Guild Wars 2

I have always liked the spell “The prestige” from the first time I saw it and I want to use torch; I don’t care if it got an useless phantasm, I just would like to run a semi-decent build for pve/farming that is fun to play and is focused on torch.

However, in order to do so, I’d need your help in weighing stats and utility skills.

So far I’ve run a phantasm build (20/20/0/25/5), with GS and sword/focus and it was very nice for farming and doing dungeons; I also liked all the glamours and doing combos with them. For that reason, I gathered full berserker gear, Berserker greatsword, sword, torch, focus, staff. I don’t have any other gear but I’m willing to farm it, if necessary.

Considering how pitiful the phantasmal mage is, I decided to give up on my previous phantasm build an go for a shatter one(20/20/0/0/30).
http://intothemists.com/calc/?build=-N;4VPV11y6wU-71;9;4JJ;0T08-39;502A-Jk5;2k06Rk06RKCGvNJ35;2VLVQWVX_2f3l_6Z-870HV8aNX8aj

The cast sequence I had thought of in melee range was:
Illusionary leap(create clone) – phantasmal mage – leap(root) – dodge(create clone) – the prestige – blurred frenzy(it doesn’t break stealth) – mindwrack on reappearing.

I’ve tried it out and found it very fun to play, beside the massive damage when 4-5 mobs gather (the holographic mobs get 1shot by this combo). However, this build makes me too fragile; I’m too squishy.

I think that berserker stats are okay, since I deal damage mostly with sword, MW and the prestige(the instant damage), but I guess I’ll have to give up some stat in order to gain more resistance. I think the best spread would be precision, crit damage and vitality/toughness, but such set does not exist. The closest I could find was Rabid gear (precision, cond. dmg, toughness); I suppose a bit of cond. damage wouldn’t hurt the burning and the confusion, even though they aren’t the main source of damage.

Is this gear any good at all for my purpose? Should I try mixing up some gear(Perhaps, could you suggest me some values below which I should not get?) Should I change runes? Should I change utility skills(perhaps use some signet)? Would it be better to pick some other trait or totally revamp my build?

Thanks for your attention, hoping you can help me optimize this one; I really like playing with torch (In WvW I like going kamikaze in a zerg by using prestige => blurred frenzy while invisble => chaos storm; it creates so much panic, but I get 1shot after I’ve ended my dodges/blink)

I use Torch and even more now while waiting for Prismatic Understanding buff. My traits : 20, 10, 30, 0, 10. Utilities : Mirror, Decoy, Signet of Midnight, Signet of Inspiration, Mass Invis. Traited Mind Wrack, Torch, Sword, 3% more def and dmg per clones, Signet clean condition, Pristmatic Understanding.

Runes of Altruism for buff on heal. Mirror is fast cooldown, so is Mantra of Recovery, but I liked the reflection buff from Mirror. MoR is PERFECTLY timed to work with Prestige blast.

How do I play ? iMage -> iLeap ->Swap -> Prestige (Aegis, Regen or Protect) -> Mirror (Might + Fury) -> Blurrez Frenzy + Prestige Blast + Shatter. You don’t really have to worry about conditions IMO, you have 2 signet and 2 torch skills.

You can do the same thing, without the blast finisher which is Decoy + Signet of Midnight.

I have zerker set. Torch, like the Scepter, is an awkward mix of Condition and Power weapons. Prestige burning is on condition, but the blast is on power. iMage retaliation is based on Power but confusion is on condition.

If you want to go super tanky. Then try out a protection uptime build. This is great in dungeons for giving parties perma protection (protection outlasts the signet of inspiration cooldown) This is a very supporty role as you are spending a lot of time running into stealth procing boons and then sharing with your party. I like doing this because Mesmer already requires a good amount of micro managing with the illusions. This makes it even more in depth as you are constantly tracking your boon uptime specifically protection.

Link to build in the signature.

Thanks for the replies but since I’ll be using this build for solo farming as well, I’d like to have more firepower and make it mostly offensive. However, I need the correct mix of stats; in the link I’ve provided there are also my ingame stats.

Tell me what I should change, if I should get more vitality, toughness and how much crit damage I have to give up or if it’d be better to stack more/less power/cond.dmg etc

Thanks

Sorry for bumping but really, what stats should I pick up in order to keep damage but also some staying power? Out of power, precision and crit damage I will surely have to drop something for vitality/toughness, but the stats combinations available do not match my preference; which would be the best gear suited for a shatter gear that comes with some staying power? Precision, toughness, cond. dmg?

See the thing about torch in power builds is the torch the torch itself is a condition/defensive weapon (see PU and blinding befuddlement) the only upside to the torch on power builds is where it is located on our trait tree in the power line. However other thanthat the torch isnt a go to choice for hardcore high damage builds.

If played right, mesmer don’t need much vit or thoughness. Your blurred frenzy and distortion is enough to help you in critical moments.

Like I told you, Torch and Scepter are awkward weapons that can be good in both condition and power builds. It’s up to you if you want to be a condition (rabid) or power-crit mesmer (berserker). With berserker build, you can change to phantasm or shatter spec if you are bored with PU gamestyle.

There is 0 reason to use the torch in pve unless you are combining it with boon stacking from prismatic understanding. Without that trait, the prestige is more or less useless in pve, and the Mage is completely useless. Don’t use it.

Don’t underestimate the prestige’s role as a blast finisher! This can actually be very useful, and having fun with combos is one of the only reasons I use the torch in PVE myself.

As stated in the main post, I’m aware that torch is an awkward weapon and is barely used by other mesmers.

However, I don’t really care about playing the most supportive or damaging build: I like to use torch because I have fun doing so; I adore the sudden invisibility, the fact that I can use blurred frenzy without breaking it, and I like reappearing and shattering at the same time for a burst finisher. It’s just this way of playing it that entertains me a lot.

So, already knowing that we won’t arrive to the perfect mesmer build, I’m trying to optimize what I have under my hands in order to get a “better” build for solo pve. The points I would like to cover are:
- Damaging build
- Uses sword + torch
- Some survivability

Going for a shatter build was the most fitting option, since it synergizes enough well with my shatter on reappearing and I’m satisfied with the damage I deal, and so the first two points are covered.

In a way, even the third point is covered, since my rotation starts with summoning clones from far away and, when I get in melee range, I go invisible and burst down my target without getting seen/hit. There are some cases, however, where I can’t avoid some mobs AoE or where I can’t “vanish” spells (like in WoW :<< ) and I end up getting hit anyways; in those cases, the damage I receive is too high. If I’m dealing with more than one mob using AoEs, I end up really bad and got to kite with GS. This is a problem I don’t have with the phantasm build.

So I thougt that I should have given up some firepower in order to gain more defense but I’m not sure which set to pick up, as I’m not sure which would be the most fitting stat combination available in this case (If I could customize stats as I wished, I’d probably give up some power for vitality/toughness, leaving precision and crit damage unaltered, but it’s not possible).

Should I stay berserker gear and simply “deal with it”, or should I mix up some gear stats(and in that case, which gear should I use?)?

EDIT:
I’m mainly looking for “burst damage” (No conditions), but I have to say I’m very tempted to play a confusion mesmer; however, I saw that confusion isn’t really good on mobs and I don’t know if it’s worth gathering condition damage gear (and in that case, which gear should I pick up, once again?). I’d need more insight, if possible.

i see some options:
1) berserker gear with the build you linked: you may want to try illusionary invigoration instead of precise wrack. its a common shatter build with torch as off hand.
Since you care about survivability you would want to use staff.
2) berserker gear with krispera’s traits: PU really helps your survivability and is really funny to play with. you lose some burst but you gain many defensive tools that allow you to use berserker gear without problems. When i play something like this build i use decoy/portal/blink as utilities. master of manipulation is a good choice if you dont use signets.
3) rabid gear with krispera’s traits with some changes: move 10 in domination into dueling and take deceptive evasion as well as traits like crippling/debilitating dissipation. i think you can also try confusing combatants and leave 5 points in illusion but i never tried this change.
staff clones will be your main source of damage, bleeding and burning will hurt a lot and you are really, really tough due to toughness and all the defensive tools you have. same utilities as point 2, a nightmare to catch.

this is for wvw, in pve you can go full berserker and its only a matter of practice. torch is less effective but if you like it i dont see any reason to change it.

Metallus.7690:

I like to use torch because I have fun doing so. It’s just this way of playing it that entertains me a lot.

Won my heart, I’m trying to do the same thing with a build involving Sword/Focus and Sword/Torch at the moment. ^^

Got to sink 30 in chaos for PU – is already fantastic and well, with the patch…

I’d personally build x/x/30/x/5, and then you can choose either
- power/prec build (something like x/20/30/x/5) or
- condition build (something like x/x/30/x/5 – shove the points where you like)

Grab a mix of cavalier/soldier/knights/berserker for option A.
Option B can go with rabid or similar.

I am currently running 10/20/30/0/10 (Followed Krispera suggestion with the exception that I prefer clone on dodge and so I moved point from domination to duelling. 4s less CD on torch won’t kill me) and am doing very well. Using GS and sword/torch; as utilities I picked up blink, decoy and veil (The first two have been with me since the beginning).

I had totally overlooked the buff on stealth thingie, thought it was something trivial that would have lasted only some second and not worth it but, taking into account that I got 4 spells to go invisible and that they all last more than 3s, allowing double procs, it definitely makes up for it.

I gained that little of survivability I was looking for; thanks for your suggestions. I’ll see how this build does elsewhere, eventually trying out the options others came up with too.

Generally veil isn’t worth it for proccing prismatic understanding. It has such a long cooldown that you’ll usually be better off with a different utility—especially when you don’t trait the cooldown. It is great for the PU procs….it’s just that you’ll get far more mileage out of feedback or something else appropriate to the encounter.

just look at this thread

we are discussing a PU/Torch build…. Extremely fun and very adjustable.

Whirlpool.9410:

Don’t underestimate the prestige’s role as a blast finisher! This can actually be very useful, and having fun with combos is one of the only reasons I use the torch in PVE myself.

Is this actually fixed now?
After a brief moment where it worked (“Collects” the blast finisher when disappearing if you’re inside a field, fires it off when you re-appear) it was broken again last time I checked and you had to stand in the exact same field both when disappearing and reappearing for it to work.

Which is… well… yeah.

Carighan.6758:

Whirlpool.9410:

Don’t underestimate the prestige’s role as a blast finisher! This can actually be very useful, and having fun with combos is one of the only reasons I use the torch in PVE myself.

Is this actually fixed now?
After a brief moment where it worked (“Collects” the blast finisher when disappearing if you’re inside a field, fires it off when you re-appear) it was broken again last time I checked and you had to stand in the exact same field both when disappearing and reappearing for it to work.

Which is… well… yeah.

Nah, it’s still broke.

Still works like that, yes, but for PVE it’s not such a problem as long as you’re mindful of it.