Guild Wars 2

Hello I’m Rad Mage, I’ve played mesmer for quite a while. (between mes and ele anyways) and I used to use focus in PvP purely for the pull/interrupt,
but after anet changed the pull to have a 1 second use time it’s fallen behind as a kind of lackluster off hand when compared to torch, which is supposed to be a condition off hand but because of the stealth and reliable phantasm it far outclasses the focus. Focus pull is still strong when used right but it’s no longer that instant “get off me” button we had, making the match up vs thieves even worse than it already was. Another problem that has been a long time problem now is the phantasm is pretty weak, it has a long cool down and your enemy has to be pretty dumb to stand there and get hit by it. The main problem with focus at the moment is it doesn’t synergize whatsoever and the phantasm is really lackluster compared to all the other ones.

I purpose a few changes to focus to bring it back to par as a power based off hand

First proposed change is simply making the pull instant cast again and having the phantasm “chase” and follow the target doing the axe 5 spin like on warrior off hand axe. The new phantasm of course will do less damage overall than the previous phantasm but atleast it will actually hit the target.

Second idea is making the phantasm do a chop like eviscerate dazing the target for 1 second, keeping the 1 second cast time on the pull. this new phantasm will obviously do less damage and have a long action time before each attack but it will synergize extremely well with the interrupt build for an off hand weapon and mesmer as a whole.

TL;DR currently mesmer is strong, but focus isn’t, bring it to par with the other weapons please.

I do not agree.

Focus may be the most situational weapon we have (if we have any situational weapons at all), but is far from weak. The fact that iwarden does not move when he performs his attack isn’t necessarily bad. On the contrary, it provides some sort of shelter which it would not be possible (or difficult to achieve) if he was moving while attacking.

I personally prefer the warden as it is now rather than the original one when it was rooted and never moved. Since when they managed to fix it, I find it more reliable in the actual hitting the enemy. Also, all phantasms can miss their target and so does iwarden.

Of course, smart and dumb ppl alike will move away from it but it’s your duty to make sure it hits (through CI or by curtain pull and sword immob, one of the best and funniest combo we have). When performed succesfully, the combo deals great amount of damage, second only to a full shatter.

I think it’s down to personal taste. I wouldn’t change it because I like the way it is. I also run traited focus, which it makes it even better.

Edit. As far as the 1 sec nerf to the pull, I don’t think it’s much of a big deal. Tbh it was needed: too many ppl raging for being pulled off of the cliffs or in skyhammer. Actually, it synergize better with the combo into the iwarden: activating the curtain straight away after the cast didn’t give the warden enough time to spawn and perform the attack and thus fail most of its spins

The nerf to focus pull was necessary. It had absolutely no counterplay before and was really beastly for a 5-target pull. In sPvP it was strong, but in WvW it pretty much guarantee’d yanking people off keeps.

Besides, you’re not exactly supposed to use the pull so quickly anyway. It cripples enemies, reflects, and almost always forces wasted dodges. Most of the time it’s more valuable for the 5s it sits there both for mindgames and practicality.

As for the Phantasm.. I only sort of agree. If you want damage, you take offhand sword or pistol, if you want condi you take torch and if you want utility you grab the focus. Focus phant eats projectiles, making it great against rangers, warriors, engineer thieves and many other classes. Fighting inside it’s protective bubble makes you projectile-immune and traited it reflects. It is integral for PvE for that same reason, eating projectiles in dungeons while iSwordsman deals damage.

Your change would make it into a crappier version of iZerker, if you’re using the warden for damage outside of a CI build (focus pull +ileap immobs into Warden spin for the full duration when done properly) then you’re not using it for the right reasons.

I also disagree with the proposed changes and honestly don’t understand the hate on focus. It’s by far our best off hand weapon. Of course it’s my opinion, but it offers so much in all game modes. In PvP I definitely feel this way.

My past experience with other players dictate that people who seem to think focus is lackluster haven’t really taken the time to truly master it. By mastering it, I mean understanding all the combos and nuances of the curtain with your main hand weapon and utilities, where to properly cast the warden and how to properly utilize the warden spin. Once you master it, you become a master manipulator in both 1v1 and team fights. This is heightened even more when focus is traited.

I had a friend who shunned the focus but recently decided to try. It’s now a month later and he’s owning with it and can’t imagine playing without it. OP – I’m not saying you don’t have experience with focus, but clearly there is a disconnect between the players who use it to it’s potential and those that think it’s lackluster.

Apart from the ItV cooldown, it’s not so much focus that is the issue but rather MH sword when used together with focus. It is now only “decent” rather than “godlike”, for the obvious reasons – ie blurred frenzy changes, ileap, light aura, mind spike…