Guild Wars 2

2/17/2014

We are very lucky to have such a wealth of information about our class mechanic . However, there are still many questions regarding Illusions and their interaction with the Mesmer that remain unclear. The most common of these questions regard damage modifiers such as Might, Fury and related Sigils.

The following experiments were conducted in the Heart of the Mists to answer these interesting questions. If any have additional insights, I welcome them!

Fury Trials (T1, T2, T3)
Gear: Rabid Amulet + Jewel, Steady weapons (staff, scepter+pistol; no sigils), Superior Water Rune x2, Superior Rage Rune x2, Superior Citadel Rune x2
Traits: 0/30/30/0/0, Dueling 2,9; Chaos 1
Utilities: Sig. of Inspiration, Sig. of Midnight
Base Crit Chance: 49%
Base number of Bleeds (no phantasm or self fury): 3.92

Fury Trial Methods The above setup was used to maximize boon duration of fury while eliminating unwanted effects. An Illusionary Duelist was summoned on an indestructible practice golem and the number of bleeds were counted (sharper images ) to see how many criticals the illusion landed when both the caster and illusion have fury (T1), when only the illusion has fury (T2) and when only the caster has fury (T3)

Fury Trial Results
T1 (Phantasm Fury + Self Fury):
While Phantasm was summoned, caster attacked a nearby practice golem at point-blank range with staff to maintain permanent self-Fury.
Average # of Bleeds (of 42 Phantasm volleys): 5.85
Expected # of Bleeds (if Phantasm is affected by both its Fury and caster Fury): 7.12

T2 (Phantasm Fury only):
Replace Sig. of Inspiration with Sig. of Illusions. Caster does nothing.
Average # of Bleeds ( of 43 Phantasm volleys): 5.56
Expected # of Bleeds (if Phantasm is affected by its Fury): 5.52

T3 (Self fury only):
Remove Phantasmal Fury Trait. Otherwise, same procedure as T1
Average # of Bleeds (of 42 Phantasm volleys): 3.73
Expected # of Bleeds (if Phantasm is affected by caster Fury): 5.52

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Might Trials (T4, T5, T6)
Gear: Rabid Amulet + Jewel, Steady staff x2 (Sup. Sigil of Battle on both), Superior Hoelbrak Rune x2, Superior Fire Rune x2, Superior Strength Rune x2
Traits: 0/30/30/0/0 Dueling 5; Chaos 1
Utiliites: Signet of Midnight, Time Warp
Base Condition Damage: 1109 (98 Bleed tix)

Might Trial Methods
The above setup was used to maximize Might duration and eliminating unwanted effects. A staff clone was summoned on an indestructible practice golem. Highest clone Bleed tick damage was recorded (using “simple condition floaters”) when only the clone was getting Might (T4), when both the clone and the caster had Might (T5), and when only the caster had Might (T6). Observations in each trial lasted for 60 seconds.

Might Trial Results
T4 (Clone Might only)
Clone was summoned on golem point-blank so that only the clone would benefit from Winds of Chaos Might
Highest Clone Bleed tick: 98
Highest Clone Might stack: 3
Highest Self Might stack: 0
Expected Highest Clone Bleed tix (if Clone benefits from its 3 Might stacks): 103.2

T5 (Clone Might + Self Might)
_Same procedure as *T4 except the caster now switched between Steady Staves of Battle to maintain 3 Self Might stacks._
Highest Clone Bleed tick: 103
Highest Clone Might stack: 4
Highest Self Might stack: 3
Expected Highest Clone Bleed tix (if Clone benefits from its 4 Might stacks and the caster’s 3): 110.2

T6 (Self Might only)
Clone was summoned far from golem to ensure neither the clone nor the caster was hit with Winds of Chaos Might. Caster switched between Steady Staves of Battle to maintain 3 Might stacks.
Highest Clone Bleed tick: 103
Highest Clone Might stack: 0
Highest Self Might stack: 3
Expected Highest Clone Bleed tix (if Clone benefits from the caster’s 3 Might stacks): 103.2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONCLUSIONS
As we can see, Illusions are linked to the Mesmer in the following ways:

1. Illusions inherit changes in the Mesmer’s * combat attributes* (i.e. Precision, Power, Condition Damage, Condition duration etc.)
2. Illusions do not gain benefits from modifiers on the Mesmer’s combat statistics (i.e. Critical Chance; Fury gives +20% Critical Chance)
3. Illusions do not gain benefits from having their combat attributes modified (see Might Trials).
4. Illusions CAN, however, have their individual combat statistics modified and gain benefits from them (i.e. Phantasmal Fury).

This explains why Illusions do not gain benefits from sigils/modifiers that alter Mesmer’s combat statistics (like weakness) but do gain benefits from sigils/modifiers that modify or add to the Mesmer’s combat attributes

Bonus
Phantasms Trigger Confusing Combatants now

While I appreciate your in-depth testing, none of this is actually new. All of the info you’ve verified has been well-known for probably at least a year now.

Certainly, I’m not claiming this is new information. I just wanted to make sure this information was more accessible and transparent.

Pyro said to GTFO, so you best GTFO.

/jks ;D

Ross Biddle.2367:

Pyro said to GTFO, so you best GTFO.

/jks ;D

That being said, the change to confusing combatants is very new for sure.

Well documented, should provide a good reference point for anyone wanting to clarify these things.

I’m a person that likes to test instead of just accept things myself. So tyvm for confirming the already known.

Peacemaker Xeranan.4508:

Bonus
Phantasms Trigger Confusing Combatants now

Are you sure? And I also really wonder how you’ve made that screenshot. The target golem has full health and you’ve got no illusions out. How did the phantasm die? Did you attack another target? But even then, if the phantasm died due to the target dying, it wouldn’t apply any on-death conditions anyway, even if it were a clone. At least I’ve always thought that to be the case… dying due to a dead target doesn’t count as “dying” for the purpose of those traits.

Saturn.6591:

Peacemaker Xeranan.4508:

Bonus
Phantasms Trigger Confusing Combatants now

Are you sure? And I also really wonder how you’ve made that screenshot. The target golem has full health and you’ve got no illusions out. How did the phantasm die? Did you attack another target? But even then, if the phantasm died due to the target dying, it wouldn’t apply any on-death conditions anyway, even if it were a clone. At least I’ve always thought that to be the case… dying due to a dead target doesn’t count as “dying” for the purpose of those traits.

Looks to me as though the duelist was attacking the medium golem, which you can see dying in the background.

You’re wrong. If a clone dies for any reason, it triggers on -death traits.

@Curunen & Xyonon: thank you for the kind words!

Again, I didn’t create this in order to bring to light information I thought was new per se. Rather, I wanted to compliment the already impressive Mesmer-knowledge base with some well-planned study.

If people find this information completely bland and uninteresting, that’s fine; I take solace in the fun I had finding out some definitive answers for myself with studying it. If by chance I was able to provide some morsel of unknown insight to veterans or otherwise help inform new Mesmers, all the better.

@Saturn: Indeed, you are mistaken about what triggers the “on-death” traits. As has been said, any non-shatter effect that destroys a clone (lethal damage, over-writing, leash limit reached, target dying) will trigger the traits.

Confusing Combatants has long been “bugged”. While the tool-tip referred to all Illusions triggering the trait upon death, it only affected clones… until recently of course as I discovered while running my tests: a happy accident!

As for my screen shot, there are a couple of things happening there.

First of all, I summoned two iDuelists. Since I the on-death traits have fairly modest effect radii (same as Chaos Storm) the first I summoned was too far from the Heavy Target golem to hit it with it’s explode effect.

I decided to summon the Illusions on the Medium Target Golem while positioning them adjacent to the Heavy so that the confusion explode effect on their expiration could be properly observed.

Lastly, Illusions die shortly after their target does but there is often a “ghost” name marker left in the air where the Illusion expired (at least on my poor settings). I took the picture at a time where there was still confusion on the Heavy Target Golem, when the expiration-explosion residue was still in the air, and when one could see via the “ghost” name marker that it was in fact a Phantasm that triggered the trait, not a clone.

I hope that answers your questions!

Pyroatheist.9031:

While I appreciate your in-depth testing, none of this is actually new. All of the info you’ve verified has been well-known for probably at least a year now.

Where is it documented that illusions are unaffected by might?

Malakin.2809:

Pyroatheist.9031:

While I appreciate your in-depth testing, none of this is actually new. All of the info you’ve verified has been well-known for probably at least a year now.

Where is it documented that illusions are unaffected by might?

That’s simply a conclusion you can draw from how illusions work.

Illusions don’t have their own base stats. They take a copy of your own stats, which is why they benefit from might on yourself, but not might on them. Additionally, they do have their own secondary stats, which is why they benefit from fury on them, but not fury on yourself.

Pyroatheist.9031:

Malakin.2809:

Where is it documented that illusions are unaffected by might?

That’s simply a conclusion you can draw from how illusions work.

Illusions don’t have their own base stats. They take a copy of your own stats, which is why they benefit from might on yourself, but not might on them. Additionally, they do have their own secondary stats, which is why they benefit from fury on them, but not fury on yourself.

Well then where is that behavior documented? I’m asking because I guess it’s difficult for a new player to somehow figure that out. For example the wiki says the illusions inherit some stats from the mesmer but it doesn’t say that primary stats can’t get modified by boons on the illusions.

[Url=https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Lyssa-s-Grimoire-The-Ultimate-Mesmer-Guide/first#post2916343]Right hurr[/url]

Under the “illusion” definition.. though I guess I should make that particular part more informative.

Chaos Archangel.5071:

[Url= https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Lyssa-s-Grimoire-The-Ultimate-Mesmer-Guide/first#post2916343]Right hurr[/url]

Under the “illusion” definition.. though I guess I should make that particular part more informative.

Hey Chaos! I Lyssa’s Grimoire. In addition to reviewing the wiki, I read your guide prior to creating this post but I didn’t see any detailed explanation about the interaction between Illusions and Modifiers.

If you’d like to cite these findings to supplement your already impressive guide, I’d be happy to contribute.

Thanks Xeranan, I’d be more than happy to add your contribution to the guide! I’m sure it’ll be a big help to many.