Guild Wars 2

Yeah same weird thing happened to your lockdown thread I posted on yesterday. Not sure if it’s always been that way but this week was the first time I’d noticed it.

Hey, so I’ve been pretty bored at times in my holiday, because my internet stopped a few times (it’s amazing how dependant we are on internet D:). So I decided to do something fun… In the form of editing a video, which I stopped with about 3 months ago.

I tried keeping it short (my definition of short may vary from yours) and as varied/fun as possible, here’s the link :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5EymK0fz8Q

I’ll make a thread for it shortly, and add a thumbmail too. I don’t mean to profit from this thread or anything, but I just figured it’s a nice place to start. If you want me to delete this post, just tell me so x.x

Dropping a quick reply from my phone, but that was awesome Alissah! I don’t think anyone would mind someone posting a video of their build in action like that, and I was really digging the editing and how you pointed out things you did wrong.

Which did you prefer using? Mantra of Distraction or Signet of Domination. Gawd.. I wish I could run Decoy & Blink, but the need for Null Field limits that option.

That was truly an enjoyable 12 minute watch, thanks! (Also, it made it slightly better that I failed to upload a vid last week x_x) Mind if I use the vid in the actual guide?

I prefer the mantra of distraction, its lower cooldown, but most of all instant. It’s a huge deal for interupting key skills or defense when you have nothing else left.

The parts where I used the arcing sword offhand + domination signet were like 3 months ago, by then it was kinda part of the build, so I just wanted to go with it :P. On 7:10 I tried using domination signet defensively, but the 1/4 second cast time killed it :P.

And ofcourse you can use it for the actual guide :D.

I really enjoyed editing, even if I spent like 6 hours ;0. It was fun, so I don’t mind.
And after 6 hours of staring at the preview render, you can’t really judge at how much fun it actually is to watch for the first time, so I got huge self confidence issues xD. Anyway, I’m glad you like it ^__^

edit: if you ever need some tips to making a video of your own, feeel free to ask :P

You went in on Spiderman. =[ My favorite superhero. (Also props for noting the clues on how you knew his location while stealth’d, really good stuff there)

I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into that. It was definitely the most awesome thing to start my Friday with, and definitely a gift. Thanks a lot!

Haha, I was doing him a favour ;D

As you can see, I was actually the first Mesmer he encountered in his entire superhero carreer, I’m just here to help him prepare for what others are out there :P

edit: I finally got the Mind Crush/yugiyo thing. Searched for Mind Crush on google pictures while brainstorming for a thumbmail, and found the card :P..

I used manipulation mastery and chaotic dampening in chaos, far reaching manipulations in duelling and halting strike/empowered illusions in donination.

I did tpvp a few times, and crippling +debilitating dissipation are rather awesome when you fight on point. I also use shattered concentration for obvious reasons, but not for duels or hotjoins.

Alright, is there something I’m missing here? Why do you have sup. sigil of paralysis on both your swords they don’t stack, never have (or round up (anylonger)) and it works with both swords just having the one so it seems you’re wasting a sigil….

I loved your vid. Just a question how the f does your swordsman hit for almost 6k?

Can anyone confirm that the Paralyzation sigils stack or not?

@Alissah: Love your vid, Alissah. All those special effects, so awesome.
Btw , since when can Spiderman go stealth for like 15s?

Thank you :D

@Stickerhappy, I used empowered illusions, with a berserker amulet vs others using berserker amulets :P

@Keenlam, he swings up, and I’m unable to see him :P

PlagueParade.7942:

Alright, is there something I’m missing here? Why do you have sup. sigil of paralysis on both your swords they don’t stack, never have (or round up (anylonger)) and it works with both swords just having the one so it seems you’re wasting a sigil….

When I was first forming the build before the patch I tested the sigils with signet of Dom and Im nearly positve they stacked, but you’re right they definitely dont now.

Either way, I switched one to sigil of fire

Nice vid Alissah and nice playing as well. You should make more

Hello Chaos, I tried the build and liked it a lot. I run GS instead of staff for more burst but I tried to follow your tips as general guide lines.
I have a question. How do you see the build with only 10 pts in chaos (V) and 10 in illusions for shatter recharge (VI illusionary invigoration)? Ok, the talent itself has a rather long internal CD but those points let you also have quicker overall recharge on all shatters. Do you see it viable?

In the video, Ali mentions a blink burst, what is it? And how do you pull it off?

Dietzen.6127:

In the video, Ali mentions a blink burst, what is it? And how do you pull it off?

I’m assuming she means the classic shatter burst – blink, dodge, mirror images, mind wrack – or something similar. Drop a 4xWrack on your enemy from Blink range away, almost instantly.

Great video, btw, Alissah!

trooper.2650:

Hello Chaos, I tried the build and liked it a lot. I run GS instead of staff for more burst but I tried to follow your tips as general guide lines.
I have a question. How do you see the build with only 10 pts in chaos (V) and 10 in illusions for shatter recharge (VI illusionary invigoration)? Ok, the talent itself has a rather long internal CD but those points let you also have quicker overall recharge on all shatters. Do you see it viable?

Running 30/20/10/0/0/10 should work too. I had actually considered that myself ever since I pulled 10 from Chaos. The only problem is that since clones spawn and die so quickly (either via shattering or deaths) the trait won’t always be actively helping you.. in fact, there’s a chance it may almost never come into play. At the same time, I can see you learning to use it for more powerful Mind Wracks/Cry of Frustration/Auto-attacks and a boosted Halting Strike, and if you’re using Greatsword too then the range advantage may keep your clones alive longer.

I think it’s worth a try, but I had preferred nabbing Furious Interruption and 10% more crit damage with 30/30/10/0/0

@Alissah or Chaos

Do 2 sigils of paralyzation stack? coz thats what you have on your link

I swear it used to.. but nah, currrently does not. Good catch though, I edited the link to what Im currently running.

I love this build, I really do and have been playing it with great success in PvP the last month or so. It’s a rewarding class in that if you do things well, you are a monster, but if you screw up you get ruthlessly punished for it. It’s certainly not as forgiving as a PU build, but lock-down has been the main reason for rolling Mesmer for me.

Having somewhat gotten the hang of the build (I’m far from mastering it!) I want to test it in WvW as I spent most of my time solo roaming the BLs. However, pretty much all my gear is condition based, so before I splash out on what-not I have a few questions:

- Has anyone tried this build for solo roaming in WvW?
- If so, what gear/accessories/weapons would you recommend?

What I find with the build is that I function really well when I’m in control (i.e. 1v1, or 1v2 at times) but that the moment it gets messy, the effectiveness of the build diminishes rapidly. Whilst PU build thrives on messy environments (i.e. let the muppets kill your clones), a lock-down build gets difficult to pull off when it’s 1v2+, yet in WvW you are more often than not outnumbered as a solo roamer.

Any thoughts would be appreciated?

UPDATED: 11/5/13

- Edited first two pages
- Explained highlights of Alissah’s awesome video.
- Added combos and rotations
- Patted self on the back till arm started to hurt.

@Marsares: Hey, I’m looking at working on a WvW variant of the build and will be posting my findings soon. Tentacle Love (Wow.. what a name. Conjures creepy images. x.x ) posted an interesting variant…

Tentacle Love.3412:

I was playing around with a dumb variant of
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/PvP-Mind-Crush-w-Dueling-Video/first
earlier, with cheap-as-hell exotic gear with perplexity runes just because I didn’t feel like spending too much, and well, tahlkora gear (lol) with sword/focus and gs, and the jankiest 30/30/10 (chaos storm yay!) trait build… I found myself interrupting, knocking down, locking down and harassing players so much that I may just switch to this full time.

it has a few kinks to work out, but since I’ve got the computer to make it work, i can run a lockdown build in wvw. had me a couple one on one fights and just wrecked people who had NO IDEA they weren’t going to land any really important skills.

Finding more mesmer builds would be awesome, but I’d be interested to hear from other people’s experiences in wvw with the lockdown builds, because there’s a lot you can do with them.

Definitely leaning towards Focus for WvW. Right now I’m looking at other good solo-roaming builds to compare notes, and working on an entirely different lockdown build for group battles.

Oh, and screw you Pyro. Halting Strike kind of rocks. =P I wouldn’t be able to use Empowered Illusions or Mental Torment as effectively in this build.

Chaos Archangel.5071:

@Marsares: Hey, I’m looking at working on a WvW variant of the build and will be posting my findings soon. Tentacle Love (Wow.. what a name. Conjures creepy images. x.x ) posted an interesting variant…

Definitely leaning towards Focus for WvW. Right now I’m looking at other good solo-roaming builds to compare notes, and working on an entirely different lockdown build for group battles.

Thanks, would be really interested in your findings. I’ll be fiddling about with Mind Crush as well in WvW over the coming weeks, so we could compare notes in due course. Unfortunately I have very limited gaming time the next few weeks, so not sure how far I’ll get.

I assume you’re leaning towards Focus for more large-scale and not for solo-roaming, Sword4 is just too good to miss out in 1v1 or 1v2 it seems and Sword5 hits like a truck.

Personally, I’m thinking about something like the following for solo WvW roaming. Any thoughts on gear etc?

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAW8clwzKqXTTjGb9IiJFBnvR6hpxanWJF82FC-jUyAYfBZCDABCmQAl+KiGbJtIas6aMNMRUt9mIqWGAmFA-w

The main reasons I’d use focus over sword sword is because

a) swiftness, since it’s really fricking frustrating when you fall behind even when you have traveler runes
b) you can make up for that phanty swordsman with the warden in the right circumstances. drop down the warden, lay the temporal curtain right on top of him mid fight, and watch as cleansing bolts appear, cleaning out conditions (which, as a mesmer, are REALLY obnoxious). he might not deal as much damage but that utility can make up for it.

@Marsares: Looks pretty good, my only issue is with the sigils. Hydromancy, IMO, works much better with the staff, since with Sword you’re likely to be already in melee-range. (iLeap/Swap -> Blurred Frenzy -> Phase Retreat = Immobil+Chill) but even then, Energy offers better defense versus the Control you get from Hydromancy. Sigil of Blood I’ve never tried, how is it? I’d figured Bloodlust or Fire/Air would be a stronger choice. I’m really interested to see your results.

@Tentacle: How has your experience been using Focus with the build? I’ve considered Focus as an alternative (and seen someone use Pistol to GREAT effect) but I’m so enamored with the offhand sword that I can’t give it up. Have you switched any traits around? Do you feel any particular flaws or weaknesses with the style that should be addressed?

With all these interrupts, a mainhand scepter, and perplexity runes… We may have a pretty strong Rabid condition build here. o_O

Not enough play to say for sure.
I was missing Illusionary Persona so I am playing around with traits and builds right now, trying to find a middle ground.

Chaos Archangel.5071:

• Mantra Chargnig: 0:47 – Charge Mantras before the fight

• Doing Damage: 1:46 – Both Phantasms AND Shatters contribute to damage.

• Safely Landing iCounter: 2:13 – When you know you’re going to counter an attack, use Daze Mantra as the counter animation starts to keep yourself safe (and stun the enemy if you’re lucky). Note: Alissah did not do this here, but she should’ve. She would’ve both nailed an interrupt (Halting Strike) and heavy damage from the counter. =P

• Mind Crush at it’s Best!: 3:04 – Example of perfect use of Mind Crush’s abilities to dominate an opponent. She gains combat advantage with stealth, counts his dodges, hits him with heavy damage with a smooth combination of shatters and Phantasms, and interrupts his heal attempt. (Note: Halting Strike hits the Thief for a beastly 3297 damage when Alissah interrupts his heal thanks to the high Vulnerability stacks from dazes)

• Stealth for Initiative: 3:53 – Gain advantage by starting a fight summoning a phantasm and dazing the opponent (Mantra) at the same time.

• Stealth beats stealth: 4:20 – Counter stealth with, uh.. stealth.

• Stack Vuln .. Like a BOSS: 5:18 – Perfect example of how quickly and easily you can stack 20+ Vulnerability on a target.

• Staff Contributing to Damage: 6:12 – Using interrupts properly, even the Staff can contribute significant damage via Chaos Storm and iWarlock.

• What not to Do: 7:30 – Errors and mistakes using the build

8:58 – Mind Crush vs Shatter Heavy

10:45 – Mind Crush vs Shatter Heavy – Epic Round 2.

Oh, I dind’t even see this breakdown untill now :o

Its pretty complete, but here are some things I would add:

2:13 I like playing it safe, which means safing my defensive skills for later if I need them. The distraction mantra kind of falls under defensive skills :P. I didn’t know what to expect, so I wanted to save it for later.
Also, If the daze didn’t turn into a stun, he still would’ve dodged my riposte :O. I’m not a fan of RNG :P.

6:38: I share my 2 golden rules, essential to learning the art of Warrior trolling.

6:45: When a hammer warrior pops signet of fury or Berserker Stance just before engaging, chances are they will start with earthshaker. A simple Riposte will throw them off (although not in this case, because he used the rare signet of might).

7:15: I try to use the Domination Signet defensively, but the 0.25 second cast time was enough to make it fail. (consider this when choosing between the signet and Distraction Mantra)

9:25: An example of Illusonary Riposte’s multiple uses. I wanted to block Gooqle’s melee attack for high damage, but he created too much distance, so I used counterblade instead (and got an interupt by accident!).

10:10: Always try to get as many illusions out before using ether feast, Phase Retreat is perfect for this!

11:50: Spam your Phantasmal Swordsman, just do it. Here I missed the opportunity and swapped to staff instead of summoning it, It may have been the difference between victory and draw.

Been trying out alot of different build’s lately in wvw, since i find my normal shatter build (20-20-0-0-30) lackluster in many area’s of wvw.
Came upon this thread and tweaked out a build with all the great info here

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAscWl4zipnRzoGbNJhJFE33nKAdSPMtqXdpC8G-jEDBYfREVEgCEiIAkKAInDN5JiJQCZlhFRjVZDT7SRVFLwA-w

Have been fooling around with chaotic interruption aswell in a (30-10-30-0-0) build and was kinda surprised how good it was against certain classes. Though i find the amazing condi clear with this build better all around.
The sigil’s on swords are from my shatter build and the sigil on staff is just good all around, so when i change the stats to my condi build i dont have to change sigil’s.
Not quite sure though what sigil’s would be good for this kinda build atm.

Well that’s a very interesting alternative.

How has your experience been with it so far? Do you feel like you’re losing out on damage/defense without Deceptive Evasion? Have you felt any pros/cons vs the standard shatter build?

I like the Harmonious Mantra change, especially since you tied it with Mender’s Purity (and with the Dec. 10th patch Mender’s Purity will remove two boons at a time) and I’m very interested in how this sort of traiting works out. I think Sigil of Fire would be a better option over Sigil of Force to increase your damage. The Generosity Sigil may not be necessary when the patch drops, but I’ve found Hydromancy and Energy to work pretty well too. Instead of Sigil of Accuracy, Perception may grant a better accuracy boost.

All in all I think I’ll try that out in WvW as well and see how it works out.

@Alissah: Will add that in with the next edit. (December 10th patch)

Can only comment in regards to the difference between a shatter (20-20-0-0-30) and this interrupt build (30-10-20-10-0). Havnt tried any interrupt build with DE

Pros :
Better condi clear
Less obvious damage (a shatter bomb is pretty easy to spot by a experienced pll)
Alot of dmg comes from the extreme quick stacking of vulnerability
Better healing

Cons.
I miss my 8 sec distortion chain when pressed
I still feel that shatter is better for small team roaming
Boon removal (could take shattered concentration in the interrupt build aswell though)
Well both specs sucks for zerging, i despise zerging though!

In regards to DE i dunno how usefull it is in a interrupt build, the clones dont really confuse that many pll anymore, and i find myself only shattering when absolutely neccessary (either for a quick kill, distortion if pressed or daze if everything else is on cd). I do miss shattered concentration with DE though

Hydromancy instead of generosity sounds interesting might check that out.
Well sigil of fire might be better for the interrupt spec, but i would think force is better for a shatter spec? Well i dunno

Been using this build in WvW solo roaming a lot lately and am getting more adept at it. It’s not as forgiving as the Blackwater build and you need a lot more focus as it has much higher skill level, but I personally find it much more rewarding.

Been fiddling about with the spec as well and started running with Mantra of Recovery, combined with Harmonious Mantras (rather than Confounding Suggestions). I love the stun chance on CS, but with HM you basically get three charges on your heal and your daze mantra.

When the 10 Dec comes in, I’ll have a play with both CS and HM and figure out for which one I’ll settle.

What really annoys me (in WvW more so than in sPvP) is that every time you go underwater, you’ll have to recharge your Mantras. This can be a real game-breaker when you’re in the middle of a fight.

you need to put the same mantra’s in your underwater skillbar, then you dont loose the stacks.

Will have a dramatic update of the guide this weekend, but for now some quick notes on how the patch hit the build.

• Improved Chain-dazing: The Confounding Suggestions buff has increase the build’s ability to lockdown opponents.

• Mantra Cooldowns: Being moved to Adept tier makes this trait an interesting choice vs Blade Training. I’d personally still go with Blade Training if running Sword/Sword but if running Sword/Pistol than either Phantasmal Fury or Mantra Mastery

• Mender’s Purity: Now makes Mantra of Recovery very enticing. Taking 10 points from Chaos to drop their for higher condition resistance may be worthwhile.

Also, a 30/20/0/0/20 is now a viable alternative for reduced cooldowns across the board at the cost of losing some lockdown in the form of Bountiful Interrupt and Debilitating Dissipation.

Totally lost what I wrote for the update and raged.

On a side note… Turns out a variant of this build was taken into one ofbthr $10,000 tournaments! Nice! Does anyone know the name of the tourney, or player, running a lockdown build similar to this one but using Focus and illusionary defense?

Just a quick note: I’m going to attempt to work on that major update again soon. I’ve been really swamped with stuff this holiday season, and this weekend I ended up sick as hell. x_x A thing of note about the build though:

• This build has been tested and used in WvW roaming to surprisingly good effect… just not by me. I’ll be updating WvW notes soon as I gather information from as many people as I could, but the results have been surprisingly positive.

• A Greatsword/Staff variant is currently being popularized by Lord Helseth, does anyone have links or videos of this as I haven’t been able to reach out to him just yet?

and lastly, I wanna give a -HUGE- Thank You to everyone who’s tried the build, loved it, and spread the word about lockdown Mesmer. Mind Crush is currently the most popular Mesmer lockdown build and I’ve been seeing it more and more frequently in PvP. I’ve spent the majority of my 2013 Mesmering studying lockdown builds, and it really makes me proud to see so many people enjoying the playstyle. (And while I had invented the build for my own use, once I published it to the forums I never considered it people using “my” build as much as people picking up and running with Lockdown Mesmer. There have been so many variants made to this spec that it’d be obscenely arrogant to call it all “mine!”)

To all the people who’ve sent me PMs and notes thanking and questioning, I want you guys to know that reading that stuff not only brightens my day, but gives me further fuel and confidence to keep studying and exploring Mesmer lockdown potential! It’s you guys, much moreso than myself, that have proven that Lockdown Mesmer are officially a “thing.” and you guys that have really pushed this category from obscurity (like signet builds /cough ) into something undeniably effective. It also helps improve the “reputation” of Mesmer, counterbalancing how Prismatic Understanding builds cast Mesmer in an ‘easy-mode’ light.
( A big thank you to Warlord of Chaos and Sensotix who helped me focus and refine the build into something that can be effective, fun, flexible, and competitive.)

As always, if anyone has any questions always feel free to hit me up. If my PM box is full, send me an in-game mail or hit me up however and I’ll be sure to get back to you.

Hey!

First of all, thank you for this thread, your build gave me lots of ideas.

Since I seriously can’t make Staff my own, and it’s just generally not fun for me, I experimented a lot with other variations. Some insights/questions:

- I love Greatsword, and it is extremely useful in an interrupt heavy build. Also nice damage and range. Popping an iZerker near a fleeing dude and crippling them/downing them is priceless.

- I’m still not sure whether Pistol or Sword OH wins, for me Pistol works much better. Magic Bullet gives a more reliable daze/stun option, great for chasing fleeing opponents and fighting multiple enemies as well. Also, while you can walk away from the sword’s projectile, this is a sure hit unless someone dodges. The phantasms are equally good. iDuelist can be placed on strategic locations, since it’s ranged, but iSwordsman is better for shatters and seems like it hits harder.

- It looks like, from the 3 grandmaster interruption traits, you argue CS is the best. Why is that? Is the main reason the Staff (Chaos Storm)? I find the other two better for my playstyle.

Furious Interruption is a great, but it’s extremely hard to time interrupts to effectively make use of it, and to pay attention to its cooldown at the same time. I found it great fun, though, and it helps your overall damage output even if you don’t pay attention to it at all. The minor trait isn’t negligible either, it’s like a boost to Debilitating Dissipation.

Chaotic Interruption is also great. Actually, this is what I’m currently using, and it is really helpful in PvP. Works really good with Pistol, you have an almost on-demand immobilize.

I couldn’t figure out yet which one to choose, but they are better options (at least for me) than CS.

- Don’t you find the build a bit lacking on the condi removal side?

- Does Shattered Concentration hit 5 targets with F1 and F2 shatter?

Here is the build I’m currently using:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vgAQNAR8alknpUtNqxMNMrNiY6Rw5bCHJFwGrVShtdhA

- Power Lock is great, but I needed a condi removal. I’m currently testing Null Field and Mantra of Resolve. The mantra is great for a quick removal and also at smaller scale WvW battles (since it removes from allies as well). I chose Null Field for now, because it’s great against warriors and guardians, almost a must at WvW, and, many people seem to forget about this, but it’s also a 7 sec combo field. Since I use Greatsword, it makes up for the lack of a good combo field the Staff would provide.

Also, I don’t find the lack of Power Lock that troubling, we have enough interrupts.

- Far-reaching manipulations is a personal choice, I just love it too much. Can’t live without it

- Rending Shatter and Deceptive Evasion are nice for quick vuln building. They can also be switched for Empowered Illusions and Phantasmal Fury, depending on whether you rely more on shatters or on phantasms. For me, these are better options than Mental Torment. Haven’t tested Halting Strike that much yet, but looks promising. The damage doesn’t look that high on paper, though.

This build is not as lockdown-y as yours, but it’s really fun to play (especially if you take Furious Interruption instead of Chaotic Interruption). The interrupts are just as rewarding, and I think it’s a bit better suited for 1vx and WvW roaming. I used it successfully in 1v2 fights and even in 1v3, with good timing of the burst and the interrupts. The pistol helps more than a sword in these situations IMHO. In 1v1, it’s better if you go with the phantasm traits instead of the shatter traits, but maybe I just can’t time my shatters well :P.

That’s all for now, would be great to get some feedback ^^ And some insights on the upcoming changes concerning these lockdown builds!

Hey,

Glad this post got bumped actually otherwise wouldnt have seen this build. i love it , makes me feel like an actual chaos causing mesmer for once.

@Chaos – think it would be worth tweaking for usage of the upcoming interrupt trait?

Hey! Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply, my internet has been on the fritz for two weeks now, and I’ve been more swamped than usual at work. x.x

- Greatsword is a really good alternative to Staff. Scepter + Offhand can also work really well, especially Scepter + Focus for a mix of ranged damage that has better damage than Staff and better defense than Greatsword.

- Sword offhand wins out for me for a couple reasons: The sword daze hits multiple targets, which can be excellent for saving allies from stomps/preventing rezzes or getting some nice random CI/BI procs. Also, the counter attack hits insanely hard, as hard as the iSwordsman itself. Also, while the duelist does comparable damage (AND hits from ranged) it has to nail all 8 of it’s shots off, making it much easier to dodge than iSwordsman (who also attacks more frequently).

- Actually, CI is the “best” lockdown grandmaster. It gives the most profound benefit for a single interrupt, works with nearly every weapon except scepter/torch, and will very likely be superior to Power Lock. CS is an entirely different playstyle and is more single-target oriented. The chain-dazing and stun potential makes for a much different strategy than you’d use for CI.

- I was steered away from using any form of condition removal for sPvP. Having good positioning/awareness, Lyssa Runes, and Decoy have been enough for me to handle myself without much issue. In WvW I prefer the Mantra, though I run a different build (0/20/30/20/0) because of the much shorter cooldown and instant effect, but Null Field is a strong alternative. DazeMantra does work better for PvP, and I don’t use it as often in WvW.. Which has sorta taught me that while you definitely don’t need daze mantra to make a lockdown build work effectively, it is a HUGE help.

- Rending Shatter.. hnnng! It’s not that it’s a bad trait, but I think you’d be much better off with either Halting Strike (surprisingly good damage) or Crippling Debilitation (awesome AoE CC). While rending is useful, it just doesn’t pay off as well as other traits its replacing.

I think that the new runes/sigils and bugfixes will be a big buff to lockdown builds. The two new interrupt traits are still questionable, but when April 15th hits I think nearly every mesmer build will see a buff in some way. Feel free to hit me up in game anytime!

@ceejay: Ty man! I’m actually considering a new variant of this build when the patch hits; a sort of hybrid Sword+Pistol-Staff or greatsword (or sword+pistol-Scepter+focus) power/condition variant utilizing Grenth Runes (Chill on Heal) & Hydromancy runes (Chill on Swap) called “Mind Crush: Brain Freeze” … Yeah I’m a cornball but naming these builds is surprisingly fun.

The idea behind the build is extending the 10s cooldown on interrupted skills by an additional 5s with a chill burst from a heal and swap. Haven’t experimented with it much yet but between that and a 30/10/30 build I’m thinking about I have quite a bit of ideas to play around with.

Edit: Some discussion on it here: Power Lock & The Pure Lockdown Mesmer

Been playing around with your concept and took along Osi’s suggestions in one of the threads and came up with these:
http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAscWlwzipHUTjGb9IBqHgv7fn0DT36TXqAvB-TsAg0CnIkSJlTKjUSpsSNiYBy0CA

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vgAQJARWlknpRtFqxGNcrNSg6B29O3J9w0p+0lKgbA-zUCBYLBiABiQAI5pIaslhFRjVjETXaR1qXAeDLqmQAjWAA-w

Utilities are interchangeable (Feedback, Null Field, etc.)

I specced it so it’s a little more WvW friendly, although I also specced it specifically for group roaming/zerg so I’m not sure how well it works for solo roaming. I would also like to note that I haven’t tested them cause I don’t have the necessary gear yet since I just started WvW so any feedback is appreciated

Well for the first option, you may wanna check out the thread for Shatterlock since it runs identical traits.

For the second, Imbued is going to be difficult to use effectively without DE. I’d argue Deceptive Evasion is a better trait to support your entire build over CS if you’re gonna be running Imbued Diversion. Since you want to shatter as often as possible, you’re also gonna wanna grab Illusionary Invigoration (Illusions VIII) over Phantasmal Haste.

I know going 20/20/0/0/30 makes you look like a standard shatter build, but taking imbued over iPersona makes for a much different playstyle. Alternatively you can go 0/20/20/0/30 for better survivability and alternative lockdown traits, but I think having Dazzling (Domination 15 – 5x Vuln on daze) is pretty important since you’re traiting your daze shatter anyway, and Shattered Concentration (Dom VII) is one of our best traits hands down, especially for a lockdown build.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vgAQNAsfRlknpMtFqxGNcrNiY6Rw5bCHJFm2rVSBvdhA-zkCBYLERj0HAEIgUIJjEBK7RaMBSItMsIas6aYKXER1kCQPlRA-w

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vgAQJARWlknpRtFqxGNcrNSg6B29O3J9w0s+0lKgbA-zUCBYLBiABgQAKBqIaslhFRjVXDT5KpqXAqYRmQAjWAA-w

Updated both with proper gear, didn’t notice I posted the unfinished links x_x
For the Staff/GS, I want to trait in DomVII but I’m finding it hard to think of not having less cooldown on GS5 because I dont have the OH sw daze. Do you think the 5s reduction worth it?

Overall though I’ve just been theorycrafting. I made the Staff/GS combo based on running with the zerg and picking off people at range because close up shatters imo are harder to perform in this situation. Dropping Chaos Storm and praying to RNGesus that daze/stun procs is what I was thinking of, as well as grrabbing null field/feedback. As much as I want to take DE it feels like I can’t sacrifice CS for that reason. I was thinking popping GS 2 and 4 into the zerg then using diversion would make the AoE daze worth it. In terms of small group roaming, I can take advantage of staff 2 and keep at range, mostly playing defensively and then pressure with GS.

Sw/Torch+GS is a bit more straightforward. I made it for mainly group roaming while switching to GS for zerg. Stealth+cleanse on torch for survivability and DE for clone production.

Hey!

Thanks for your answer. I didn’t know about your 20/20/30 build thread, it was a good read. I now confirmed that rending shatter has better alternatives. And you’re right about iSwordsman, I frequently notice that about 2/3rds of iDuelist’s attacks get dodged. Still can’t decide 100% between the two, but will keep experimenting.

I’m excited about the april 15th update, will play around with mind crush and shatterlock builds till then ^^

@Caelus: The sword/torch build looks good, though I think you may find a better sigil than battle. For the other build, the Greatsword trait is worth it, and definitely more worthwhile if you’re planning to fight in zergs.

… But Imbued Diversion/Confounding Suggestions is not.

Sorry, I hadn’t realized it was meant for zerg fights. Imbued needs a decent clone production to be particularly effective, which is why it pairs so well with Deceptive Evasion (And to a lesser extent Illusionary Invigoration). While you technically can make it work without DE, if that build is for zerg fights then you’re going to find yourself relying on luck to be effective… which doesn’t make for a reliable build.

There currently is no effective lockdown build for zergs, and since I’ve been exploring WvW more often I’m hoping to change that. However you may wanna take inspiration from some of Skcamow’s builds. since he has created control-oriented Mesmer builds for WvW groups, though they usually focus more on softer CC (Chaotic Interruption, Blinds/Chills,ect.) than dazes.

Thanks for the call out
My utility wizard build is also meant for large group denial (similar to a glamour build), but it’s a different type of lockdown using blinds.

Honestly the biggest issue with using Imbued Diversion (and Confounding Suggestions for that matter) in zergs is opposing zerg stability. If you have a coordinated team this isn’t nearly as much of an issue. On the same token, PUG zergs aren’t as knowledgeable about spamming AE stability so you can get away with some impressive AoE interrupts with Imbued Diversion.

Also I think the notion of needing DE with Imbued Diversion isn’t quite true and I would actually argue the opposite. The reason DE is not needed is because of the the traited 35s recharge on Diversion, which is plenty of time for that mirror blade or iBerserker or phase retreat to become available when Diversion is. Even if you use signet of illusions to get an instant recharge, or even if illusionary invigoration recharges it for you at half health, you aren’t having a problem generating a clone to bomb with – at least I don’t.

Now if Anet would buff Imbued Diversion a bit to implement a global CD reduction on Diversion by taking the trait, active clone generation would be much more important to get the most out of it.

Okay been running around with my GS/Staff build for the past week and I must say it performs REALLY well in zergs. Confounding Suggestions works and Halting Strike proccing on a Chaos Storm drop plus a GS4+AoE Diversion combo can really do damage and push a zerg back<—this combo makes it feel like a long range daze bomb. To my surprise it felt like I was a factor on zerg vs zergs. And yea the only problem was group stability but you still affect the enemy zerg nonetheless, especially if you add a feedback on the rotation.

That being said my GS/Staff build is not too reliable on small group roaming unless I go on the 20/20/0/0/30 spec with DE and a couple of other trait switches and Sw/Sw/Staff.