Q:
Mesmer as first class to level 80
Greetings!
I have this problem, I really REALLY like the concept of Mesmer (especially using the staff, that’s bloody genius!), but hearing all this stuff about how hard Mesmer will be after the ellite spec scares e to the bone!
I wouldn’t worry about elite spec at your point in time. Try out the class, see how you enjoy it.
Most of the difficulty comes from endgame content like raids and to some degree fractals. If you are starting our right now, those things are quite a way off and certainly far enough away to get used to the class.
This would be my first class leveling to 80 so is it really not recommended?
Play whatever you like. Though I will say this: should you get close to burned out with mesmer, definately try some of the other classes. All of them are quite unique.
If this would really, really not be recommended, could you guys give advice on which class also plays safe but isn’t as boring as plain old ranger/warrior or something like that?
Necromancer. Probably one of the top tier classes for solo pve content and quite easy (compared to some other classes).
Thief can also be quite fun due to epic mobility.
That said, mesmer is fine. It is a tad more tedious than other classes, especially early game, but most old school mesmers played the class from 1 to 80 without tomes or other fancy “get there quick” methods (except cooking, come on, you know we all used it).
I’d say give the class a try. If you enjoy it, keep with it. If you want to try another class, do that. The first time to 80 is one of the coolest experiences MMO wise in this game.
The thing with mesmer is that it’s strength lies in the combination of various traits/skills, which means that you will only start actually getting anything done in the later levels. This is a reason many people who start a mesmer drop it a few hours in, as it seems more boring at first glance than it really is.
Mesmer is also one of the classes with the highest skill cap in the game, which is why people generally suggest starting with ranger/warrior since they are easy to play and it makes it easy to get used to how the game works etc.
And yes, the elite spec adds another level of complexity to it.
But all in all I think that people tend do exaggerate on the difficulty (of almost everything btw). It’s harder than most classes, yes, but it’s nothing you couldn’t do if you are willing to spend some time learning the mechanics.
Mesmer lack own dps as a tradeoff to their amazing party-enhancing abilities. A mesmer who knows what he/she is doing is a huge blessing for the team, one that doesn’t in the other side is a huge disadventage, as it’s a dps loss without any gain in return.
But be prepared: You might have to learn it the hard way later on though. The expansion is known for crushing new players who don’t really know what to do with their class yet.
In the end, it’s really simple. If mesmer really is your passion and the class you’re sure you want to play, then play it. Don’t get scared away from it and play something you don’t actually want to play.
The chrono quickness / alacrity is just like Lego : it looks really hard and scary at first but if you follow the notice, you can achieve good result. (I Was one of them Who got bored and used the books to lvl up , still funny to play tho)