Guild Wars 2

Xaylin’s Ethereal Intervention
PvP Build with Interrupts and Glamours

After playing a PU/Glamour build (0/4/6/4/0) in PvP since July I got a bit bored. I also sometimes felt that my build lacked damage in certain situations and, although, I really like PU, it quite often did not contribute to my fights. Being inspired by Sensotix Interrupt Build I decided to modify my former build and use interrupts as additional source for damage and boons. The focus is on PvP (Hotjoin) although I will discuss different areas of the game. I will also provide alternative set ups to cover different preferences. To my best knowledge I haven’t seen anyone post/play this build. Feel free to correct me.

[Edit 4/10/2013]

Gameplay Video
http://youtu.be/uNKHpV4m9NA
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I. Introduction
II. Skills
III. Traits
IV. Build
V. Variations
VI. Viability
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I. Introduction

So how does the build look like? How does it work?

I ditched PU but kept the glamour aspects of my build. I am quite happy with the result since I feel that the build is very versatile. Interrupts are used for shutting down enemies and gaining boons. Those boons are complemented through a high uptime of Chaos Armor through combos which also punishs enemies when pursuing you (e.g. Blinds). Although random, Protection procs frequently (Chaos Armor, Chaos Storm, Illusionary Membrane), making the build durable even when in berserker gear. The damage probably is lower than in certain shatter or phantasm builds but the burst in melee range still is remarkable. The Glamours provide a good amount of group utility through reflects, boon ripping and condition cleanses. I am able to roam with this build but can also defend points quite decently.

[Edit 13/05/2014]

Basics

This is the basic set up of my build. I will discuss several modifications later on.

Sword/Sword + Staff
2/4/6/2/0
Mirror or Blink/Decoy/Feedback/Nullfield/Mass Invisibility
Runes: Centaur
Sigils: Air or Fire (against MMs) and Generosity or Nullification (against Might stackers)

Pros

• High melee damage
• Interrupts for shutting down enemies
• Many boons over an extended time
• Reflects
• Stealth
• Mobile (close to permanent swiftness)
• Reasonable amount of boon ripping and condition cleanse

Cons

• Interrupts are difficult to apply in general
• Sword daze is difficult to apply midfights (block might trigger)
• Most powerful when stationary (less effective in WvW)
• Vulnerable to extensive boon ripping/stealing

II. Skills
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Weapons

This build’s core mechanics are interrupts and combos with ethereal fields. Therefore, Sword and Staff are the best choice. The swords provide a leap and a cone daze on an amazingly short cooldown. The phantasm benefits from ethereal fields through its own leap attack making it an additional source for blinds. Fun fact: Sw#5 can also proc Chaos Armor for yourself when it is casted inside a field. The staff provides another leap, more Chaos Armor and another ethereal field which can daze. The daze might be random but still procs a lot in bigger fights. This weapon combination also provides two pseudo stun breaks.

But let’s have a look at other weapons, too. The Scepter and Torch should not be used since they do not provide any dazes or stuns, neither do they offer any reliable combos (looking at you, torch#4). The Pistol is a good alternative to the sword off-hand since it provides a strong phantasm (awesome combo finisher with ethereal fields) and a very good stun/daze. However, even when traited, the cooldowns are just a bit too high for my personal taste. The Focus is too slow for interrupting, for example, heals (delay on the veil) but provides nice reflects when traited. The Greatsword offers a very strong phantasm and an interrupt which might be low range but is more reliable than the daze the staff provides.

Pistol, focus and greatsword are viable alternatives but will come at a certain loss because you will have to drop traits: clone generation (DE), less glamours or combos and probably less boon duration. Hence, they do not perfectly fit the original intention of this build.
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Heal

I personally run Mirror for this build. It helps when escaping (reflect) and ensures constant swiftness (love Centaur Runes). Many people dislike Mirror since it heals 40-90% less than Ether Feast which also is a viable option here. However, I still prefer Mirror because of the swiftness when traveling between points. When reflecting many projectiles at once it might actually outperform Ether Feast. It also offers a bit more sophisticated gameplay options since you can reflect stuff without your foes expecting it (Feedback is very obvious). E.g. Spectral Grasp by a Necro who is trolling you on Skyhammer. Or Kill Shot by a Warrior. Ranger knock backs… harr. Mirror does require some practice since you will have to disengage and engage a lot. In straight forward melee combat – or when not using Centaur Runes – Ether Feast is most likely to be the better choice.
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[Edit 13/05/14]

Utilities

Blink or Decoy (against Thieves) are your stun breaker. Feedback and Nullfield are quite self-explanatory. Feedback is helpful when defending or attacking points. Nullfield is crucial against Necros and Guardians and to a certain extent Engineers. It also does a great job against Might stackers with Strength runes. Both skills provide ethereal fields for keeping your Chaos Armor up. Mass Invisibility is great when escaping, for sneaky assaults and stealth rupts or when stealth rezzing.

III. Traits
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Domination: 2 (II)

Halting Strike increases the overall damage. The 5pt. minor fits into the build nicely by providing additional stacks of vulnerability.
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Dueling: 4 (IV/X)

Blade Training is a must since we are using Sw/Sw as a weapon set (more Blurred Frenzy, more leaping, more dazing). Deceptive Evasion provides additional clones and helps playing mind games with your enemies while being stealthed. It can also be abused for emergency shatters (F3 rupt or F4).
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Chaos: 6 (V/VIII/X)

Bountiful Interruption ties into the interruption part of this build. A very powerful offensive alternative is Chaotic Interruption which helps when chasing enemies or keeping them off of points. Chaos Dampening is important for shortening the CDs on staff (more Phase Retreat, more Chaos Armor, more Chaos Storm for dazes and combos). The 30 points provide a lovely +30% in boon duration. The first major slot can be changed due to personal preferences. I do like the condition on clones’ death a lot.
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Inspiration: 2 (II)

This is important to keep the glamours up. The glamours are a major part of the support this build offers. They also are core of your own defense. Some people may get along without the -20%CD but I would not like to miss it. As an alternative, Menders Purity could be picked for additional condition cleanses. It synergizes beautifully with Mirror because of its short cooldown.
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IV. Build

Ethereal Interventionist

I tried several set ups for various hours. I do have a favourite but I want to provide alternatives because many people dislike Centaur Runes. Generally, all variations work well with either a berserker or a soldier amulet. Depending on which amulet is picked, the sigils should be adjusted, though.
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[Edit 13/05/14]

Eat my dust!

This is the basic build I linked before. I tend to run Centaur Runes because I really like the swiftness in combination with Mirror. I do give up a lot for the swiftness but it fits my personal playstyle best. I enjoy roaming between points and want to arrive on time, not when a fight is done. It’s also very noticeable in combat. The recent buff to the runes (-50% Cripple duration) is quite nice, too.

For the weapons I use air/fire sigils for more burst damage on crit. It is quite devastating in hotjoins when people pile up on points. When running a soldier amulet, I prefer +might on weapon swap. As second sigil I usually run Generosity to counter the rather condition heavy meta. If you are facing many Might stackers, Nullification is a better choice, though.

V. Variations
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[Edit 13/05/14]

I feel… strong!

Runes: Strength

Before the rune change I used Hoelbrak in this set up. It lacks the mobility of the basic build and therefore isn’t a very good roamer. However, the sustained damage is higher even when not running a Beserkers amulet.
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[Edit 13/05/14]

Protected!

Runes: Earth

Before the patch, I used a combination of runes but now Earth (or Forge) are the best choice. You will have a quite high uptime of Protection without using PU which makes you pretty durable. With this set up I mainly defend a point and stall enemies. An alternative to the basic trait spread is moving 2 points out of Domination into Inspiration to grab Phantasmal Healing for even more sustain.

[Edit 13/05/14]

Boons, boons, boons!

Runes: Traveler

If you don’t like Centaur Runes, this is the way to go for you. Your offense will be slightly lower statwise but you gain a lot of defense. You also increase the duration of boons gained through Chaos Armor by 1s. The additional condition duration is pretty handy and high enough to grant, for example, an additional second of bleeds through Debilitating Dissipation. Since you don’t have to cast your heal for gaining Swiftness, you can run Ether Feast which is more efficient than Mirror.

VI. Viability
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PvP

As mentioned at the start, I usually play hotjoins. Meaning: less group play, less communication. This build unfolds its full potential in fights with more people, meaning at least one ally being with you. It is also more powerful when getting the jump on an enemy because you can wreck ranged fighters with Feedback or land some interrupts. Due to the almost constant Swiftness uptime roaming between points is extremly easy so I usually assist people defending points or decap points if not defended by a bunker. The player reduction from 5 to 8 in hotjoins weakened this build since you will encounter fewer players. However, it still works well.

In tournaments you will usually face many Thieves and Decap Engies. Thieves can be a pain. Running Chaotic Interruption and Decoy helps a lot but you usually will be at a disadvantage. Decap Engies probably won’t wreck you but I usually avoid fighting them because it takes too long to bring them down. Other than that, I haven’t had any mentionable trouble with any other specific class or build. In general, roaming in tPvP works but other builds or classes are better at it. This build won’t be appealing for organized groups but outside of that it can be a lot of fun.
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WvW

Roaming with this build works quite well. Especially ranged builds are very easy to beat. However, it will never be as potent as common PU builds. Glassy Thieves can be a big issue if you don’t see them coming. Also, Engineers usually are annoying because it is difficult to interrupt them properly. Outside of that, try to avoid fights in too open spaces so you can utilize the Glamours properly.

The build works well in medium scale fights because it can utilize its strengths properly (Glamours, high uptime of Chaos Armor). The larger the fights get, the less powerful it becomes. But this probably is a general Mesmer issue.
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PvE

Interrupts are terrible in PvE. Period. It will be playable when running around on maps but in fractals and dungeons, especially in boss fights (immunities), I personally don’t see interrupts as a viable option.
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Looking forward to your feedback and suggestions.

I am also looking for a tester and someone who might be able to help me with videos.

Enjoy!

Other than an extremely well thought-out build, your delivery was outstandingly easy to read. Well done! My eyes are orgasming as we speak.

Thanks mate.

Did you try it? Would really appretiate more feedback from you guys.

hmm ill try it in tpvp if you like.. i mean tpvp to me.. really doesnt require you to be fully team spec out.. aslong as you know what ur doing and what ur job is.. i dont think anyone would have a problem with you running this build. But ill give it a go for you and see if its actually worth it :o

P.S> i always run centaur runes aswell.. anet needs to add them travel runes to freakin pvp man lol but yea i cant live without swiftness trust me ur not the only one

And it looks pretty viable to me tbh.. but i wanna see how it stands because i like using zerker amulet more than soldiers but if i have to then so be it :S i hate getting insta gibbed by thiefs lol

Very well written and thought-out man, much props. Ill add it to the lockdown build list, why dont you enter the contest with a version of this? Itll gain more publicity and youll work directly with a tester to find anything to improve.

@Lordryux

Feel free to test it in tPvP. I only tried it twice and have been very unlucky with my team. Meaning: Me constantly facing 2-3 people at once at one cap point being facerolled every 3 mins while my team didn’t cap anything ‘moan’. I guess that is why I prefer hotjoins…

This build is supposed to run with Berserker (and probably Soldier Jewel). I only run the Soldier + Might set up in games with way too many thieves (meaning 3 or more in the oposing team). Otherwise I am usually fine with the Berserker gear because you will be able to burst the thief down most of the time anyway. The blinds/protect from the Chaos Armor help a lot.
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@Chaos Archangel

Cool, thanks.

I thought about it but haven’t found a tester on an EU server to work on the build so far. Might enter the contest in October instead if the originality is approved.

yea and about your comment over staff and GS i think staff is actually better for your build as you can get chaos armor from the leap fairly often than what u can with the GS i dont think GS even has a leap on it lmao.. but anyway yea ill give it a go. Oh yea if i were you i would try battle sigils on each 1 sword and the staff more might stacks i think its better than the flame blast imo and since ull be switching between both pretty much.

Alrighty ive tried the build so far in tpvp for about 8 matches i won 3 of them due to the other 5 being 4v5 .. yea sad days for pvp. but anyway this build actually. it works fairly well i think i might use this like from now on besides phantasms lol. You get soooooo much chaos armor its ridiculous man i had one warrior literally tried to 1v1 me like 6 times and he ran away every single time lmao. and yea instead of flame blast sigil i use battle it really helps with the damage and the random condition spike isnt to bad either at all. So far i have not ran into any problems.. except for the heartseeker spamming thiefs > like we all know. they hit 4ks+ on me even at full hp.. (what are u doing anet)

And i went heads up with a terrormancer totaly destroys that build of theirs lol they pretty much cant handle all the conditions and rupts you put on them aswell as the more conditons on ur foe the more iwarlock hits so that helps aswell.

In all ill give this build a good review i have yet to go against a perma stun warrior so i wanna test that next with my guildie later in a 1v1. but in all it has verry good support especially when ur running with a 1h sword warrior for the leaps he gets chaos armor aswell my friend john like had an orgasm from all the chaos armor he had lol.

Xaylin.1860:

I also sometimes felt that my build lacked damage in certain situations

Smite your enemies with traited pistol and ethereal fields! Smite them I say!

Lordryux.9785:

…[snip]..You get soooooo much chaos armor its ridiculous man i had one warrior literally tried to 1v1 me like 6 times and he ran away every single time lmao. and yea instead of flame blast sigil i use battle it really helps with the damage and the random condition spike isnt to bad either at all…[snip]

And i went heads up with a terrormancer totaly destroys that build of theirs lol they pretty much cant handle all the conditions and rupts you put on them aswell as the more conditons on ur foe the more iwarlock hits so that helps aswell.

In all ill give this build a good review i have yet to go against a perma stun warrior so i wanna test that next with my guildie later in a 1v1. but in all it has verry good support especially when ur running with a 1h sword warrior for the leaps he gets chaos armor aswell my friend john like had an orgasm from all the chaos armor he had lol.

Glad it worked out that great for you

And yes… the Chaos Armor is pretty underestimated. Of course, there is a random component to it. But having it up almost all the time helps a lot.

Sigils of battle work for either berserker or soldier amulets. I do prefer the sigils of fire on berserkers because of the burst. Its almost guaranteed that it will proc on blurred frenzy, adding about 700 additional area damage. It might not sound much, but its actually pretty good for bursting pet necros or spirit rangers. I think the total damage outcome will be the same while the sigils of battle are better for sustained damage and the sigils of fire for burst damage.

Stun warriors are annoying but doable. Disengage from time to time. Try to keep up 1-2 sword illusions so you can use F3 for interrupting their stun if needed. Sw4 works, too, but most of the time you will end up just blocking the stun. Which still is fine, though. Just have an eye on their stability. Good thing: You can also cancel the stun+100blades combo by interrupting the 100blades with F3 if you didn’t block the stun initially.

Helios.3598:

Xaylin.1860:

I also sometimes felt that my build lacked damage in certain situations

Smite your enemies with traited pistol and ethereal fields! Smite them I say!

That quote was referring to my old PU build
But yeah, traited pistol does work well with this build because of all the etheral fields.

It took ages but I’m finally done with my gameplay video. I might not be the most efficient player (part-time clicker “cough”) but I’m happy how it turned out.

I tried highlighting the main parts of the build (glamours and interrupts) and pointing out some tipps while showing how I personally play the build.

Enjoy!
Feedback would be great

http://youtu.be/uNKHpV4m9NA

I updated the link for the build and some text parts. Since the last patch I no longer use the Sigil of Paralyzation on the OH Sword because the dazes won’t be buffed up to 2s any longer.

The build still works but shutting down enemies with dazes basically became 50% less efficient. Meaning, e.g. dazing a thief for keeping him from re-stealthing no longer works because a 1s daze is just too short to get anything done most of the time.

I sincerely hope for new sigils in the future which might only apply to dazes but are more powerful. The fix of the sigil was needed – mainly because of warriors – but it now became useless for many classes because of the short cc durations (e.g. Mesmers).

Yep yup, my build was hit by the sigil nerf too. Now instead of chain-lockdown, I use the dazes as an interrupt for channeled attacks, stopping stomps or big hits. I’ve added Furious Interruption into the build as well, which really capitalizes on offhand-sword and DazeMantra by giving my sword-auto some Blurred Frenzy-ish damage.

One positive effect of the change: Chaotic Interruption now becomes much more significant for the 2s immobilize (that stacks!) and cripple it applies.

Unfortunately, I can’t really make many adjustments traitwise. I could get Chaotic Interruption instead of Chaotic Dampening but I personally prefer the cooldown reduction. Although, you are right that Chaotic Interruption is a lot more appealing now. I could sacrifice Halting Strike or Glamour Mastery but the first would be a major hit to my damage and the second would reduce my defensive capabilities a lot.

Meh… That’s life. As I said, it still works. But I will miss the 2s dazes.

As a wiseman once said.. All good builds deserve a bump =P

Awwww, thanks.

Still running it in PvP. Just suits my personal playstyle best. Hoping for positive changes in March. At least in terms of Sigils and Runes. I don’t see any Glamour or Staff#4 love comming, though. *sigh

Well Xaylin, we never know what ANet will do honestly. Let’s hope its something nice though

What program did ya use to make that video?

Oh chaos is gonna start recording :O. What are you going to record first?

I’ve been supposed to start recording for like a year now x_x Shatterlock, Mind Crush, Chaos Maestro, and then some of the newer build concepts I’ve been working on. (I may be losing my mind, but somehow a 10/30/30/0/0 interrupt build is forming in my head)

I actually tried that a while ago and it is decent but obviously not viable in the meta. It does have potential though and we can chat about it. Also, your inbox is full chaos so do clean it

Urgh… My computer crashed and I had to reinstall most programs.

I think I used a Magix Video deluxe trial version. Be warned though, it came with a maximum minute limit for your video. You will have to find a work-around for that if you want to use it. Since it was the first and also last video I ever made I don’t know any alternatives.

Warlord of Chaos.7845:

Well Xaylin, we never know what ANet will do honestly. Let’s hope its something nice though

Like screwing up stealth? That certainly is… something.

Updated the build descriptions to incorporate the most recent changes.

I still run this build but it certainly lost power during the last 8 months. I tried other set ups (e.g. 6/2/6 with Power Block and a lot of Chill) but usually came back to the original set up. I switch out Bountiful Interruption for Chaotic Interruption quite a lot. I moved from permanently running Decoy to running Blink and only switching to Decoy when facing too many Thieves. I still enjoy it a lot although it isn’t the most efficient build.

The rune changes were quite nice (after having the Sigil of Paralyzation destroyed for Mesmers a few months ago ) and either add more survivability (condition removal, endurance) or more offense to the build (damage, boon removal). The -50% Cripple duration on Centaur Runes is pretty noticable, too. Outside of that, not muched changed for the skills and traits I use after the most recent feature pack. Go, go, class stagnation!

neat to read all this and glad you updated it :p

was reading that you are saying great sword is more reliable in some areas? was wondering if I could go 2 1 handed weapons, and 1 great sword for a build like thing with knock backs? I’m still faily new, and was trying every class last night and Mesmer was pretty fun esp in pvp (:

here’s the section about the great sword
The Greatsword offers a very strong phantasm and an interrupt which might be low range but is more reliable than the daze the staff provides.

Thanks. Just felt like updating it because I still run the build.

Since the build is centered around interrupt traits you can easily pick up the GS instead of Staff. Of course, you will have a lot less Chaos Armor. But you gain other advantages. GS has a better damage output than Staff and you can knock people off of cap points which can be pretty handy. You could still go 2/4/6/2 and pick up Bountiful Interruption plus Chaotic Interruption. Or you could go 4/4/4/2 to get the GS trait in Domination or 4/4/6 which is a very common trait spread for interrupt builds.

don’t you need 6 in domination to get the reduction on cooldowns for great sword?
or am I reading the way you are setting points wrong? I’m not sure exactly what 2/4/6/2 means

oh, and also what amulet should I be using? (:

The GS trait is a Master trait and therefore only requires 4 points in Domination. When not ingame and theorycrafting a build you should always use an up to date build editor. For example, just klick here.

If people refer to x/x/x/x/x they usually mean the traitlines in the order they are listed ingame. If you only use the first 4 trait lines people sometimes don’t list the 5th line. Same goes for the case if only using the first 3 trait lines which is quite common for Mesmers when not playing a shatter build. 2/4/6/2 means 2 points in Domination, 4 points in Duelling, 6 points in Chaos, 2 points in Inspiration and 0 points in Illusions. 4/4/6 equals 4 points in Domination, 4 in Duelling, 6 in Chaos and 0 in Inspiration and Illusions. Hope that helps.

Which amulet you pick really depends on your build. In my case I run a power build and got quite a good defense thanks to using Staff and having a lot of Chaos Armor. I do just fine with Berserker stats.

When looking for specific builds or just some inspiration, you should check out this thread. Fay does an awesome job keeping the list up to date.

thanks a lot, all this helps