Guild Wars 2

Hello guys.

I have recently returned to the game/WvW, and I’m wondering if running a glamour build is still viable in largescale fights? I still have a set geared toward conditions (Rabid) and I started messing with traits that would give the blinds/confusion when hit with/passing through glamour fields (like null field/feedback etc). From what I remember hearing it was nerfed some time ago and it’s not quite as common now but I’m not sure I understand exactly why. I never ran it pre-patch so I guess I’m just wondering if there’s really that big a difference.

Did it used to give more stacks of confusion? I seem to do pretty decent damage using Rabid gear with Perplexity runes (Staff/Scepter+Focus) plus condition foods (sometimes 1000+ tick on confusion with the interrupts and glamour traits). Otherwise I can hardly tag anything in largescale fights what with very few ground targeting skills.

Here’s the build I currently use (just sort of threw it together on what looked like it’d work best with what I have): http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vgAQNArdWlknpYtlqxVNUrRSYqQwPVg5oecdrXdSKKNqB-z0CBYLgINDRjCAjWAiqAgGBhIAMHqIasl1FRjVhETHjIqmUAwssC-w

Normally I’m accustomed to running solo or with a small group in WvW so I use builds geared toward that, but I’m trying to get more into doing bigger fights (since this whole gold league season thing is rather new to me; was gone during the first).

TL;DR: I’d just like to know what you all think about doing glamour builds and if it’s really still worth doing.

The nerf was 50% reduction to the confusion damage itself in sPvP/WvW.
Source: http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Confusion

Personally, I feel that the build is still viable overall, though its effective damage has been reduced. I’m not completely sure why you might have problems tagging enemies. I would image that the typical fight opener is feedback+nullfield+staff5, which should tag most of the enemy zerg front-line.

Glamour Confusion build was nerfed by 2 ways:
- First, they reduced confusion damage in WvW by 50%. With this change, now Glamour Confusion builds are only OK to tag people, but don’t bring good DPS. Also, they only work against pug zergs, guilds, otherwise, will clean the confusion very quickly, and with such CD’s on glamours, you’ll be useful for 3-4s and useless for 30…

- And second, they put an internal CD into Blinding Befuddlement, so it only proceeds only on one player when applied Dazzling Glamours. Also, a bug was introduced, so it doesn’t stack with Confusing Enchantments (Only one stack of confusion will be applied).

About your build, is not well done, and it will be worst after 15th march. I’ll put what I think it’ll be the best glamour confusion build after new Dueling GM will be introduced. It focuses on confusion and clone-death condition spread.
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vgAQNArdWlknpYtlqxVNUrRiYqQwdqAzRSRphaleobXIAA-zkCBINERjUAY0CQk0gk3A0IIZSFRjtaqIasqbY6YER1kCAmpRA-w

Ansau:
Why would you go for Retalitory Shield, with such a low Power stat? Hell, why use RS, period? I’d also question a “Confusion”-oriented build that lacks Master of Misdirection and/or (even nerfed) Perplexity Runes. That’s extra Confusion proc potential wasted, and arguably (assuming they manage to finally fix the duration) longer time for your Confusion stacks to stick around and punk the enemy.

Advent.6193:

Ansau:
Why would you go for Retalitory Shield, with such a low Power stat? Hell, why use RS, period? I’d also question a “Confusion”-oriented build that lacks Master of Misdirection and/or (even nerfed) Perplexity Runes. That’s extra Confusion proc potential wasted, and arguably (assuming they manage to finally fix the duration) longer time for your Confusion stacks to stick around and punk the enemy.

And what would you put?
- Far-Reaching Manipulations when you don’t have any Manipulation utility?
- Phantasmal Fury when phantasms die in a second in zergs?
- Blade Training, same as Manipulation?
- Mantra Mastery, more of the same?

The only trait that can be used is Desperate Decoy, but with the new Dueling trait, dodging that much to proceed clone-death traits and all the heals from your mates, you won’t be going down 25% health that much, and if you do, that will mean your death, so a clone more or a clone less doesn’t mean that much.
RS, even with low power, it still inflicts damage (280 without might stacks). Note that a single stack of confusion hits about 250 with full stacks of both might and corruption.

About perplexity runes, have you seen the changes? #4 with a 25s CD and #6 still activates with interrupts, have its CD increased and its confusion duration reduced. It will still be good in duels or small scale fights, but in a fight when interrupts are totally random, mitigated by stability and with a build that has only TP as a reliable interrupt, why would you use it, to get just a few more confusion stacks…?

And finally about Master of Misdirection, do you really find better some more confusion duration than Debilitating Dissipation or Mastery Glamour?
Anyway, there’s also condi duration cap, so both perplexity and master of misdirection is wasting sources.

Don’t get me started on the #4 change. But at least you’d proc from it, considering you’d already be planning to get hit for RS to trigger. And, TBH, I probably would slot DD in that kind of build. After all, free stealth + a clone to death-bomb with isn’t horrid.
As for interrupts, Diversion/random Chaos Storm procs/Focus pull are all ways to plop that out on someone’s behind. Now, I dig that Mesmer interrupts aren’t as “easy” to toss out as /P Thief or Warrior, but we do have ‘em.
Regarding the Duration issue, with how much Confusion we can slap out between Glamours/Scepter 3, there’s where my point kicks in. Why not try to double that business … and hell, there’s a reason my comment said MoM and/or Perplexity.
Between either and the C.Duration food, you’d add some extra time on your Conf.
Truth is, even nerfed, Perplex will still be a strong “go-to” Rune for Confusion-heavy builds. (Go figure, and they’ll be even worse on Warr or 30 Trickery /P Thief… )

I think the issue is pretty clear and obvious.

Glamor confusion’s gonna stack 1, possibly 2 stacks of confusion on a training zerg. That’ll proc confusion ticks per attack somewhere between 150-400 damage for as long as the confusion remains.

Meteor shower on a glass ele is going to rain down AoE death of 3k+ – 10k+ (17k is the biggest, or around about, that ive seen), not to mention all additional outgoing damage from staff 2 + AA etc.

Is glamor viable for damage? Hardly, no. Will it give a mesmer a better chance to tag? Absolutely. Mesmers place in a zerg is due to his utility. For damage? Any serious force, or just serious player, should more appropriately be on another class.

The key to understand why perplexity is worthless in zergs is its effects are single target, so only one player will receive confusion stacks every 25 and 15s respectively. That’s what I’m trying to say paired with interrupts, no matter how much interrupts you have, perplexity procs will be worthless in a zergy enviroment. Just add having very few, un-reliable and with long CD interrupts of this build and it becomes even worse.

Finally, this is the most optimal way I find to go as a confusion glamour mesmer. It’s the way that optimizes the condition sources, doesn’t waste things too boost at maximum one thing and that can bring the most in a zerg fight.
No doubt that if you want to break the record of purple numbers in the screen, boost confusion as much as you can and enjoy, but no way tons of purple numbers is the best…

PD: Another option would be putting Inspirations points into Illusions and take Dazzling Glamours, to be more useful at certain points and less generically better.

@Ansau
I’ll give you the upper hand, RE: Perplexity vs. large groups. Unfortunately, Mesmer’s not really equipped for anti-zerg “big numbers.” Which’d be fine, but a Mesmer still can’t win, in the court of public opinion. Hell, Confusion was whinged about until it got beat with the Ugly Stick, and folk never stopped complaining about Mesmers in 1v1 or small-man comps.

@ Ross Biddle
Quite true, and the reason many Mesmer players feel dissatisfied with the class’ usefulness in a GvG or zerg situation. You’re pretty much there for utility, in most cases; and while Mesmer’s great for utility, some folk wouldn’t mind a way to contribute on the “damage” side of the equation. It’s also a bit more embittering, when one remembers that the old Glamourbombers did precisely that.

Thanks for the replies all. Think I understand it a bit better now. I love my mesmer as a roamer, it is my favourite place to be on WvW. But with the bigger fights I like to contribute a bit more than just doing veil/portal/null field. While they’re great utilities and sometimes devastating when used well I’m not getting much for my individual contribution.

I honestly find playing ele a lot more satisfying in big fights, and I love that I can dish out damage but also offer support with water fields. I just wanted to see if there was something more substantial for mesmer to do in these situations and I suppose you have all answered that question.

Guess I’ll stick to mostly roaming with my mes and use ele for zerging heheh.