Guild Wars 2

I’ve been running a phantasm build forever, looking to try something new. I was thinking Scepter, Staff & Torch (never really used those). I’m seeing a lot of condition builds with those weapons, but they all have PU and stealth. I’ve tried but never really liked stealth.

Anyone got a non stealth build to share?

condition damage scales very well with survivability and mesmers survive with stealth (in wvw).
pu is incredibly useful with a condition build even more so with staff. i’m using 10, 30, 30 build, staff/torch/scepter and the good old 1vs3+ (like before confusion nerf) fights are back

lujate.5432:

I’ve tried but never really liked stealth.

use the stealth luke…

Stealth = Lock break = win

Helios.3598:

lujate.5432:

I’ve tried but never really liked stealth.

use the stealth luke…

Stealth = Lock break = win

Is that a recent fix? Every time I’ve tried running stealth, i was still focus-fired while invisible.

stealthing while bouncing attacks are on the fly or chaos storms are storming is a bad idea.
also stealth != run in the same direction

lujate.5432:

Helios.3598:

lujate.5432:

I’ve tried but never really liked stealth.

use the stealth luke…

Stealth = Lock break = win

Is that a recent fix? Every time I’ve tried running stealth, i was still focus-fired while invisible.

Stealth doesn’t mean invulnerable. If you walk in the way of attacks while stealthed, you’re still going to get hit.

In my experience, stealthing and moving laterally (while still stealthed), the enemy still targets and hits me with ranged attacks (not AOE) as if I was not stealthed at all.

lujate.5432:

In my experience, stealthing and moving laterally (while still stealthed), the enemy still targets and hits me with ranged attacks (not AOE) as if I was not stealthed at all.

This will occur if they are using one long channeled attack, such as confusing images on the scepter. The channel will still hit the target and finish channeling fully if the target stealths during the channel.

Pyroatheist.9031:

lujate.5432:

In my experience, stealthing and moving laterally (while still stealthed), the enemy still targets and hits me with ranged attacks (not AOE) as if I was not stealthed at all.

This will occur if they are using one long channeled attack, such as confusing images on the scepter. The channel will still hit the target and finish channeling fully if the target stealths during the channel.

That sounds plausible.

To get back to the OP’s question on different condi builds, I run condition-shatter:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAW8alwzipXUzmGb9IiJFEHyh6x1ldfXJF82FC-jkxA4MBZaBMJKQ5wioxWNLiGrSmIqGA-w

The build editor isn’t quite finished (didn’t bother putting food in or whatever), and I also run the Perplexity runes (vice Undead as shown in the editor). With the runes and confusion on all shatters, confusion stacks to where it’s a relevant source of damage again. Plus, I find that the burst that I can get, while not quite as intense as a glass cannon shatter build, is still quite high – and you tend to leave behind meaningful conditions after your burst to continue the damage. On top of that, you have much more toughness than a zerker shatter mesmer, meaning you can survive longer if caught in a bad spot.

All in all, it’s quite a bit of fun for me, and since you were asking about non-stealth based condi builds, thought I’d toss this one up there.

This build may suite your needs:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-The-Blackwater-Mesmer-Condition-WvW/first

stealth is by far the most oped skill in all of GW2.

Mogar.9216:

stealth is by far the most oped skill in all of GW2.

Oh? How so?
One cannot attack when in stealth, and cannot be attacked -except when one is hit by AoE or inductions. It merely serves as a pause for the fight – a pause that is imperfect, too. Its sole advantage lies in reaction times. You attack, and the enemy must react. Against very new players this is a large advantage – against experienced ones, hardly a factor. Especially when the stealth class must give up a great deal of survivability in order to stealth.

Dhampyr,
Thanks, but I am also trying to get away from Sword (which is why I’m not looking at shatter builds). The 10 pts in Illusions looks interesting though.

Helios,
Unless i missed something, that looks like a typical PU stealth build.

lujate.5432:

Dhampyr,
Thanks, but I am also trying to get away from Sword (which is why I’m not looking at shatter builds). The 10 pts in Illusions looks interesting though.

Helios,
Unless i missed something, that looks like a typical PU stealth build.

Appreciate the feedback. If you don’t like sword, since the build I posted above is a condi build, scepter works with it just fine as well. Torment hits like a truck with this gear, and scepter #3 (when you can get the entire channel in) does pretty good dmg as well.

Still, if you don’t like a shatter build, the build I posted likely won’t work for you no matter what – with 30pts in illusions, it’s just a huge damage loss not to shatter.

Good luck!

Edit – also, I think it’d help if you specified what you’re looking for a bit better. For example, you say you don’t like stealth but would like to use torch. AFAIK, the only reason anyone uses torch is for the stealth.

lujate.5432:

Helios,
Unless i missed something, that looks like a typical PU stealth build.

I didn’t realize it was typical. I find that builds like it can be quite phenomenal.

Helios,
I didn’t mean that in a bad way. Typical==Popular

Dhampyr,
OMG! I can’t believe I never saw that before. Stealth is probably why I’ve never done much with Torch.

I’ve been playing Mesmer since BWE1, most of it with GS & Sword. I’m looking to leave behind those familiar weapons and try something different. I came up with Staff, Scepter and Torch as my least used weapons.

Most shatter builds use Sword, so I thought condition. Looking at condition builds, most of them use stealth, which I’ve never really been found of. Guess I could try it yet again, or maybe something with Pistol…

if you have a useful torch stealth, it’s a little hard to get away from the stealth builds haha

PU stealth really DOES work well. the boons and stuff, synergizing with chaos storm and staff and torch stuff… it’s just great with torch and staff combinations

Is there any reason you really want that torch other than never using it….

lujate.5432:

Helios,
I didn’t mean that in a bad way. Typical==Popular

Dhampyr,
OMG! I can’t believe I never saw that before. Stealth is probably why I’ve never done much with Torch.

I’ve been playing Mesmer since BWE1, most of it with GS & Sword. I’m looking to leave behind those familiar weapons and try something different. I came up with Staff, Scepter and Torch as my least used weapons.

Most shatter builds use Sword, so I thought condition. Looking at condition builds, most of them use stealth, which I’ve never really been found of. Guess I could try it yet again, or maybe something with Pistol…

You’re right, many condi builds use stealth, mainly because (for mesmers anyway), conditions kill slower. Therefore, you tend to need more focus on survival stuff, where stealth shines.

I mean, even on my non-stealth focused build, I still carry decoy and mass invis on my bar when I’m roaming in WvW.

Also, I should probably qualify all of my posts – pretty much all I do is WvW, so that tends to be my perspective.

Staff, pffft. Sword/torch, scepter/focus ftw.

You may not like the idea of stealth, but the fact is we’re reliant on it (among a few other things) in order to survive. Unless you’re intending to stick solidly in zergs, in which case you can mooch off everyone elses.

Most of my WvW has been duo roaming and I’m running Mantra of Resolve, Blink, Signet of Illusions and TW. When I die, it’s normally at the bottom of a dog pile, and I doubt stealth or anything else would have made a difference.

@Ross Biddle Nice vid, what’s your build?

I am currently running a shatter confusion build. Here is the link to it, note that i use Perplexity runes instead of Undead. For food i use Koi Cake and Tuning crystals. Each shatter burst i do, i get 12-18 stacks of confusion, that ticks for 2.5k each. 14-20 stacks if i get the interrupt off on the pistol before i shatter burst. http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAW8alwzip3UzoGb9ICqHaH49dkU0asWJF82FC-jkyAYLBZyCEJKw5wioxWNLiGruGT5Crdjq+FRFDAA-w

“Do, or do not. There is no try.”

:sigh: OK, pass me the torch…

Thanks for all the input guys.

Piola.3782:

@Ross Biddle Nice vid, what’s your build?

Guessing this one:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-Poisoned-Apples

And yeah, nice job!

skcamow.3527:

Piola.3782:

@Ross Biddle Nice vid, what’s your build?

Guessing this one:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-Poisoned-Apples

And yeah, nice job!

That’s a really hard hitting condi damage build, but not quite what I’m running now.

20, 20, 30, 0, 0 with manipulation traits and a focus on condi duration and conditions via clone death. Hybrid of crit damage and condition.