Guild Wars 2

Well we all know how vital mesmer roles are in wvw.. What I’d like to know is what is (for you) the ideal build a mesmer commander should run? Are glamour commanders (for veil and portal) better than say.. mantra support? Or shatter builds vs phantasm/projectile reflect builds?

Giant zerg or sma-, nevermind you’re Blackgate, just run Glamour.

I’m a Mesmer commander and just like any mesmer in wvw we need to be adaptable, ESP based around what group makeup is there.
Mesmers are one of the most customizable classes, so play to your groups strengths and weaknesses and whenever possible.

If your one of those commanders that needs to be up to command, then invest in toughness (just like any other class)
But remember commanding is more about directing your group rather than having an ultimate build.

I’ve bought my commander tag but I am yet to use it in wvw. I’m still in training lol. I’ve noticed that commanders usually dive in towards huge zergs and when i tried my berserker shatter build there… well you know what happened.

I run a glassy sword/focus + staff shatter mesmer as a commander. I find it works very well for several reasons:

- I’m one of the first into the middle of a fight with the hammer users to lead charges
- I am loaded with stun breakers and can reposition on the fly to rally people as needed
- When I hold the midline in a fight I’ll be one of the first to be at low HP so I know exactly how much pressure the rest of our group can take before dropping

If you understand mesmer extremely well and can juke quickly to stay alive, I highly recommend running a similar build.

I run a 10/20/0/10/30 build with mostly Carrion gear. (Would’ve preferred Rabid, but I don’t have a lot of condition removal, so vitality was more important than toughness.) Sw/Focus + Staff.

As a Commander, I tried to avoid being too squishy. And if I’m properly caffeinated, I can be here, there, and everywhere when charging into battle. Having the 10 points in Inspiration for Vigorous Revelation keeps Vigor up almost 100% of the time while I’m in battle. Those extra dodges are life saving (and produce lots of clones).

Commanding as a Mesmer is pretty much the same as any other class, we just need to be a little careful when going head to head against another zerg. I have few problems charging with the front line, (gives followers a bit of confidence to also charge) but I also know when to fall back and play support.

When defending a tower, I’ve gotten pretty good at jumping off the tower, popping off blurred frenzy and a few shatters and then blinking back through the entrance. Usually defenders on top can then take out a zergling or two that I’ve wounded. (Can’t stick around to finish the job after all!)