Guild Wars 2

Hey all, I’ve been playing the game on and off since shortly after the original launch and haven’t really played since a month or so after HoT came out. I don’t do any PvP, WvW, Raids, or Fractals (although I’m interested in trying the latter two when I feel like I’m skilled enough) and keep it strictly PvE (used to love Dungeons before the $ nerf, that hurt). My question for you all today: what’s good to use? My build preference before I left last time was Scepter/Pistol main, with Sword/Shield for versing little groups (like those stupid pocket raptors). I enjoy shatter builds mostly, and I like the feel of Scepter mostly (I used to run Focus offhand for in Dungeons, but…). Considering all of this, does anyone have any suggestions for what I could use that’s good in PvE with an eye to Fractals and maybe Raids?

The build I’ve been using is this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQRAra8encfCtfilfCmpBEgiFVjqOZn2qFtLSjogMAKgiD-TxRGABArEBQVKGS5FAKBpQ7AZ6AGRdFA-e

That’ll work for open world I suppose. It’s not optimal, but if you like the scepter feel, then you can stick with it. However, if you try to take that into higher fractals or raids, you’ll be about as useful as an afk thief. For the more difficult PvE content in the game, Mesmer is very much obliged to run a heavy support style of play. You need to provide high/permanent uptime on quickness and alacrity to your party, delivered through the use of wells, shield phantasms, boon duration gear, and signet of inspiration.

Something like this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQNAs+dncfC9filfCGoBEgiFVj6MIGipjMAGhirOZn2qF-TxhFQBnRvwgUpAAKBX3+DC8BAYC1VMoyPRB8VA-e

Note the commanders trinkets, the boon duration food, leadership runes, sigil of concentration, signet of inspiration, and trait changes.

Oh :/ So support is really Mesmer’s only role nowadays? Are there any decent Scepter damage builds or should I just go for a different class for damage/soloability?

Retnab.4123:

Oh :/ So support is really Mesmer’s only role nowadays? Are there any decent Scepter damage builds or should I just go for a different class for damage/soloability?

You can do a condie build with scepter, but it’s exclusively single target.

I’d point out that not many people are actually running high level fractals or raids. That’s particularly true of someone asking a question like this.

For dungeons and most PvE content, any reasonable build will do. I routinely take people through CM ( a dungeon rated level 45) who are in the high 30’s level wise. I don’t ask what build they are running and I don’t care. It’s simply not that critical.

PvE is really not difficult enough to need some super build until you start raiding.

tldr to the OP: Play what you like and enjoy it. Any reasonable build will fly in all but the most overblown PvE situations.

Retnab.4123:

Oh :/ So support is really Mesmer’s only role nowadays? Are there any decent Scepter damage builds or should I just go for a different class for damage/soloability?

You can solo most of the game and be useful (or at least as utility) up till frac 50 with a power shatter build, almost anything works really.

It’s not optimal but it can be fun.

For everything else it’s probably best to just play by the meta.

Ithilwen.1529:

I’d point out that not many people are actually running high level fractals or raids. That’s particularly true of someone asking a question like this.

For dungeons and most PvE content, any reasonable build will do. I routinely take people through CM ( a dungeon rated level 45) who are in the high 30’s level wise. I don’t ask what build they are running and I don’t care. It’s simply not that critical.

PvE is really not difficult enough to need some super build until you start raiding.

tldr to the OP: Play what you like and enjoy it. Any reasonable build will fly in all but the most overblown PvE situations.

If you read my post, that’s literally what I said.

Retnab.4123:

Oh :/ So support is really Mesmer’s only role nowadays? Are there any decent Scepter damage builds or should I just go for a different class for damage/soloability?

@ Fay

I carefully re read your post. You kinda sorta said that.. but then went into full raid mode. The OP clearly didn’t get the message that most builds are really OK in most situations. Witness there reply, cited above.

With population low, we really need to nurture new/returning Mesmers. I spent ( literally ) years struggling to learn Mesmer. ( and I’m quite certain picked up a lot of bad habits and a bad attitude along the way ) Good advice was rare to non existent.

We need to be reaching out and we need to talk to the folks who aren’t “plat” level PvPers or raiders.

At this point very little. I mean they gave us a PvE role (finally they’re starting to do at least some sensible PvE design, even if it is by accident), though it’s designed in the worst possible way. Probably because, as I said, I don’t think it was quite intended this way. They just never considered the combinations of skills, and since their design is based on stacking and spamming dozens of individually tiny effects instead of just having powerful and meaningful skills used in a smarter but less spammy fashion to begin with, it happens a lot.

Anyhow, rebalancing patch in two days! Expect massive nerfs across the board, especially to things no one used to begin with!

Retnab.4123:

Oh :/ So support is really Mesmer’s only role nowadays? Are there any decent Scepter damage builds or should I just go for a different class for damage/soloability?

For the most difficult pve content, basically Raids, yes. But for everything else, there are multiple viable builds. It really depends on what you are doing. PVE, RAIDS, Fractals, WVW, PVP? What do you enjoy most?

Retnab.4123:

Hey all, I’ve been playing the game on and off since shortly after the original launch and haven’t really played since a month or so after HoT came out. I don’t do any PvP, WvW, Raids, or Fractals (although I’m interested in trying the latter two when I feel like I’m skilled enough) and keep it strictly PvE (used to love Dungeons before the $ nerf, that hurt). My question for you all today: what’s good to use? My build preference before I left last time was Scepter/Pistol main, with Sword/Shield for versing little groups (like those stupid pocket raptors). I enjoy shatter builds mostly, and I like the feel of Scepter mostly (I used to run Focus offhand for in Dungeons, but…). Considering all of this, does anyone have any suggestions for what I could use that’s good in PvE with an eye to Fractals and maybe Raids?

The build I’ve been using is this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQRAra8encfCtfilfCmpBEgiFVjqOZn2qFtLSjogMAKgiD-TxRGABArEBQVKGS5FAKBpQ7AZ6AGRdFA-e

To reiterate, you can use a wide variety of builds as long as you arent doing the highest end content, or high level pvp stuff. Other than that, you can make very many builds effective.

I don’t know what you are used to but guys, you can do high level fractals with whatever build you like in my opinion. Fights in there will not help with the quickness and alacrity stacking anyway since bosses move all around teleports and whatnot.

It was a truly disastrous year for the balance of mesmer.
A year ago, alacrity was weakened.
One year ago came the build chronophantasma shatter, since then it has not been possible to create an alternative build.
I stopped playing months ago, forgive me if you can, but if you played the mesmer 2 years ago you can not settle for a lower class to make portal, alacrity and quickness.
I waited for the build was to carry chronophantasma shatter a year to see if it changed something and this was the reward of my patience: alacrity on reavenant.
I waited too long, we are in 2017 and now there are other mmrpg.
it is time to uninstall

francescoG.1069:

It was a truly disastrous year for the balance of mesmer.
A year ago, alacrity was weakened.
One year ago came the build chronophantasma shatter, since then it has not been possible to create an alternative build.
I stopped playing months ago, forgive me if you can, but if you played the mesmer 2 years ago you can not settle for a lower class to make portal, alacrity and quickness.
I waited for the build was to carry chronophantasma shatter a year to see if it changed something and this was the reward of my patience: alacrity on reavenant.
I waited too long, we are in 2017 and now there are other mmrpg.
it is time to uninstall

That alacrity on the revenant is using the tablet; not exactly a competitive alternative, I dont think centaur revenant is really going to be a thing, so I think we are good.

Morfedel.4165:

francescoG.1069:

It was a truly disastrous year for the balance of mesmer.
A year ago, alacrity was weakened.
One year ago came the build chronophantasma shatter, since then it has not been possible to create an alternative build.
I stopped playing months ago, forgive me if you can, but if you played the mesmer 2 years ago you can not settle for a lower class to make portal, alacrity and quickness.
I waited for the build was to carry chronophantasma shatter a year to see if it changed something and this was the reward of my patience: alacrity on reavenant.
I waited too long, we are in 2017 and now there are other mmrpg.
it is time to uninstall

That alacrity on the revenant is using the tablet; not exactly a competitive alternative, I dont think centaur revenant is really going to be a thing, so I think we are good.

While this particular change doesn’t really mean anything, it shows what is likely to be the start of a troubling trend of other classes gaining access to alacrity, potentially even better than us eventually.

That alacrity on the revenant is using the tablet; not exactly a competitive alternative, I dont think centaur revenant is really going to be a thing, so I think we are good.
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I know, not much change the matter

I mean, what happens when Ventari gets buffed to be viable and/or the tablet mechanic is reworked to not suck as much? Will ANet take Alacrity away from them at that point, or will they keep Alacrity and also have a viable support line on top of it?

That tablet mechanic is both their unique weakness (an important concept in class-based balancing, so removing it would be terrible), and actually sometimes a benefit. People can openly see where to stand if they want to get healed, a benefit my GF on her Druid wishes she had. People just keep dodging her heals.