Guild Wars 2

I am a new player who joined after the patch requiring us to seek out traits in the world. I earned Deceptive evasion and that really Is quite a bit of fun, Im never without clones. My Plan is to head into WvW and play around till I find my niche but the idea of Illusionary Persona has given me pause.

Im still tweaking my build as I gain traits but I wanted to see what other mesmers thought about the two traits., and their usage. I’m considering a condition PU shatter build and at least 4 into illusions for IC. I produce clones at a good rate with a 40% CD on staff illusions and staff clones are just great.

DE:
On paper DE has a higher potential for clone production assuming I could maintain vigor or the right food (+40% endurance regen) I would generate a spare clone 1/10s base, 1/7s food, and 1/5s Max with vigor. Compared with IP I start a fight with one spare clone (although you cant generate on target you actually have to be damaging the kitten target).

However Its 4 points into dueling. While that gives me bleed, vigor and a safety net stealth, None of those are super critical to the build. While vigor gives me good endurance regen, the probability that I will maintain a 1/5s clone gen regularly is small.

Alternatively I could choose IP, Because IC is truly magnificent Its only 2 points more into the line. While my actual clone production decreases, I essentially always have one clone up so shatter skills are always ready. It also means I have a semi permanent Might on me, and I get to keep everybody crippled.

However The IP clone isn’t a true clone that’s stacking conditions and buffing me.

Im looking at the following for trait possibilities

DE/PU: 0/4/6/0/4
IP/PU 2/0/6/0/6

What are your thoughts

Ummm, I want to make comment but to be fair I’d really need to see a full build. Do one up and you’ll get way more input

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/

why not both? youve got a standard shatter build setup then

Agreed with Ross, will really depend on how you gear/rune/sigil and what slots you are taking. However, I had a bit of a grin at “condition PU shatter build”. That’s almost literally every mechanic a Mesmer has, wrapped into one build. Which means you are spreading yourself out WAY too much, and will just be a “Jack of all Trades”, or good at nothing.

If you are going PU, don’t go Shatter. I’ve yet to see/create an effective Shatter PU build that actually does damage. 6 traits to get PU always seems like such a waste to me though.

Eucalyptus.9784:

Agreed with Ross, will really depend on how you gear/rune/sigil and what slots you are taking. However, I had a bit of a grin at “condition PU shatter build”. That’s almost literally every mechanic a Mesmer has, wrapped into one build. Which means you are spreading yourself out WAY too much, and will just be a “Jack of all Trades”, or good at nothing.

If you are going PU, don’t go Shatter. I’ve yet to see/create an effective Shatter PU build that actually does damage. 6 traits to get PU always seems like such a waste to me though.

i agree, if going PU youre gonna want to use a combat method that compliments stealth such as conditions or phantasms

So here are the builds but literally everything is up in the air I havent started down any exotic collection paths yet.

IP/PU
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAW7flknpTtNqxYNcrNSphY6cHvh6zprTqAA-TpRAwAAeAACOIAGOCAkLDE4CAkb/BA

DE/PU
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAW7flknpTtNqxYNcrNysxY6OWZDUuURlMgkB-TpRAwAAeAAGOCAkLDk4gAE4CAkb/BA

I was hoping more people would comment on the advantages/disadvantages of IP vs. DE for a shatter build as they serve similar but slightly different purposes

PU Shatter: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAR8flknpRtlpxUNcrNSrxY6XS5ESGQBlciqB-TZRBwAE3fQzTAgcZAAHEgHXAAA

DE over IP, because then you can put more points into domination and take SC or torch trait.

I like 4/4/0/0/6 Shatter for Boon removal in Tpvp but I’m not sure how feasible it would be in WvW.

Xavi.6591:

I like 4/4/0/0/6 Shatter for Boon removal in Tpvp but I’m not sure how feasible it would be in WvW.

I use it full zerk and I only had trouble with one off-guard but he did have Guard stacks giving him 2500 hp and 100 power or whatever and food whereas I don’t have any of that.

So if your going to solo/duo hunt in WvW, sure one of these might be fine you can go around and snipe all the wandering noobs hunting for map completion, maybe get you butt handed to you by a more experienced player, but don’t call it WvW. It’s more open world/build PvP.

WvW is working in a team taking down targets(towers, keeps, castle, zergs) or defending them. If you truly want to WvW you need to worry less on survival skills, more on survival gear and more on teamwork skills. According to bad commanders we have one build, GS/Staff, veil, null field, feedback(and occasionally portal). Sadly it’s pretty hard to escape until you prove yourself. The good build closest to yours is a Porter build. Get with a zerg buster team/guild with Staff portal, null field and stealth skills, when you spot a zerg, group in a corner toss down portal entrance, then solo run into the middle of their zerg with stealth and toss down the other end followed by Null Field and Chaos Storm (and signet of inspirations if you are really nice). My teams have shattered zergs 2 times our size.

Though if you want to REALLY shatter zergs you need to get in a bunker defense squad(high boons especially stability, tanky gear; guardians, warriors and necros help a lot, an ele/eng for water field) and run a reflect build to hold a point(Mimic, feedback, Medic’s Feedback trait, signet of inspirations/ether with Blurred Inscriptions and Masterful Reflection and focus with Warden’s Feedback and staff for boons). Then your team gets a zergs attention or catches them trying to take a place, stack up at a choke point and absolutely destroy them. We’ve taken out 50+ zergs with 15 people as they tried to break us. Our favorite is the doorway to the south western camp. While they can climb the hill on the side and jump you can react fast enough to kill them as they straggle over it especially if you use temporal curtain to throw them off the cliffs.

There is also the mantra heal build for running with zergs, basically you run with Restorative Mantras and Mantra of Pain and just cycle it for mass heals and whatever other utilities your commander needs + Medic’s Feedback so you can touch downed people for free feedbacks.