Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 has truly impressed me. To a level I thought not possible. The combat is engaging, the graphics are pleasant, and the world is vast. So, overall Anet, you’ve done a good job.

After seeing the mesmer, I wanted to give it a shot. A very interesting leveling experience. Challenging at first, but slowly it became rewarding and fun as I found my synergy with the class and it’s weapons.

However I do have one thing that really sucks the fun out. Despite my tests and attempts of adapting, I can’t seem to handle large packs of mobs on my mesmer. Granted I’m only 49, but I’ve just completed the major 50 quest, involving Claw Island. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll stop there. But, large packs of mobs were involved.

I honestly didn’t feel like I had any effective way of getting them down. My mesmer is completely single target, save for a couple of phantasms, or chaos storm. So minuscule is my AoE capability, it really turns me off from playing.

Sure I have the one hander sword, but the cover of my illusions is destroyed do to all the damage being brought down on them. Which also doesn’t allow me to shatter 3, because I can seem to get to 3. There’s just too much damage.

It makes for a pretty frustrating experience and I wanted to voice it. If anyone has found a solution, weapon combo, skill match up, anything, I’m totally up/open for it. But, so far, this lack of situation handling is a major thorn in the classes side.

Cheers Anet. Look forward to seeing where you take the game.

You can run with GS and Focus and try to pull out some AoE out of iBerz and iWarden. And you can go the shattering road and produce some AoE out of F1/F2. If you do it right it could be bearable. If you do it really good it could be ok. But not more than that. Mesmer just sucks if it’s get to AoE. We all have to live with it or go and play Eles, Guards or Engs.

Just my personal experience to the topic

Personal opinion:
My best aoe so far was from; make 3 staff clones, put up caosstorm, shatter clones, switch to sword/focus, put up iwarden, run in and mop up.

Best results though is maybe from using illusions to tank, kite mobs and focus 1 down at a time. I use staff for this but any ranged should do.

If you try to make clones fast use traits and utility skills.

Thanks to the both of you for the advice. I’ve messed around with both of those. But the issue is getting any clones up at all that don’t immediately die from being aced by all the mobs.

I’m still stuck in the same place with no effective AoE when you compare it to just about every other class. Ranger has the axe. Guardian has the staff. Thief has the short bow. Elementalist has staff and a number of other abilities. I’m not sure about warrior, necro or engineer though.

It’s just a real drag. A disappointment that my profession seriously lacks abilities to deal with a common situation.

I’m not asking to be able to solo 40 mobs or mass pull 10. Just for enough AoE so I have a chance at taking out large packs when they aggro, like I feel I do with my other professions.

A few things:

Staff and GS clones tend to hang back where you are. The phantasms move in (even the staff phantasm for some reason) and tend to get themselves killed. With a staff condition build, I find it’s better to get clones onto an enemy early, then get a phantasm out later if needed to take advantage of the large pile of conditions on them. It doesn’t make sense to bring one out early unless you just need a distraction or more shatter fodder.

I really like Mirror Images. I’m also working toward Duelist 20 for clone-on-dodge too, though I’m not strictly doing a shatter build. Getting clones out fast is always useful.

Illusions 20 gives staff/GS attacks an extra bounce, which is a huge help with DPS and boons. Focus your attention and your clones’ on the toughest thing there and let the bounces burn down the rest. If they’re equal, don’t focus fire on a single enemy and have three clones expire together while enemies still live.

Get some of the traits that punish enemies for clones’ death.

Chaos Storm is a poor AOE attack, but good defense/support for your clones as well as other allies. When things get close and you’re kiting at short range, you can use it as combined offense and defense.

Sometimes it makes sense to tank for your clones a bit, especially if you’re particularly mobile and/or have defenses at the ready.

All that said, Mesmer AOE is weaker most other classes, but you really shouldn’t have trouble with 2-3 enemies at a time, or with chain pulls.

I do Illusionary riposte, mirror image, blurred frenzy + shatter. Shatters work like instant abilities and can be used even while you are attacking.

My problem is ranged or AoE enemies. They constantly kill illusions and phantasms as they spawn.

My crowd control usually involves having crippling dissipation slotted.
Since i’m sort of a clone factory the mobs are all nearly perma crippled; allowing me to whittle them down with more conditions, mainly bleeds and some shatters and blurred frenzy, chaos strom.
Pistol #5 also allows you to hold them down while you do your job

Right now i actually don’t like just fighting one mob, it feels overkill , unless its a big target where i can stack lots of conditions on.

Use greatsword and mainhand sword on swap.

Select Mental Torment, Blade Training, Deceptive Evasion, Precise Wrack, Master of Misdirection, Illusionary Persona traits. 10/20/0/0/30 with 10 points left for whatever you like. For skills Mirror Images is a must, the rest is up to you.

1) Run towards crowd with greatsword; if they’re too spread out, open with a few autoattacks while switching targets to grab their attention and clump them together while they scream for your blood.
2) Cast Phantasmal Berserker for great AoE damage…or at least it used to be before anet bugged it. They said they’ll fix it soon. Soon. SOON.
3) Mirror Blade~~~
4) Dodge to make your third illusion.
5) Run to the angry mobs’ melee range, swap to mainhand sword and cast Cry of Frustration for a 4 stack shatter.
6) Use Blurred Frenzy to trigger the confusion damage while invulnerable.
7) Dodge away as soon as Blurred Frenzy finishes, cast Mirror Images.
8) Run back to mob and Mind Wrack!
9) Let loose an evil laugh.
10) Usually dead by now. Cast Diversion or Distortion and a few slashes will take care of what’s left.

Rinse and repeat for tougher mobs. Dodge and kite away, or use your offhand weapon skill to gain a safe distance to use greatsword again. Prestige with torch to drop aggro(or possibly finish them off with the blast), Temporal Curtain -> Into the Void with focus to pull them away from you, Magic Bullet with pistol to stun them. If they quickly gain distance on you again(risen thralls, villagers, nobles…argkhWKERJWEK), knock ’em back with your Illusionary Wave on greatsword.

Torch is actually useful in PvE for once in this setup. Prestige does nice damage to finish them off if they’re still alive,(have an illusion out before you cast or mobs will run back to regenerate. AoE blind from the skill will help it survive until the blast triggers) or to get to a safe distance to heal.
Phantasmal Mage…well the confusion helps a bit. Trait for torch using the 10 points left and you can get some extra condition removal. If that isn’t necessary, you can switch it out for Rending Shatters for more damage with Mind Wrack. Greatsword Training for ranged effectiveness is nice too.

You can take Master of Misdirection out and replace it with Illusionary Elasticity for extra bounce on mirror blade for more aoe/great single target damage. Illusionary Invigoration for more survival and shattering.

For ranged mobs drop a Feedback and lure the melee ones toward them so you can hit them all when shattering.
For mobs with AoE attacks kite a bit or make sure you have the aggro, not your phantasm and let them cast it on you before you begin the rotation so you don’t shatter with no illusions. That will make you sad.

This takes too long for dynamic events like penitent/shelter where mobs will die out stupidly quick, but if there are only a few people around or you are alone such as the Claw Island mission, it’ll give you fantastic AoE.

You can do well on packs of mobs. Leveling up that’s where I felt my strength was. We can kill a group of 3-4 nearly as fast as 1. I used swor+/focus/sword and staff. Now I use a GS as well, depending. All do well against groups. Staff is probably easiest and safest, but not fastest.

Our damage isn’t really AoE (aside from sword), rather its multi-target. Illusionary Elasticity is a huge upgrade for staff and GS damage. Get mobs in a group, bring three clones out and circle strafe. When they are 30-50% dead, shatter and clean up the pieces.

You say your clones die fast. That’s your equipment. Toughness is one of my primary attributes, and my phantasms can even tank a little. My clones live plenty long that I can always replace them on death.