Guild Wars 2

I love my Silvary Mesmer, but there is one thing that frustrates me while playing it – it’s a lack of simple running speed boon.
The only speed boon I have found, is random and unpredictable, so sometimes, when I need to jump over a bigger distance while making a jumping puzzle, I have to just stand and wait until the speed boon pops up and then to jump in a great rush before it has faded.
The other time I have been doing puzzles with a Norn Guardian – it was awesome that the guardian could bust our running speed with a long lasting boon when ever we needed it.
I also have a Human Ranger, and it has a great speeding up skill too.

Maybe I am missing something? Is there a way for a Mesmer to get a speed boon when ever it is needed?

Focus 4 (Temporal Curtain) is your reliable speed boost. It lasts 10seconds with 20s cooldown I believe (not ingame atm), so you can have it up 50% of the time.

Also some people slot runes of the centaur to have much more uptime.

ya I use focus and air runes for high mobility.

Focus, or centaur runes, or air runes, or I often just trait blink to 1200. It doesn’t help you with jumping puzzles but it’s helpful for traveling across maps.

I use Signet of Inspiration and the focus with a Sigil of Speed on it. Both Signet of Inspiration and Sigil of Speed stacks, and Sigil of Speed doesn’t have any recharge, so I can ramp up quite a lot of swiftness during a fight.

I don’t recommend using runes to get swiftness, as you miss out on quite a lot of damage (Rune of the Undead) or utility (Rune of Lyssa).

Kasama.8941:

I use Signet of Inspiration and the focus with a Sigil of Speed on it. Both Signet of Inspiration and Sigil of Speed stacks, and Sigil of Speed doesn’t have any recharge, so I can ramp up quite a lot of swiftness during a fight.

I don’t recommend using runes to get swiftness, as you miss out on quite a lot of damage (Rune of the Undead) or utility (Rune of Lyssa).

Agreed. Focus lands you with 12 seconds of swiftness, a reliable aoe pull and some crazy aoe attack combos from iwarden. Between focus, signet of inspiration and blink you should be happy enough.

no jumps in JPs require swiftness. It makes the jumps easier only.

Thanks a lot for the replies! I appreciate it!

Fanolian.8415:

no jumps in JPs require swiftness. It makes the jumps easier only.

No they dont! im so used to not have swiftness that i get past the plataforms with swiftness lol

Here is a good tip, but it works only out of combat:
You need atleast 10 points in Dueling and Blink on your bar. Take any other trait than longer manipulation cast range. Now blink up to 900. Now swap your Dueling trait to longer manipulation cast range, and instantly Blink up to 1200. Now swap to any other trait, and Blink with 900 range will come back.

Obviously an exploit. Not worth getting banned.

Mesmers really do need a better speed option. Most classes have perfectly good 25% perma-buffs, with plenty more ways to apply Swiftness on top.

Ohoni.6057:

Mesmers really do need a better speed option. Most classes have perfectly good 25% perma-buffs, with plenty more ways to apply Swiftness on top.

I think it’s a much needed achilles’ heel for the Mesmer. If we also had permanent swiftness, or just 25% movement speed, we would pretty much have everything.

I just swapped to a boon build and it’s great, I have 21s swiftness on focus and when signet of inspiration procs, that’s 17.5 secs more. No blink in my build, though.

I think it’s a much needed achilles’ heel for the Mesmer. If we also had permanent swiftness, or just 25% movement speed, we would pretty much have everything.

I think most classes already do, and should have “everything.” At least in some sense. I mean, my Mesmer is certainly not my main, but I wouldn’t consider it “too much” for Mesmers to be given better movement speed. I’m more concerned when a given class hits way too hard or takes way more damage, not if they’re able to jog along at the same speed as everyone else.

People act like everyone is given speed for free. I would never take a speed signet, like the thief, over my current set up with centaur runes. My utilities are to awesome. For me to lock one down non stop for speed. Same with necro, and ele. Plus i’m faster with my 33% then they are with the 25%. On my Gaurdian i have permanent swiftness. Because i use boon duration runes, and boon duration spec. It definitly isnt handed to me. Each class plays a cost for speed. I think my easiest is my engineer. With only requiring 10pts in speedy kits.

People act like everyone is given speed for free. I would never take a speed signet, like the thief, over my current set up with centaur runes.

It’s not like you can’t shuffle things around. My main is a Thief actually, and I would never tie up my gear with Centaur Runes when I can just swap in Shadow Signet instead. I only put it in when traveling, or when doing content that requires speed, but it takes only a second to swap it out for something better when in difficult combat. Same with my Necro, I throw in Locust instead of Blood is Power when running around, but swap it back whenever there’s a serious fight. Ele’s there is no tradeoff, my Ele can keep perma-Swift up AND have Ride the Lightning available, they are sick-fast.

But that’s the problem, every class does pay a cost for speed, and that’s fine, but Mesmers aren’t really given the option to try.

Ohoni.6057:

I think it’s a much needed achilles’ heel for the Mesmer. If we also had permanent swiftness, or just 25% movement speed, we would pretty much have everything.

I think most classes already do, and should have “everything.” At least in some sense. I mean, my Mesmer is certainly not my main, but I wouldn’t consider it “too much” for Mesmers to be given better movement speed. I’m more concerned when a given class hits way too hard or takes way more damage, not if they’re able to jog along at the same speed as everyone else.

Mesmers can have crazy burst damage with a shatter build, or just play a condition build, or a bunker build, or a boon support build. They have some of the best support skills in the game, they can solo camps with illusions, they have the most interrupts of all professions, they are the best confusion casters, they have some of the best elite skills in the game, they have the most stealth skills second to Thieves, they have a ton of condition removal, they have a lot of ways to avoid damage, and they can escape fights pretty easily.

What they don’t have, is a lot of swiftness or 25% movement speed.

Mesmers can have crazy burst damage with a shatter build, or just play a condition build, or a bunker build, or a boon support build. They have some of the best support skills in the game, they can solo camps with illusions, they have the most interrupts of all professions, they are the best confusion casters, they have some of the best elite skills in the game, they have the most stealth skills second to Thieves, they have a ton of condition removal, they have a lot of ways to avoid damage, and they can escape fights pretty easily.

What they don’t have, is a lot of swiftness or 25% movement speed.

That’s not balance. If Mesmers are “too good” with 25% movement speed then they are too good period, and require a nerf. Movement speed is not a balancing factor, it’s a convenience issue.

Ohoni.6057:

People act like everyone is given speed for free. I would never take a speed signet, like the thief, over my current set up with centaur runes.

It’s not like you can’t shuffle things around. My main is a Thief actually, and I would never tie up my gear with Centaur Runes when I can just swap in Shadow Signet instead. I only put it in when traveling, or when doing content that requires speed, but it takes only a second to swap it out for something better when in difficult combat. Same with my Necro, I throw in Locust instead of Blood is Power when running around, but swap it back whenever there’s a serious fight. Ele’s there is no tradeoff, my Ele can keep perma-Swift up AND have Ride the Lightning available, they are sick-fast.

But that’s the problem, every class does pay a cost for speed, and that’s fine, but Mesmers aren’t really given the option to try.

Sure they are. They have a weapon that grants them swiftness. I dont know the math. But having 50% swiftness 33% uptime. Vrs 100% SoS uptime 25% might be closer then people think. Really how much diferent is this then the Gaurdian staff?

Also you “can” switch off SoS, when you know exactly, that the combat is coming. Ill be generous and say you know 75% of the time, when your about to enter combat. Thats still 25% of the time your down a utility. Most of the thieves ive fought do not swap it out. They just leave it on, all the time. And it’s in a lot of the thieves builds on there section of these forums.

You could very well be better then most thieves. But that makes you the exception to the rule imo.

Sure they are. They have a weapon that grants them swiftness. I dont know the math. But having 50% swiftness 33% uptime. Vrs 100% SoS uptime 25% might be closer then people think. Really how much diferent is this then the Gaurdian staff?

Mesmer Focus is pathetic compared to most other classes. It’s 12s out of 25, but does not stack with other effects, so if you turn it on at the wrong time you don’t even get that. You compare that to Guardian Staff, which is 8 out of 12, roughly the same, that’s true, however Guardians have a ton of other options available.

When I’m moving around my Guardian travels with Retreat, which is 20s out of 60, and Save Yourselves, which is 10s out of 60 (both less if traited for Shouts). Those are less efficient than the Focus, yes, but their effects stack, so together you get the same 50% uptime (30s out of 60). Then you combine that with the staff if you choose, and you’ve got relatively perma-swiftness if you’re keeping them up.

Instead I would run with Greatsword, which doesn’t offer Swiftness, but does offer Leap of Faith which is a solid lunge. Now Mesmers could use Blink, but that’s tying up a utility slot for a move much less useful than the ones listed above, and it’s only up half as often.

That’s the other issue with Mesmer movement, the only forward lunge Mesmers have is based on targeting an active enemy within 600 range, and the you can teleport a second or so later, so if you do it on the run you gain almost no distance with it. Worthless for boosting your travel speed. LoF on the Guardian can pick you up some good distance every 15s (or even less if you trait). Guardians are far from the swiftest class in the game, but they are well better than Mesmers.

Also you “can” switch off SoS, when you know exactly, that the combat is coming. Ill be generous and say you know 75% of the time, when your about to enter combat. Thats still 25% of the time your down a utility. Most of the thieves ive fought do not swap it out. They just leave it on, all the time. And it’s in a lot of the thieves builds on there section of these forums.

You seem to be talking PvP. I don’t play PvP a lot, but when I do on my Thief I play it with Shadow Signet, and consider it a utility well enough spent. Maybe not the absolute most efficient use of the slot, but useful enough that it isn’t holding me back any. Thief utilities are largely situational anyways, so some of them I won’t even use in 9/10 standard fights, but like having them around when I need them.

I mostly PvE though, and in PvE you can plan out your encounters and know when to slot in a given ability or not. When I do accidentally find myself in combat with Shadow Signet up, I really don’t feel burdened by that, as I still kill things way faster than my Mesmer could, and with far less risk.

I have to give you props. I dont think ive met many pve thieves.

Like you said Gaurdian staff and Focus were roughly the same. Then you immediatly started talking about using utilities for speed again. And two of them. Now Save your self is an awesome ability. But i would never trait retreat into a utility spot.

I think you and I are talking about very diferent things. Your talking about something to get around the world with. Which is something you can turn off and on. Like you said in PVE non dungeons you can turn off SoS. You can turn off Retreat. And so for just getting around the world, in pve exploration. Then yes you are correct.

But in WvW or Dungeons. Locking down your utilities is not always the best thing. I have an 80 Gaurdian, boon specced. And i get perma swiftness just from my staff. But if i went boon spec with my mesmer. I could get perma swiftness just from the focus im sure.

On the Mesmer i use Centaur Runes for speed.
On the Gaurdian i use two monk, two water, and two of something else for boon duration.

Like i stated before everyone is paying a price for permanent swiftness. It dosent come easy. And even the slower +25% buff takes a huge tole. I can never imagine a time where i would want one less utility spot for my mesmer.

Engie’s can get it for just 10 points in Tools and which ever kit they are using anyway.

Like you said Gaurdian staff and Focus were roughly the same. Then you immediatly started talking about using utilities for speed again. And two of them. Now Save your self is an awesome ability. But i would never trait retreat into a utility spot.

Well, I’ll tell you, my Guardian was the second one I got to 80, and I agree that Retreat is not super great, and I would not slot it during a dungeon or during a mixed combat scenario. It is less slottable than Shadow Signet. It isn’t useless though. Speccing for Shouts seems, in my experience, to be a perfectly viable route, so my default utility load would be Save Yourself and Hold the Line as more or less permanent, and then in that third slot I would typically have either Stand Your Ground, Wall of Reflection, or Sword of Justice, depending on my mood and the content I was facing. So in typical situations, I would only have the 10 second out of 60 speed buff up, and Greatsword’s lunge, which combined would probably have me lagging behind a Focus-using Mesmer in a long distance footrace (one lasting more than, say, forty seconds), granted.

But if I was doing open world PvE map completion kind of things, where travel speed was more important than combat efficiency, then I would swap Retreat into that last slot, and with various Aegis-buffing traits it really wasn’t at all bad in combat, while giving me that additional 20 second buff. It gave me options, options with a cost, but still options. I think Mesmers could probably use options too, many Mesmer players would likely avoid that option in many builds, fair enough, but I’d still like the choice to avoid it or not.

And keep in mind, even in dungeons you aren’t locked in to your utility choices. If you keep the same set of utilities in every dungeon situation then you’re probably leaving some efficiencies on the table. There are sometimes portions where you’re ignoring enemies and focusing on covering ground, and during these phases there’s likely something you can swap out for a speed buff, and then swap it back before the next big fight portion.

I have an 80 Gaurdian, boon specced. And i get perma swiftness just from my staff. But if i went boon spec with my mesmer. I could get perma swiftness just from the focus im sure.

This may be true, although as I understand it boon-spec for a Mesmer is a bit sub-par, while it’s one of the better specs for a Guardian. They knowingly set up these sorts of situations, so they should know better than to design it so that you’d have to play a sub-standard spec in one class to match an optimal build in another, right? It’s like how with an ele you can a mange something like a 150%-200% Swiftness up-time if you fully max out your options, but they clearly don’t expect you to do so. And they get Ride the Lightning.

I don’t get how Centaur runes are a great idea on a Mesmer. Are you really building enough long duration Bleeds that Bleed Duration is super great to have? I can’t even justify those on my Thief. I would think you could get more efficiency out of crit-boosting or overall condition damage boosting runes, right? I mean, if it comes to compromising your optimal build in some way, I would compromise first my utilities, since you can swap them at will, then my traits since they can be reset for a pittance, then my runes/sigils, then very last the base stats of my gear. I think swapping utilities out for increased speed is far better than swapping out optimal rune choices.

Kasama.8941:

I use Signet of Inspiration and the focus with a Sigil of Speed on it. Both Signet of Inspiration and Sigil of Speed stacks, and Sigil of Speed doesn’t have any recharge, so I can ramp up quite a lot of swiftness during a fight.

I don’t recommend using runes to get swiftness, as you miss out on quite a lot of damage (Rune of the Undead) or utility (Rune of Lyssa).

Does Sigil of Speed proc on Critters?

For the love of god, creatures big and small… PLEASE Anet, give us a utility speed buff. 25% passive signet, eh eh?

kurtosis.9526:

Kasama.8941:

I use Signet of Inspiration and the focus with a Sigil of Speed on it. Both Signet of Inspiration and Sigil of Speed stacks, and Sigil of Speed doesn’t have any recharge, so I can ramp up quite a lot of swiftness during a fight.

I don’t recommend using runes to get swiftness, as you miss out on quite a lot of damage (Rune of the Undead) or utility (Rune of Lyssa).

Does Sigil of Speed proc on Critters?

No it doesn’t. I mostly use it to get away from a losing fight, after defeating a couple of players. Or if I see a downed player in a zerg, I can stealth and go in to stomp him, and then have the swiftness so I quickly can get back out again.

Imperatora.7654:

Engie’s can get it for just 10 points in Tools and which ever kit they are using anyway.

I said that in my first post in this thread.

Boon spec for a mesmer isn’t sub par at all. There are 2 boon type specs on the first page right now, for Mesmers. While i think the AH build, which is very popular with Gaurdians, dosent focus on the boon duration line at all. IIRC it’s mostly Honor and Valor.

Like i said before it’s all mindset. I WvW 80% of the time i play. And in WvW imo you need perma swiftness now days. But like i said before you and i play diferently. I dont love the stats on the centaur runes. Nor do i love the blind on SoS. But im betting i use my + power from my centaur runes, more then most theives use the blind on SoS.

I think i saw in another thread your still around lvl 40-50 on your mesmer. So you don’t have access to runes yet, so it might be frustrating for you. Plus Mesmers would be tought to level even if they had perma speed, and they don’t. (I could be wrong about the level, i thought i read you saying that in another thread.)

As it seems now, were just of two diferent oppinions because we play two diferent sides of the game. If i never went out into WvW i might see things diferently.

Nor do i love the blind on SoS. But im betting i use my + power from my centaur runes, more then most theives use the blind on SoS.

Perhaps so, but like I said, I can swap out the Signet whenever I don’t need it, while the runes cost time and money to swap out. I forget which runes I put into most of my characters because I haven’t had to change them in a while, but I picked them for having every slot provide a useful bonus. I think on my Thief I went for Adventurers, which provides more Power than Centaurs, plus Condition damage.

I think i saw in another thread your still around lvl 40-50 on your mesmer. So you don’t have access to runes yet, so it might be frustrating for you. Plus Mesmers would be tought to level even if they had perma speed, and they don’t. (I could be wrong about the level, i thought i read you saying that in another thread.)

And yeah, I don’t have solid Runes on my Mesmer yet (not that I would go for Centaurs either way), but that also highlights the problem, that even the “ideal” solution for Mesmer speed requires getting six runes that you can’t even start to acquire until level 60, while most classes get all their speed options available by 20. That means that 3/4 of the time you’re leveling, the time when you’re spending the most time running from point A to point B, you’ve got nothing.