Guild Wars 2

I know that this is weird but I am a newbie necromancer using a condition build. I have a real big problem playing against my friend as a mesmer ( who uses a condition build as well ) . Everytime we play duals obviously we are both trying to apply condition on each other. Whenever I have more than 6 stacks of damaging condition ( such as bleed, confusion, torment ) I tend to give him back the conditions, but everytime I try this he would go stealth and Kite me with the GS, and nuke me with tons of conditions. Can you tell me what does it take to win him?

Not sure exactly what type of mesmer you played, but it sounds like probably a PU type (Prismatic Understanding, a grandmaster trait that extends stealth and applies boons). Here’s a post I made in a similar advice-request thread last week.

Note that if you are getting torment, it’s probably from hitting the mesmer with the scepter block up. If you see the arm raised, wait 2 seconds for it to come down — the torment is a killer. But overall, we should have fewer ways to deal with conditions than necros do.

Oh, if you see something called a “Phantasmal Disenchanter” being summoned — kill it immediately. If he’s using that and you aren’t nuking it, that’s probably a big part of the problem.

—

I don’t have much experience with guardian, but since I play a PU hybrid I can give you a few suggestions about the areas where I have trouble or perceive my own weaknesses to be, and places you should focus your attention.

1. Practice, practice, practice getting good at telling the real player from the clones. The real player will move erratically, toss his hands in the air to cast spells, and especially, dodge. Clones never dodge. If you get the mes down on health, also pay attention to health bars as clones usually have low health and so are usually either full or close to empty. If the player is using signets these also appear only when the player is targeted, though a lot of PU mesmers don’t use them.

2. Mesmers are weak to conditions in general and many PU mesmers only have condition removal on torch skills. Though I think applying conditions is not a guardian forte.

3. PU mesmers do a lot of their own damage via conditions. Stock up on condition removal, and you greatly remove their ability to do damage.

4. Unless they take utilities for the purpose, mesmers are weak on stunbreaks. Nearly all PU mesmers run Decoy, but that’s just one break every 40/32 seconds. Stunning them breaks up their routine. I have a lot of difficulty against necros using fear, engineers that blow me up, (good) stunlock warriors, etc.

5. Most PU mesmers have poor mobility. If you aren’t fighting for a capture point, moving around a great deal will mess them up, as they can’t chase very far, most don’t have swiftness, and many phantasms get messed up if the opponent is moving quickly.

6. Sometimes you may be better off fighting on a cap point just to decap rather than capture. If you pressure a PU mesmer he will have to use stealth, and it’s pretty easy to get the point decapped as that takes only 5 seconds. Keep up the pressure and you may take the point without even killing your opponent.

7. Many PU mesmers are substantially tougher in a 1v1 than a 2v1. Bringing a friend even for part of the fight can make a big difference.

Hope that helps a bit.

Thanks it’s really helpful
Another question if u dont mind :
what will you trying to avoid of , when you are playing a PU mesmer against a Necro?

I would avoid the initial condition burst; a conditionmancer usually opens with scepter #2 and dagger #5 to apply a large amount of conditions. I will also prevent the #5 Death Shroud skill (the green line thing; dodge after 3 seconds of its apperance, or make distance in stealth). Negating this entirely makes the fight easier. The remainder of the conditions can be dodged (permanent vigor), cleansed (mantra/torch) or prevented from being cast at all (stealth). Mesmers, unlike thieves, do damage while in stealth. The more an encounter is prolonged, the more the balance shifts towards the Mesmer.

actually fighting a pu is very frustrating and i play a pu power build, but it helps me that i main a mes, so i usually spot the real mes very quickly. u might wanna play one fore some time, so u will figure out how and where they move.

keloorie.6085:

Thanks it’s really helpful
Another question if u dont mind :
what will you trying to avoid of , when you are playing a PU mesmer against a Necro?

PvP? WvW? What sort of playing are you doing here?

keloorie.6085:

Thanks it’s really helpful
Another question if u dont mind :
what will you trying to avoid of , when you are playing a PU mesmer against a Necro?

A condition necro only has 1 important skill: signet of spite. Everything else is more or less a spammable low intensity condition application. This is countered with spammable condition removal.

What destroys a conditionmancer is the disenchanter. It removes conditions at a very high rate, and completely nullifies most of your condition application. If you see that out, it has to be killed.

Other than that is more general advice. Avoid exploding unnecessary clones, don’t proc the scepter block, don’t burst yourself with confusion, etc.

Qaelyn.7612:

keloorie.6085:

Thanks it’s really helpful
Another question if u dont mind :
what will you trying to avoid of , when you are playing a PU mesmer against a Necro?

PvP? WvW? What sort of playing are you doing here?

Mainly solo roaming , so thats quite hard to fight something I can’t even locate, while he can avoid almost every attack by keeping those clones.
Should I take out every clone first? because those clones which cause crrippling is annoying …really…

Hard to provide much more specific advice without knowing what he’s playing. You said condi build but then mentioned GS, and the GS isn’t really a condi weapon.

In open roaming the usual advice is just to avoid mesmers as they can’t chase well and their goal often is to waste lots of your time. Killing the clones is generally pointless (and may be how you’re getting lots of conditions since a common trait makes them give conditions when killed).

If you’re dueling (and it’s a hard match up versus a PU mesmer) my advice is. Take your time.

If you’re not attacking, he’s not doing a lot of damage. The only phantasm (clone) you should be worried about, is a pistol one. You can basically ignore the rest and his poke damage while you sit back and watch to make sure you know who is the real one.

The hardest time I have with a Necro is when they manage to land their ‘fear’ on me, quickly followed with condition spike and another fear for that super long, never ending fear…

I’m also always worried about being hit with ‘chill’. The super long cool downs hurt.