Guild Wars 2

I haven’t played the game since fractals were a new thing that only the elite ran. I played a mesmer, and loved doing it. I would like to play defensively with phantasms and a staff, while providing utility in dungeons and fractals.

I’ve been reading the forums for about a day, and dabbling in game. It seems a lot has changed.

What builds are common these days? What’s the meta surrounding the mesmer in pve? Are there any guides/videos/tips I should know about? What role does the mesmer cover in groups?

Thanks for your help

Regarding the meta, it is all Berserker gear (Scolar runes and Precision Stacking Sigils on stacking weapons + Night/Force/Dungeon specific sigils on main set), Sword/Focus and Sword/Pistol or Off hand sword. Mesmer fills an utility/support role without any DPS loss. DPS comes from Phantasms and your Sword Auto; Support and Utility come from Mantras, Feedback and Timewarp. Reflects are mesmer’s main use in dungeons (because dungeons are all about positioning, damage race, boon share with team mates and damage mitigation).

Guides :
Regarding the meta build,
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Guide-PvE-Dungeons-Phantasm-build-s/
Regarding the team play, (check the mesmer tips in settings) – http://gw2dungeons.net/

PS: First tips – Range is never an option in meta, learn it the hard way! ^^
More info can be found in Dungeon section from time to time, and avoid reading too much Mesmer class sub forum regarding PvE.