size, stomping players is the last thing you need to do. In the same time frame, you could kill them with raw damage, which is not as easy to interrupt, safer, synergizes better and can be redirected or split easily as required.

I guess in total, combat is too fast. Too slow between two bunker builds in 1v1, sure.
But 1v1 should never be on the table while balancing RPGs, and in total PvP speed is too faster. Players go down and die too easily, and with not enough control. The AE limitations were an interesting idea how to change this (other games share the problem), but hardly ever work out well.

I’d be happy if it was similar to the thieves downed 2 skill, maybe not as far since it gives you a second of stealth, but 80% of the time it ether puts me in a worse spot than before or I end up right next to the clone and end up getting spiked anyway. As for the rest of the mechanic’s I think its fine.

darkwindwalker.2479:

or I end up right next to the clone and end up getting spiked anyway.

The stealth protects you for long enough that you will not get spiked if you use the skill properly.

The random nature is a problem since it often drops you in a nearby enemy AoE after using it to avoid a stomp.

Just make it ground targeted, that’d be good enough.

It’s good for avoiding one stomp, but clever players in pairs will first start one stomp, then start another a bit afterwards so that the second one is guaranteed to stomp you as you pop out of stealth when you’re forced to use it to avoid that first stomp. It is extremely rare that you get placed anywhere decent in the random teleport, and it is almost always guaranteed to be in range for a as-you-come-out-of-stealth stomp.

As for fooling anyone, at least for World vs. World, unless ArenaNet lets the clones display your food buffs and such, even if they were to remove that idiotic huge arrow over our heads (Just why, ArenaNet? Are you actually trying to insult your players intelligence, thinking/saying they can’t make out what is a Mesmer and what is a clone, without such a blatant visual aid?) and make the clone and you appear out of stealth at the same time, it’ll never be hard to see who is the actual Mesmer, and who is the clone. Does target have food/signet buffs? Yes? Ok, real Mesmer. No? Ok, clone, let’s stomp the other target.

I really wish clones would show up just like you do to the enemy, buffs and all. Clones are supposed to be a tiny bit of a confusion factor while fighting a Mesmer, right? It’s about the only reason I can see them being so extremely squishy for. As-is, they hardly are making fighting a Mesmer any more confusing, unless you’re new to the game.

It has saved me a number of times, just buying precious seconds before some allies come in and get the enemy off me.

That being said, it being targeted would solve a couple of annoyances.. the random nature of where it puts you is annoying sometimes, and the few times you are waiting to hit it in the middle of a stomp and a thief goes stealth to do the stomp (rightly so, I would as well). A lot of other classes skills are targeted when downed too though.

Hayashi.3416:

The random nature is a problem since it often drops you in a nearby enemy AoE after using it to avoid a stomp.

Just make it ground targeted, that’d be good enough.

Then it’d be way too strong, however.
It’s strength is currently balanced by how random it is.