DOMINATION 10 — VI, CHAOS 30 — IV, X, XII, INSPIRATION — I, X, XI
Domination simply has Signet Mastery (VI) for the obvious benefit of reducing Signet of Inspiration’s cooldown. In Chaos, I didn’t change that much. With Inspiration, one can tailor some of the traits according to desire and need. I am trying a more mantra-focused build, so I have taken Restorative Mantras (X), since they’ve made some of them party-friendly now. Unfortunately, the healing benefit is only on the primary readying cast of a mantra, not the subsequent use of them once prepared. I wish this would get tweaked, or otherwise changed, since mantras need to be a little more attractive to make them a good option. I think it would behoove Anet to invest more time in working on those for any support options for mesmer, but they are moving in a good direction, I think. I chose Shattered Conditions (XI) which adds another layer of party support. For utility and the fact that this sort of build tends to make a mesmer a back-liner anyway, I chose Medic’s Feedback to lend enhanced revival capabilities when needed. Since one is often stealthed, as well, it may befall the mesmer to take that role when needed, considering the passive nature the build tends to make.
As for skills, one will have to adjust according to taste and utility, of course. There are a few musts, though. Signet of Inspiration is a necessity, for it is one of the primary means of support the mesmer can provide: a boon generator and distributor. This would also have a mesmer favor a number of stealth-related skills, primarily Mass Invisibility. Other stealth options include: Veil (to work along with Glamor builds), Decoy (for the Stun Break), and The Prestige (a torch skill, should usually have it, anyway). Trait set-ups can also have one favor Glamors, Mantras or Manipulations. Of those, I haven’t found a personal preference, but I’ve been focusing on Mantras, as I said. Signet of Midnight might also come in handy to maintain these durations, while also offering Stun Break and area blindness. It is a good enhancer and defense mechanism. Phantasms offer a reasonably steady regeneration (per the Inspiration trait Phantasmal Healing). As always, though, phantasms only offer the longest benefit on hard targets, if they get wiped easily and often, it negates their use. It may be worth exploring, though.
Heals are also primarily preference. My mesmer is a sylvari, so I chose Healing Seed. The regeneration this skill offers nicely ties into Illusionary Membrane, which is a Chaos trait that grants you Protection while under the effects of regeneration. With all the Boon Duration enhancements I’ve got available presently, I have managed to get regeneration to around the 40 second mark. Other related opportunities also give this an interest in boosting regeneration durations specifically, which I may be looking into. If one can give allies such long regeneration and refreshing Protection to share with Signet of Inspiration, that is pretty decent on its own.
As for gear, it is pretty obvious that Boon Duration is of high value. However, there are some alternatives that can offer some use and consideration. A full set of Lyssa Runes can give you boons on heal and elite use. A full set of Altruism runes can also offer worthwhile boons upon healing. A full set of Infiltration runes gives stealth upon reaching a health threshold of less than 10%. That seems a bit risky and not really worth it, since most of the other benefits are of no real use, so getting six runes just for the benefits the sixth one brings doesn’t seem cost effective.
STRATEGY AND USE:
What one is going to be doing with any variation of this build will be to manufacture and distribute boons. The stealth is an added defense, so one can do this and also maintain safety by going unnoticed by enemies in a WVW scenario or aggro management in PVE and other scenarios. There are support options of all kinds, which have been touched upon. If you go Mantras, then you have preparation healing and instant cast benefits, which has grown in appeal lately. You can use Glamors, which are a pretty strong staple for many mesmers interested in party support. Manipulations give you good escape and defensive capabilities, mostly for the mesmer alone, but Arcane Thievery has hidden potential. If you can rip boons off of a guardian, it offers the greatest benefit to have this skill, but the frequency of this situation put its appeal lower than others.
Some fringe benefits are gained if one shares a party or has an ally that can offer stealth and/or boons. Thieves, guardians and other mesmers give some of the best tandem benefit. Engineers are also a decent option.
Explore! The variations and uses and theory hold potential, I think. Lend any experience or suggestions and we can discover the possibilities together.
