Guild Wars 2

Hi all,

I haven’t been playing for most of the last year, but I’m tempted to give the game another try to see if it feels any less grindy for me personally. I’m a PvE-only player, and I’ve adored the style, story, animations and concept of the Mesmer profession since it was announced. What I didn’t like can be essentially summed up in two points:

1. all the viable builds at the time seemed to me to necessitate constant kiting and movement; and
2. the implementation of the core shatter mechanic for me undermined the uniquely Mesmery ‘feel’ and playstyle options I was looking for.

The latter issue I’m happy to accept for now, I can choose not to use shatters as a personal preference and even if it’s slightly sub-optimal, that’s okay. I’m fairly sure I can still get through the content just fine without them. I know there are quite a few who enjoy the current version of the shatter mechanic, and that’s great too.

On the former issue of kiting though, has there been any improvement or versatility added over the last 9 months or so? I don’t mind dodging occasionally, or moving to respond to certain environmental effects now and again, but constantly spinning the camera all the time only serves to give me a headache – I don’t find it enjoyable at all, and the twitch control required to maintain it isn’t something that I’m interested in persisting with.

Are there any viable PvE Mesmer builds now (particularly support/utility oriented, but any will do) that don’t require constant kiting to be successful? Are there any new skills or traits that offer an exchange of some mobility for other types of defense and survival – perhaps based on illusion, magic or distraction?

Thanks!

I’m sorry to say that even in pve, if you’re not moving about, you’re goin to die. It’s a part of the game. The closest you’ll get in pve to not moving as much, is a phantasm build. You could try using this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAR8NIJMfo3nZE9lTqgqLpA38G
I think Skoetios came up with it. Good mix of damage and group support. Try it out for a bit and see if it works for how ya want to play.

-Tightens salesman tie. Clears throat-

Shatters not your thing? Prefer a more laid-back playstyle? Phantasms are probably for you. You may wanna take a look at the Chaos Maestro (in my sig. typing from phone) for samples of builds with a support focus. War Maestro may be your thing, its a warlord-style build where you use phantasms/allies as minions to do all your work while you buff them and use your skills to control the battefield. (While doing good damage with your GS)

Thanks to you both, I’ll take a look at both of your suggestions and see if they work any better!

I use a staff condition build that doesn’t require much movement or shatter, get mobs to aggro the clones with phase retreat get more clones with other skills or deceptive evasion, then sit back and wait for things to die. I only shatter when whatever I’m targeting is about to die or i can get another set of clones up. I use 0/20/0/25/25 with all rabid armor but the main thing is the staff.

I’m going to agree with Chaos here – with those builds (or that general style) you can give some very good group support and decent (not amazing) dps, while also being very tanky (with the right gear – like clerics or soldiers). You can also do some very tanky condition builds, but these are a bit trickier in PvE (issues with conditions stacking).

The optimal dungeon PvE builds are all glassy (for every class) – the reason is people can avoid major damage, so why would they waste stat points on survivability? This doesn’t make other builds non-playable, But obnoxious close-minded players might kick you from their CoF group. If you see that they want you to ping your gear…just run the other way. In high level FOTM you’ll probably want a bit more survivability, so those kinds of builds should serve you well…then again, you’ll still want to avoid getting hit too much.

there’s some really good phantasm builds out there. I run a phantasm based build as well, but in pve, i ENJOY the spinny camera, running around, dodging all the time, BUT the build is quite tanky, synergizing defensive traits/boons, and using gear for damage potential and often I solo group evens with a lot of mobs like u know 20 risen or something. I barely take damage even when i run into the middle and take hits. If you have a tanky build you dont have to move much, that said, it’s better to, if it is a tougher situation… you’ll need to move around a lot like in dungeons with one/two-shot kill bosses etc

There are some things you can do to remain somewhat stationary in pve.

• stack only toughness and vitality on gear
• Use a staff, if you stand in the chaos storm (5) you get boons that protect you and conditions that make it really hard for mobs to do damage to you!
• use a sword, you can time blurred frenzy to mitigate attacks and remain stationary for longer.
• if circle straving (running in circles areound the thing youre trying to kill), then try moving unpredictably! what i mean by this is for example: blink past a mob so they have to turn around to find you (it fits with the mesmer theme too because it confuses them as you completely dissapear). You can also dodge roll through a mob and phase retreat to teleport behind them aswell.

As for the shatters, I think you feel as if illusions are your allies, and you dont want to get rid of them so easily? If that is or is not the case, there are different things to do instead.

• for group support, you can take 10 or 30 inspiration, each time you shatter, you grant vigor (dodge recahrges twiceas fast) and remove a condition! In dungeons clones dont often do much, so youre pretty much sacrificing nearly nothing and making your friends stronger : D.

• there are also phantasm builds where you use phantasms for damage, you really dont want to shatter them. but phantasm builds use 25 or 30 inspiration, so you can start the fights with clones and shatter them for vigor. Or when your phantasm is low health and about to take a killing blow, might aswell shatter them for that vigor.

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@Pyroatheist.9031 thanks :D!

Alissah.9281:

If circle strafing (running in circles around the thing you’re trying to kill), then try moving unpredictably!

Thanks for the tips, but this ‘circle strafing’ is exactly what I meant by kiting – I don’t enjoy that in the slightest. I’ll definitely take on board your other suggestions though.

Alissah.9281:

As for the shatters, I think you feel as if illusions are your allies, and you dont want to get rid of them so easily? If that is or is not the case, there are different things to do instead.

Not really, I just don’t like physically exploding the mental illusions that I’m supposedly creating in their minds. It feels to me like a guardian stripping boons from nearby allies to fuel their main mechanic, or a ranger who lovingly tames and evolves their pet so they can roast and eat it at the right moment for maximum strength. I also don’t really enjoy the minion-bomber/minion-master playstyle in games, I usually tend to prefer buffers/debuffers, or utility item/area enhancers.

It’s fine that it doesn’t end up that way though, and it’s completely a personal preference. There have been numerous suggestions about shatter changes ever since the beta weekends, and they’ve gone precisely nowhere, so I’m quite okay with accepting that we’re essentially stuck with the shatter mechanic at this point for better or worse.

However, while phantasm builds may solve your shatter concerns; GW2 is still very much a twitchy game. Dodging and kiting (Or, more frequently skirmishing in and out of melee) is very much central to GW2’s mechanics. You can’t just stand in melee, or stand in one spot with a ranged weapon. You will die, every, single, time.

This is true whatever build or class you play, you will need to kite and dodge; even warriors and guardians must learn to time their dodges and know when to step off

Ryuujin.8236:

However, while phantasm builds may solve your shatter concerns; GW2 is still very much a twitchy game. Dodging and kiting (Or, more frequently skirmishing in and out of melee) is very much central to GW2’s mechanics. You can’t just stand in melee, or stand in one spot with a ranged weapon. You will die, every, single, time.

Ah, okay, seems like it’s still not really going to be the persistent world for me then.

Thanks all for the helpful advice.

For PvE, kiting is not a necessity for solo content. If you’re talking about dungeons and fractals, you’ll have to be more aware.

• Clones can take a significant number of hits for you. Since you don’t like to shatter pick up several of the on clone death hits and capitalize on them dying. Your gear, Persisting Images trait, and/or signet of illusions make them last longer.
• Phantasmal Defender eats half your damage taken.
• Combo Chaos Armor off ethereal fields. It depends on you getting hit, so that’s perfect for you.
• Prismatic Understanding gives you defensive boons when you stealth – great way to take the pressure off you if you start to get overwhelmed.
• Runes of Dwayna with mantra of resolve can give you a lot of healing over time. Especially if you have healing power and boon duration.

For PvE Mesmer can easily build to be tough enough to take mobs toe to toe. You do sacrifice damage so most people don’t.