Guild Wars 2

Everyone pretty much knew that mesmer at some point would get to wield a shield because of the Phantasmal Defender, however I haven’t heard anyone wanting axes on their mesmer even though we have Phantasmal Warden on our focus that can use them. On the other hand we also have a phantasm that can duel wield pistols so that could also be a possible option. I love the concept of a bard (musical) class that could use shortbow somehow because the legendary Dreamer looks like it was meant to be used on mesmer, but doesn’t seem like it would give mesmer anything that we don’t already have currently.

Not only does the dreamer scream mesmer but also when you think about a 1 handed weapon and mesmer shouldn’t The Moot be the weapon of choice.

I understand Mesmer only has one melee option too but if a GS can be ranged then a Shortbow can easily be made into melee/shotgun.

It’s a mesmer it really doesn’t matter what the weapon is made for because as much as I’d love to swing a massive GS around it’s still going to shoot lazars out if it’s 1 skill.

I have mixed feelings about getting an axe as a mesmer. On one hand it sounds really cool and I’m excited to think about what skills it will have. On the other hand, it means that we could be stuck with only 3 new weapon skills from axe unless ANet gives us dual wield axes for the next elite spec.

I absolutely love the idea of mainhand Axe.

And also if it is a melee condi/hybrid weapon – finally a good alternative to Sword. Kind of getting bored with Sword as our only melee weapon.

Finally it gives me a reason to finish crafting Astralaria which is the sexiest legendary weapon in the game aside from HOPE (I already have the generic HoT legendary gifts but waiting on Axe confirmation before finishing the precursor).

So altogether I say bring it on – both Mirage and Axe!

Doam.8305:

Not only does the dreamer scream mesmer but also when you think about a 1 handed weapon and mesmer shouldn’t The Moot be the weapon of choice.

I have the dreamer.
I use the skin on my thief since it’s an occasional #5 and matches the unicorn finisher.
Condi ranger… I only transmute the shortbow to dreamer for a single raid boss to annoy the hell out of my team. I can’t stand the constant Neigh! Neigh! Neight!! for 50% of my rotation.
Hypothetical mesmer shortbow with 3 clones shooting ponies: I will murder/instakick any mesmer that does that.

Curunen.8729:

I absolutely love the idea of mainhand Axe.

And also if it is a melee condi/hybrid weapon – finally a good alternative to Sword. Kind of getting bored with Sword as our only melee weapon.

I too love the idea. Elite spec ideas I’ve tossed at the forum have been about main hand axe having a cleaving interrupt. Best way imo to make it hybrid given halting strike and mistrust.

Well, dual axes could be cool if you focus on some kind of jester/dancer/juggler elite spec (an idea here, called bladedancer). It’s just about finding the right theme and reason.

However, I fear we’ll be getting some dull and lame forced role stamped over the mesmer just for the sake of it. The leaked information on elite specializations sounded very very awful.

I just want some pure dps mesmer elite spec. That’s all.

Also, daily reminder that main-hand pistol should be added to the core profession, not an elite spec.

I would be horrified to carry axes as a Mesmer… There’s no elegance or subtly in such a choice.

I have never and still do not want to be what Kasmeer called an “aromatic warrior.”

I’d much prefer daggers or some similar exotic weapon. How about battle fans? Even tonfun would be better than axes.

Yea but symbolically an Axe is a better weapon for tearing apart someone’s mind than a dagger or a fan is. I like how GW2 doesn’t only use traditional weapons for their archetypes, its nice. And I would be happy to use an axe on mesmer

i would only be happy with an axe if i can dual wield them.

This doesn’t mean much but a leak had Guardian and Mesmer being assigned the axe for the new elite spec.

phokus.8934:

This doesn’t mean much but a leak had Guardian and Mesmer being assigned the axe for the new elite spec.

I did find that weird given there are other weapons available to fewer classes than axe. Hope Guardian gets something else and we get the Axe.

I’d personally love mesmer to get dagger. However I’d be happy with axe too (coz it would give me a proper reason to craft Astralaria.)

I don’t care whether it would be a power or condi weapon as long as it’s a viable DPS spec.

While the theme of a bard type class really suits mesmer i feel like the last thing mesmer needs is even more boonshare/support. And I really don’t want a shortbow either.

OriOri.8724:

I have mixed feelings about getting an axe as a mesmer. On one hand it sounds really cool and I’m excited to think about what skills it will have. On the other hand, it means that we could be stuck with only 3 new weapon skills from axe unless ANet gives us dual wield axes for the next elite spec.

Hoping for cleaving condi weapon. Some AoE dmg would be neat too.

Alurazle.5430:

I love the concept of a bard (musical) class that could use shortbow somehow because the legendary Dreamer looks like it was meant to be used on mesmer, but doesn’t seem like it would give mesmer anything that we don’t already have currently.

I like this idea. But maybe shortbow on a mesmer might play more like a Harp. Instead of projectile arrow attacks if gives support boons or Aoe attacks.

Or ignore the support boons and aoe attacks comment and instead…

It could be a close range melee weapon that when played, musical notes attack the target(think spirit weapons meets Revenant ghost hammer) and turn into axes, maces, and daggers attacks. (of course some obvious graphics animations would be needed.)

Would it be too much if equipping a shortbow you lose shatter skills and gain, axe, mace or dagger ones, kind of like elemental auras in the F keys. Then more variation to musical style and attacks could be applied, depending on which song you have up at the moment.

OR…

Maybe make a whole new class like this. Yeah BARD sounds right

edit: i see ther’s another thread that goes into depth on this:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/New-ES-Idea-BARD-1

Or maybe we don’t have another support spec at all

Or maybe we have a sb melee weapon

or we get a 2h weapon that’s strong damage and support. 2h prevents use of offhand, so it should be strong weapon on its own. say somewhere between GS and staff, but differently.

but the real issue, how do you replace the chronomancer in a group? a pure damage weapon would have to deal insane damage to compensate.

yeah probably via boons to allies with high up-time. also crowd control, in particular daze / stun with music distraction and maybe knockdown in the form of shock waves and sonic booms.

I’m hoping it’s a cleaving condi weapon, or at the very least hybrid. I realize that there are lots of mesmer players who are probably sick of condi but seriously, I just want to play a viable PvE condi spec.

If it’s a power weapon, that’s still fine, I’m getting tired of sword either way.

I really hope it’s hybrid damage so there is the choice of what type of gear to use.

I mostly really just want dual wield axe for the elite spec if we are getting axe. I want more than 2-3 new weapon skills, and giving us dual wield axe would open the door a lot for build flexibility involving the new spec

As long as I get my pistol main hand at some point, I wouldn’t complain whatever other weapon they put on other e-spec. Pistol main hand please!!!!

Why axe? It’s such barbaric weapon, that doesn’t match Mesmer’s elegance. How about dagger?

Shenakitten5792:

or we get a 2h weapon that’s strong damage and support. 2h prevents use of offhand, so it should be strong weapon on its own. say somewhere between GS and staff, but differently.

but the real issue, how do you replace the chronomancer in a group? a pure damage weapon would have to deal insane damage to compensate.

yeah probably via boons to allies with high up-time. also crowd control, in particular daze / stun with music distraction and maybe knockdown in the form of shock waves and sonic booms.

Simple. You don’t.

You run it in addition to one, or you get other new elite specs to replace them and you replace what the thing that’s replacing chronomancer was doing.

Also, obligatory Axe doesn’t fit at all. A cloth wearing class should not be using an Axe without a shield or at least a dagger off hand, both of which base mesmer doesn’t have, and will thus be incompatible with it.

Plus it means that we’d still be expected to use the phantasm generating off hands, which have been one of the major issues with mesmer damage due to ramp up time/damage modifier/sigil incompatibity since release.

The sword isn’t incredibly flashy, but it’s a solid moves etc overall. I’d rather see a spec with high damage multipliers and something like an off hand dagger with low cooldown high damage skills that have built in shatter effects that compete effectively with just summoning phantasms and then going afk.

Eponet.4829:

[…]

Also, obligatory Axe doesn’t fit at all. A cloth wearing class should not be using an Axe without a shield or at least a dagger off hand, both of which base mesmer doesn’t have, and will thus be incompatible with it.

[…]

How did you come up with that stuff? Why should a cloth wearing class not be able to use an axe without a shield or dagger offhand?

Kodama.6453:

Eponet.4829:

[…]

Also, obligatory Axe doesn’t fit at all. A cloth wearing class should not be using an Axe without a shield or at least a dagger off hand, both of which base mesmer doesn’t have, and will thus be incompatible with it.

[…]

How did you come up with that stuff? Why should a cloth wearing class not be able to use an axe without a shield or dagger offhand?

Suspension of disbelief.

Obviously this doesn’t apply in the case of necromancers, since their axe is actually just a ranged weapon that they use to cast spells through, similar to mesmer greatsword/staff.

But when used physically, one handed axes are terrible weapons to use on their own. The weight is incredibly top heavy, meaning that they’re comparatively slow to recover with, even if you do use the momentum, and the lack of any sort of hand protection on a short shaft leaves the user incredibly exposed.

In order to compensate for this, unless you’re happy with the suicidal look, you either want heavy armour to do the protecting for you, a shield to block with, or a short off hand to parry with without getting in the way of the attacking weapon, which with our current assortment of weapons, means daggers.

I think a class that uses a greatsword to shoot laser beams and summon illusionary blades from the ground to damage enemies is more than capable of protecting its hands while wielding an axe.

I think an axe is very fitting, and you yourself admitted it works for necromancer, so why on earth do you state unequivocally that it wouldn’t work for mesmers?

Eponet.4829:

Kodama.6453:

Eponet.4829:

[…]

Also, obligatory Axe doesn’t fit at all. A cloth wearing class should not be using an Axe without a shield or at least a dagger off hand, both of which base mesmer doesn’t have, and will thus be incompatible with it.

[…]

How did you come up with that stuff? Why should a cloth wearing class not be able to use an axe without a shield or dagger offhand?

Suspension of disbelief.

Obviously this doesn’t apply in the case of necromancers, since their axe is actually just a ranged weapon that they use to cast spells through, similar to mesmer greatsword/staff.

But when used physically, one handed axes are terrible weapons to use on their own. The weight is incredibly top heavy, meaning that they’re comparatively slow to recover with, even if you do use the momentum, and the lack of any sort of hand protection on a short shaft leaves the user incredibly exposed.

In order to compensate for this, unless you’re happy with the suicidal look, you either want heavy armour to do the protecting for you, a shield to block with, or a short off hand to parry with without getting in the way of the attacking weapon, which with our current assortment of weapons, means daggers.

The sword is an off hand that can parry attacks. Just use a small sword skin. This is also a world full of magic where mesmers use distortion, invisibility and illusions to defend themselves.

DuckDuckBOOM.4097:

The sword is an off hand that can parry attacks. Just use a small sword skin. This is also a world full of magic where mesmers use distortion, invisibility and illusions to defend themselves.

This. In fact, the general trend in GW2 has been that sword offhands are defensive with at least one block, while dagger offhands tend to be offensive ranged/melee hybrids.

In the first moments of a new Mesmer’s career in Prophecies, ( Guild Wars, ) Sebedoh The Mesmer tells the novice to try to do things “with a bit more panache.”

For me that is a concise statement of how Mesmers can and should be played.

In my opinion, axes do not have panache or style… they are merely brutal. Let the warriors deal with that.

( I might also point out that Sebedoh grants the power of “Empathy” which is in fact retaliation. That ability was largely removed from the gw2 Mesmer. The reason given was that it didn’t fit the theme of our class. )

My viewpoint here is… Not all mesmers are the same. Some are all finesse and panache. Others are happy to just crack open the target’s mind and reduce it to jelly through brute magical force.

Even using it as a ranged weapon, greatsword mesmers aren’t exactly subtle, after all. The GW1 equivalent would be a mesmer that loads up on skills like Energy Burn, Energy Surge, Overload, Power Spike and Spiritual Pain – skills that might require a bit of thinking about when you use them, but the effect itself is less elegant misdirection and more “I WILL SPLIT YOUR THOUGHTS OPEN!”

Mind you, the issue with this is that axe has been leaked as a weapon for an elite spec called ‘Mirage’… which is a name that sounds like it should be relying on manipulating perceptions and illusions rather than breaking brains.

(Actually, all ‘punishment hexes’ such as Empathy are modeled by Confusion in GW2. Retaliation is the GW2 version of enchantments that cause an enemy to take damage when they attack the enchantment recipient – the only skills the GW1 mesmer had that even vaguely fell into this category were Ansestor’s Visage and Sympathetic Visage.

If the effect is applied to the enemy and triggers damage when they attack or use a skill, it’s Confusion. If the effect is applied to an ally and triggers damage when that ally is attacked, it’s Retaliation.

That said, I do think the argument made for removing Retaliation from the GW2 mesmer – that “mesmers shouldn’t want to get hit” – was seriously flawed in the GW2 context. Melee mesmer is now genuinely a thing, and melee mesmers having a damage reflection effect is very much in flavour.)

I quote the tool tip directly from my screen:

Empathy 10, 2,10 Hex Spell. ( 5 seconds.) Target foe’s attacks deal 1 less damage and that foe takes 10 damage with each attack. (Attrib: Domination Magic )

(That’s in a build with no points in domination)

As to “Mirage.,” the name hints strongly at Elona. Mirages are associated with heat and the desert.

While hand axes are in use in The Land of the Golden Sun, a spear/staff would interest me a lot more.

Ithilwen.1529:

[…]

While hand axes are in use in The Land of the Golden Sun, a spear/staff would interest me a lot more.

That’s just about taste, though. For me, a spear would be absolutely strange, if I imagine a mesmer I surely don’t think about him using a spear.

Meanwhile the axe is pretty fitting for me, having all that “thought shredding” in mind. You can’t please everyone, so if they chose the elite spec to have an axe, I am fine with that. Just like I will accept if they would give them a spear (which is kinda unlikely, don’t think they have the intention yet to use underwater weapons).

Fyi, the spear in GW1 is a land weapon, similar to a short bow.

But this is GW2, not GW1. Eventually people will have to admit that they are 2 different games.

I know that it was a land weapon there, played GW1 myself and there was no under water fight. xD

But in GW2, spears are under water weapons. And I don’t see them changing that soon.

OriOri.8724:

But this is GW2, not GW1. Eventually people will have to admit that they are 2 different games.

GW2 is a continuation of GW1. I don’t think that ANET has prioritized continuity. Still the games are inextricably linked.

My honest assessment is that the GW1 Mesmer is very well designed and more internally consistent than her GW2 sisters.

I’d love to play a reflect/retaliation/interrupt Mesmer here in GW2.

Perhaps a “Mirage” class will return us to Elona. That would tend to reconnect with GW1.

Ithilwen.1529:

OriOri.8724:

But this is GW2, not GW1. Eventually people will have to admit that they are 2 different games.

GW2 is a continuation of GW1. I don’t think that ANET has prioritized continuity. Still the games are inextricably linked.

My honest assessment is that the GW1 Mesmer is very well designed and more internally consistent than her GW2 sisters.

I’d love to play a reflect/retaliation/interrupt Mesmer here in GW2.

Perhaps a “Mirage” class will return us to Elona. That would tend to reconnect with GW1.

Have to disagree…. alot. Do you remember how illusions were realised in GW1?
They were basically just a DoT debuff…..
Illusions in GW2 are way better, because they are actually clones and phantasms attacking on their own.

Mesmer didn’t live up to their game fantasy at all in GW1. They were basically just a debuffer, you could have replaced all of their skills with another theme (for example: a necromancer), it would make no difference.

pakuras.7652:

Why axe? It’s such barbaric weapon, that doesn’t match Mesmer’s elegance. How about dagger?

Much like how the greatsword isn’t about cleaving, the axe can be turned delicate as well. After all, don’t rock’n’roll musicians call their guitars “axes” sometimes? Imagine playing an axe like a lute to do damage.

@Ithilwen – GW2 is in the same universe as GW1. It is a continuation of GW1 in that the lore and the universe is the same, and that’s it. Other than that they are fundamentally different games, as evidenced by everything. Combat system. Movement system. Open world system versus districts. Limited and set skills. No dual classes. Not all GW1 classes represented in GW2. Not all GW1 weapon types represented in GW2.

They are not the same game. Just because something was a certain way in GW1 does not mean it needs to be that way in GW2.

Ithilwen.1529:

I quote the tool tip directly from my screen:

Empathy 10, 2,10 Hex Spell. ( 5 seconds.) Target foe’s attacks deal 1 less damage and that foe takes 10 damage with each attack. (Attrib: Domination Magic )

(That’s in a build with no points in domination)

As to “Mirage.,” the name hints strongly at Elona. Mirages are associated with heat and the desert.

While hand axes are in use in The Land of the Golden Sun, a spear/staff would interest me a lot more.

The key point is that Empathy is a hex that affects the target enemy, and causes said target enemy to take damage when they attack. In GW2 mechanics, that’s a condition – specifically, Confusion.

Retribution is a boon that you place on yourself or your allies so that enemies attacking them take damage. In GW1 terms, the equivalent would be an enchantment such as Retribution or Sliver Armor. As previously discussed, the only skills the GW1 mesmer had that even approached that theme were the Visage enchantments (which were duplicates of one another, and didn’t directly deal damage anyway).

OriOri.8724:

@Ithilwen – GW2 is in the same universe as GW1. It is a continuation of GW1 in that the lore and the universe is the same, and that’s it. Other than that they are fundamentally different games, as evidenced by everything. Combat system. Movement system. Open world system versus districts. Limited and set skills. No dual classes. Not all GW1 classes represented in GW2. Not all GW1 weapon types represented in GW2.

They are not the same game. Just because something was a certain way in GW1 does not mean it needs to be that way in GW2.

First, I’d argue that in fact all GW1 classes are represented to some extent in GW2. HoT added the Ritualist and Dervish.

Having said that, I am not arguing that GW2 must be the same as GW1. What I’m saying is that I believe GW2 could improve by emulating GW1 in some areas.

With casting times reduced a bit, my GW1 Mesmers could kick butt in GW2 pvp. That’s not because of power level. It’s because of mechanics. I’d hex someone with [Backfire] and a fair percentage of the time they’d kill themselves, ( as an example.)

It’s situational awareness and strategic thinking, rather than just muscle memory. It’s skill rather than reflexes and connection speed.

In my opinion, the GW1 Mesmer class has stronger design. It also has it’s unique place.
In GW2 I feel more and more like just another sword swinger as a Mesmer.

Oh, I thought I replied here before now.
Anyway, I always prefer the idea of new main hand weapons to new offhand or two handed weapons because it allows us to play around with all the current offhands in new ways. I’ve never got on well with scepter skills on mesmer so I’d be hoping mainhand axe would pair well with mainhand sword to replace scepter in an offhand-heavy build. If getting offhand axes as well that’d be amazing, though I wouldn’t dare set my hopes that high haha!

I would much rather have a dagger than an axe. Axes just don’t have the right flavor for mesmers imho.

A phantasmal assassin would be a great skill for mainhand or offhand dagger.

EDIT: I doubt they will do it, but it would be cool if they created new weapons altogether. If they did, I would love to see mesmers use whips.