Guild Wars 2

As the title suggested, with the new trait revamp, IP and IE baselined. Seems like illusion is made for condi-shatter and the most appealing traits in illusion for power shatter mesmer is the minor traits. Namely illusionist’s celerity and 15% reduction in shatter CD (which can be recovered a bit by alacrity).

The loss in damage for confounding power can be made up by domination. Persistence of memories can be made up by alacrity on shatter, phantasmal haste usually isn’t so mandatory for power shatter.

For master of fragmentation:
- +10% Crit chance in Master of fragmentation can be surpassed by chrono synergies.
- Retaliation in cry of frustration is meh.
- AoE daze is truely a shame but power shatter has survive without it in the past.
- Reflection on distortion can be replaced by mirror on dodge in dueling.

Whereas looking at chrono…
- F5, enough said.
- Alacrity provide universal CD reduction after shatter, even though clone production skill and shatter recharge slower.
- Time marches on: THE movement speed that mesmers have dreamed for, opens up rune choices.
- Time catches on: super speed illusions on shatter, illusions will no longer be kited so easily.
- Danger time + lost time provide high burst potential on slowed opponent, especially when opponent is eating high attack speed skills like blurred frenzy (x8 attacks) or spatial surge (x3 attacks).
- Alternatively, chronophantasma provide sustain damage after shatter So mesmer no longer sacrifice as much sustain damage when opponent dodged the shatter, though illusions being cleaved is still a big counterplay.

With those in mind, is illusion traitline truely mandatory? Or is the new power shatter meta going towards domi/dueling/chrono? Discuss!!

I tend to think that illusion will likely be the trait line I’ll drop for a shatter build. However, alacrity won’t give you the 20% reduction on illusion summoning. Furthermore, I still hope that one of the master trait will be iInvigoration in the final version.

I would try to take the clone generation traits in chronomancy and drop dueling, but it is likely that shatter builds will renounce to the illusion trait line, oddly.

Interms of the typical power shatter, ie have to get the highest burst possible to down this guy, I think Illusions will still be the way to go. Chronomancer can provide some interesting alternatives to a power shatter build but illusion will just allow that initial burst to hit harder.

What about dropping dueling for chrono. Might have enough with new chrono traits.

denis.9487:

What about dropping dueling for chrono. Might have enough with new chrono traits.

Thats the real question. Won’t find out till we test it out

denis.9487:

What about dropping dueling for chrono. Might have enough with new chrono traits.

No.

f5 mechanic essentially makes clone generation even more important.

Domi / duelling / chrono

I don’t think it’s mandatory, but certainly a big one to drop. I’m undecided if I’ll try chronoshatter without dueling or illusion yet. Dueling seems the obvious one, but blind on shatter is such a big kitten you to thieves i think it’ll be huge survival tool.

Illusion
Minors
- Confusion on shatter.
- 80% illusion skills recharge.
- Might on shatter.
- 85% shatters recharge.

Majors
- Torch skills remove conditions.
- Torch skills recharge faster.
- 5+ stacks of Confusion apply Torment.
- Shatter skills are improved.

That’s a lot to give up on. I guess only time will tell ;P

Ithamir.5928:

Illusion
Minors
- Confusion on shatter.
- 80% illusion skills recharge.
- Might on shatter.
- 85% shatters recharge.

Majors
- Torch skills remove conditions.
- Torch skills recharge faster.
- 5+ stacks of Confusion apply Torment.
- Shatter skills are improved.

That’s a lot to give up on. I guess only time will tell ;P

Agreed, there are a lot of good things in illusions, so who knows whether dom/due/chrono or dom/due/ill will “win” when it comes to the competitive meta.
I still think DE is too much to give up for power shatter, despite the chrono traits.

If you want the highest burst available, then you take Illusions, Dueling and Domination. Chronomancer appears to offer an alternative route to sustained dps and efficient skill management. That’s where it shines, but here are some things you lose out on:

• Condition removal via torch trait. A lot of classic shatter varieties don’t often taken condi clear. I definitely don’t, and I know others who don’t as well. This means I get an extra utility slot for some flavor, i.e. extra dps via Feedback.
• Shattered Strength in combination with Compounding power guarantees that you have consistent bursting capabilities.
• Illusionist Celerity > Alacrity in terms of shattering (however, Alacrity also helps your actual shatter CDs).
• Fragmentation gives two valuable things that you can’t get anywhere else: the reflect on distortion (why take evasive mirror when you an take the clearly more powerful Blinding dissipation trait?! :O) and imbued diversion will be instantly more powerful for shatter builds. The useless retal on F2 might get a rework. 10% crit chance on MW is consistent unlike needing slow for a higher crit chance on your burst.

Now, with those last three bullet points, it could be argued that Chrono can give dmg buffs via the slow traits. Also, you can make up for illusionist celerity with alacrity and the illusions reversion traits. However, you can’t take both sets of these traits, meaning you’ll make the trade off on at least one of them.

I don’t mean to downplay Chrono’s effectiveness. I implore everyone to try it out. Chronomancer offers some potentially great stuff that is undeniably AWESOME for shatter builds like Time Catches Up, Flow of Time, Time Marches On and Seize the Moment.

Note: my opinion is based on theory. Everything is up in the air. We don’t know exactly what will be effective until HoT is released, but speculation is fun!

It’s pretty clear (on paper! ;-) ), that this will be a toss-up between dropping Dueling or dropping Illusions…or of course neither! Perfect!

I don’t believe that I’m alone in theorizing that Chrono may well have enough illusion production to make a viable shatter DPS build. People like to say DE is “on demand” Clone production, but the fact is you need Endurance to create them, and it takes a little time to get one. You are also potentially wasting the amazing defense of Dodges, and may end up positioning yourself suboptimally for a shatter. (Or have Clones destroyed while generating others with Dodges.)

With Chrono you may not always be able to pump out multiple Clones quite as fast as with DE, but you can actually get single Clones out much faster then with Dodges, and thus execute combos even faster then now.

Granted, this will be far more useful for a MtD Shatter then a Power Shatter, but even for Power Shatter with the incorporation of MI (and F5 to double up on it), I can really see not only a huge front-loaded double-MW spike being possible, but also Clone production in general being quite fine for what else you will get out of another line.

Not to say you’re not giving up some other great stuff in Dueling, which is what makes all of this so cool! Real options and lots of possibilities to create diverse/unique builds that may not all be equally effective, but likely much more so then ever before!

Granted, this will be far more useful for a MtD Shatter then a Power Shatter,

Calling it right now: MtD condition or hybrid shatter will potentially be our strongest spec. You heard it here first. The sheer amount of flexibility and condi coverage with shattering or clone AAs equals win-win in most cases. Add in some interrupts, and you have quite the nasty spec!!

Real options and lots of possibilities to create diverse/unique builds that may not all be equally effective, but likely much more so then ever before!

We have Lyssa herself (aka Robert) to thank for all the variety we will be getting for Mesmer builds!! As the dual goddess of beauty and chaos, we have surely endured 2+ years of pain, but wow does her benevolence shine brightly for those Mesmers who have been patient!!!