Guild Wars 2

Hey everyone,

So I made a thread about a month ago for some advice and got some really helpful tips (especially from Pyroatheist), and changed my build a little bit. (Thank you for that!)

At this point of time, I’m running a 0/20/0/25/25 Phantasm build for PvE with a full set of Rampager gear (http://tinyurl.com/koxuccm), which, as has been pointed out to me the first time around, is extremely squishy and not as good DPS-wise as a set of Berserker gear.

I’ve been doing tons and tons of TA recently (really just to hang with a friend of mine), and am 2 runs away from getting a full set of gear. I realized that the choices were limited to Ramager, Rabid and Magi, so I went to look for a build that I could use to match the armor choices. I came across Natsu Dragneel’s Blackwater Guide (https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-The-Blackwater-Mesmer-Condition-WvW), and decided that that would fit nicely with the Rabid set of gear that I would get from TA, making my build essentially this:http://tinyurl.com/n6c23bv (Basically an exact replica of Natsu Dragneel’s Blackwater mesmer minus the runes) for WvW. Now I quite like playing the phantasm build for PvE, so will this armor set still be viable for it? I realize the DPS will go down marginally but if not, what would the most optimal build for Rabid gear be, PvE wise?

I’m also currently thinking of farming up for Berserker gear, which I aim to get for PvE (since I’m already so used to the “squishyness” seeing as how I already have a pseudo-berserker build set) which would eventually look like this: http://tinyurl.com/l7ffrel. Are the Ogre runes the right way to go? What about the trinkets?

Another question I have are about trinkets. I currently have enough Guild Commendations to get 1 Ascended Trinket, and was wondering which would be the best path to take – I suppose it depends on which build I choose to run, but any pro tips would be well appreciated.

Thank you guys for your time. Any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated!

Cheers.

@DeathReign, for mesmer generally it’s best to stick with power builds for PvE if you can. The fact you’ve gotten used to being squishy is great and will continue to serve you well as you venture into WvW or dungeons. I would recommend you stick with that as long as you are comfortable doing so. So, berserker set for PvE and rabid set for WvW sounds ideal in your case. For your berserker armor upgrades, the often debated best (but by far most affordable) route is 6x ruby orbs. 6x Ogre is a decent choice and won’t break the bank too bad.

For trinkets (including the ascended piece), I recommend berserker for the power build and rabid or dire for the condition build. If you want a little more armor, you could add some cavalier trinkets.

If you haven’t picked up any zerker pieces, try getting a set of assassin’s armour, weapons and trinkets and see how that works out for you. Berserker is usually the “go to” gear choice for PvE, but Guang calculated it was I think 1-2% more efficient than Berserker on a mesmer. Unless of course money is an issue, in which case it’s probably cheaper to get zerk pieces from dungeon merchants if you run COF, COE and Arah enough.

colesy.8490:

If you haven’t picked up any zerker pieces, try getting a set of assassin’s armour, weapons and trinkets and see how that works out for you. Berserker is usually the “go to” gear choice for PvE, but Guang calculated it was I think 1-2% more efficient than Berserker on a mesmer. Unless of course money is an issue, in which case it’s probably cheaper to get zerk pieces from dungeon merchants if you run COF, COE and Arah enough.

Oh really? Assassin’s slightly better than Zerker’s for PvE? Do you have a link to the math Colesy?

Well I’ve barely had any GW2 access lately and when I have I’ve not been bothered to number crunch, so no, though here’s the thread (not sure where I got that 1-2% number … must have imagined it):

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/dungeons/Assassin-Vs-Berserker

Ok, so. You really want to stay away from condition builds in PvE for Mesmer, especially considering you play a very strong phantasm build. Stick to your rampaged gear for now, but angle for a set of zerker either from dungeons or wvw badges or w/e.

That being said, there are a ton of awesome and really fun Mesmer PvP builds that use full rabid gear, the blackwater build (or a variation of it that I run) probably bein my favorite. If you get a full set rabid, you won’t regret it.

Thank you guys for your input! I’ve definitely learned a lot, and really appreciate it!

@skcamow, Thanks for the tip on Ruby Orbs! I see now why it’s so popular – cheap and efficient, really nice. I’m still at a tug-of-war between getting a power based ascended trinket or a condition based one though, as I do both WvW and PvE.

@Colesy, Wow, didn’t know that! Thanks for the info. Will definitely be something to consider, but like you said, farming a set of berserker gear from the dungeons would be cheaper (seeing as how I’ve already got a couple of tokens from each as it is). We’ll see how it goes!

@Pyroatheist, Thanks again for pitching in. I figured eventually that condition builds really aren’t that great in PvE as a mesmer, even with Sharper Images and the lot. I ended up paying more attention to the actual hits of the phantasms than to the conditions they were putting on the bosses/mobs, hence steering me towards conceding to power/precision. I did end up getting the full set of Rabid Armor, and WvW has never been as fun as running Natsu Dragneel’s Blackwater build!