Guild Wars 2

Any help with finding a guide or some sort of forum discussion would be great. my question primarily falls to what is the ‘most effective’ way to be a tank as a mesmer in GW2?

I been hoping around the forums trying to work out the best way to go with my new level 80 mesmer.

I have 3 friends who play regularly, but they are all set on DPS, this I worry leaves the group dynamic a little glass cannon when it comes to dungeons etc.

I am looking for a build that I can solo farm when I need materials or exploration or even when i want to WvW later, but when i enter a dungeon I can be the ‘Man’, I dont know Guild Wars 2 well enough to say whether that is a control or support role or even something else. The closest I can say my aim is to be the ‘tank’ so to speak.

Levelling I used a staff/GS and basically called in my illusions shattered them for the vulnerability debuff and called in more.

If you want to tank, you will want sword, so 10 in Dueling.
You will want Chaos line to 30.
You may want torch, so 20 to Domination. (Prismatic Understanding and Torch skills remove condition + blind + 2 blast finisher)
You can put the 10 other points in Inspiration or Illusions.

Now, you choose your stats. Power/Vit/Thoughness ?
Or go Condition Bunker (full of boons and conditions! 0-20-30-0-20) or Glamour mesmer (full of blind and confusion! 0-0-20-20-30) if you want to support in dungeons.

If I play open PvE world for solo farm, with my tanky traits, I go 20-20-30-0-0 (the best for running from nodes to nodes). I’m mostly mantra glass canon mesmer for PvE though…

I’m trying out noxxic suggestion at the moment, just learning skils and when to use them

http://www.noxxic.com/gw2/mesmer/control/pve/core-build-and-traits

sword/focus and staff. I do 10/10/20/25/5.
I change around my traits I get. Depending on what I am doing. IN Dom at the 10 point I use III and V change them out.
In Duel I use III and IV in the 10 point place, again switch them out and in at that place.
Chaos it II, III and IV at the 10 point place and at the 20 point place it X only.
Then insp at 10 point place it I, II, V and at 20 point place it VIII and IX.

Decoy/mimic/phant defender is my 3 main utilities with timewarp.

However feedback, Null field, Arcane Thievery, Signet of Illusion, phant disenchanted, blink, portal, and veil. These are all the utilities I use depending on what I am doing.
Also I use mass inv sometimes, but rarely.

Edit: I use focus because once it traited it the best control weapon in this game for the mez and you gotta be a good controller to be a good tank.

Another option is to go with a condition/toughness build with Chaotic Transference and six Superior Runes of the Undead. This will add 10% of your toughness as condition damage. Then run a persistent clone confusion build with illusionary defense + compounding power. To keep your clones up try persisting images and signet of illusions. This means you don’t shatter unless you or your target is about to die.

Helios.3598:

Another option is to go with a condition/toughness build with Chaotic Transference and six Superior Runes of the Undead. This will add 10% of your toughness as condition damage. Then run a persistent clone confusion build with illusionary defense + compounding power. To keep your clones up try persisting images and signet of illusions. This means you don’t shatter unless you or your target is about to die.

Problem with that is your control abilities goes way down.

So then yes you could survive and in pvp do well.

However in PvE a tank build that cant even semi keep mobs on them.
Is kinda useless.