Guild Wars 2

i’m actually quite excited for the upcoming patch, i’m not seeing a ton of enthusiasm at the moment from anybody else though??

illusionary leap clone is now summoned at target location so it has less chance of getting stuck

mind stab is an actual aoe now

~scepter AA applies torment~ (i don’t really use condi builds anyway but it’s still nice i guess)

maim the disillusioned now has more torment duration, probably is a killer combo with scepter, could actually make a condi shatter build now if you tried/traited hard enough

~unsure how well mimic is going to be utilized though, i feel like arcane thievery is just better as long as you know how to time it

pain mantra is aoe

daze mantra is aoe+

++++illusionary elasticity affects clones using winds of chaos (do you realise how many condis you could stack on someone kiting your chaos field for its duration while you and your clones just send double-bouncing attack after attack??)++++++++++++

-condi builds that use khamikaze-clone traits are nerfed-
^this was inevitable, and most likely just, as a lot of the conditions applied were unavoidable. it’s not like now that it’s avoidable players are just going to be parkouring away from clones, they’ll still get the condis, because they’ll never see it coming:)

—pu is nerfed hard— once again, probably inevitable as it was probably one of the bigger things newfriends were qqing about. I look at this positively though, as it means less noobs humping boon/stealth combos and more players either rerolling to inferior classes or actually becoming decent mesmers (win)

what are the general thoughts on these specific changes and how we can use them to our full advantage?

General thoughts:

Some nice changes.

Most major meta issues still unresolved.

Warden IE still borked. Included in patch notes, just like last feature patch.

Also, AT is better than Mimic because Mimic doesn’t remove their boons, just copies it. Only practical application of Mimic is vs Andal in HotW. Trait Mimic and spam it for 25 stacks of permanent might, then yell at your teammates when they override it by using Empower.

I plan to test the hell out of Mimic. This “AT is better” nonsense really doesn’t hold up in my mind because it’s too unpredictable. Great! I got your one second of Retaliation! … Why do you still have 20s Fury?

Mimic aside, definitely stoked. I think I’ll be trying lock mesmer and MtD(possibly together) in WvW, and maybe dabble in restorative MoP in bigger fights. I dunno, I have a good feeling about this patch!

Ross Biddle.2367:

General thoughts:

Some nice changes.

Most major meta issues still unresolved.

this is why anet hates us

they give us a bone and forum mesmers be like, “ugh nothing IMPORTANT fixed might as well nerf us”

they give us an inch and you guys complain about not being given the mile

I mostly run large-scale WvW these days and I’ve always struggled with finding a position for my Mesmer. Something that supports the team, but that will also net me some loot bags!

I plan on running something like 4/6/0/4/0 AoE-Mantra Zergblaster. GS/Staff, damage on interrupt, Mantra of Pain and Mantra of Distraction. Between Chaos Storm, iZerker, Mind Stab, MoP, and daze-damage from MoD and Chaos Storm, I’m hoping to see a lot of juicy damage numbers. Support-wise, it still gives me lots of CC help via dazes along with the potent Mantra splash when I charge it.

It’ll be a little carpal-tunnel inducing, i’m sure, but I’m really looking forward to trying it out. I’ve still got my elementalist as backup if it turns out gross. :-)

Kadj.6725:

I plan to test the hell out of Mimic. This “AT is better” nonsense really doesn’t hold up in my mind because it’s too unpredictable. Great! I got your one second of Retaliation! … Why do you still have 20s Fury?

Mimic aside, definitely stoked. I think I’ll be trying lock mesmer and MtD(possibly together) in WvW, and maybe dabble in restorative MoP in bigger fights. I dunno, I have a good feeling about this patch!

i basically feel the same way, i’m excited that they’re giving us more access to potentially effective aoe.

i’m not really feeling like i’m gonna change any of my current shatter-based utilities for arcane thievery OR the new mimic, the only way i’d use mimic anyway is if i saw a guard put up all his shouts or a thief drink that elixir that gives them all the boons for a duration

Kelthien.8593:

I mostly run large-scale WvW these days and I’ve always struggled with finding a position for my Mesmer. Something that supports the team, but that will also net me some loot bags!

I plan on running something like 4/6/0/4/0 AoE-Mantra Zergblaster. GS/Staff, damage on interrupt, Mantra of Pain and Mantra of Distraction. Between Chaos Storm, iZerker, Mind Stab, MoP, and daze-damage from MoD and Chaos Storm, I’m hoping to see a lot of juicy damage numbers. Support-wise, it still gives me lots of CC help via dazes along with the potent Mantra splash when I charge it.

It’ll be a little carpal-tunnel inducing, i’m sure, but I’m really looking forward to trying it out. I’ve still got my elementalist as backup if it turns out gross. :-)

don’t you think it’d be rad for mesmer to have a wall like staff earth eles possess? the interruption damage could be crazy, no?

Spanny.9256:

i’m actually quite excited for the upcoming patch, i’m not seeing a ton of enthusiasm at the moment from anybody else though??

……

what are the general thoughts on these specific changes and how we can use them to our full advantage?

You haven’t been a mesmer for very long have you?

My general Thoughts are that:
A. I will not get excited or hopeful for changes to make it into the game that are working, will not be altered to a poop state, nor require a hotfix 2 days later to have them “work as intended”.

B. I cannot plan to take advantage of any of these things because i do not know what will now become broken, what will arrive broken, what will be fixed, what wont be fixed, what will be buffed/nerfed, and what wont be buffed nerfed.

Anet can take me to their HQ and show me all the mesmer changes in the game fully working 100% of the time with now new bugs and Promise me that this is what is going into the game on September 9th, and I still wouldn’t believe it.

Swish.2463:

Spanny.9256:

i’m actually quite excited for the upcoming patch, i’m not seeing a ton of enthusiasm at the moment from anybody else though??

……

what are the general thoughts on these specific changes and how we can use them to our full advantage?

You haven’t been a mesmer for very long have you?

My general Thoughts are that:
A. I will not get excited or hopeful for changes to make it into the game that are working, will not be altered to a poop state, nor require a hotfix 2 days later to have them “work as intended”.

B. I cannot plan to take advantage of any of these things because i do not know what will now become broken, what will arrive broken, what will be fixed, what wont be fixed, what will be buffed/nerfed, and what wont be buffed nerfed.

Anet can take me to their HQ and show me all the mesmer changes in the game fully working 100% of the time with now new bugs and Promise me that this is what is going into the game on September 9th, and I still wouldn’t believe it.

It is kinda sad, we the class of illusions cannot even trust the reality they give us as being anything more than a cruel deception played upon us by vengeful gods. To truly be a mesmer is to live in this Kafkaesque torment of never knowing, burdened by the Nietschean realisation that hope is a delusion of the ignorant and that this torment is the price we pay for knowing the only true thing, that no good news is real!

Swish.2463:

Spanny.9256:

i’m actually quite excited for the upcoming patch, i’m not seeing a ton of enthusiasm at the moment from anybody else though??

……

what are the general thoughts on these specific changes and how we can use them to our full advantage?

You haven’t been a mesmer for very long have you?

My general Thoughts are that:
A. I will not get excited or hopeful for changes to make it into the game that are working, will not be altered to a poop state, nor require a hotfix 2 days later to have them “work as intended”.

B. I cannot plan to take advantage of any of these things because i do not know what will now become broken, what will arrive broken, what will be fixed, what wont be fixed, what will be buffed/nerfed, and what wont be buffed nerfed.

Anet can take me to their HQ and show me all the mesmer changes in the game fully working 100% of the time with now new bugs and Promise me that this is what is going into the game on September 9th, and I still wouldn’t believe it.

i’ve mained a mesmer for about a year now and have gotten into the more well-known pvp/wvw guilds due to my mesmer experience so that’s really not the issue..

i’m just trying not to be a pessimistic p!ss ant; it’s been a while since anet’s given us something worthwhile. The update descriptions seem pretty straightforward, if they don’t work like they’re described then you can complain about how mesmers never have nice things like everybody else.

in the meantime at least have some faith that we’re actually getting some much needed love next week

It all sounds good on paper…lets wait until the patch goes live to see if they actually fixed the supposed ‘features’ with IE and the warden. We’ve been promised these fixes before -.-

I guess Im dumb, but I’m actually pretty excited. A lot of potential cool stuff on the way. Not really afraid of being let down, it happens. Bugs happen. Skritt happens. I’ll complain after the patch when there are actual (not theoretical) things to complain about.

And we always get buffed crazy in December anyways.

Spanny.9256:

Ross Biddle.2367:

General thoughts:

Some nice changes.

Most major meta issues still unresolved.

this is why anet hates us

they give us a bone and forum mesmers be like, “ugh nothing IMPORTANT fixed might as well nerf us”

they give us an inch and you guys complain about not being given the mile

This! If I were working for ANet (speaking as a programmer) I wouldn’t give the Mesmer community anything. Most of the forum community do nothing but complain whether we get anything bad or good. Whether we see it or not, the programmers have to put in full time hours into this game and we give absolutely no gratification for their work. Thankfully, the Mesmers that actually play the game instead of trolling the forums aren’t nearly as pessimistic.

I’m pretty stoked for all the Mesmer changes. I’m a little confused about Mimic and will need to test it once the patch drops, but there is absolutely no way Mesmers will be in a worse state than we have been. We can only go up!

Spanny.9256:

don’t you think it’d be rad for mesmer to have a wall like staff earth eles possess? the interruption damage could be crazy, no?

It would be nice, for sure. Though any kind of additional effect counts as a buff, and buffs are great.

Since guardians/eles get the movement-stopping wall, I would’ve loved a daze wall or an interrupt wall, even as an added effect to our glamours or Temporal Curtain. Oh well, can’t have it all. :-)

Maybe it’s an idea for down the road if they add more utility spells!

Kelthien.8593:

Spanny.9256:

don’t you think it’d be rad for mesmer to have a wall like staff earth eles possess? the interruption damage could be crazy, no?

It would be nice, for sure. Though any kind of additional effect counts as a buff, and buffs are great.

Since guardians/eles get the movement-stopping wall, I would’ve loved a daze wall or an interrupt wall, even as an added effect to our glamours or Temporal Curtain. Oh well, can’t have it all. :-)

Maybe it’s an idea for down the road if they add more utility spells!

The Inspiration trait-line needs some serious cleanup, especially the underwhelming gm traits. Your idea about a daze wall maybe can be implemented as a gm trait that boosts our Glamour skills? Something like: Glamour skills daze foes who enter or exit their areas for 1s?

Daze on Glamours? Now that is an interesting concept.

Advent.6193:

Daze on Glamours? Now that is an interesting concept.

It could be neat, for sure. We’ve got Blind and Confusion on them right now… a little daze/interrupt might be a cool option as well.

The only drawback I have with glamour builds is the long cooldown. It’s a lot of traits to invest to get them up to speed, and even then I only seem to have a short 6-8 seconds of up-time followed by 25-30 seconds of cooldown. :-/

Spanny.9256:

Ross Biddle.2367:

General thoughts:

Some nice changes.

Most major meta issues still unresolved.

this is why anet hates us

they give us a bone and forum mesmers be like, “ugh nothing IMPORTANT fixed might as well nerf us”

they give us an inch and you guys complain about not being given the mile

It’s not so much a complaint as it is a factual statement of truth. There were some nice changes, and the meta concerns were unaddressed. What more do you want?

Noah.9654:

Spanny.9256:

Ross Biddle.2367:

General thoughts:

Some nice changes.

Most major meta issues still unresolved.

this is why anet hates us

they give us a bone and forum mesmers be like, “ugh nothing IMPORTANT fixed might as well nerf us”

they give us an inch and you guys complain about not being given the mile

This! If I were working for ANet (speaking as a programmer) I wouldn’t give the Mesmer community anything.

I’m sorry for the loss of your job since it’d be your boss dictating what you did and for whome.

Then again, perhaps you’ve hit the nail on the head and this is the Anet devs not giving the Mesmer community “anything”. Though I don’t believe that, because a true Anet dev unilaterally takes things away from Mesmers ;D

Chaos Archangel.5071:

I guess Im dumb, but I’m actually pretty excited. A lot of potential cool stuff on the way. Not really afraid of being let down, it happens. Bugs happen. Skritt happens. I’ll complain after the patch when there are actual (not theoretical) things to complain about.

And we always get buffed crazy in December anyways.

i REALLY hope we don’t have to wait til december to get effective buffs lol

Kelthien.8593:

Spanny.9256:

don’t you think it’d be rad for mesmer to have a wall like staff earth eles possess? the interruption damage could be crazy, no?

It would be nice, for sure. Though any kind of additional effect counts as a buff, and buffs are great.

Since guardians/eles get the movement-stopping wall, I would’ve loved a daze wall or an interrupt wall, even as an added effect to our glamours or Temporal Curtain. Oh well, can’t have it all. :-)

Maybe it’s an idea for down the road if they add more utility spells!

a daze wall sounds like a fantastic idea, hopefully people could get behind this for future updates

Chaos Archangel.5071:

Bugs happen. Skritt happens. I’ll complain after the patch when there are actual (not theoretical) things to complain about.

And we always get buffed crazy in December anyways.

Gotta wait after the patch to see all the undocumented changes we get… mostly nerfs, as usual.

Ross Biddle.2367:

It’s not so much a complaint as it is a factual statement of truth. There were some nice changes, and the meta concerns were unaddressed. What more do you want?

it seems to me that you think the only way to play is “go meta or go home,” when in reality if you actually play the game you’d understand that metas like condi damage is literally only utilized in hotjoin pvp. if you enter tpvp/pve ever you might see a max of one condi-oriented player, and that’s the ceiling.

you might get a better response if you detail what you feel is wrong with the gameplay and how YOU would fix it, instead of just basically spouting “UGH META”

Spanny.9256:

Ross Biddle.2367:

It’s not so much a complaint as it is a factual statement of truth. There were some nice changes, and the meta concerns were unaddressed. What more do you want?

it seems to me that you think the only way to play is “go meta or go home,” when in reality if you actually play the game you’d understand that metas like condi damage is literally only utilized in hotjoin pvp. if you enter tpvp/pve ever you might see a max of one condi-oriented player, and that’s the ceiling.

you might get a better response if you detail what you feel is wrong with the gameplay and how YOU would fix it, instead of just basically spouting “UGH META”

I think you’re reading too far into what he’s saying, and not in a good way. You are both saying the same thing yet trying to argue about it.

There were a lot of nice things in the skill bar, but unless they were holding out on us (which is bad if they’re attempting to be transparent), then all of our “balance” changes were merely bug fixes/tweaks bar Scepter changes (and yes, I’m including PU, Clone Death, and Mimic as bug fixes/tweaks even though they’re somewhat larger than that). This is also not a good thing, because it means that Arenanet thinks that Mesmers are in a balanced position as it stands, which is clearly not true. While I agree that fixing our skills is a good approach, I personally think that it should be done in addition to balance, otherwise we get things like…

Sword 1 fix: To compensate for the damage bonus gained from the third strike, as intended, we reduced the overall damage output of Sword 1.

Wait what? So, Sword 1 was borked, which means that we weren’t doing nearly as much damage as was intended. So they fixed it, sweet! Then they immediately nerf it. Wait what? (Counterpoint: This is merging balance and skill-fixes depending on your point of view.)

Most of the changes in this patch, towards making GW2 (and Mesmer gameplay) are not healthy or significant. The significant ones are unhealthy and the healthy ones are insignificant (because, you know, we’ve been shoved down the gutter so far every time we ask for these fixes that we’re so used to not having them cough IE cough Warden cough).

Did I mention both Warden and IE have been “fixed” numerous times, in addition to being “fixed” last Feature Pack? Oh, and they weren’t actually previewed on the Skill Bar, go figure. These are the only “healthy” changes, as they promote traits/skills. IE is widely underused because it only affects the illusions made from Torch and Trident, in addition to all bouncing skills the player has. It doesn’t affect iDisenchanter or Staff clones, which means that you’re most likely not going to grab this unless you want to camp 3 trident clones (for whatever reason, because 3 whalers or mariners is wayyyyy better unless you want boons).

did you read the mesmer patch notes on the wiki? winds of chaos is going to be able to bounce 2 times if you trait it, and it applies to clones as well

i use IE all the time, the extra bounce on WOC is hella rad even if it’s just for me, and the extra bounce on gs2 is killer especially if you throw it, run at your enemy, dodge+create clone, and shatter in less than half a second

Spanny.9256:

did you read the mesmer patch notes on the wiki? winds of chaos is going to be able to bounce 2 times if you trait it, and it applies to clones as well

i use IE all the time, the extra bounce on WOC is hella rad even if it’s just for me, and the extra bounce on gs2 is killer especially if you throw it, run at your enemy, dodge+create clone, and shatter in less than half a second

Did you read my post?

Esplen.3940:

Most of the changes in this patch, towards making GW2 (and Mesmer gameplay) are not healthy or significant. The significant ones are unhealthy and the healthy ones are insignificant (because, you know, we’ve been shoved down the gutter so far every time we ask for these fixes that we’re so used to not having them cough IE cough Warden cough).

Did I mention both Warden and IE have been “fixed” numerous times, in addition to being “fixed” last Feature Pack? Oh, and they weren’t actually previewed on the Skill Bar, go figure.

i’m not taking other patches/fixes into account, i’m just talking about what anet EXPLICITLY said, and whether the changes are significant or unhealthy is your opinion only, i for one think it’s gonna be a fun day next week discovering all the differences anet is giving us, whether they’re good or not, and using what we can to our advantage.

don’t dwell on the past, and don’t hope for the best possible future; the only thing you can do is take action and move in the direction you set for yourself

Esplen.3940:

Esplen.3940:

Did I mention both Warden and IE have been “fixed” numerous times, in addition to being “fixed” last Feature Pack? Oh, and they weren’t actually previewed on the Skill Bar, go figure.

Ignoring the fact that Anet has a bad track record when it comes to Mesmer… no, I can’t ignore that. They didn’t preview it, which means it doesn’t work unless you (cough they) can prove otherwise.