Mesmer acended armor stat choice
It’s PvE. Go zerker. If you learn to WvW or PvP zerker stats are also good.
Go assassins if you have the option of any stat combo and can choose it.
I will however say, having crafted a full set of light armour with strength runes, that it is not worth it and sticking to exotic is a better idea.
I say assassins because Mesmer is just about only really needed for reflects and in order to maximise that on the harder bosses etc you want over 100% crit chance, hence assassins.
Go assassins if you have the option of any stat combo and can choose it.
I will however say, having crafted a full set of light armour with strength runes, that it is not worth it and sticking to exotic is a better idea.
I say assassins because Mesmer is just about only really needed for reflects and in order to maximise that on the harder bosses etc you want over 100% crit chance, hence assassins.
This guys makes good points. However, if you want the maximal damage for open world PvE, WvW and still perform very well in dungeons, choose berserker. It is also more versatile, since it is an excellent choice for elementalist and necromancer as well, should you create a character with one of these two professions. I would say these are the two best options.
If you can hold out, I suggest waiting to at least see how stats are going to change in the upcoming patch.
Keep in mind:
- stats are being removed from trait lines and perhaps pushed into gear
- ascended crafting, specifically jewel crafting, will likely open the door better options for max-min and stat tuning
- Anet seems to have found a work around the all zerk or gtfo meta in pve: upscaled pve mobs (mechanically it reduces your chance to crit) with high armor. Combine this with the upcoming changes to conditions (higher stacks, and stacking versus duration extension – examples we’ve seen so far include poison and burning stacks) and conditions or hybrid power-condi like sinister will likely be a thing.
-related to the above point, Anet is going to be adding xbox achievements to encourage players to grind fractals as well as other beaten to death content add masteries for fractals; perhaps there may be other changes as well. Anet supposedly hired a raid designer back in the fall of 2014. I suspect that they were to support the HoT expansion content and likely dungeons and fractals will remain kicked to the curb and forgotten, but time will tell.
- ascended armor’s value is the infusion slot and the extra 100 base armor overall – the stat point boost is very very small when compared to exotic armor
HoT is likely coming in the fall of this year based on what NCSoft is telling investors, so if you can hold out that long it may end up saving you a fair bit of gold or $$ if you are a credit card hero.
Check this out http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/31wbip/ascended_vs_exotic_gear_comparison_spreedsheet/
It compares the damage increase going from zerker exotic to zerker ascended.
Spoilers: Armour is only a 1.8% increase.
(edited by apharma.3741)
Those calculations don’t account for condition damage.
What about fractals and the infusion slot?
What I did was I put +10 agony infusions in my back and 2 rings along with a +5 in each which nets you 45 AR. With the rest of the trinkets that brings you to 60 which is enough to do all fractals except 50 which you need 70 AR for.
I find swapping around trinkets far easier than armour, especially when you may have or want different runes on the armour between classes.
It’s up to you to decide if making a full set of armour is worth while but I would always recommend making ascended weapons and getting ascended trinkets first.
What I did was I put +10 agony infusions in my back and 2 rings along with a +5 in each which nets you 45 AR. With the rest of the trinkets that brings you to 60 which is enough to do all fractals except 50 which you need 70 AR for.
Add in a weapon and you get 70. Ascended weapons are absolutely worth making, unlike the armor.
Check this out http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/31wbip/ascended_vs_exotic_gear_comparison_spreedsheet/
It compares the damage increase going from zerker exotic to zerker ascended.
Spoilers: Armour is only a 1.8% increase.
Those calculations are accurate, but really only completely applicable in the dungeon environment. Which, if all you care about is PVE provides a perfectly valid basis for comparison.
For example, the spreadsheet assumes that you have 25 stacks of might and permanent fury. Both of which diminish the impact of ascended stat increases. It also assumes you trait into the power and precision lines, which also decrease the damage differential between exotic and ascended gear.
Anything I post is just the opinion of a very vocal minority of 1.
Check this out http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/31wbip/ascended_vs_exotic_gear_comparison_spreedsheet/
It compares the damage increase going from zerker exotic to zerker ascended.
Spoilers: Armour is only a 1.8% increase.
Those calculations are accurate, but really only completely applicable in the dungeon environment. Which, if all you care about is PVE provides a perfectly valid basis for comparison.
For example, the spreadsheet assumes that you have 25 stacks of might and permanent fury. Both of which diminish the impact of ascended stat increases. It also assumes you trait into the power and precision lines, which also decrease the damage differential between exotic and ascended gear.
The original post is talking about dungeons and fractals specifically. 25 might (in HoT) will be essentially reduced to get a warrior with enough brainpower to wipe drool from their own gaping maw from their 1337 hundred blades damage. Stats will soon be removed from traits so picking (or not picking) those trait lines will not have an impact either.