Guild Wars 2

I’m currently leveling a level 30ish mesmer up and I have really taken a liking to the class even after the staff nerfs. One thing I just can’t comprehend is the power of the scepter though. It just seems too slow and relatively lacking in damage for me to use. I’m not saying that it’s bad, I’m just saying that I’m a relative Mesmer amateur and I would appriciate if someone could help me see the positives ( and possible negatives) of the scepter.

Thanks!

This weapon certainly isn’t for leveling, but I use Greatsword and Scepter/pistol in PvP.
I think it’s great as a defensive weapon

Its made for confusion/Shatter builds. Scepter 2 and 3 are made more for 1v1, which is better for pvp, but scepter 1 clones + any other clones you can pack in can lead to rapid fire shatter builds, which is great raw damage and 10-15 stacks of confusion on a single target and a decent amount on other targets between confusion shatter + trait that makes illusions cause confusion on shatter + scepter 2.

If you don’t understand the point of scepter or how it fits into Mesmer then that is a sign that you are starting to get at least a decent understanding of the class (not being sarcastic at all here, scepter just doesn’t fit in its current state).

The scepter is a much more defensive style tool and it is also much better in pvp than it is in pve. Confusion in pve isn’t nearly as strong as it is in pvp.

I tried to like it for pve but I can’t. I really wanted to but I just couldn’t get the flavor of the scepter.

For PvE I would say that staff outshines by far. You can create plenty of clones for shatter and it is very defensive and it handles far more than 1 mob like the scepter seems to be focused for. I am just comparing two weapons on similar needs of defensive basis. Staff gives you a jump away as well as creating a very nice damage dealer in a phantasm that ups damage with conditions on the foe. You can also get 2 chaos armor from it as well. Chaos storm hits multiple foes and can put a variety of conditions on the mobs in the storm.

Greatsword is of course very good and can synergize with staff. It can also create a good amount of clones for shattering. I personally love the two together.