Guild Wars 2

Playing against a class really is a great way to learn about it. :p

I had been roaming on my thief in WvW, and came across a mesmer. Since my main was mesmer, I could easily pick out the real one among all the clones. Once I had her, ctrl + T, and she was a goner.

Really? That’s all it took me to combat the cornerstone of mesmer roaming tactics? Sure, once or twice I got tricked into attacking the clone instead of her, but…come on. Killing the clones didn’t even hurt! If I lost her, I got her targeted again soon after. And to my surprise, that target stayed.

If she moved, I hit T and there she was. She tries to blink back (staff user), I can see her among her clones. It was only when she used decoy did I lose the target. But…I just watched the clones and found her again. Ctrl + T and she’s running in circles. Again.

I was really looking forward to a challenge with fighting a roaming mesmer. I was sadly disappointed with how easy it was to pick her out of the clones – and keep her targeted. Aren’t I supposed to be confused, at least for a few seconds, as to whom I’m supposed to be fighting? I ran into two mesmers while roaming, and despite both of them being quite commendable, I caught them off guard, instead of the other way around.

You need to use ctrl+T? You’ve much to learn my young padwon.

If you think that getting lost in clones is the cornerstone of Mesmer tactics, you’re doing it wrong.

A good player will ALWAYS know the real Mesmer within 1-2 seconds. Assume that you are always fighting a good player, and act accordingly.

Pyroatheist.9031:

If you think that getting lost in clones is the cornerstone of Mesmer tactics, you’re doing it wrong.

A good player will ALWAYS know the real Mesmer within 1-2 seconds. Assume that you are always fighting a good player, and act accordingly.

Of course that said, thay’s a 1-2 second advantage each time in favor of the Mesmer. Yes, it does make a difference.

Ross Biddle.2367:

Pyroatheist.9031:

If you think that getting lost in clones is the cornerstone of Mesmer tactics, you’re doing it wrong.

A good player will ALWAYS know the real Mesmer within 1-2 seconds. Assume that you are always fighting a good player, and act accordingly.

Of course that said, thay’s a 1-2 second advantage each time in favor of the Mesmer. Yes, it does make a difference.

Sorta. Under perfect circumstances maybe, but if the Mesmer opens with a stealth or a summon or something, that advantage won’t be there. You’ll see the summon and know right away, or see the Mesmer unstealth. That 1-2 second pause is really the very most you’ll ever get.

The “confused” or “overwhelmed” advantage is like aegis or damaging conditions. In most cases it doesn’t matter when you apply it, but rather how often.

What Im trying to say is, that target drops via stealth aren’t the only tricks we have at our disposal ;). It’s difficult to explain, but feel free to whisper me for a duel if you’re EU :D

Here’s a small hint anyway:
Most skills can be delayed, or used in a certain combo to make them more effevtive, and most skills can be used in several ways.

Illusionary Leap

1. leap and swal to immobilize an opponent, usually if they’re not paying attention on you, or they used both dodges.
2. leap and keep swap as a stunbreaker.
3. leap while retreating, then swap and run past your target to create some distance. It’s just a last effort to stay alive if youre completely out of defenses.
4. leap while running any direction, then swap to immobilize after they either wasted a dodge or do nothing.
5. leap, then wait for them to waste a dodge (lol).

Back in the first few months of launch, leap (and shatter Mesmah) was OP because all Mesmers used leap-swap-mirror images-blurred frenzy + mind wrack, and people just couldnt dodge it :P. Some still cant, but thats besides the point. Decent players will dodge it, so its now considered UP, because it is only seen as ‘a single predictable move that will always fail because everyone knows what it looks like’.

Temporal curtain is very much like leap, you can immediatally activate it for a predictable (but still devestating if used properly) effect, or you can do all kinds of cool things if you place it down, and then wait.

Mesmer skills have more potential than it first seems like ;).

I use my clones as meatshields. Summon a few and stand inside them. Works beautiful with the on-clone-death traits

Ross Biddle.2367:

Pyroatheist.9031:

If you think that getting lost in clones is the cornerstone of Mesmer tactics, you’re doing it wrong.

A good player will ALWAYS know the real Mesmer within 1-2 seconds. Assume that you are always fighting a good player, and act accordingly.

Of course that said, thay’s a 1-2 second advantage each time in favor of the Mesmer. Yes, it does make a difference.

Those 1-2 seconds can help, at least in group fights. That is my experience anyway.

Experienced players, as already mentioned, will know as soon as you move sideways, dodge, start/stop moving, or do anything really except a) stand still, or b) run directly towards them. A glance at your buff bar works too.

Anyone with mesmer play time won’t fall for your clones. That said, there’s a lot of fun little tricks you can use to make it harder to tell, for example – stealth, blink behind them, stand still when you decloak. As long as they don’t spot you coming out of stealth (with the telltale smoky effect) you’re a bit harder to distinguish.

Clones by themselves aren’t very confusing, stealth target-drop alone doesn’t do much either, but if you combine the two in creative ways you can increase your ‘confuse duration’, so to speak.

Alissah.9281:

Temporal curtain is very much like leap, you can immediatally activate it for a predictable (but still devestating if used properly) effect,

Well; not really immediately anymore. Though I guess that’s why you called it “predictable”. ^^

Saturn.6591:

Alissah.9281:

Temporal curtain is very much like leap, you can immediatally activate it for a predictable (but still devestating if used properly) effect,

Well; not really immediately anymore. Though I guess that’s why you called it “predictable”. ^^

Yup.‘immediatally’ being after a 1 second delay is predictable :P. Without the delay, it wouldnt be telegraphed at all :o.

Beautifull times :’(

You can also distinguish mesmers with their health bar. All it takes is one Hit.

The Mesmer has full health but your sure you used heartseeker?
Then that’s a fake!
….
Unless they used their heal

Well, gl finding a game where ’’clones’’ can be used better to trick the enemy than deal damage with. Unless anet goes crazy and makes a trait that causes clones to do the exact same as the player himself, I don’t see mesmer becoming hard to think through.