Guild Wars 2

Not in the wrong thread.

I know, it’s very sad that mesmers are only becoming more and more redundant in PvE. This thread is entirely about PvE.
Of course they can PvE (in b4 l2 play mesmer) but, well, if you’ve played any other class (barring perhaps engineer/ranger) effectively then you should know by now that Mesmer is not on par. It simply isn’t bringing as much to the table as others.

If you work hard and you’re good, you can do decent DPS on a mesmer, remove and inflict conditions, use timewarp, save allies, etc. Thing is, if you work hard and you’re good, you can do that more effectively on almost anything else.

Mesmer isn’t the only class that’s fun to play in PvE. Guardians have a huge number of very fun, very versatile skills, surprisingly high DPS (try a hammer!), a scepter auto-attack that will make your inner-mesmer jealous, and a ton of reflect, buffs and heals, as well as nice looking skill animations. Warriors are fantastic for facerolling, mob-melting DPS – try a 100% fury might stacking build and giggle watching your hundred blades damage go nuts. And hey, they can hit Burrows now!

If you want range and versatility, try an Elementalist. They’re a little tricky but nothing a decent mesmer can’t handle, and with constant element swaps they have some of the adaptability and always-busy elements that mesmer combat had.
Thieves are great in groups, they can save their teammates with a clever refuge and have spammable blast finishers. If conditions are your thing, try a necromancer – chill is awesome!
If you want to play the underdog, but don’t like subjecting your guild mates to wasting a group slot on a mesmer, then hell, try an engineer – if nothing else, you can use it for Orr farming. Even a Ranger is useful against Subject Alpha, or any close-range high damage fight.

Point is, the mesmer nerfs are clearly a trend that isn’t going away any time soon, so in the mean time it’s wise to try and find something which is both fun and competitive. You can save your mesmer for PvP, or if that’s not your thing, you can also switch characters in a dungeon and bring in a mesmer on a particular fight, say one you need to range but also reflect, or you need time warp or a mechanic you want portals for.

It’s sad that they are becoming more niche, but there’s a lot of fun to be had elsewhere. Hopefully as the game progresses, Anet will realise mesmers are not the threat they think we are in PvE and act accordingly, or some new dungeon that requires a huge amount of stealth, portals, quickness, teleporting and boon removal will emerge.

I’ve been in plenty of dungeons when my group has wiped, and the mesmer has had to stand alone against the tide to save the day. It got the job done.

I think what I’m reading over and over on the forums is “If it hasn’t got the highest burst DPS possible in the game, ITS JUST NOT VIABLE.” If that’s how you view things then that’s fine, you’re welcome to it. I simply think it’s obvious there are others who disagree on solid grounds.

Ross Biddle.2367:

I’ve been in plenty of dungeons when my group has wiped, and the mesmer has had to stand alone against the tide to save the day. It got the job done.

I think what I’m reading over and over on the forums is “If it hasn’t got the highest burst DPS possible in the game, ITS JUST NOT VIABLE.” If that’s how you view things then that’s fine, you’re welcome to it. I simply think it’s obvious there are others who disagree on solid grounds.

I’ve been in plenty of those situations, too! And also ones where any other class has had to save the day. Mesmers can kite but so can everyone else.

If you read my post, I wasn’t talking about burst DPS, or even DPS generally. It just seems like everything a mesmer can do – reflect, burst or sustained DPS, ranged DPS, buffs, conditions, condition removal, tanking, stealth – someone else can do just as well, or better, with more utility, DPS or survivability than the mesmer currently has.

I have a few 80s and I feel like a kitten if I bring my mesmer to a party, because I can do so much more on an alt in equal gear. I can do more damage on another class than a full zerker mesmer, I can reflect and buff more on a guardian, I can inflict more conditions and cure more on a necromancer, I can stealth longer and more often on a thief, etc.

Perhaps mesmer is supposed to be a jack of all trades and a master of none, but I can’t think of a single dungeon encounter when I’d rather have a mesmer than something else. Personally I respec’d my mesmer for Giganticus Lupicus, but when my guardian is 80, I’ll bring her instead for more reflect and durability.

So what I’m saying is, if you’re only playing a Mesmer and you’re despairing, and feeling like you’re not doing enough in groups in PvE, then try something else. There’s other fun classes that are really beneficial, and they’re worth a try.

I have a lvl 52 warrior alt and it’s easily 100x easier in pve. I use a sword in mainhand and warhorn in offhand. I push 2 to get close to target then autoattack the 3-4 npcs that are 2-3 lvls higher than me till they die. That’s it. I’ll push 4 after a fight somtimes to take the movement impairing effects off me. I switch to rifle ONLY for dragons. If I had to describe that same fight on my lvl 80 mesmer main it’d take me about 5 pages of type…….

Reaver.9256:

I have a lvl 52 warrior alt and it’s easily 100x easier in pve. I use a sword in mainhand and warhorn in offhand. I push 2 to get close to target then autoattack the 3-4 npcs that are 2-3 lvls higher than me till they die. That’s it. I’ll push 4 after a fight somtimes to take the movement impairing effects off me. I switch to rifle ONLY for dragons. If I had to describe that same fight on my lvl 80 mesmer main it’d take me about 5 pages of type…….

Yeah. I tried a warrior first after my mesmer and almost cried.

On a warrior, for even more fun, you can trait so you have fury up 100% of the time, gain might everytime you crit, apply bleed/vulnerability every 3rd crit, do 12% more damage + 9% more crit chance + 10% more damage to bleeding foes (all of them!) and your hundred blades becomes insane. I couldn’t BELIEVE it when I saw the incredibly powerful synergy their offensive traits had.

I play a mesmer and bring a tremendous amount of utility to the table.

That said, the damage has been pathetic and I acknowledge it. We’re balanced around 3-clone shatter and that just doesn’t happen in explore modes or when its actually needed.

Add in the recent iBerserker “bug” that guts greatsword, and I’m crying ‘uncle’ here.

I’m debating guardian vs Ele leaning toward ele.

I’m thinking of forgoing my mesmer in favor of leveling my engineer. Then when it hits level 80 I’ll be able contribute more to a dungeon group with healing turret alone than a mesmer’s entire arsenal.

plasmacutter.2709:

I play a mesmer and bring a tremendous amount of utility to the table.

That said, the damage has been pathetic and I acknowledge it. We’re balanced around 3-clone shatter and that just doesn’t happen in explore modes or when its actually needed.

Add in the recent iBerserker “bug” that guts greatsword, and I’m crying ‘uncle’ here.

I’m debating guardian vs Ele leaning toward ele.

Try them both! You’ll probably be surprised by how much utility other classes bring, as well. I was a mesmer fangirl until I tried something else.

I find Ele has a slow start as you get used to it (and stop hitting F1 to shatter and your defunct weapon swap) but once you get used to switching frequently, it’s very versatile, and it has some of the challenging elements that PvE on a mesmer had, it just does… more.

I was totally surprised by Guardian. Huge amount of fun, versatile, lots of great stuff early on. It’s not the boring low DPS tanky class I was used to from other games.

Anastasia.8697:

plasmacutter.2709:

I play a mesmer and bring a tremendous amount of utility to the table.

That said, the damage has been pathetic and I acknowledge it. We’re balanced around 3-clone shatter and that just doesn’t happen in explore modes or when its actually needed.

Add in the recent iBerserker “bug” that guts greatsword, and I’m crying ‘uncle’ here.

I’m debating guardian vs Ele leaning toward ele.

Try them both! You’ll probably be surprised by how much utility other classes bring, as well. I was a mesmer fangirl until I tried something else.

I find Ele has a slow start as you get used to it (and stop hitting F1 to shatter and your defunct weapon swap) but once you get used to switching frequently, it’s very versatile, and it has some of the challenging elements that PvE on a mesmer had, it just does… more.

I was totally surprised by Guardian. Huge amount of fun, versatile, lots of great stuff early on. It’s not the boring low DPS tanky class I was used to from other games.

My big fun from mesmer comes from the fact that I enjoy “support” as a role and a deceptive or manipulative playstyle.

I trait projectile reflects and keep up a rotation that turns kohler and most of CM into a skillless joke (no dodges need be used), I enjoy watching things kill themselves on my little tricks, and sneaking around picking up scepter pieces without ever being hit.

I suppose I can try guardian for the control and wards, but it wont be the same.

Ele has the fun summoned weapons and a whole attunement specialized to support and healing, but again, it doesn’t have that feel to it thus far.

Thief is a nerf magnet and I don’t want to feel like an airline customer buying a ticket then getting smacked with fees for everything.

plasmacutter.2709:

Anastasia.8697:

plasmacutter.2709:

I play a mesmer and bring a tremendous amount of utility to the table.

That said, the damage has been pathetic and I acknowledge it. We’re balanced around 3-clone shatter and that just doesn’t happen in explore modes or when its actually needed.

Add in the recent iBerserker “bug” that guts greatsword, and I’m crying ‘uncle’ here.

I’m debating guardian vs Ele leaning toward ele.

Try them both! You’ll probably be surprised by how much utility other classes bring, as well. I was a mesmer fangirl until I tried something else.

I find Ele has a slow start as you get used to it (and stop hitting F1 to shatter and your defunct weapon swap) but once you get used to switching frequently, it’s very versatile, and it has some of the challenging elements that PvE on a mesmer had, it just does… more.

I was totally surprised by Guardian. Huge amount of fun, versatile, lots of great stuff early on. It’s not the boring low DPS tanky class I was used to from other games.

My big fun from mesmer comes from the fact that I enjoy “support” as a role and a deceptive or manipulative playstyle.

I trait projectile reflects and keep up a rotation that turns kohler and most of CM into a skillless joke (no dodges need be used), I enjoy watching things kill themselves on my little tricks, and sneaking around picking up scepter pieces without ever being hit.

I suppose I can try guardian for the control and wards, but it wont be the same.

Ele has the fun summoned weapons and a whole attunement specialized to support and healing, but again, it doesn’t have that feel to it thus far.

Thief is a nerf magnet and I don’t want to feel like an airline customer buying a ticket then getting smacked with fees for everything.

I really do suggest giving guardian a chance. Guardians actually have more reflect than reflect mesmers do. Although they lack stealth, they do have a group speed buff and wards to help the party move. They can provide aegis and protection for a group like mesmers, but can also heal.
They also have a blast finisher on a 6s cd untraited, and ethereal and light fields, just like a mesmer. The blast finisher can lead to a lot of really useful support whether it’s area might, blind, condition removal, etc.

In groups I find the most useful things an Elementalist does for the group are, providing ice bows & meteor shower for burrows (but supposedly HB can hit them now, so not such a big deal), fire fields for area might with blast finishers, and stunning/crippling the enemy, in addition to their DPS.

My ideal group would usually be a guardian, elementalist, thief and warriors. Guardians give melee characters protection/aegis and healing, Warriors give them fury and might, Elementalists give everyone might/healing and provide mob control, thieves have stealth/healing, and venom for petrifying targets, and they all provide DPS!