Guild Wars 2

So I finally got my mesmer alt to 80 and I’d like to settle on a proper build and armor and all that for her. Thing is almost every build I’ve looked up suggests GS/Sword+Focus, which I tried for about 30 levels and just….didn’t enjoy. My main’s a staff ele so I’m probably just too used to playing ranged. Is GS/Staff a viable build on a mesmer? Or should I just suck it up and learn to play with a sword, haha

I’d also appreciate tips on traits I should focus on/what I should have in my skill slots, I mostly farmed my way to 80 on this alt and I still don’t feel like I have a good sense of how to play a mesmer effectively.

Nah, play what you enjoy. It’s fair to give weapons you didn’t like at low levels another try, since they can often surprise you, but ultimately never play something you don’t like just because the crowd swings that way. I, for one, despise the greatsword. I see what people like in it, but I just don’t enjoy using it. Mesmers tend to have a more flexible time matching weapons to builds, compared to many other professions, so don’t feel pressured into something you’ll hate.

As such, what you do with those weapons will hinge on several factors. What areas of play are you looking to emphasize (PvP/WvW/PvE)? Because, for example, a condition heavy shatter build might rock while roaming in WvW, but won’t really shine much in PvE event farming. It’s also important to think about what kind of mechanics you enjoy using as a Mesmer. There’s a wide range of focus on this board ranging from shatter to phantasm to support to even some interesting mantra builds. You’ve got a lot of options, and many will work with GS/Staff, even if they don’t outright call for it.

@OP, here is a heavy cc/interrupt build. Works well in open world PvE, dungeons, and great in WvW, especially vs zergs.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-ChillRuption

@Clockwork, thanks for the advice. I admit that I was kind of expecting someone to lecture me about the greatness of swords (has happened elsewhere) and it’s nice to see something else. Different people like different things.

I’ll probably be using my mesmer for WvW, so I’ll take that stuff into consideration.

@skacamow, I read through the whole thread and it looks like a really interesting build, and different from other ones I’ve seen. It’s kind of reminiscent of what I like to do with my ele against zergs, so I think I might give it a try and do some adjustments as needed. Thanks for the detailed explanation of it!

I run GS\Staff and manipulations more often than any other builds these days. I do switch up utilities as needed (portal\veil or decoy if solo) but this is my standard zerg build: http://tinyurl.com/mhtxvmf

amaranthined.5167:

@Clockwork, thanks for the advice. I admit that I was kind of expecting someone to lecture me about the greatness of swords (has happened elsewhere) and it’s nice to see something else. Different people like different things.

I’ll probably be using my mesmer for WvW, so I’ll take that stuff into consideration.

@skacamow, I read through the whole thread and it looks like a really interesting build, and different from other ones I’ve seen. It’s kind of reminiscent of what I like to do with my ele against zergs, so I think I might give it a try and do some adjustments as needed. Thanks for the detailed explanation of it!

Glad to help. Yeah change things up as you need – I’m currently not running the exact gear listed there either. If you end up trying it, I’d be interested in hearing how it works for you. You’ve peaked my curiosity about the ele build you were referring to. What was it?

Clockwork Bard.3105:

Nah, play what you enjoy.

This.

If something grows stale then HotM is a good place to try out new ideas.

@Drakh, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll take a look into it(:

@skacamow, it’s a control staff ele build, which means it’s nice against zergs if there’s a good place to stand up high or if we’re at a chokepoint. It lets me do some of the same “stopping the enemy zerg in its tracks” as your mesmer build, as long as you have quick fingers and constantly switch attunements. I’ve found that combos are really useful. I have fun playing it, though it could probably use some tweaking for better dps.

@Helios, I’ve only done HotM once but I might try it again to test some of this stuff out. Thanks.

So you wanted a Greatsword/Staff build?

While new to this whole sharing builds…this is one I have come up with to focus on Conditions, particularly Vulnerability with interupts and general condition damage combined with clones and greatsword damage. It also has a lot of flexibility for an individual to customize it as needed. Since I generally play around other players in WvW and PvE, with the heavy focus on Vuln, it opens up a lot of damage for everyone else to throw in.

I was also looking for a decent Staff oriented build that didn’t have sword, and came up with this after experimenting with different secondary sets. Even went for a while as Scepter/Pistol. Didn’t work out the way I liked really. Anyway, take a look and test it out. Let me know how you modify it for your preferences!

I run GS/Staff.
10,20,25,15
It’s a hybrid of phantasm and Shatter.
i
ii, x
v, x
iv

Decoy,S of Dom, Arcane Thief, Mass Invis
pvt armor zerger jewles. zerker gs , rampage staff.

GS is your burst, Staff is for defense. Range is your best weapon. Stealth is your second best weapon.

I run GS/Staff in WvW and in PvE. The build is:

20: +15% phantasm dmg, -20% GS c/d
20: Phantasm Fury, dodge Clone
30: -3% dmg per clone, -20% staff c/d, Prismatic understanding
0
0

Armor: Soldiers with Centaur Runes
Jewelry: Knights
Weps: Zerker

Skills: Mirror (Heal), Decoy, Feedback, NULL field, Mass Invis

Swap out Feedback and NULL as the situation warrants.

Lastly, this build is easily changed into a staff + scepter/torch build to maximize PU. Just throw on Rabid armor with undead runes (or your fav condition rune), and switch the GS c/d trait for torch c/d trait. If u want also use carrion weps instead of zerker.

I absolutely love 20/20/30/0/0 because you can play several weapon setups and playstyles just by changing armour and traits, without respec. I use that allocation to play sword/x + GS (power/might) and x/torch + staff (condi/might) and it seems to work out really well for solo/wvw in general. And sometimes, GS/Staff as well.

Something you could also consider given you have two weapons affected by Illusory Elasticity is a build like 20/20/0/0/30 Shatter but with that built in. But regardless, the staff will always be a great defensive weapon in my book and works in any build almost for that purpose; it’s also quite good for conditions. Greatsword is to a lesser extent similiar, it works with a lot of setups, even those that aren’t ‘best allocated’ for it. So you have a lot of choice, which is a lovely thing about mesmer.

One last point, I try to use runes that give swiftness to preserve the sanity of my mind. If you can stand changing to focus constantly between fights that works as well.

I went ahead and made a GS/staff survival-ish build, and I’ve done fine with it so far. It’s my favorite playstyle, so naturally I do best with it. I have to be very aware of my actions, but I’ve gotten all but one of the TA set pieces with just pugs, so I have to be doing something right, no?