Guild Wars 2

Rant/Intro:
I’ve finally accepted that elite specs are power creep and Chronomancer has somewhat ruined base Mesmer. With the new expansion on the way and therefore a new elite spec for Mesmer, I decided to toss my ideas at the forum/Devs. Probably hopeless but I can dream/be bored. This is meant to be a selfish DPS/interrupt elite spec for Mesmer. Numbers I give are of course guidelines and can be shaved (>_>) up or down. Base Mesmer DPS is low in PvE but the shatter burst hits hard enough in PvP to cause a balance discrepancy. To balance this out for a DPS elite spec, I reworked shatters to be pulsing AOEs while also giving more DPS to the Mesmer and phantasms.

Emo Gunslinger
Boring name, someone else more creative than me can easily change it.
Main Hand Pistol Skills:

1. Auto attack: Pierces, 1200 range, 20% projectile finisher. 0.8 Coeff/second
   -Clones get 20% projectile finisher. DD will give all pistol skills a 50% chance to bleed.
2. Charged Shot: Hits 1 or 3 targets max. CD 12 seconds. 1200 range.
   -Tap for a quick single target 1/4 second daze and minor damage: 0.3 Coeff
   -Charge a (0.5-1.5 seconds) short time for piercing 1 second daze: 0.8 Coeff.
   -Charge a (1.5-2 seconds) long time for a piercing 2 second stun: 2 Coeff.
3. Magic Bullets:
   -Fire 8 bullets in 1.5 seconds. (0.3 × 8 = 2.4 coeffs). Bullets can bounce 2 times. 15 second CD. 900 range. 100% Projectile Finisher.

Main-hand Pistol Discussion
I wanted to create a Pistol/Pistol elite spec that was predominantly focused on selfish damage and interrupts. The dueling trait, Duelist’s Discipline, recharges pistol skills on interrupts and gives pistol skills a 50% chance to bleed. This inherently decides how main-hand pistol is designed. I gave the main-hand pistol another interrupt (2) with a strong burst (3). Pistol 5 can recharge 2-4 and Pistol 2 can recharge 3-5 with Duelist’s Discipline. This creates a snowball offensive weapon where interrupts (2 and 5) are meant to fuel strong bursts (3/4). 2 and 5 can also be used offensively with traits such as Mistrust/Power Block. Pistol 2 is an interrupt that becomes stronger as you channel it but the enemy also knows it is coming. Play a bit of chicken with who dodges/releases the charge first. If it hits maximum channel time (2 seconds), it auto discharges. There is no illusions on this weapon. That is intentional. Quickness on interrupt in domination now has some play as 2 and 3 are channeled skills that could make good use of it. DD doesn’t require 2 pistols. Focus 4, sword 4.2, MoD, etc can also interrupt and proc main-hand pistol DD recharge. Torch/stealth could also be used to hide the charging up of Pistol 2. If this is deemed too strong, the trait can be given an ICD so that it can only recharge pistol skills by 25% once per second. Every skill is a projectile and can be reflected.

Of note, this elite spec doesn’t have to have a main-hand pistol for other stuff to work. Copy paste axe auto on warrior. Have a cleaving spin daze attack on axe 2 and a burst on axe 3. Although less synergy with DD, it’ll still be there. Make it a mace if you want to spin around with Moot instead. The reason I mention this is that Anet also likes the aesthetic of main-hand not being heavier than the off-hand. So Pistol/Sword may disqualify main-hand pistol for Mesmer. I would much prefer a Main-hand though as we have 2 compared to 5 off-hands.

Shatters
#F1: Ether Nightmare Shatter all illusions. Illusions will explode at their location and create an AOE that pulses 4 times [(4 × 0.6 = 2.4 per illusion) x4 illusions = 9.6 coeffs]. CD 15 seconds.
#F2: Visions of Regret Shatter all illusions. Illusions will explode at their location and create an AOE that pulses 4 times [(4 × 0.2 = 0.8 per illusion) x4 illusions = 3.2 coeffs]. CD 20 seconds. Each pulse also applies 1 stack of confusion (8 seconds) for a total of 16 stacks if all of them connect.
#F3: Stolen Time/Bullet Time: Shatter all illusions. Illusions will explode at their location and create an AOE that pulses 4 times (1 second slow). Gain 1.5 seconds of quickness for each illusion shattered. Master of fragmentation: will now give AoE quickness to allies. CD: 30 seconds. Light Field.
#F4: Illusionary cover: Shatter all illusions creating illusionary cover around the Mesmer that blocks movement and projectiles for 2 seconds. For each illusion destroyed, the barrier lasts 1 seconds longer. CD: 40 seconds. Master of fragmentation: F4 bubble now reflects. Looks like engineer bubble. Light field.
The base Mesmer has a lot of shatter traits. To prevent these traits from becoming OP because they pulse 4x, the traits only work on the first hit. Furthermore, F1, 2 and 3 illusions explode on the spot instead of converging on their target. The GM trait, Recurring Nightmares, will cause base Mesmer shatter traits to proc on the 3rd and 4th hit. So for any enemy to get hit by various shatter traits 12 times, they have to stand in 4 pulsing pools and not move for 3 seconds. While damage is delayed, the overall DPS goes up for PvE shatters. PvP pulsing shatters work as zone control without bursting too hard. F4 functions as ring of warding (Guardian hammer #5 with projectile negation bubble) so this can interrupt as well.

Utilities: Corruptions
A lot of these are a call back to gw1 Mesmer skills that functioned similar to corruptions from gw2 necromancers, hence the utility category. They will apply a condition or CC on the Mesmer. I didn’t want to step too much on Necro’s toes and so this elite spec won’t be transferring the self-inflicted conditions to enemies. Instead this elite spec has Hex Eater Vortex (GM trait) that can convert condition cleansing into raw damage. Rune of the tempest can also convert self-inflicted CC into AoE healing.
Heal: Illusion of Death: I was thinking of some other form of self daze here that “stoned” you but made you resistant to damage (Like the Revenant Jalis elite) but I’ve run out of steam/ideas.
Utility: Illusion of Speed: Stun break. Leap Finisher. Remove immobilize, cripple and chill. ¾ second cast/evade frames. Roll backwards 600 units. Inflict 10 seconds of self-cripple at the end. 15 second CD.
Utility: Illusion of Weakness: 1 second cast time. 15 second CD. Apply a buff to currently active phantasms, increasing phantasm damage by 30% for 8 seconds. Inflict 10 stacks of vulnerability and weakness for 10 seconds on self.
Utility: Illusion of Balance: Instant cast time. Knockback enemies. Self-knockdown for ½ a second. Radius 240, range 400. Blast finisher. Power coefficient 0.7. 20 second CD.
Elite: Illusion of Blackout: ½ second cast time. 5 target 300 radius PBAOE. 45 second CD. Remove 5 boons (Self and enemies) then a 4 second stun (self and enemies).

Grandmaster
1 Calculated Risk: Daze and stuns inflicted by the Mesmer have their duration reduced by 80%. Bonus damage on CC (regardless of interrupt). 0.3 power coefficients per CC. This helps with interrupt and confusion interaction and adds more kick to CCs. Also reduces the self-inflicted stun/daze duration of #6 & blackout.
2 Recurring Nightmares: F1 ,F2 and F3 also proc shatter traits on their 2 final pulses. Reduce CD of shatters by 20% (stacks with illusion trait).
3 Hex Eater Vortex: Every time you remove or convert a condition on yourself or an ally, hit a single nearby enemy for damage for each condition removed. Power coefficient 0.4. 300 range.
Minor: Wastrel’s Punishment: You and your illusions do 15% more damage to foes that are stunned or dazed.
Master
1 Spontaneous Illusion: Interrupting a foe summons a clone on that foe. 1 second ICD.
2 Sum of All Fears: For each condition (Torment, Confusion, Slow) on each enemy, you and your phantasms do 7% more power and condition damage to that enemy.
3 Shared Victory: Gloat now heals in an AOE. 240 Radius.
Minor: Gloat: Heal for 400 (Healing coefficient 0.3) when you interrupt a foe. 1 second ICD.
Adept
1 Waste Not, Want not: Interrupting a foe gives you/steals 25 endurance. 5 second ICD.
2 Disproportionate Power Surge: Auto-attacks do 30% more damage.
3 Feigned Smile: Gain 2 seconds of Resistance when using a corruption skill.
Minor: Gunslinger: You can now use pistol main hand and corruptions.

GMs are meant to change play styles and make underused utilities viable. I have tried to make all of these with a unique offensive mindset. Calculated risk helps with Mistrust interrupt and confusion interaction. It also gives some damage to CC skills vs opponents with breakbars or stability. Recurring Nightmares is more of a condition trait for PvE as most of the shatter traits add condition effects or boon removal. It can function for all builds in PvP with either pulsing boon removal or conditions. While conditions are not hexes, I gave Hex Eater Vortex similar functionality of its GW1 namesake. Power Mesmers are normally considered weak to conditions as it’s not easy to fit condition clear on their bar. This GM trait turns any condition clear, into a weapon. While I initially wanted to make it any condition cleared on any ally would pulse AOE damage, I don’t think it could be balanced with all game modes in mind. I decided on more of a sliver armor effect: hit a single person nearest to you. For PvE, any boss with conditions (Main Trin/Slothy) make bringing a Disenchanter worth it for DPS. For WvW and PvP, you will need to constantly position to be nearest to an enemy to keep whittling them down when you cast null field on your team (or illusions) and or MoR procs. Even traited Signets could see some use with HEV but they still need a rework. An alternative to the secondary effect of Calculated Risk would be to reduce CD of skills that daze/stun by 20% instead of bonus damage on CC.

Bonus GM Trait idea: Shatter Enchantment: Every time you remove a boon, you do X damage to your target.
Shatter enchantment is another idea I was trying to work into this elite spec. Although it seems to be PvP specific, the new expansion might give boons to more enemies in PvE. However, I think this belongs in Domination. Specifically, Imagined Burden should be modified. Keep the GS CD on IB. Instead of cripple, all boon removal also does damage. This will synergize with GS#3, Shattered Concentration, null field, Disenchanter and sword auto attacks.

Builds (Diversity):
I don’t think all of these will be meta at any given time but I hope it provides some build diversity that can be used well enough.
Bunker/Decap
3/3/3. Cleric or paladin amulet. GS + (Sword or Pistol)/Focus. Knockback and pull from weapons and Illusion of Balance. F4 to keep people out. F4 no longer decaps. Sustain your team through interrupts and Inspiration. Hex Eater Vortex with copious amounts of condition clear for allies to grow stronger in team fights. Blackout to reset enemy team’s boons. Bring Rune of Leadership for more Condi clear on allies or Lyssa to be selfish. Rune of the Tempest which AOE heals for 1.1k (+heal coefficient of 1) each time you break a stun. Having 2-3 self CCs to stun break out of with this rune set can add some strong AOE heals. As Pistol #3 is a bouncing projectile and focus 4, F3 and F4 are light fields, this can chain clear conditions across a team fight. Immortal Mesmer sort of a subset of a bunker build but with a few key differences. PVT amulet. The access to two new light fields and two blast finishers (torch and Illusion of Balance) also lets the Mesmer blast light aura with some consistency and therefore gives relation to phantasms. Inspiration for a bit of retaliation on phantasms and to summon pDefender. Something I need to test but maybe blasting chaos armor + chaotic dampening to give allies protection too. Illusion of Speed is also a leap finisher for more light aura. While not as strong as the old one Immortal Mesmer, it can bring bursts of retal to your phantasms.
P/P Interrupt Burst
1/1 (or 2)/1 Can go either power or condition or hybrid. Calculated risk for harder hitting interrupts and easier confusion (Mistrust) procs on enemies. Dueling for DD and the choice of GM. If you bring DE, swap Master 1 to 2. HM may be used for more Mantra procs of MoD and a harder hitting spike. Domination for vulnerability, quickness and halting strike on interrupt. Quickness will turbo charge the channels on Pistol 2 and 3.Chaos for might/immobilize on interrupt and bonus mirror of anguish interrupt. Interrupts, blinds on shatter and dodging are mandatory to survive.
Shatter Zone Control
(1-3)/2/2. While the above build gains most of the damage from interrupt traits, this build doesn’t even need pistols. In fact, scepter main-hand to spawn clones on top of enemies would probably be better for shatters. Domination for boon strips on pulsing shatters. Illusions for the pulsing torment and confusion.
PvE DPS
Power: Domination, Illusions + elite spec. The GMs are a bit up in the air but Sum of All Fears is the obvious master major choice with DPS would be the major choice. Pistol or Scepter (for sum of all fears) main-hand + pistol, sword or staff phantasms. Get phantasms rolling then cast Illusion of Weakness to buff phantasms. 30% bonus from IoW and the 21% more with Sum of all fears is a potential ~60% increase in phantasm damage although not permanent (8/15 seconds) which leaves room for shattering. Potentially bring Mimic for IoW for medium length fights. Mental anguish would also synergize with Wastrel’s Punishment for (1.3*1.15) a 50% boost vs stunned bosses (This does not include the 50% boost to stunned bosses that are usually built into the breakbar). The new F1 has a base of 9.6 coeffs in 4 seconds so F1 would do some serious damage spikes against a breakbar/when IoW is down. Illusions and MoF for AoE quickness on F3 won’t replace a chrono but can help with quickness uptime. So something like Domination 2,2,2 Illusions 1,2,2 Gunslinger 2,2,2. SotE, IoW, IoB for blasting stealth and 1 more utility + TW.
Condition: Scepter/Pistol or P/P. Illusions for pulsing shatters that inflict confusion and torment. Dueling for the bleeds. Scepter isn’t needed for Sum of all fears although it would still quickly spawn clones if shattering constantly.

Final comments:

Balance is obviously not perfect but I think I managed to create some semblance of a new elite spec that wouldn’t break the game or Mesmer. Importantly, the GM traits bring back viability in underused utilities and traits. I also didn’t want the main-hand weapon to completely outclass the current two we have and tried to give it a unique role in how it functions along with a trait like DPS which would buff all of their damage.