Guild Wars 2

Hi everyone, I wanted to share a build that I’ve found for PvP that I’m sure has probably been done in the past but I haven’t seen it on the build list. The main problem with my last build I posted was damage, so this one ups the damage a LOT, while still being survivable.

The build itself is 4/4/6/0/0, using Sword/Sword & Greatsword.

Link to the build: Build Link

Video of the build and gameplay: Video and Gameplay

For Domination – I picked III for Empowered Illusions and X for Greatsword Mastery. Simple, phantasms hurt more and greatsword has shorter cooldowns.

For Dueling – I chose: II for Phantasmal Fury, and IV for Blade Training. Using sword/sword, it’s definitely good to have shorter cooldowns on them, and also phantasmal fury is perfect for power builds.

In Chaos, I picked trait V for Debilitating Dissipation, which stacks either bleeding, weakness, or vulnerability on a player when they kill a clone. Really no other choices here. Next, I picked VIII for Bountiful Interruption (might stacks) and XII for PU.

For my utility choices, I went with Decoy, Null Field, and Mantra of Distraction.

Mantra is great because it’s a daze you can use while stunned and any time you interrupt someone, you gain 5 stacks of might + a random boon. I know the biggest weakness of this build is the lack of condi removal, so Null field helps that, along with being able to generate chaos armor using the sword/sword pairing. Decoy, is decoy.

I went with Ether Feast for this build, short cooldown and large heal works very well with PU. For Sigils, I went with Battle on both weapons, using generosity on the swords and air on the greatsword. I figure I start with greatsword so hope for a proc or two before switching and having conditions, then passing one along. I’m using a berserker amulet.

Now for damage, it’s a fairly strong build. The swordsman can crit for about 5-6k, berserker quite a lot as well. And it’s not just them that has all the damage, blurred frenzy hits for over 3k with might on, the sword 4 hits for 3500 on a crit as well.

If you like the build please let me know, also I have a lot of other interesting builds I have made for PvP that I haven’t really seen that can be fun, so feel free to take a look here: Mesmer Builds Playlist

Thanks!

There’s a couple odd things I see about this build, but I’ll stick with the most obvious one:

Why are you using PU? You have decoy and mass invis as your access to stealth. This means a maximum of 14 seconds of stealth every 90 seconds. It seems like a total waste to be going 30 points into chaos and taking a grandmaster trait when you don’t actually have the capacity to use it much.

It just seems to me like you’ve taken PU because its the default defensive trait for Mesmer without actually thinking about whether it makes any sense in this build.

I use a very similar build and have experimented with builds like this for a year or so.

I use scepter/pistol instead of sword/sword and a slightly different set of utilities.

Pyro, in terms of your question about why to use PU, my experience is that even with only two stealth skills, it helps a ton. I think the thing to analyze is not the percentage of time spent in stealth, but the percentage of the actual fight length where you have a substantial defense advantage. I didn’t watch the video, but many of my roaming fights in WvW are over in less than a minute. Especially because I use Ether Signet and duelists, I can generate a large spike in damage early and then get a lot of opponents into panic mode as they can’t return any damage.

This is clearly not the case when you’re fighting long fights with many opponents. So it comes down to what the fights are typically like.

Pyro, assuming you wanted to do a phantasm build that spent 4 / 4 / x / y / z where would you put the points instead? The Chaos line is so nice for its stats and traits, it’s almost worth going to PU just for the chance to invest in that line.

That’s what I was going for, thank you for explaining it a bit Eldenbri. It’s more of an escape plan more than anything else. It lets me summon a phantasm and cool down reset a bit, in addition to protection/aegis/regen. Most fights don’t last that long being power spec, but if someone gets the drop it lets me basically do a reset with a more favorable start. Usually some distance, 3-5 seconds of protection, and a phantasm summoned. Sure there may be more specs for pure damage but I felt this was a survivable power build that puts out respectable damage and can live through that thief or warrior burst. I appreciate the feedback though.

After looking at the build, it seems that you’re trying for a mix of a lockdown phantasmal prismatic understanding build (long name, I know) while trying to defend yourself from conditions using Null Field as your utility skill. I think that the idea’s good on paper, the practice can be good, and that the build can branch off into different styles based on this. Here’s some of my variations if I take your build and tweak it as to make it my own.

Because I see Mantra of Distraction as a utility skill and the Chaos VIII (Bountiful Interruption), it looks like a lockdown. The only problem is that mesmers naturally don’t have damaging lockdown skills like the consistent HamBow Warriors. I would go for the Domination like, grab Dominations II and III (respectively Halting Strike and Empowered Illusions). Phantasms gain a boost of damage from its traits, stacks of might, and constant interruptions. Plus the Runes of Strength and the Chaos VIII will give stacks of might while giving an enemy stacks of vulnerability. For more added chaos and lockdown, Null Field can be replaced with the Signet of Domination, adding to the lockdown boost.

OR! Remove Null Field and place it with Blink. The trait changes are the same as above. However, replace the Runes of Strength with the Runes of Lyssa. Now Mass Invisiblity not only gets the boons from the Prismatic Understanding, but it remove 5 conditions right off the bat. As a result, this elite skill gets powerful. For the skills itself, I don’t see use in Null Field, rather go with Blink. Yes, conditions are a mesmer’s natural enemies but I personally see that you have a lot more survivability.

Now a good suggestion that I made can’t be good unless I show you the possible consequencess to my variations. If you use the former, gameplay becomes a bit more riskier since the former build has no answer to conditions whatsoever. If you use the latter, damage output lessens as a result of increased survivability and self control.

Althought you might be thinking “I like my build how it is” and I don’t blame you. I think it looks good. The utility skills, runes, and sigils (questionable) are fine. If you’re goign to stick to mostly what you have right now, I think that the build will be strong if you replace Dominations II and X to II and III. I think that the Illusionary Wave (Gs 5) is hard to aim for an interrupt. That’s why I replaced Domination X with III.

That’s my two cents here. The build that you presented is solid because you can make it solid. Ultimately, any build will only work if the player make it work. It doesn’t work only if either they don’t put it in practice or their low skills prevent it.

Titus, that’s why I do love gw2 is you can change things like that. I love lockdown builds myself and yeah I would definitely change things if I was going more towards that. Personally I was going for a mix, of damage and survivable but I do believe your builds would be very viable as well. I can agree with everything you said, halting strike is one of my favorite traits, and Lyssa runes I’ve used plenty myself.

I’m always trying new builds, going for unusual a lot or ones that may be overlooked, so I’m always open for ideas and love learning other builds or things people do differently because hopefully it’ll make me a better player in the end. You did pinpoint one thing I wasn’t sure on with the dom X trait over halting strike, but had figured I know I don’t have a lot of lockdown so shorter cooldown on it would give shorter phantasm/mirror blades for might. But thank you for the suggestions!

I also roam with a power PU with just Decoy and MI, and you still are able to take credit from PU. Not only for the boons, but Decoy+MI gives you 10s of stealth. Plenty of time to scape from whatever you want.

But this is only about WvW, for PvP I also suggest to take anything else before PU.

Here’s a look at another PU power variant for roaming in WvW. The point of this video is to show how might stacking affects phantasm damage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBStdjXeeYI

In this case, the interrupts help with locking down opponents, but they are more useful for me in the might stacks.

And here’s the variant I’m playing now to try a different strategy for dealing with conditions. This is an odd fight because I never get targeted, but you can see how having stealth makes it more likely that another target gets picked up instead of me. It’s also pretty good for showing the kill time for a phantasm build in WvW fights (again granted that some of these are pretty inexperienced players).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xqdku4J134

all of your 1 v 2 should end like this…. Butterfly kisses