Guild Wars 2

mortrialus.3062:

Axe auto attack feel a bit weightless animation and flavor wise. Axes are more brutal and inelegant weapons compared to more precise swords. It shouldn’t feel as brutal and heavy as Warrior axe auto attack, but it should feel a bit closer than it currently is.

Just on this note while it is personal preference, I like the elegant and ethereal nature of the axe auto attack chain and feel it fits the theme of Mirage nicely, as well as inspiration from the desert location and parallels with the whole veiled exotic mystery from similar cultures as those portrayed in the crystal desert. If anything I’d like to see the first two strikes of the auto chain to be a fraction faster.

Curunen.8729:

mortrialus.3062:

Axe auto attack feel a bit weightless animation and flavor wise. Axes are more brutal and inelegant weapons compared to more precise swords. It shouldn’t feel as brutal and heavy as Warrior axe auto attack, but it should feel a bit closer than it currently is.

Just on this note while it is personal preference, I like the elegant and ethereal nature of the axe auto attack chain and feel it fits the theme of Mirage nicely, as well as inspiration from the desert location and parallels with the whole veiled exotic mystery from similar cultures as those portrayed in the crystal desert. If anything I’d like to see the first two strikes of the auto chain to be a fraction faster.

I can see that working. If they go with the more elegant, ethereal style, I wouldn’t mind seeing a magical Firebrand style component to the axe animations.

Yeah the Firebrand has beautiful visual effects on their axe, including the symbol. I love the whole aesthetic they’ve got going on with that spec.

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

A good point somebody brought up in another thread is what exactly is the role of the axe?

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

What is the role of scepter?

Mid range hybrid weapon/clone generator.

There axe is close range condi weapon with clone generation. And some ok mobility.

OriOri.8724:

Couldn’t you tell? Its role is to give us the DPS role we’ve been wanting forever /s

Well, indirectly they did. Assuming you have a Warrior, the Spellbreaker provides you with quite Mesmer-y feeling combat which can still produce adequate damage if built that way.

Oh you wanted Mesmer to get a damage spec? Silly you, we got Chronomancers, we provide Quickness and Alacrity and re-share Resistance. What else could you ever want?

Oh a sensible approach to raid buffs/debuffs like an, I don’t know, any other MMORPG? Realistic buffer/debuffer design like DAoC had it? Silly you, we’ll get that with the fifth elite spec in 2023!

(/s of course, in case anyone is confused – I mean, I never expected Mirage to be a damage spec, but even for a dueling centric PvP spec it’s just lame as it is now )

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

A good point somebody brought up in another thread is what exactly is the role of the axe?

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

What is the role of scepter?

Mid range hybrid weapon/clone generator.

There axe is close range condi weapon with clone generation. And some ok mobility.

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

zealex.9410:

There axe is close range condi weapon with clone generation. And some ok mobility.

Well it is intended to be, but both damage and clone generation are a wee bit low. Clone generation is in fact very low, when contrasting it with the already advantaged scepter (optional range, stronger ambush, block with strong counter effect and extra clone, very strong 3 skill). The axe’s only advantage is mobility, but that skill fails so often, I’m tempted to just not count it into any comparisons and file it under “bugged, test later”.

Axe seems like a PvE weapon that provides cleave to condi mesmers. even the clones cleave.

they don’t spam clones like sceptre because it’s not axes job to produce an endless stream of shatter-fodder. axe clones actually do serious damage (not as much as duelist phants will, but duelists don’t cleave).

…and then there’s axe ambush. which is pretty, but nearly useless. I got nothin’ there.

I will say, I am not a Mesmer main, I have never loved the class because of how fidgety it can be, but I really enjoyed playing a Mirage during the stress test. The axe skills are a lot of fun, and made me wish I were a better Mesmer player. I’ll leave it up to the experts to determine whether the numbers are in the right places, but I really love all the axes flying around and clones bouncing around.

I like the axe but a part of me feels like the Axe 1 should just have a range of 900 to resemble what the necromancer Axe has and then leave the other twos range the same or give a minor distance increase. I just feel that sword should be the only melee close renege weapon and that’s it.

The gap the Axe has when being in someone’s face is WAY too close and if in pvp facing a warrior or any other melee class that gets in your face, you’re pretty much dead, regardless of the little evade and detarget.

We’re a light armour class that should keep a good distance. Turn Axe into a 900 range weapon, up the damage and that’s it.

While I would love axe ambush to be faster and have longer range (and not fly into the ground…), I’m kind of happy with axe being a melee cleave weapon.

I mean I wouldn’t say no to greater range on axe 3, or slightly larger radius on axe auto swings for wider cleave.

But I’d rather they give axe the tools necessary to survive in melee range – like 3/4s evade on axe 2. I can understand if they’re reluctant to do that because the cooldowns are very low (compared with Blurred Frenzy), but I think given Sword is more of a mobility/utility weapon in pve (even moreso for mirage due to the ambush leap) I think it’s fair that axe ought to have some evades in melee to make up for not having disengage without burning utility skills. Especially seeing as mirage lacks mobility in dodges, so when equipping axe you are pretty much bound to your opponent so it should enable further evades to survive.

I mean if a daredevil can get away spamming evades in melee range, and mirage is meant to be a mesmer/thief, then I don’t see why axe shouldn’t get a semi spammable evade on axe 2 with the low cooldown.

I didn’t realize how bad the root on the scepter ambush was until the stress test. It needs to go, full stop. It makes no sense with how ambush skills actually work.

radioAspen.6829:

I didn’t realize how bad the root on the scepter ambush was until the stress test. It needs to go, full stop. It makes no sense with how ambush skills actually work.

Scepter is overestimated tbh.

I rarely actually got a scepter ambush off during the stress test because moving interrupts it.

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

A good point somebody brought up in another thread is what exactly is the role of the axe?

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

What is the role of scepter?

Mid range hybrid weapon/clone generator.

There axe is close range condi weapon with clone generation. And some ok mobility.

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

Just a mater of numbers

But I’d rather they give axe the tools necessary to survive in melee range – like 3/4s evade on axe 2. I can understand if they’re reluctant to do that because the cooldowns are very low (compared with Blurred Frenzy),

Given that the Mirage dodge is designed so that you can continue fighting with it (and in this case dodge while using the axe 2 ability), what if instead of providing a short evade, it just provided like 1/4 Endurance or something, a slight speed boost on how often you can use dodge. This would be in some ways better in terms of flexibility, and others worse in that you wouldn’t get as much dodge out of each proc, but it could be nice.

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

A good point somebody brought up in another thread is what exactly is the role of the axe?

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

What is the role of scepter?

Mid range hybrid weapon/clone generator.

There axe is close range condi weapon with clone generation. And some ok mobility.

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

Just a mater of numbers

What number could they increase to make mirage capable of being a sturdy front line/in your face fighter.

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

A good point somebody brought up in another thread is what exactly is the role of the axe?

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

What is the role of scepter?

Mid range hybrid weapon/clone generator.

There axe is close range condi weapon with clone generation. And some ok mobility.

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

Just a mater of numbers

What number could they increase to make mirage capable of being a sturdy front line/in your face fighter.

Why does it need to be a front line in your face fighter? Its build around dodges evades and mirrors which all give more evade up time. The goal of axe would be to abuse the decent mobility it provides with the good evade uptime this spec could do and go in and dish out some good numbers.

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

zealex.9410:

Levetty.1279:

A good point somebody brought up in another thread is what exactly is the role of the axe?

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

What is the role of scepter?

Mid range hybrid weapon/clone generator.

There axe is close range condi weapon with clone generation. And some ok mobility.

It seems like an in your face damage weapon but the damage is too low and nothing in the Mirage trait line supports this play style and Mirage doesn’t synergise with the core traits that might help this play style.

Just a mater of numbers

What number could they increase to make mirage capable of being a sturdy front line/in your face fighter.

Why does it need to be a front line in your face fighter? Its build around dodges evades and mirrors which all give more evade up time. The goal of axe would be to abuse the decent mobility it provides with the good evade uptime this spec could do and go in and dish out some good numbers.

I think you have a different axe from the rest of us.

Ohoni.6057:

But I’d rather they give axe the tools necessary to survive in melee range – like 3/4s evade on axe 2. I can understand if they’re reluctant to do that because the cooldowns are very low (compared with Blurred Frenzy),

Given that the Mirage dodge is designed so that you can continue fighting with it (and in this case dodge while using the axe 2 ability), what if instead of providing a short evade, it just provided like 1/4 Endurance or something, a slight speed boost on how often you can use dodge. This would be in some ways better in terms of flexibility, and others worse in that you wouldn’t get as much dodge out of each proc, but it could be nice.

That would work if we had other sources of endurance regen – because currently there’s just not enough endurance to be able to do everything they want us to do with it – avoid damage, cover casts, trigger ambush and move.

However I’m not sure I’d enjoy further incentivising spamming dodge for the simple reason of thumb strain (I have dodge on spacebar) from repetitive pressing.

I mean yeah I definitely want to see axe auto and axe 2 be able to restore endurance on hit, though having built in evade om axe 2 would feel a lot smoother for gameplay.

Just move Speed of Sand into Mirage Cloak (the trait), and then for the GM minor make axe skills grant 5-10 endurance when they hit.

However I’m not sure I’d enjoy further incentivising spamming dodge for the simple reason of thumb strain (I have dodge on spacebar) from repetitive pressing.

Get a mouse with side buttons, they are amazing. I just switched from a Logitech G700 (which, for the record, is the greatest mouse in human history), to a G602, which is not as good, but they still actually make it and it’s not terrible. Just never bind anything to the bottom-center button.

And also, I’ve elsewhere suggested that instead of providing an immediate dodge, they should change Mirrors to instead generate Endurance ( maybe as a trait, if necessary). If they did that, it could help fuel the Cloak-fest playstyle.

Ohoni.6057:

But I’d rather they give axe the tools necessary to survive in melee range – like 3/4s evade on axe 2. I can understand if they’re reluctant to do that because the cooldowns are very low (compared with Blurred Frenzy),

Given that the Mirage dodge is designed so that you can continue fighting with it (and in this case dodge while using the axe 2 ability), what if instead of providing a short evade, it just provided like 1/4 Endurance or something, a slight speed boost on how often you can use dodge. This would be in some ways better in terms of flexibility, and others worse in that you wouldn’t get as much dodge out of each proc, but it could be nice.

Wouldn’t work, because you want to use ambushes during your dodge, not a skill that doesn’t have a time window.

Wouldn’t work, because you want to use ambushes during your dodge, not a skill that doesn’t have a time window.

Maybe, but 1. If the spec starts pumping out more Endurance than it currently does (which I think it should) then players could be a bit less precious about how they spend it, and 2. Maybe you wouldn’t spend the dodge during Axe 2, but by providing endurance, it would at least contribute to your defensive budget, which it currently doesn’t. I do think that full evade frames built into it might be a bit much, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if they wanted to offer them.

Speaking of, it’s really past time that ANet invent some sort of “anti AoE buff” to the game. Like this used to be a huge issue for Ranger pets until they overhauled them, but in a game that is so heavy with these ground targeted AoE fields that you need to dodge out of, it would be really handy to have a buff that either makes you immune or greatly resistant to the effects of those fields. Not a long term buff, obviously, but something that gets applied very sparingly as a “semi-evade” effect, allowing you to shrug off the ground targeted AoEs, while still being 100% vulnerable to direct attacks, a bit like the opposite of a Projectile Deflect buff. This would be a perfect use for it, give Axe 2 this perk that it makes you immune to AoE fields for the duration, but not to direct attack, so that you could use it without worrying about passing through a fire patch or whatever.