therefore im sorry if i just posted some outdated stuff
also maybe a similar thread exists already, in that case im sorry for double post.
is it worth it?
Cause i’ve been thinking for a while about going power / precision / conddmg, but i dont see the option for conddmg-focus on mesmer:
mains sword only has no dmg-conds,
szepter has confusion but imho thats not worth for pve cause of the very low attackspeed of mops (maybe worth for champs / dungeons)
offhand sword has no dmg-conds
offhand pistol has no dmg-conds
offhand focus has no dmg-conds
offhand torch has burning but only after three secs of waiting + confusion through the phantasm
GS has no dmg-conds
Staff hast every cond i want but applies it random… so if u are unlucky u just stack vulnerability instead of burning / bleeding via #1..
so the only option u have would be staff + szepter & torch, but the only condition u can be sure of applying would be confusion, cause staff is depending on random.
and there would be the option for illusion crits lets enemies bleed…
opinions?
you hit the nail on the head, scepter/torch + staff. best combo for a condition build. the randomness of the conditions doesnt matter, you want them all out there. it doesnt matter what order they get applied.
Take a look at the traits. There are a few fun ones that make you inflict conditions when you perform other actions. One that comes to mind is Confusing Enchantments in the power tree, which makes glamour skills cause confusion. Another is Confusing Combatants in the dueling tree, where everytime an illusion is killed (or overwritten!) it inflicts 3 seconds of confusion. There are a few other condition-inflicting traits in chaos as well.
I haven’t tried a condition build yet, but it seems like the only two viable ways you have are intense confusion stacking, and intense bleed stacking by your illusions critting.
as said above, there are a lot of game changing traits for mesmers to play with. for example, i used to focus heavily on scepter+ staff but currently using heavy use of the Dueling traits sharper images and confusing combatants. turning my clones into Bleeding stackers while they are alive and applying confusion when they die*. sword clones from what i’ve seen have the highest attacking rate which means they stack bleeding far easier. I’ve been having a blast using this setup but of course tweaking is a constant occurrence for me, and who knows, i may evolve my play style to something completely different. just throwing the idea out there lol
*when summoning new clones while at the max 3, the clone that is replaced is in fact “killed” which causes this trait to trigger, applying confusion to nearby enemies. this I imagine can also be used the same way as the cripple trait
You can get rather constant Bleeds with Sharper Images and High Precision. Any Illusion causes a Bleed on a crit, whether its a simple Staff Clone who already is dealing out random conditions or a multi-attacking I.Duelist Phantasm who can put up a stack of 5-7 bleeds by himself in a salvo.
Sword Clones are especially fun, as they are in melee dealing out Vulnerability and possibly Bleeding with their attacks. Put in Cripple and Random Condition (3x Bleeds or 3x Vulnerability or Weakness) on Clone death in AoE, and its going to give out Conditional Dmg no matter what the enemy does.
Scepter Clones combined with On Death conditions Confusion, Cripple, or Random Condition also works well. They spawn in melee, so it puts them in perfect range to die. Since the scepter auto-attack constantly spawns them, you are constantly putting Confusion, Cripple, and (Bleed/Vulnerability/Weakness) each time you create a new clone if the enemy didn’t kill one off before then. They attack a bit slow for Sharper Images with their Crit Bleed, but its still better then nothing.
Besides, its fun seeing 2kish dmg for someone swinging after I put a stack of 8 Confusion on them with Cry of Frustration (15 Illusions + 30 Illusions trait to Shatter on self). Or Half that with I hit Distortion as a panic-button causing them to miss and take dmg too.
Question: how much damage does Signet of Domination add to Condition damage?
Question: how much damage does Signet of Domination add to Condition damage?
50, I believe the amount was.
Condition damage is 100% absolute trash in Dynamic Events, it’s ONLY good while soloing and in dungeons, keep that in mind. Do not expect a versatile condition damage build.
well, it just so happens i’m a power CD crit mesmer, and as opposed to most others i use a GS + scepter and pistol.
the trick is to use a superior sigil of earth on GS, and take 20 points in dueling (fury for phantasms and illusions bleed on crit).
with 3 CLONES i can maintain 19 stacks of bleed on a given foe assuming they survive.
works great for me.
^Don’t be confused by this, clones do not inheret Sigil of Earth.
^Don’t be confused by this, clones do not inheret Sigil of Earth.
but they benefit from the minor master tier trait in dueling, i just wanted to be able to use the greatsword but still have a damaging condition.
When something says it inflicts “random” conditions and boons, it is not as random as you think.
Winds of Chaos inflicts one of three conditions: Burning, Bleeding or Vulnerability. Staff Clones likewise inflict one of these three. It applies one of two boons: Might or Fury.
Chaos Armour inflicts one of three conditions: Blind, Cripple or Confusion. It always applies Protection right off the bat and applies one of two boons: Regeneration or Swiftness.
Chaos Storm inflicts one of three conditions and a CC: Poison, Chill, Weakness or Daze. It applies one of three boons: Aegis, Swiftness or Retaliation.
Debilitating Dissipation inflicts one of three conditions: Weakness, 3x Bleeding or 3x Vulnerability.
The best weapon sets for a condition damage build is Staff + Sword-Pistol. Because Sword Clones attack quickly so can apply lots of Bleeding from Sharper Images, same deal with Duelist. If you really want Confusing Images you can go for Scepter, but IMO Scepter is bad as both the autoattack and Scepter Clones are crap: after you use Confusing Images the only thing you want to do is to switch out.
Personally though I always stick with Staff, I rarely switch weapon sets playing a condition build. There’s just rarely any need to do so.
The question should be whether power/crit build can out damage a condition build, even if you use a staff.
In general, condition damage builds are more powerful than Power builds in prolonged fights, the exception being zerg fights where the target is piled with so many conditions yours don’t register. Against weak mobs however a Power build is more efficient.
In sPvP however I’d definitely take a condition build over a Power build.
The best weapon sets for a condition damage build is Staff + Sword-Pistol. Because Sword Clones attack quickly so can apply lots of Bleeding from Sharper Images, same deal with Duelist.
Greatsword produces Sharper Image damage on par with x-Pistol, due to the clones hitting 3 times with iB also hitting 3 times.
Embolism:
iDuelist applies some pretty great bleed damage with sharper images. That’s a good reason to switch out of Staff alone, not to mention to get off a Pistol stun to force an enemy to stay in your Chaos Storm/cancel a stomp/prevent a heal.
Bluebird:
Sure it is, but switching weapon sets is 9 seconds you don’t have access to the Staff and Staff Clones; in general I don’t feel it’s worth doing. Plus the DPS bonus gained with Duelist is not that big compared to what Staff Clones can do: remember they don’t just inflict conditions, they also give you Might and Fury; boosting the damage dealt by you and all your Clones.
The only reason I’d switch would be to use Magic Bullet (usually to stop a runner, there’s rarely enough time to interrupt a heal if I’m not on the set to begin with) or Blurred Frenzy (if I’m Immobilised with Phase Retreat/Blink on CD).
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