Guild Wars 2

Ever since I reached r40 on my immortal or phantasm mesmer, I’ve wanted to try something else. I’ve played guardians, necros, and most recently an engineer. And…after a while I simply have to get back on my mes to clear my head again.

I’m spoiled. Is it that I’ve played mesmer for so long that everything feels natural to me, or do other classes really have it that tough? Various classes have their strengths. Necros with their conditions and fears, guardians with their boons, burning and teleports and engis with…well I’m not sure exactly what the engi specializes in.

But my mesmer…oh I can just breeze through people. 1v1, 2v1 (never 3 though and I never willingly attack 2 players at full health. I may be a decent player, but I’m not arrogant ), and a little bit of stealth and a teleport….sigh.

Please someone tell me that as I play my engi more it’s gonna get easier. That the moves will feel more natural. That I’ll become as powerful with the other classes…

I will won’t I?

bhagwad.4281:

Ever since I reached r40 on my immortal or phantasm mesmer, I’ve wanted to try something else. I’ve played guardians, necros, and most recently an engineer. And…after a while I simply have to get back on my mes to clear my head again.

I’m spoiled. Is it that I’ve played mesmer for so long that everything feels natural to me, or do other classes really have it that tough? Various classes have their strengths. Necros with their conditions and fears, guardians with their boons, burning and teleports and engis with…well I’m not sure exactly what the engi specializes in.

But my mesmer…oh I can just breeze through people. 1v1, 2v1 (never 3 though and I never willingly attack 2 players at full health. I may be a decent player, but I’m not arrogant ), and a little bit of stealth and a teleport….sigh.

Please someone tell me that as I play my engi more it’s gonna get easier. That the moves will feel more natural. That I’ll become as powerful with the other classes…

I will won’t I?

LOL no

Run HGH lob grenades stack might… laugh.

Former Mesmer playing Guardian/Thief/Engineer now.

Answer is no, it’s not going to get easier. Engineer is a fun class only because you’re doing 10x more button smashing to get the same effect as everyone else and the skill comes from how well you can get your rotations off. Much different than an immortal/phantasm Mesmer that spams illusions and kites in ez-mode waiting for the opponent to die. The limitations of the Engineer class is pretty glaring if you play WvW; never will you really be able to win against more than 3 players, even if they’re noobs, since you don’t have any consistent stealth for target dropping nor stability (them Rangers will pew pew you down nonstop). Also means you can’t really run away either since Engineers don’t have any teleport or distance skills (except elixir #4…). Overall they have a terrible potential limit compared to other classes.

Once you’re pampered with stealth there really is no going back… Non-stealth professions are great if you run in a group/zerg but have terrible survivability once you’re caught out in the open alone. Thieves and Mesmers can easily kite 5+ and get away, sometimes even managing to get a stomp or two. Personally, my fun in playing Engineer is knowing that I have the handicap.

I started as an Eng and played it for a ton until I found my true home with the mesmer so I can certainly comment here. Engineer is fun PURELY for it’s aesthetic. The gadgets, the gizmos, the steam punk thing. In terms of actually winning fights in WvW in a satisfying, consistent way AND being a big help for your team, Engineer is frustrating and ultimately ineffective. The only advantage Eng’s have is that no one knows what weird thing they’ll pull out next, so you gain unpredictability. But the fact remains that the only viable offensive Eng WvW builds are either traited ‘nades or might-stacking flame thrower. Might stacking flame-thrower is only useful as a “cleaning” role where you swoop in on already downed players and finish them off. Nades can be very effective but it gets mind-numbingly boring sitting there throwing grenades. Tank-cat used to be a cool build, but then confusion got nerfed to the wall. Turrets (Eng phantasms) suck beyond comprehension. Mesmers are just the better class for WvW. Having said that, Eng can be diverting. And I do log on occasionally to keep the taste. But Mesmer rocks far harder. This is not to say Eng’s cant be powerful and effective. They can be, but they’re less fun to play.

Having said that, if you do find a class that you like as much as mesmer let me know! I’m looking for an alt too. Tried Guardian but it’s just too…. guardiany.

Entropy.4732:

Having said that, if you do find a class that you like as much as mesmer let me know! I’m looking for an alt too. Tried Guardian but it’s just too…. guardiany.

Actually I’ve met some really good guardians who keep teleporting on top of me and blind and burn me. I’ve tried doing that myself with my guardian and it’s a pretty good shutdown for phantasm mesmers. Of course, it won’t work with the immortal build since the guardian will simply die of retal. But it’s still quite powerful solo and even in teams because of the AoE burns and control.

Not as good as the mesmer, but still fun. I absolutely refuse to play a thief though…

@ OP Engi stealth is possible albeit limited. Using bomb kits # 4 and utilizling blast finshers. Overcharging flame turret to produce a smoke field then blast finishing into/ self detonating the flame turret and even the cloaking device trait in the inventions line.

Apparently from what I’ve heard in beta Engi used to be able to attain stealth periods that rivaled thieves but since then nerfs have been applied.

I would advise you to be a bit more patient with the engi. If after some time you still cannot get into the class then look elsewhere. I chose engi/ele/thief over mesmer because i prefer a more active playstyle over a passive one. While Engi’s sat first seem to be lackluster when fully realized we are nowhere near useless team fight wise. In large scale were still looking for a niche but in small scale fights we can be pretty ridic.

Engis have access to:
Stealth
Water fields (quadruple water blast finisher possible while playing solo. A Well cordinated team can go higher)
Most CC in game
Able to provide boons (RNG…) as well as cleanse condis
Access to almost every condition/boon in game
Rival Eles in amount of blast finishers
Ability to self ress or auto ress others
No rotation/ Unpredictable
Great Debunkers/chokepoint fighters/bunkers
Access to varied range weapons from 1500 (traited) to 130 (looking at you toolkit ;D)
Great at creating diversions (hard to ignore all that CC)
Supply Crate: The GG of small scale combat (also a blast finisher…use your imagination…)
The list goes on.

Edit: ^ All this is what makes it fun.

bhagwad.4281:

Ever since I reached r40 on my immortal or phantasm mesmer, I’ve wanted to try something else. I’ve played guardians, necros, and most recently an engineer. And…after a while I simply have to get back on my mes to clear my head again.

I’m spoiled. Is it that I’ve played mesmer for so long that everything feels natural to me, or do other classes really have it that tough? Various classes have their strengths. Necros with their conditions and fears, guardians with their boons, burning and teleports and engis with…well I’m not sure exactly what the engi specializes in.

But my mesmer…oh I can just breeze through people. 1v1, 2v1 (never 3 though and I never willingly attack 2 players at full health. I may be a decent player, but I’m not arrogant ), and a little bit of stealth and a teleport….sigh.

Please someone tell me that as I play my engi more it’s gonna get easier. That the moves will feel more natural. That I’ll become as powerful with the other classes…

I will won’t I?

Omg I think I’m in the same boat as you. I WANT to level a thief or elementalist….but they are just so…..“average”. I still don’t regret rolling Mesmer first though.

For me it’s all down to the underwater combat – it’s horrible on every other class (thief my god how boring…).

Ele gets close with the icy wall, lightning cage and other pretty effects, but nothing comes close to the mesmer trident with its beautiful auto attack, or the spear.

Agreed, I just popped-on my Gaurd. and kept dodging only to find that I was well below being able to do so….thanks a lot Mes. class…..you have ruined me for what I assumed would be my main.

I’m actually leveling an engi at this moment. Properly played, that class is a nightmare to about every other class you will encounter in WvW. Between shield, tool kit and elixirs, there are just so many ways to survive while also providing yourself with perma-swiftness (maybe THE main reason for me to prefer engi to a mesmer) and -vigor.

Ive been a mesmer ever since, but i did try out all professions except necro and guardian in Spvp. I think engineer is pretty fun, but you have to swpa kits alot, using my utilities so often makes me feel weird :o. Im a pretty decent player and ive duelled people who mastered the engineer. To them playing mesmer feels weird, and all the kit swappig and stuff feels natural.
Thief is quite fun to play aswell, because it has so much mobility and stealth, just like a mesmer!
I guess ele is fun too for the mobiliy anf healing. Healing is something i miss on my mesmer, but healin isnt needed when you dont get hit.
I can never play another for longer than an hour, and ill start craving for my mesmer again, so its all normal.

Happy… Learning to play again!
Alissah

Yes, Engi will get easier the more you play and get familiar with the mechanics. Instead of the stealth to drop aggro like you’ve gotten spoiled using, Engi have a ton of knockbacks, blinds, retreats, & immobilizes. So rather than dropping aggro, you maintain the fight but control it better. The nature of the Engi kits allows you to bring a multitude of tools. Engis are quite fantastic in PvP if you take the time to learn them and gain the familiarity you have with your mesmer. As well, they can bring some excellent team healing and utility, which is useful in PvE & WvW.

Playing an Engi has spoiled me. I miss my perma-swiftness, my blast finishers, my multiple heals, my no-CD kit swapping, and my control.

Seras.5702:

Yes, Engi will get easier the more you play and get familiar with the mechanics. Instead of the stealth to drop aggro like you’ve gotten spoiled using, Engi have a ton of knockbacks, blinds, retreats, & immobilizes. So rather than dropping aggro, you maintain the fight but control it better. The nature of the Engi kits allows you to bring a multitude of tools. Engis are quite fantastic in PvP if you take the time to learn them and gain the familiarity you have with your mesmer. As well, they can bring some excellent team healing and utility, which is useful in PvE & WvW.

Playing an Engi has spoiled me. I miss my perma-swiftness, my blast finishers, my multiple heals, my no-CD kit swapping, and my control.

You give me hope! I shall try to persevere…

Mesmer is one of the most fun classes to play and it’s one of the strongest so it will be hard to switch. I happen to like my Thief just as much, probably due to stealth and silly permablind PvE builds, and the fact that they are also good (like mesmer) in PvP. I’d give a shout to warrior in PvE for their damage, and guardian for their team ability. The other four seem pretty lousy to me in comparison though.

Doing Guardian from 1 – 80 afte doing 1 – 80 with a mes an I felt like I was cheating how I could face roll the whole way, I would stand Infront of things trying to die and still win lol. Atleast I need to kite with Mesmer, but if your playing phantasm build then yeah welcome to no skill easy mode PvP and PvE.

Purely PvE, mesmer has spoiled me too. I’ve leveled a guardian, and yes, guardians are great, but I loathe melee with a passion. Knockbacks, chained no less, (why hello there Risen Brute!) dazes and what have yous were a constant pain to contend with. Leveled it, geared it, but not feeling much urge to play it.

Now I’m leveling an engineer after the latest batch of bugs robbing my mesmer of any interest in playing. I like it. I’m leveling with a SD build, good burst, no need to skill shot like grenades do.

But I tend to die because I can’t create those beautiful distractions that are illusions. I still like the burst of SD and the perma swiftness, so if I’ll ever play a second character more seriously it will most probably be the engineer.

Rangers get their pets and all the problems that come with it (I’d play one if they were anything like a WoW hunter pet) and elementalists seem forced into a gimmicky, long cast animation, medium/melee range role that does nothing for me.

So yeah, mesmer did spoil me. The whole thing of dodging, creating clones, seeing an army of me, purple laz0r beams every where, shattering, seeing a boss waste time going to kill my clones while my team mates are safe. Kill the bugs and no other class does it for me.

P.S. GG on pulling the whole ‘mesmer is no brainer lolclass’. Back on WoW we also had ‘lolhunters max DPS by sending pet and auto-attack’.

Don’t listen to the nay-sayers, Engineers are awesome.

Mine’s a condi build and he’s an irascible little yordle. He just has so many cool tricks he can pull, such good condition application, so much support built into his kit by accident, such great CC. I run a P/P build with elixers and the Tool Kit and I love it. Which the Coated Bullets, I can mow down whole groups if I position myself properly. Then when I get in trouble, Gear Shield into an Elixer S and I’m safe as houses. If someone’s running away, use Magnet (Tool Kit #5) and suddenly they’re right in the middle of our zerg. Then I can pop Box of Nails (Tool Kit #2) and Glue Shot to cover our retreat.

Oh and did an Ele or Ranger just put down a water field? Supply Drop, AoE heal, plus a variety of useful things for the fight.

Is some Guardian or Ele causing us trouble? Let’s see how he likes a bunch of poison in the face. Oh, they cleansed my conditions? Like I care, I’ll just re-apply them immediately.

Got a bunch of people trying to res or stomp someone in the middle of a fight? Toss Elixer S, boom, easy peasy. Or heck, just Toss Elixer R, now you’re ressing someone (potentially 5 someones) with the easiest-to-use res skill in the game. You’re ressing someone while still running around and firing on your foes. Plus you still get a stunbreaker on your bar that refills your Endurance (and probably gives you might, since you probably took HGH), and you don’t even have to wait the usual 2-3 minutes after using a res skill to reslot.

Having trouble with conditions? Slot Elixer C, now you want to be hit by conditions just for all the tasty boons you’ll get.

There are just so many options available to the Engineer at all times. They can be tricky to play but it’s totally worth it. Gadgets do suck, Turrets still need some love, and there are (as with most professions) still a bunch of bugs that are preventing a lot of specs from working as well as they should, but I never regret taking my Engi into WvW. It’s certainly a different experience from playing my Mesmer but it’s still good.

EDIT: And keep in mind, I’m kinda weird for running Tool Kit. Most people go nades for super high, super long-range AoE DPS or Flamethrower for even nastier short-range DPS, and the other kits have their adherents as well. It just goes to show you how many ways there are of playing this profession, even when its potential is being gated by bugs. The trick is finding your favorite style.

Blaine Tog.8304:

Don’t listen to the nay-sayers, Engineers are awesome.

Mine’s a condi build and he’s an irascible little yordle. He just has so many cool tricks he can pull, such good condition application, so much support built into his kit by accident, such great CC. I run a P/P build with elixers and the Tool Kit and I love it. Which the Coated Bullets, I can mow down whole groups if I position myself properly. Then when I get in trouble, Gear Shield into an Elixer S and I’m safe as houses. If someone’s running away, use Magnet (Tool Kit #5) and suddenly they’re right in the middle of our zerg. Then I can pop Box of Nails (Tool Kit #2) and Glue Shot to cover our retreat.

Oh and did an Ele or Ranger just put down a water field? Supply Drop, AoE heal, plus a variety of useful things for the fight.

Is some Guardian or Ele causing us trouble? Let’s see how he likes a bunch of poison in the face. Oh, they cleansed my conditions? Like I care, I’ll just re-apply them immediately.

Got a bunch of people trying to res or stomp someone in the middle of a fight? Toss Elixer S, boom, easy peasy. Or heck, just Toss Elixer R, now you’re ressing someone (potentially 5 someones) with the easiest-to-use res skill in the game. You’re ressing someone while still running around and firing on your foes. Plus you still get a stunbreaker on your bar that refills your Endurance (and probably gives you might, since you probably took HGH), and you don’t even have to wait the usual 2-3 minutes after using a res skill to reslot.

Having trouble with conditions? Slot Elixer C, now you want to be hit by conditions just for all the tasty boons you’ll get.

There are just so many options available to the Engineer at all times. They can be tricky to play but it’s totally worth it. Gadgets do suck, Turrets still need some love, and there are (as with most professions) still a bunch of bugs that are preventing a lot of specs from working as well as they should, but I never regret taking my Engi into WvW. It’s certainly a different experience from playing my Mesmer but it’s still good.

EDIT: And keep in mind, I’m kinda weird for running Tool Kit. Most people go nades for super high, super long-range AoE DPS or Flamethrower for even nastier short-range DPS, and the other kits have their adherents as well. It just goes to show you how many ways there are of playing this profession, even when its potential is being gated by bugs. The trick is finding your favorite style.

Thanks for that. I’ll try to not give up on my engi just yet!

The engineer’s secret strength is having an obscene amount of CC. I still haven’t figured out how they have that and still aren’t OP.

Haette.2701:

The engineer’s secret strength is having an obscene amount of CC. I still haven’t figured out how they have that and still aren’t OP.

Because 1/3 their CC is also a self-CC. Also, damage generally isn’t as high due to all the utility Engi bring (at least that’s Anet’s idea anyway). Might stacking grenades pack a serious punch, but every other kit/weapon can control and support like crazy.