My guild is currently planning to gear up for GvG. Unfortunately they’re mostly like: “No one ever played a Mesmer in here, so just grant veil and null field and – don’t you die!”
Now I wonder how to serve my purpose best. I found standard shatter builds to be too squishy and PU/other condibuilds appear to me to be rather useless due to Lemongrass-Poultry-Soup and other condi-reduce. Am I right?
So what do you recommend for GvG? Maybe a deep Chaos-Spec?
Furthermore… Where do you, my fellow Mesmers, roam most of the time? Picking, sticking with the train or backpedaling/kiting?
long time i havent doe gvg (due to lack of guilds)
the mesmer back then role with semi zerk null viel fileds and tried to harass the ele or thief
after the last change thief became more useable with s/d and recentlry venom share (i heard i guild using in effectively) so mesmer sayed as viel bot trying to add some dmg when needed with his GS and staff
pu – is not good with the last changes as it too slow conditions stacking
i wish i could test the mtd build as it can shut down ele even if it get cleanse the ele must use all his cleasne so he will be vulnerable to your team attacks
also can shut down any periphery while the mesmer is not so vulnerable like the zerk one (low hp low armor) also the shatter are aoe so stacked periphery will get the best shutdown conditions torment( movement) confusion (skill use)
but probably all will say go shatter power gs+staff
So if you’re going to be veil+null field muleing that limits your options considerably. You’ll want at least glamour cooldowns traited along with taking blink as your last utility to keep up with the group.
Just go full Pvt or a mix of Pvt and cavs/knights. Mesmer can perform decently on a pick team, but that’s not what they’re asking you to do.
I’d advise a trait distribution of something like 4/6/0/4/0 or 0/6/4/4/0. The first allows you to reliably get iZerker attacks off while having those glamours and focus traited. The second allows for more defense in a staff/gs build with the inspiration points again for glamours.
here is a utility build for your team request
you are not here for the dmg rather the support with glamour and blind
the dmg is done after you use your glamour skills and just using gs
keep distance and eye for the enemy thief
use moa on key target like necro/ele/thief while your team can burst them as they are easy kill
use GS5 when you see no stability on your enemy and push him away from his group
or go 0,4,0,4,6 semi shatter periphery take blink instead of feedback
if your team got 2-3 necros you dont need null field so go shatter 4,4,0,0,6
If your guild doesnt understand Mesmer, or Mesmers roll in GvG, then ignore them and define the roll with your performance. Mesmer is taken for one roll, which is the opening veil. After that it’s about finding your place and they’ve said “Null field!”, but this isnt being optimal in your comp. Joining the pick team is your best bet and with a focused strike you’ll be working your way through the enemy pick team, support, and then melee train. You don’t have to be full glkittenter. Lockdown is a good option. Stun/imob chaining will assure kills. In GvG’s the enemy pays attention to, and counters your tactics by altering their focus. So having a different build to change to between fights can ruin their day. Perhaps go with a maim condi shatter, full DIRE if you become the focus of their pick team. That way you can stealth around a bit, are able to tank a burst or a lot of hate, and can still counter condi burst. There isnt always a lot of condi remove in GvG’s.
More power than not will take you the farthest though, so a mix of zerk and knights is good. Generally speaking take as much stealth as you can. Decoy and torch + MI (protects from stomps, mostly). Lastly a long range reduced CD blink is a big deal in GvG’s as it allows you to disengage from pick team hate and relocate on the other side of your melee train, which is your only decent way to “break off” from the enemy pick.
You’ll want to drop veil when the driver asks. Then, work with the thief on your team to take out the other mes/thief and ele/necro on other team. Here is some nice GvG mesmer play with comms: http://tinyurl.com/betterhappy
Be able to run multiple builds and not confine yourself to one option. Whenever I’m in doubt I usually run a very tanky PU or a Lockdown build. The real issues are: 1. Having a good driver, 2. having a good team, and 3. being good at your own class. You have to trust your team to take care of you, no matter what build you’re running.
Be able to run multiple builds and not confine yourself to one option. Whenever I’m in doubt I usually run a very tanky PU or a Lockdown build. The real issues are: 1. Having a good driver, 2. having a good team, and 3. being good at your own class. You have to trust your team to take care of you, no matter what build you’re running.
This is the truly nice part of GvG’s. You’re a part of a machine. Different systems and parts all working in unison. If something goes wrong your machine starts falling apart. Being able to change and adapt will allow you to overcome the challenges set forth by the opposing team.
You’ll want to drop veil when the driver asks. Then, work with the thief on your team to take out the other mes/thief and ele/necro on other team. Here is some nice GvG mesmer play with comms: http://tinyurl.com/betterhappy
pretty much this build that you need for gvging. GS / Sword Torch is sorta meta weapon set for this game type. Pack rune is good choice, you may use strength or traveler (if you want roaming with same gear) Positioning is important instead of getting passive defense and with decoy, torch 4 and MI will deliver that survivability especially when you got focused by opposing teams thief (If you go Staff/GS, you will die when you got focused by 2 thieves). Some drivers may ask you run TW instead MI but it will get you killed and in current gvg meta most of mesmers runs MI.
Your strength and the role is massive spike (thanks to shattering) and only full berserker or Berserker Armor, Weapon and Berserker with Valkyrie Jewel Trinkets will deliver that. If you go full tank spec, you will cut your dps role in spike team.
+1 to eozturk.7205’s post. My Yak’s Bend mesmer runs strength runes. The might stacks and duration are great. My NSP account has pack runes and they hit hard…not to mention, they are waaayyy cheaper than strength runes.
As you can see in various GvG videos from the “gank” perspective, regardless of the guild, you will see might stacking and stealthing as a group. If you are the only gank, I know them feels! You will need to be extra aware of your positioning and the enemy gank. You also need to keep enemy gank off your Eles and necro teammates.
I duel a ton of thieves and I highly recommend the GS/Sword + torch (or pistol/focus) weapon set. Double range weapon set will get you killed extremely fast, even if you are a kite master.
If you need any help with practice, you and your thief (and d/d ele if you have one) may contact me in game. Good luck! GvG’s are lots of fun.
I duel a ton of thieves and I highly recommend the GS/Sword + torch (or pistol/focus) weapon set. Double range weapon set will get you killed extremely fast, even if you are a kite master.
Ditto this. Staff is a great weapon 1v1 against one thief. Against two or more it loses it’s effectiveness if thieves can time their gap closers apart.
in 20v20 gvg (depends on the numbers) usually 1 thief and 1 mesmer both periphery harrassment
generally focus party setup is 2 thieves, 1 mesmer 1 d/d ele and random ( I saw ranger, engineer or another mesmer) depends on the guild mostly (4-5 players in total). also, having less number of players in your focus party compared to the opposing team may yield to your focus party get focus and get downed at start even before harassing their periphery,which may ruin everything at that round. imo, I suggest roam with your focus party after raids so you will get some synergy and whisper list in ts, really helps a lot (better communication without interrupting the driver)
in 20v20 gvg (depends on the numbers) usually 1 thief and 1 mesmer both periphery harrassment
generally focus party setup is 2 thieves, 1 mesmer 1 d/d ele and random ( I saw ranger, engineer or another mesmer) depends on the guild mostly (4-5 players in total). also, having less number of players in your focus party compared to the opposing team may yield to your focus party get focus and get downed at start even before harassing their periphery,which may ruin everything at that round. imo, I suggest roam with your focus party after raids so you will get some synergy and whisper list in ts, really helps a lot (better communication without interrupting the driver)
what i know from the gvg arenas are in 20 man group
6 warrior
6 guardian
3 staff ele
3 necros
1 thief
1 mesmer
My guild did a 5v5 once. We had two guardians, a thief, a mesmer (me!) and an ele. There again though, it is a lot of trust in the team. My driver trusted me to know what I was doing on my mesmer. I trusted him to keep me alive (he was one of our guardians). No one in our group dropped below half HP.
My guild is currently planning to gear up for GvG. Unfortunately they’re mostly like: “No one ever played a Mesmer in here, so just grant veil and null field and – don’t you die!”
Now I wonder how to serve my purpose best. I found standard shatter builds to be too squishy and PU/other condibuilds appear to me to be rather useless due to Lemongrass-Poultry-Soup and other condi-reduce. Am I right?
So what do you recommend for GvG? Maybe a deep Chaos-Spec?
Furthermore… Where do you, my fellow Mesmers, roam most of the time? Picking, sticking with the train or backpedaling/kiting?
Thanks in advance :>
Dont take null field,your job is harass,why mesmer and not thief? dont really know,part of veil bot,but you want to be full shatter,having long range blink(traited)and decoy.
When I used to GvG alot,I had a destroyer warrior and a thief with me on harass group,the thief was basically a stealth bot,blindfield and blast,and we all targted one guy,I was doing the immoblize and dazes,while thief and the warrior did some pressure.
I used gs-s/t with usual shatter build,but instead of iElitascly I chose the shatter cd trait.
I find that thieves,hate mesmers in GvG as thieves always sticked to fight me.
-Always save your blink when you on low health,to blink to your melee group to get heals and cover from other harassers.
-If you in a tight spot get to melee zerg
-use distortion wisely
-dont be far from the other harassers in your group.
-ofc watch for the enemy melee zerg
-and stomp only if you are away from the enemy melee zerg.(I never stomped,our warrior did all the stomps).
I dont play gvg much or much of wvw even, but it seems to me that you will be a harasser and it depends on what the rest of your harassing party’s needs what you should bring. If you party has little CC then bring a lock-down CI build. if your party has low burst( idk why they would) then standard shatter is fine. If they dont have any reflect or boon rip definitely use null field and then probably just go glamour support and CI ( Chaotic Interruption) and play from ranged, lockdown down opponents for the rest of the harassers to burst.
in 20v20 gvg (depends on the numbers) usually 1 thief and 1 mesmer both periphery harrassment
generally focus party setup is 2 thieves, 1 mesmer 1 d/d ele and random ( I saw ranger, engineer or another mesmer) depends on the guild mostly (4-5 players in total). also, having less number of players in your focus party compared to the opposing team may yield to your focus party get focus and get downed at start even before harassing their periphery,which may ruin everything at that round. imo, I suggest roam with your focus party after raids so you will get some synergy and whisper list in ts, really helps a lot (better communication without interrupting the driver)
what i know from the gvg arenas are in 20 man group
6 warrior
6 guardian
3 staff ele
3 necros
1 thief
1 mesmer
if 25 man then add 1 player more from the top
That looks like NA influenced setup. In the EU meta focus parties are usually 3-5 people with at least 1 ele 1 thief 1 mesmer. Against the better EU guilds you can’t really afford to run less than 3 because focus parties are organised enough to spot and kill each other then immediately focus on taking down range.
in 20v20 gvg (depends on the numbers) usually 1 thief and 1 mesmer both periphery harrassment
generally focus party setup is 2 thieves, 1 mesmer 1 d/d ele and random ( I saw ranger, engineer or another mesmer) depends on the guild mostly (4-5 players in total). also, having less number of players in your focus party compared to the opposing team may yield to your focus party get focus and get downed at start even before harassing their periphery,which may ruin everything at that round. imo, I suggest roam with your focus party after raids so you will get some synergy and whisper list in ts, really helps a lot (better communication without interrupting the driver)
what i know from the gvg arenas are in 20 man group
6 warrior
6 guardian
3 staff ele
3 necros
1 thief
1 mesmer
if 25 man then add 1 player more from the top
That looks like NA influenced setup. In the EU meta focus parties are usually 3-5 people with at least 1 ele 1 thief 1 mesmer. Against the better EU guilds you can’t really afford to run less than 3 because focus parties are organised enough to spot and kill each other then immediately focus on taking down range.
i am eu and that setup from the days i was gvging 2 focus in 20 man group.
maybe now its different. but if we saw d/d ele or thief or mesmer our first priority was to catch them or the necro as easy kill while their team tried to save them with heal and shout and boons
Oh, I just remembered another thing. If shatter is too squishy for you, try a power PU buid. How have the GvG’s been going. I suggest trying to recruit a thief if you don’t have one.
Thanks everony for your input so far. I managed to find a quite decent 2/2/0/0/3-shatter-build, which allows me to survive without getting into trouble yet feel useful both for the train and for picking.
At the moment I play GS/Staff with zerk/knight/soldier-mixture and carry veil, nullfield, blink and timewarp with me. Since switching feedback for blink I am usually one of the last to die and i consider wearing more zerk-items this week.
