Guild Wars 2

I’m not a hardcore player, but looking to give the game another shot in preparation for the expansion (if I stick with it). One of the problems I’ve had with the game is not really identifying or “connecting” with any of the classes. I typically play heavy melee tank types, but GW2 doesn’t really have tanks and the “heavy melee” builds seem kind of boring.

So this time around, I started scoping out other options, which led me to the Mesmer: a class I’ve never really cared for in terms of ‘look and feel.’ I saw they can dual-wield swords, which is cool, so figured I’d give one a try.

First impression: This is actually kind of fun! Feels more like a rogue/thief character than the actual thief does, IMO.

Second impression: I’m definitely feeling a lot weaker than I’d like… My first special skill (aoe illusions) seems to be useless in terms of damage, and my phantoms (illusions?) don’t seem to switch targets with me. Not to mention getting phantoms out is a slow process in the first place.

Final impression: Looks like my phantom/illusion things only have one hp, so fighting anything with a cleave/aoe ability means I’m just autoattacking for crappy damage. Considering how common aoe seems to be in this game…

So what’s the deal? What role is this class supposed to fill? I can’t do damage. I can’t solo anything for crap. I can’t do much in PvP because my core feature (phantoms) don’t last more than a few seconds. I can’t even zerg PvE stuff very effectively because it all dies before my abilities connect half the time.

Are dual swords just broken? Are these known issues getting fixed in the expansion? Is this something that will “get better” at max level? Are mesmer players just masochists?

Mesmer is a thief with longer range . Your main defence is not getting hit (stealth, blink etc etc) and you do a lot of damage.

Mogar.9216:

Mesmer is a thief with longer range . Your main defence is not getting hit (stealth, blink etc etc) and you do a lot of damage.

I’m not seeing the ‘do a lot of damage’ part. I feel like I’m doing average damage with 2 or 3 phantoms out, but getting to that point before the mob dies or aoe’s them is kind of rare as I level up.

Don’t judge the class as you level up. Mesmer does a lot of damage at level 80.

Mogar.9216:

Don’t judge the class as you level up. Mesmer does a lot of damage at level 80.

Isn’t the process of leveling supposed to be the time to judge a class? If not, why does GW2 even have levels? I guess your response is about what I expected though.

discosoc.6510:

-snip- Are mesmer players just masochists?

Pretty much

discosoc.6510:

Mogar.9216:

Don’t judge the class as you level up. Mesmer does a lot of damage at level 80.

Isn’t the process of leveling supposed to be the time to judge a class? If not, why does GW2 even have levels? I guess your response is about what I expected though.

In theory, yes. In practice, leveling a mesmer is an incredibly awful experience that should be rushed through and avoided at all costs. It didn’t used to be this way, but anet made a lot of mistakes and caused it.

Fay.2357:

discosoc.6510:

Mogar.9216:

Don’t judge the class as you level up. Mesmer does a lot of damage at level 80.

Isn’t the process of leveling supposed to be the time to judge a class? If not, why does GW2 even have levels? I guess your response is about what I expected though.

In theory, yes. In practice, leveling a mesmer is an incredibly awful experience that should be rushed through and avoided at all costs. It didn’t used to be this way, but anet made a lot of mistakes and caused it.

What changed?

discosoc.6510:

Fay.2357:

discosoc.6510:

Mogar.9216:

Don’t judge the class as you level up. Mesmer does a lot of damage at level 80.

Isn’t the process of leveling supposed to be the time to judge a class? If not, why does GW2 even have levels? I guess your response is about what I expected though.

In theory, yes. In practice, leveling a mesmer is an incredibly awful experience that should be rushed through and avoided at all costs. It didn’t used to be this way, but anet made a lot of mistakes and caused it.

What changed?

Traits. Mesmer is an incredibly trait-dependent class. It used to be that you’d be mostly non-functional until 20, at which point you’d just be getting hints of what you can do. Then at 40, you’d get some more interesting toys, but still be rather weak. Once you got to 60, you’d have your toolset unlocked for use, even if you still couldn’t use all of it at the same time, you’d have access to it.

Now, you’re nonfunctional until 30ish (can’t remember exactly), you get a couple of toys at 60, but you can’t actually play the class until 80. On top of that, you don’t just get the traits as you level up. Once you get to the required level, you then also have to go out and grind through random encounters and/or pay an extortionate price just to use them. It’s awful.

Is this something that’s being looked at by ANet, or is it ‘working as intended’? Sure doesn’t sound like good game design to me.

discosoc.6510:

Is this something that’s being looked at by ANet, or is it ‘working as intended’? Sure doesn’t sound like good game design to me.

They’ve said that they’re going to reworke the trait system once again.
The mesmer is not something anet cares for. To many of us active mesmer players it seems that anet in general or just one or two employees at anet have had some really nightmarish encounters with mesmers and now they can not stop the urge to nerf/break mesmers to the ground.

Still I’d say yes mesmer is fun and now is the best time to play one… when you play the weakest character in a game it’s more likely that you get buffed in the future.

discosoc.6510:

Is this something that’s being looked at by ANet, or is it ‘working as intended’? Sure doesn’t sound like good game design to me.

Things don’t sound like good game design when someone’s busy slamming them. :P

That said, I don’t think there’s anyone left who doesn’t think that they dropped the ball with the trait changes, and they have promised to do something about it.

Basically, the situation with mesmers is that they somehow manage to look a lot more effective than they are to anyone who doesn’t play one. This means that there are a lot of complaints every time we receive a buff, even though mesmers are comparatively weak in most game modes (in particular, mesmers suffer from worse versions of most of the ‘crippling’ flaws with rangers).

A particularly horrible example of this is Triumphant Distortion, which certain players reacted to like it triggered every time you crit something.

EDIT: Hyperbole is unbecoming of a mesmer, and you didn’t see what I wrote originally.

Just a funny side comment here, but I appear to actually do more damage when I’m in a downed state. It’s like a DPS cooldown.

Not kidding either.

Jedge.3619:

discosoc.6510:

-snip- Are mesmer players just masochists?

Pretty much

lol, but the butterflies are worth it. :p

discosoc.6510:

Just a funny side comment here, but I appear to actually do more damage when I’m in a downed state. It’s like a DPS cooldown.

It might be worth just popping into the SPvP hub area and fighting a couple of the sparring NPCs just to get a feel for what you’ll be able to do at higher levels.

For a really “in at the deep end” approach, you could even try levelling exclusively through SPvP. You’ll have access to all of the mesmer’s toys while there, although that route would leave you a little shafted when it comes to traits for PvE and WvW.

On the bright side.. Mesmer is much more fun in pvp and I could whip ya up a mean sw/sw build

Curunen.8729:

lol, but the butterflies are worth it. :p

This. Stupid butterflies are one of the main reasons I fell in love with the kitten profession and have stuck it out so long. Might not do so much damage but we look good while doing it!

rabidsmiles.5926:

Curunen.8729:

lol, but the butterflies are worth it. :p

This. Stupid butterflies are one of the main reasons I fell in love with the kitten profession and have stuck it out so long. Might not do so much damage but we look good while doing it!

All you need is love.

evilunderling.9265:

discosoc.6510:

Just a funny side comment here, but I appear to actually do more damage when I’m in a downed state. It’s like a DPS cooldown.

It might be worth just popping into the SPvP hub area and fighting a couple of the sparring NPCs just to get a feel for what you’ll be able to do at higher levels.

For a really “in at the deep end” approach, you could even try levelling exclusively through SPvP. You’ll have access to all of the mesmer’s toys while there, although that route would leave you a little shafted when it comes to traits for PvE and WvW.

This. You don’t need to level up to “judge” any profession in GW2. Just finish the introductive tutorial (up to level 2) and jump in the pvp lobby. There you can tinker all the base traits, all the weapons and utility skills.

You won’t have the full spread of traits (some needs unlocking) and gear (in pvp is a bit different) and the damage is a bit lower than what you can achieve in PVE/WvW, but it’s a lot better for testing the class

discosoc.6510:

I’m not a hardcore player, but looking to give the game another shot in preparation for the expansion (if I stick with it). One of the problems I’ve had with the game is not really identifying or “connecting” with any of the classes. I typically play heavy melee tank types, but GW2 doesn’t really have tanks and the “heavy melee” builds seem kind of boring.

I’ve had the same problem with GW2 since launch. There’s things I like and hate about all the professions and none are the ‘full package’ for me. So I’ve only ever played on and off.

But I came back and levelled my mesmer (and a few other profs) to 80 in preparation for the expansion. So I can try to answer some of your questions.

discosoc.6510:

So what’s the deal? What role is this class supposed to fill? I can’t do damage. I can’t solo anything for crap.

As with most classes, it really depends on your traits and equipment.

The shatter skills can be a major source of AOE damage. With a scepter you summon a clone every 3 hits. There’s a utility which summons 2 clones. There’s a trait which summons a clone when you dodge. Other traits boost shatter damage and crit chance. Invest in the final trait line and you drop the cooldown of shatter skills by 30%. With the right traits you can also reduce many phantasm cooldown times from 20 seconds down to 12.

The trick if you go that way is to quickly summon 3 clones and or phantasms at the beginning of a fight, shatter, summon more and shatter again if it isn’t already dead.

Otherwise what I tend to do is largely ignore clones (or just use them as disposable distractions), summon phantasms and use the F1 shatter as a finisher. Pop it when the mob’s health is low. Keep the other shatters up my sleeve for emergencies. You can also trait up to boost phantasm damage and rate of fire.

If your pets are dieing too quickly, there’s a trait which boosts their health 20% and a signet passive which boosts it by 50%. I often use it – especially when fighting vets or champs.

Oddly enough I found the staff to be very good for solo’ing. I was using swords and the greatsword (more suited for aoe) and not enjoying it. Scepter is ok but I don’t love it. Then I switched to staff and the fun started.

I know most of the staff abilities are aoe oriented but it has the only clone which does actual damage (condition rather than direct). That means you can instantly pop 3 damage dealing pets (1 with alternate weapon then switch to staff for 2 more). Then I keep chaos armour and storm in reserve for emergencies or unexpected adds. The only thing you have to be careful with is accidentally jumping backwards into other mobs with the staff clone summon.

PvE zerg is a challenge for mesmers. Summon clones / phantasms on vets and champs and shatter quickly – aoe will probably hit trash mobs. Greatsword has a bunch of aoe abilities and there’s a trait to give an extra bounce to number 2. It can be hard getting its auto-attack to hit multiple targets though. Try to select a mob on the far side of a crowd it’s often dead before can hit it.

Mantra of pain is an aoe and can be fired pretty regularly. You can put it on auto instead of the default 1 ability from the weapon set. It may not be the most efficient way to do damage but you’ll at least get some kill credits (xp, loot etc.).

Menaka.5092:

You don’t need to level up to “judge” any profession in GW2. Just finish the introductive tutorial (up to level 2) and jump in the pvp lobby. There you can tinker all the base traits, all the weapons and utility skills.

I strongly disagree. Some traits can significantly alter how a profession plays. Theorycrafting from the wiki can give you some idea but actually I’ve found actually playing with them with is necessary to get an accurate feel for a profession.

Used to be easier back when you could get at least one GM trait by level 40.

Caeledh.5437:

Menaka.5092:

You don’t need to level up to “judge” any profession in GW2. Just finish the introductive tutorial (up to level 2) and jump in the pvp lobby. There you can tinker all the base traits, all the weapons and utility skills.

I strongly disagree. Some traits can significantly alter how a profession plays. Theorycrafting from the wiki can give you some idea but actually I’ve found actually playing with them with is necessary to get an accurate feel for a profession.

Used to be easier back when you could get at least one GM trait by level 40.

I… don’t understand what you are saying here. I just told him to go to the pvp lobby and actually play with the traits. Where did I mention something about “theorycrafting from the wiki”?

I leveled up all my mesmers before the change, so I only miss the “new” grandmaster traits on some of them, but from what I’ve seen leveling up other characters, in sPVP you have access to all basic traits (1-12) for all traitlines, and that’s more than enough to get a picture of the class.

discosoc.6510:

Second impression: I’m definitely feeling a lot weaker than I’d like… My first special skill (aoe illusions) seems to be useless in terms of damage, and my phantoms (illusions?) don’t seem to switch targets with me. Not to mention getting phantoms out is a slow process in the first place.

If by weaker, you mean damage output, then that likely means you are trying to use aspects of the profession that you are not traited for. I assume you mean mind wrack, when you talk about your first special skill. That is a shatter skill, and unless you trait extensively for shatter damage and gear/build for power…it will be garbage damage. No, illusions do not switch targets…which is a design fail on ANET’s part in my opinion. Luckily, if you trait for specific weapons and specific traits in illusions…you can trait to significantly decrease the cool down on summoning specific phantasms.

Final impression: Looks like my phantom/illusion things only have one hp, so fighting anything with a cleave/aoe ability means I’m just autoattacking for crappy damage. Considering how common aoe seems to be in this game…

There are also traits and utilities to greatly increase the survivability of phantasms. Again, this is all going to depend on you choosing a decent build for what you are trying to do. You won’t be able to just choose a random build and have it be good for every aspect of the class…you are going to have to specialize. There is no such thing as a phantasm and shatter build. It will be one or the other. Which ever one you do not choose…your mesmer will be crappy at that aspect.

So what’s the deal? What role is this class supposed to fill? I can’t do damage. I can’t solo anything for crap. I can’t do much in PvP because my core feature (phantoms) don’t last more than a few seconds. I can’t even zerg PvE stuff very effectively because it all dies before my abilities connect half the time.

You are supposed to fill all roles, with every class, with every build. That’s how this game is designed. There are no tanks, healers, or dps in this game. That’s one of the best things about this game. You are supposed to contribute in every aspect, all the time. You contribute damage, as nothing is accomplished if nothing dies. You contribute support and control with the effects of your attacks, utilities, phantasms. You are responsible for your own survival and contribution in this game…versus having to depend on some guy standing in the corner spamming a heal spell or someone face tanking mobs to keep them from attacking you. Everyone has their own heal ability. Everyone has the ability to dodge. Everyone has active defenses to keep themselves alive and keep their teammates alive.

Are dual swords just broken? Are these known issues getting fixed in the expansion? Is this something that will “get better” at max level? Are mesmer players just masochists?

There is absolutely nothing broken about dual swords. In fact, dual swords may be the strongest PvE build. Like a previous poster said, builds do not shine at all due to this terrible change ANET made to acquiring traits and leveling…until you are close to or at level 80. You just need the traits that support swords for it to shine. I personally prefer dual swords on my mesmer, but have often resorted to sw/focus due to our extreme lack of swiftness without the focus. The iWarden, the focus phantasm, is also very nice in that it can block/reflect projectiles and does very nice aoe cleave damage when traited properly. iSwordsman has higher single target damage and does a good job of avoiding cleaves due to its effect of leaping into and moving out of melee range intermittently. Off hand sword also has our block skill, which is extremely useful in at least PvE encounters.

As a… everything player gear slightly more towards the mesmer, mes is a decent single target dmg class with a metric f***tonne of good utilities… but they’re somewhat lacklustre for general pvp, they accelerate (in my opinion) in things like fractals, where sheer utility is god especially while being able to maintain relatively high dps

in pvp, shatter builds can have extreme damage, but I (being a multi-class player) find them somewhat underpowered at the moment(general complaint is either being forced to be close to do dmg, or not having enough health to allow this) previously they’ve been overpowered, but current meta basically just nerfs clones before they can get close.
That being said, mes is still my favorite (~40% of pvp matches)

The Mesmer profession is highly dependent on its Traits, and, in my opinion, requires more work than other professions when it comes to performing well. It’s one of those professions that you need to invest some time in, to learn the various mechanics and plays you can make with it, before it truly shines. If you have it in you, and are up for a tiny bit of a uphill challenge, then Mesmer is definitely for you. Keep in mind that it was a pain to level at launch (at least to me, and seemingly most players I’ve talked with), and it is even more of a pain currently (as Fay explained above), but if you endure it, and master it, you will have a very powerful, not forgetting fun, profession available to yourself. To me, this is the one profession I have actual proper fun with. The one profession where I feel that I need to be an actively engaged player behind the keyboard, not half asleep, like while I’ve been playing with a whole lot of the other professions. It requires hard work, some would call that skill. And I like that.

You can go into the Heart of the Mists and try it out a little bit, of course, but keep in mind that you’re not necessarily getting your knowledge of how to play a profession like that, unlike when leveling and learning how to play it in the various scenarios presented to you in PvE. It will put you at a disadvantage from the get-go if all you do is rely on sPvP to learn it, as that venue is very unforgiving to make mistakes in and it can be hard to take it slow and learn how to do something properly. That’s not to say you can’t jump into Practice and start learning by facing real-world opponents, but it’ll be a harsh reality when you likely die, over and over and over. Mesmer is not a profession I’d say most players can just take into Structured and be decent at, but I’m sure some people can, maybe you’re one of those. I would never recommend anyone to skip the leveling curve though, on any profession, even if it’s frustrating. You do learn how to cope with situations in PvE as well, how to get more efficient at bursting without relying on some standardized combo that everyone tries to use (and is ultimately extremely easy to counter by anyone with half a brain), how to survive when toe to toe with a Veteran or a Champion. How to kite. Deal with ranged attacks. Etc.—A basic framework to build upon in PvP.

The Mesmer has some of the arguably best versatile utility in the game at their fingertips with their Trait options, and when capitalized upon efficiently (which takes more work than your average profession), it can be an absolute monster when it comes to PvP devastation.

Don’t worry, our damage is not necessarily bad. We can blast people and foes very quickly with the right traits and a somewhat decent/good player behind the character, it just requires more work on your end. And Sword/Sword is a excellent combination of weapons. The Illusionary Riposte has excellent damage output in a Power build, and is easy to proc in PvE (somewhat in PvP too if you get good at forcing dodges and judging when they are out of them), it also generates a clone so that you can shatter for additional damage. And has the benefit of being another Daze if you activate it instead of blocking an attack, so if you trait into Halting Strikes, you can both interrupt a enemy and deal upwards to 3k+ damage (depends on Vulnerability on the target and the Might stacks you carry on you currently—I’ve had numbers in the slightly-below 6k ranges occur, which is roughly a third of a good amount of players health in sPvP!), while denying them skill usage for a second (and I know that seems like nothing, but it can feel like an eternity if you are on the receiving end). The Swordsman Phantasm deals great damage and has the benefit of jumping out of most harms way between each poke, but unless you wish to specialize in Phantasms (and I don’t think that is our stronger suite, and rather limits our potential gravely), I’d use it as a way to spike a shatter by allowing it to hit once, before blowing it up in your targets face.

Keep in mind that I love the Mesmer profession, I am biased in my opinions of it. If you let us know if you play on the EU or NA side, I’m sure some of the Mesmers here on the forums can come show you in person to what extent our profession can be used. Or you could look up a few YouTube videos I guess, that’s also an option. There’s bound to be a few.

PS: On the subject of illusions not switching targets, keep in mind that we are creating an illusion for our specified target. We are deceiving their minds, so when they die, our illusions die with them.

discosoc.6510:

I’m not a hardcore player, but looking to give the game another shot in preparation for the expansion (if I stick with it). One of the problems I’ve had with the game is not really identifying or “connecting” with any of the classes. I typically play heavy melee tank types, but GW2 doesn’t really have tanks and the “heavy melee” builds seem kind of boring.

So this time around, I started scoping out other options, which led me to the Mesmer: a class I’ve never really cared for in terms of ‘look and feel.’ I saw they can dual-wield swords, which is cool, so figured I’d give one a try.

First impression: This is actually kind of fun! Feels more like a rogue/thief character than the actual thief does, IMO.

Second impression: I’m definitely feeling a lot weaker than I’d like… My first special skill (aoe illusions) seems to be useless in terms of damage, and my phantoms (illusions?) don’t seem to switch targets with me. Not to mention getting phantoms out is a slow process in the first place.

Final impression: Looks like my phantom/illusion things only have one hp, so fighting anything with a cleave/aoe ability means I’m just autoattacking for crappy damage. Considering how common aoe seems to be in this game…

So what’s the deal? What role is this class supposed to fill? I can’t do damage. I can’t solo anything for crap. I can’t do much in PvP because my core feature (phantoms) don’t last more than a few seconds. I can’t even zerg PvE stuff very effectively because it all dies before my abilities connect half the time.

Are dual swords just broken? Are these known issues getting fixed in the expansion? Is this something that will “get better” at max level? Are mesmer players just masochists?

I strongly urge you to research Osicat, SuperCutie, and my build (posted in this forum – https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/PvP-CBT-Overload-1-0-aka-The-Punisher/first#post4831494)" for ideas, suggestions, strategies of playing a mesmer effectively, etc.

Like many, I almost gave up on the GW2 mesmer. I loved the GW1 version, and after remaining patient, trial and error, and taking the time to research the class more in-depth, I’ve come to love my GW2 mesmer just as much!

Pro-tip Advice: You have to find what works for you, and what role you want to play. Want high “raw” damage output, look up builds that center around the GS (greatsword). Want to dish out lots of condition pain and DOT (dmg over-time)? Look up builds with scepter and/or staff. Want to use phantoms to cause 1-3k+ dmg …and be the decoy while your clones/phantoms wreck havoc? Look up phantom builds that pump up their dmg – which can be devastating – especially when you spec skills that increase their health to keep them alive long enough to dish out their heavy hitting dmg.

You are not a tank. A mesmer is not designed to be face to face w/ the enemy for a pro-longed period of time. If that’s what you have in mind, then try ranger, warrior, or guardian. Or, wait for the NEW REVENANT class coming in the expansion pack, which looks like a promising spell-caster/warrior hybrid offensive class (vs. the guardian, which leans more defensive oriented by default).

Syric.1936:

I strongly urge you to research Osicat, SuperCutie, and my build (posted in this forum – https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/PvP-CBT-Overload-1-0-aka-The-Punisher/first#post4831494)" for ideas, suggestions, strategies of playing a mesmer effectively, etc.

Careful. The majority of this thread has been discussing PvE. Recommending shatter and condie shatter builds for PvE is a fantastic way to get someone to quit mesmer.

Syric.1936:

You are not a tank. A mesmer is not designed to be face to face w/ the enemy for a pro-longed period of time. If that’s what you have in mind, then try ranger, warrior, or guardian. Or, wait for the NEW REVENANT class coming in the expansion pack, which looks like a promising spell-caster/warrior hybrid offensive class (vs. the guardian, which leans more defensive oriented by default).

Nobody in this game is a true tank. Mesmer can get just as tanky as any other class, you just can’t also be offensive like many other cele tanks can.

Thank you for the replies. One common theme I’m noticing here is that most people here are speaking from the perspective of level 80, with traits and things. That’s fine, but it doesn’t really help address the problems with not being able to level very effectively.

I’ve mentioned it before (and I wasn’t joking), but so far the most effective way for me to kill things is to plan on getting downed for the extra dps. I basically get a mob to about 1/3 to 1/4 health, then pull another mob (usually by dodging into them) which downs me. From there I can do solid dps on the second mob until I’m close to actually dying, at which point I switch to the first mob which quickly dies (and stands me back up). Rinse and repeat.

I’ve gotten to where I can do that indefinitely as long as I don’t pull a third mob.

I don’t know if I’ll stick around for HoT, at this point. I was hoping to get back into the game and maybe see how things have improved and get ready for the expansion. After looking into the changes made to the leveling process last year, however, it seems to me that the game is worse off than when I left it. I’m actually kind of dumbfounded at how some of this stuff got pushed out to Live.

Anyway, I guess the thread can be summed up as “the class gets better if you can manage to get to 80.” Unfortunately, I have a feeling that most of you offering that advice got to 80 before last years’ overhaul.

discosoc.6510:

Anyway, I guess the thread can be summed up as “the class gets better if you can manage to get to 80.” Unfortunately, I have a feeling that most of you offering that advice got to 80 before last years’ overhaul.

This is accurate. Here’s how you level now:

1. EOTM
You can grind in eotm for fast levels. Just take a greatsword+sw/focus and tag all the champs.

2. PvP
You get tons of level-up tomes in PvP. This allows you to level up while having access to all the level 80 traits.

First off, you make some interesting observations. Indeed, Mesmer is a thief-lite with more range, more AOE, less single target dmg, and more team utility. That being said, it is just as squishy as a thief but with less evades. I hope you take the time to explore the class more thoroughly as it has a lot to offer once you reach lvl 80

I recommend that you casually finish your personal story and get involved more so in pvp. Leveling a Mesmer by traditional means could be pretty difficult and frustrating. Hence, I’d spend 70% of your time pvping for the tomes and the other 30% doing… other stuff I guess! lol

Here’s some GREAT threads to get you started with pvp builds:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-Phantrupt-Asskicker-CS-Interrupt/page/3#post4792209
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-Vid-Chaotic-Perdition-WvW-PvP/page/2#post4672303
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Maim-The-Disillusioned-Impressions/page/3#post4605746
Also a link in my signature to another build. If you want something tailored to a specific weapon set that you like, I could help with that as well.

Hope you stick around to see more of what the Mesmer class has to offer! We’re a pretty passionate group here on the forums, so feel free to ask questions as often as needed.

I agree with most of Fay’s points. I have leveled a mesmer to 80 in pve before and I felt very underwhelming and slow until I got to around 60. I haven’t tried to lvl in pve since the “overhaul” but from my experience greatsword is great for lvling with sword/x. where x is anything but torch. off hand sword is…ok…if the phantasm stays alive he can dish out a lot of damage but it’s not likely he’ll survive long. pistol is pretty nice as it spawns the phant away from the target allowing it to stay out of harms way while dealing damage. I used focus in my offhand while leveling for the aoe on the phantasm.

As far as traits go while you’re leveling I can’t really say except that you should get III in domination for 15% more illusion damage. While I leveled i used phantasmal defender so I could actually take some hits, it’s a very usefull utility for leveling. Other than that: null field, feedback, decoy, and signet of illusions are nice to have in pve.

Mesmers are one of the hardest professions to level but it shouldn’t keep you from playing one. Like others have suggested you might consider going to pvp just to tryout how the mesmer feels with full gear and traits.

discosoc.6510:

Anyway, I guess the thread can be summed up as “the class gets better if you can manage to get to 80.” Unfortunately, I have a feeling that most of you offering that advice got to 80 before last years’ overhaul.

SO FYI, I just got to L80. I never connected with GW2 until January of this year (bought the game in August/September 2012) When I started playing again, my Mesmer was the highest level Character I had (L 18) So basically over the past month and change I got all the way. It’s hard but fun the whole way. Now I will admit I probably got about 15 Levels through Tomes of Knowledge and Crafting, but excepting that aspect I went completely PVE, and not even through Dungeons.

As people have mentioned in the post, it depends on how you want to play.

I can tell you though, playing with Greatsword + Sword/Focus, or Sword/Pistol is probably the most fun. Everyone here is right when they say Sword/Sword is great damage, but when leveling up you need either something long lasting with good damage (pistol) or something with more AOE damage (Focus).

The primary Drawback to Sword/Sword especially early on is that it is very much melee intense. That means Clones + Phantasms just don’t last all that long. Honeslty I nearly gave up on Mesmer from L20-40 until I settled on Greatsword + Sword/Pistol. The Pistol does very good damage and is at range, meaning the mob you attacked has to focus on it, or you. Menawhile you switch over to Greatsword, and attack the mob at range.

Now I’m not saying my method was the most efficient, even for Personal Story plus PVE roaming, but that it was fun, and while comparing to my Engineer I wasn’t doing as much damage, but I never felt completely Kitten. (Honestly that award goes to my Guardian having gotten myself swarmed, didn’t know how important escape mechanisms like blink and Decoy had become to me)

I leveled my mesmer last september. For PvE i found that GS/Staff was best for me. GS brings raw DPS and staff lets you kill multiple mobs without getting punished for dying. If you’re insistent on lvling in PvE though, i would recommend you grab a minor sigil of bloodlust for your weapon (until 60 then get a major sigil). It costs almost nothing and makes it faster. When you get bored of PvE switch to PvP for tome farming.

Once you make it to 80 though, the world finally opens up as mesmer. Enjoy!

Get Halting Strike under Domination and practice your interrupts vs. PvE foes, e.g., use the F3 shatter, Diversion, activate Illusionary Riposte (#4) with your off-hand Sword and activate the Counter Blade follow-up skill (or time it so the enemy hits it while it channels, which will be better damage in most cases, besides creating a clone too). They attack slower than players, so you should have a good enough time to get used to how long between each of their attacks you need to wait.

If you run a Greatsword besides your Sword/Sword setup, use the Illusionary Wave (#5) attack to knock back and interrupt the enemy. The closer you are, the faster Mirror Blade (#2) will bounce between you and your target, adding 6 Vulnerability to it (6% more damage) and giving you 6 stacks of Might. You can use Mind Stab (#3) while Mirror Blade is bouncing back and forth, there’s no need to wait.

You could also try get the Mantra of Distraction utility skill to use for further interrupts. By interrupting enemies, you can deal damage with the Halting Strike trait (in other words, don’t just use your dazes randomly, use them to interrupt an actual incoming skill). Note that on Champions, interrupting is more of a pain, since they have a mechanic called Defiance (something that will be changed for the better with the HoT expansion), which makes them immune to crowd control effects for x amount of incoming crowd controls (minimum 3, scales with players nearby).

Your Sword’s Blurred Frenzy (#2) will deal a decent amount of- and avoid damage as you use it. Take advantage of that. Also, try get some basic Blue/Green equipment. You can get it on the Trading Post for relatively cheap, or feel free to just send me a mail in-game (use the Forum username) and I’ll craft some for you. I should probably have an abundance of materials laying about in my Bank anyways. While the profession is reliant on traits, you should be able to get by in PvE with some practice and understanding of the mechanics. I think a lot of the early struggles is not knowing how to take effective use of all the tools the profession has to it. While you get stronger as you level up, as is the case with all professions, it’s also a profession that gets stronger the more experience you have with it. It can be unforgiving at the start, to new players of it.

Again, if you let us know if you are EU or NA, I’m sure some experienced Mesmer will be more than willing to show you some things you can do to deal with enemies, even at lower levels, single or multiple. Taking you through what they did when showing you, e.g., why they used Illusionary Leap, why they used Swap when they used Swap, why they Blurred Frenzy, why they used Distortion, etc.—Obviously without asking you to swap your weapons if you enjoy Sword/Sword and something else, all combinations can be made to work for general PvE leveling.