How to optimize your dps in PvE
Thanks for the tips, but I have a ‘and what then?’ question. I’m just levelling a mesmer now. Having come from a thief background I thought swords were a good way to go (S/S S/P), but I’m having trouble keeping everything flowing.
If I’m maintaining/resummoning phantasms then I’m just stood there auto-attacking and dying.
If I’m dodging around to stay alive then I’m interrupting my own casting for all the good stuff like mantras and phantasms.
Alternatively I can drop back out of melee to get my illusions up again, but then I’m losing dps by not hitting anything.
Any tips?
Level 2 sounds really exploity to me. This is most likely a design oversight.
BTW, I always forget to check one thing… If I equip two MH swords, do I still get the same cooldown on skills for both after I swap sets?
Level 2 sounds really exploity to me. This is most likely a design oversight.
BTW, I always forget to check one thing… If I equip two MH swords, do I still get the same cooldown on skills for both after I swap sets?
Yes the cooldown is shared, you can swap but the timer is the same even if you have two different main hand swords.
(edited by Zoser.7245)
Yes the cooldown is shared, you can swap but the timer is the same even if you have two different main swords.
Would’ve heard of same weapon builds if it wasn’t, meh. Not sure if that was a good design decision though.
Yes the cooldown is shared, you can swap but the timer is the same even if you have two different main swords.
Would’ve heard of same weapon builds if it wasn’t, meh. Not sure if that was a good design decision though.
What works, a bit rare in the order but works, are the sigils of both MH swords independently but no the skills of the weapons. I guess to prevent the use of two consecutive Blurred Frenzy, for example. Is the same for all weapons in the game.
(edited by Zoser.7245)
Thanks for the tips, but I have a ‘and what then?’ question. I’m just levelling a mesmer now. Having come from a thief background I thought swords were a good way to go (S/S S/P), but I’m having trouble keeping everything flowing.
If I’m maintaining/resummoning phantasms then I’m just stood there auto-attacking and dying.
If I’m dodging around to stay alive then I’m interrupting my own casting for all the good stuff like mantras and phantasms.
Alternatively I can drop back out of melee to get my illusions up again, but then I’m losing dps by not hitting anything.
Any tips?
Time your Sword 2 evade to mitigate high damage hits. Also, use Sword 4 block to mitigate single hits but only if absolutely necessary as it will overwrite a high dps phantasm with a crappy clone if you had 3 of them up. Otherwise use it on cooldown because it’s one of the hardest hitting skills we have. Good example of using those two together @1:13 and on in this video:
If you can, always try to summon phantasms on one side of the mob and then move around to the other in order to minimize how much your glassy phantasms get hit. If phantasms still die too fast, try summoning a duelist or two at a near max range and then moving in to melee. Quite often duelists will be safe from any danger at distance steadily dps’ing enemy without interruptions.
Stopping your dps to summon/resummon phantasms and mantras unfortunately something you can’t avoid. The best you can do is plan ahead and time your summons and mantra charging to minimize interruptions. This one is achieved mostly from practice and experience. Once you are comfortable with the class and dungeon encounters planning ahead will be a second nature to you. It’s only difficult initially but gets easier the more you play.
There are, however, fights like in the video I posted above where it’s nearly impossible to keep 3 phantasms up so at that point you simply summon them when they’re off cooldown when you can/want and focus on buffing your personal dps and staying alive instead. That’s one of the main weaknesses when playing a phantasm mesmer, phantasms die too easily :/
(edited by frifox.5283)
Level 2 sounds really exploity to me. This is most likely a design oversight.
BTW, I always forget to check one thing… If I equip two MH swords, do I still get the same cooldown on skills for both after I swap sets?
Switching weapons is exploiting.
Now I’ve heard it all.
Level 2 sounds really exploity to me. This is most likely a design oversight.
BTW, I always forget to check one thing… If I equip two MH swords, do I still get the same cooldown on skills for both after I swap sets?
Switching weapons is exploiting.
Now I’ve heard it all.
No, switching weapons (OoC ability) when your targeted in-combat skill from that weapon has already been activated, is an exploit IMO. The only reason why it works for mesmers is that while the phantasm has not engaged, you’re not in combat, even though summoning a phantasm clearly requires a target. The swap weapon trick is, on the other hand, a trick.
There are reasons why illusion skills (like decoy) do not put us in combat straight away, and I clearly do not want this to be “fixed”.
It’s not an exploit at all.
It’s literally just clever micromanagement.
Just because you dislike the idea of it does not make it an exploit, just how my dislike of fiery greatsword does not make it an exploit to use the rush skill untargeted.
It’s not an exploit at all.
It’s literally just clever micromanagement.
Just because you dislike the idea of it does not make it an exploit, just how my dislike of fiery greatsword does not make it an exploit to use the rush skill untargeted.
I understand your point of view but do not agree with it. My point is that swapping weapons when a targeted combat skill has already been activated on a weapon which is no longer equipped was not intended, yours is that it is part of micromanagement and is intended.
Both yours and mine are opinions, and the only one who knows which it is are developers (provided they play mesmers at all and know this can be done). If they “fix” FGS rush as they fixed the teleport trick on it, it would be officially marked as not intended. Same with this trick, so only time will tell, and I’m merely expressing concern at this point.
Here’s the problem – you’re trying to claim something is unintended despite having no proof to support that.
To offer you an example – Alphard in Arah path 2 has a pull attack which, well, pulls you in and she sets off a bomb which detonates in a few seconds which one-shots squishies. One day, ANet made a patch and what happened instead is that the bomb AOE basically pulsed once a second before even detonating, and then you had the bomb detonation damage on top of that. Later on, there was another patch, and she was reverted to her previous functionality. Therefore, the pulsing bomb damage wasn’t intended as they removed it.
In the case of weapon switching, it has always been available out of combat no matter what you’re doing and there’s no precedence showing that this is unintended in any way – for example if as a warrior you cast your warhorn 4 you don’t get put in to combat or locked out of weapon switching while casting the skill and unable to switch weapons, you can cast warhorn 4 and then switch it out for a shield or mace or whatever.
The TL;DR is, you don’t like it therefore you brand it an exploit despite there being no evidence to support that.
If I’m maintaining/resummoning phantasms then I’m just stood there auto-attacking and dying.
If I’m dodging around to stay alive then I’m interrupting my own casting for all the good stuff like mantras and phantasms.
Alternatively I can drop back out of melee to get my illusions up again, but then I’m losing dps by not hitting anything.
Any tips?
Even if you equip the Signet of Illusions and Inspiration V, your phants below Level 80 won’t be much more than cannon fodder. Especially when you are alone, they will die within seconds. So treat them like cannon fodder and use a mix of phants and clones. Eg. when you summon the iSwordsman swap to staff, summon a clone and the warlock and place the Chaos Storm, because the leap attack of the Swordsman is a finisher that will give him Chaos Armor.
Standability of phants and clones will become a bit better when you hit level 60 and put one point into Phantasmal Healing. It then is a matter of positioning and moving of the phants, because two Swordsman will heal each other and you if you’re in their range too. For condition remove either take Inspiration IV or the Mantra or the Phantasmal Disenchanter. I prefer the PD over the Mantra because he also removes boons, does a bit of damage and heals like every other phant. Plus to reduce its cd only a minor trait is necessary in the Illusions tree you probably want to put points in anyway for Phantasmal Haste.
You realize every class can fire skills that deal delayed damage and weapon swap before it connects, right? It’s just not quite as strong because most strong skills typically connect instantly. It doesn’t stop classes like the Engie from doing silly stuff like swapping to FT, putting down Napalm, (10s fire field), using Shield #4, Thumper Turret toolbelt, and Elixir Gun #4, then swapping the shield to a rifle and utilities to other stuff. It basically gives them a free fire field and three free blast finishers if you’re fast enough then they can swap to sustained combat utilities that give them two more blast finishers just for the hell of it.
But swapping weapons is an exploit and clearly unintended by ANet.
We must fix this immediately.
Thanks for all the clues guys.
Even if you equip the Signet of Illusions and Inspiration V, your phants below Level 80 won’t be much more than cannon fodder. Especially when you are alone, they will die within seconds. So treat them like cannon fodder and use a mix of phants and clones. Eg. when you summon the iSwordsman swap to staff, summon a clone and the warlock and place the Chaos Storm, because the leap attack of the Swordsman is a finisher that will give him Chaos Armor.
And you spotted the other thing I’m worrying about at the moment…. half my button presses replace a phantasm with a clone. Good to know I don’t need to care about it until 80. ;O)
Nice tips!
The weapon/skill swap thing is pretty neat in effect but it sure is awkward to do it on a regular basis due to the interface awkwardness. Wouldn’t be super sad to see it go, but I’d instead love if there were more ways to ensure a phantasm, like signet of the ether.
While it’s awkward at first you eventually get used to it and it becomes easy. Same can be said about using torch 4 as a blast finisher. Nobody in their right mind will use torch in actual combat in PvE dungeons. So ooc weapon reslotting is the obvious answer. Double click torch, use #4, double click focus/pistol, expect a blast finisher in about 3 seconds. Personally I found it difficult at first but after constantly using it to blast ele fire fields In dungeons it became very natural and now do it all the time. In fact, same can be said about swapping traits and utilities between fights (and even trash running) ooc. To be a better mesmer you HAVE to get used to the idea that you will be swapping traits, utilities, and weapons constantly when ooc.