Guild Wars 2

Hey, I’m a level 35ish Mesmer right now who just bought the game after the free trial weekend, and though I was initially attracted to the class due to a natural enjoyment of “disabler” classes in other games, that never really panned out. Maybe it’s because the class and its play style change drastically as you advance, but in any case, I just didn’t get into what I expected. Instead, I fell in love with clones and phantasms, and the deception aspect that employing them brings to the battlefield. As such, I’ve been working on a build that uses illusions as primary sources of damage, only rarely using the shatter mechanics, and treating solo PvE as a four-man affair. The resulting combat style looks something like an angry mob of identical norn men with a few transparent purple ones tossed in for good measure. I’m just now picking up on the combo mechanics and seem to be using them to great effect, but I’m not sure what to build. Right now I’m heavily leaning on Power, with Precision as a secondary, but having come from an MMO in which health stats are on every piece of equipment (you know the one), I feel like my equipment should have significantly more defensive stats. I can take maybe five or six hits from a monster of my level before being downed, which is far less than I’m used to. However, the ability to dodge and the naturally AI-confusing mechanics of playing a Mesmer seem to shore up that “weakness.” I’ve never been a fan of feeling like a glass cannon, but it seems I’m only one if I let myself be one.

That said, I’m still not entirely certain what to buy on equipment. Some searching led me to a build called “Legion” that seems to have similar interests to my own, but the reading is fairly light and seems to have a focus on building the character for a PvP scenario rather than the PvE I prefer. Indeed, there’s not much to be read on “standard” Mesmer play at all; most of the guides I’ve found have been either entirely PvP-focused or assume you already know the nuances of the Mesmer class! Additionally, there seems to be a lot of conflict of information, likely due to a recent patch (there was a nerf recently? Doesn’t feel like it), so I’m coming to the forums to try to figure out what to do next.

What stats should I be purchasing for a Mesmer that uses his illusions as his primary vehicle for damage? If it helps, I’m using a Greatsword primary with a secondary sword and pistol combo.

By the way, here’s a link to what I’m intending to look like from a skills and traits perspective. Any suggestions there?

Thanks guys!