Guild Wars 2

Hello Mesmers! I’m new to the profession, and I’d like to know if you could link me an effective PvE build to begin with; I decided to roll a mesmer to help my group improve in Dungeons and Fractals, so I’d like it to have some ranged damage in it and Time Warp. Thank you very much!

I’d say 10 20 0 25 15
If you want range you can play that with Greatsword or Staff both should be fine.
When you learned to dodge the enemys you should play Sword Fokus & Sword Sword and stay meele for the highest dmg.

Ranging in dungeons is basically the antithesis of improving, though if it’s something you’re set on, something like scepter/pistol + scepter/focus or scepter/pistol + staff could work.

Good builds to go with are probably 0/30/0/25/15 and 10/30/0/20/10 since it lets you hit a phantasm damage modifier, empowering mantras, pistol traiting, warden traiting and compounding power.

Ok thanks but what would you suggest as a good compromise, having one ranged and one melee option?

Thingol the Sindar.9361:

Ok thanks but what would you suggest as a good compromise, having one ranged and one melee option?

This is a decent compromise. Preferably, you run one of the above builds and use sword/sword + sword/focus, and switch to greatsword or scepter only when you really have to (for example, I range on molten duo and grawl shaman. I’ve tried and cannot melee them for the life of me). Especially if you have an eye for improvement, melee challenges you more and gives better damage.

I run Scepter/Pistol and Staff, swapping in a Sword/Focus for when I need a melee weapon.

Hello my mesmer friend!

In general you should go melee with sword, since it’s the only weapon that really deals much damage. Only ranged if required.

As for a build, as a beginner I recommend 20/20/0/30/0 or 10/20/0/25/15 or 0/30/0/25/15. The first one is very noob-friendly, however not really useful if you know how to play. It’s more for GS users -> beginners. The 2nd and 3rd are meta builds, the 2nd is for a glamour build (nullfield, feedback, blink) the 3rd is for mantras (still using feedback, just switch healskill and nullfield for mantras).

If you are higher skilled you should find “your personal” build, as for me for example it definitly is 10/30/0/30/0:

Xyonon.3987:

I have played 10/20/0/25/15, 0/30/0/25/15 and a long time ago 20/20/0/30/0. However I really ended up with 10/30/0/30/0. It feels still like the best build that exists right now in terms of utility and damage.

I don’t think it’s worth to spend 15 points in illusions for +6% damage wich only counts for you instead of 100 power and 17% phant damage or 10% crit dmg and 5% crit change and mantra 8% damage. Sure you got your -20% cdr on illusion summonings, however you also sacrifice a 3rd inspiration slot wich is in my opinion essential!

With 10/30/0/30/0 you got everything but the 20% cdr for illusions. A 3rd inspiration trait can be so much more useful for your party. There are so many amazing traits there:

• glamour cdr
• feedback on ress (npc!)
• glamour dura (with ^ 80% reflection uptime)
• focus trait
• healing mantras (800 HpS if required + makes mantra heal op)
• condicleanse on heal (extremly strong with mantra heal)
• +20% phant HP (defender, situational ofc)

I pick 3 instead of 2 of those makes so much sense. I can’t find a reason to not go up to 30 in inspiration.

However I do not recommend this kind of playstyle for beginners. It requires to change traits according to enemies, wich you first all need to know.

greez

I would probably recommend either 10/20/0/25/15 or 20/10/0/25/15 for beginners, especially if you decide to try and stay ranged to learn fights. I generally recommend using a Greatsword and Scepter/Pistol for either of these set ups for beginners. Both of these builds rely more heavily on having your phantasms deal the damage while you’re able to concentrate on not dying and learning the mechanics of the fights.

10/20/0/25/15 is a more standard one, taking everything that beefs up your phantasms for damage as well as some glamour buffs. 20/10/0/25/15 is similar to the first one but it gives you the GS cooldown and additional power over the cooldown of the pistol and bleed (from illusions).

After learning the fights (and your character), you could progress to using a Sword/Sword and Sword/Focus or Sword/Pistol because swords have a higher damage output as well as applying the vulnerability debuff and stripping boons. Some people are hard set on having the focus as an offhand weapon, I personally find it to be overrated in terms of utility other than on very specific circumstances.

Wow so much support thank you I’m attracted by the 10/20/0/25/15, I’m wondering if it’d be viable with Scepter/Sword and Gs!

I’d recommend Sword/Focus + GS even for a beginner. It’s ok to melee, especially since you can swap all the time. You got a good evade so it’s not that hard to stay alive

Rotation:
Sword 3 -> Focus 5 -> Sword 3 -> Sword 1 until the enemy starts to attack -> Sword 2 -> Sword 1 until the enemy starts to attack again -> dodge back, swap weapon.

Rotation:
GS 2 -> GS 4 -> (if required heal signet -> GS 4) -> GS 3 -> GS 1 while attacking the farest target, try to take adventage of line damage (3x dmg) -> GS 2 -> swap to sword again.

Sigil of battle is recommended

You could definitely run with GS and Scepter/Sword, however, the sword offhand doesn’t really provide you with anything that the pistol doesn’t. The block is sort of nice I suppose but you already have a block with the scepter if you need it and they shouldn’t be in your face most of the time since you’re staying ranged. As for the phantasm, the Duelist tends to stay alive longer since it doesn’t have to be in melee range whereas the Swordsman does. Also, if your crit is at a decent level (and if you’re using Dueling II which you should with 10/20/0/25/15), each crit shots the Duelist does will also apply a stack of bleed.

Murdurus.9182:

You could definitely run with GS and Scepter/Sword, however, the sword offhand doesn’t really provide you with anything that the pistol doesn’t. The block is sort of nice I suppose but you already have a block with the scepter if you need it and they shouldn’t be in your face most of the time since you’re staying ranged. As for the phantasm, the Duelist tends to stay alive longer since it doesn’t have to be in melee range whereas the Swordsman does. Also, if your crit is at a decent level (and if you’re using Dueling II which you should with 10/20/0/25/15), each crit shots the Duelist does will also apply a stack of bleed.

The advantages of sword offhand are significantly lower cooldowns on both skills, as well as the fact that the swordsman does slightly more damage than the duelist.

Pyroatheist.9031:

Murdurus.9182:

You could definitely run with GS and Scepter/Sword, however, the sword offhand doesn’t really provide you with anything that the pistol doesn’t. The block is sort of nice I suppose but you already have a block with the scepter if you need it and they shouldn’t be in your face most of the time since you’re staying ranged. As for the phantasm, the Duelist tends to stay alive longer since it doesn’t have to be in melee range whereas the Swordsman does. Also, if your crit is at a decent level (and if you’re using Dueling II which you should with 10/20/0/25/15), each crit shots the Duelist does will also apply a stack of bleed.

The advantages of sword offhand are significantly lower cooldowns on both skills, as well as the fact that the swordsman does slightly more damage than the duelist.

If he was using a sword and have it traited, then you’re probably right, but he’s not so the cooldowns on the phantasms are the same. Swordsman might edge out on damage than the Duelist but the Duelist is easier to keep alive, provides a passive regen that is easier to manage (you can choose to stand next to it since you’re ranged anyway) and I’m not sure on the numbers, but I’m pretty sure that the bleed damage that it applies through the crits probably allows it to have equal damage to the Swordsman if not more.

Sword offhand is only for the doubletrait and for evil evil enemies like mossman to block his attacks. It’s definitly harder to use. The pistol is only used for single target → bosses → less bleeding time. Focus + Sword offhand is the trashmob melee usage, since the block has a infinite target line daze.

Sword and Scepter mainhand aren’t compareable since they have completly different roles. A good mesmer has both of ’em in his inventory… actually every weapon (except torch …).

Torch is pretty much god mode for Arah skips. The blast finisher also makes mesmer a bit less of a dead weight in dungeons too.

You can use it for skips. That’s it. A finisher every 30 sec isn’t worth anything. The torch may only be useful once condi damage has been fixed, aswell as a cleanser when traited … but who traits for 20 in dominion nowdays?

Considering I do a lot of Arah, I like torch. And the blast finisher is used for pre-fight might stacking, you swap it out and go back to Sw/Sw + Sw/F before you go in combat.

It does make it quite a nice utility weapon so as opposed to something like greatsword which is in my experience quite average at everything.

The way I see our offhands:

• Sword: Good single target damage with good defence. Less control than the pistol and the Phantasm dies more easily, but more controlled combo potential and a block. Good defensive weapon.
• Pistol: Best for single-target offence, even if the Duelist is higher raw damage. Phantasms stays at range, causes projectile finishers (generally less supporty than leap finishers), ranged CC chain shot is useful for adds.
• Focus: Utility and multi-target offence. Becomes amazing when traited, due to ready access to reflection. Phantasm deals good initial damage but actual DPS is pretty low, so this is really more of a deflect/reflect/AE tool.
• Torch: Lots of utility, nothing else really. When traited becomes a very good defensive weapon. The Phantasm could in theory do good damage, but it only happens once in a blue moon that the situation comes up.

@hendo.1940:
A weapon is not good if you just swap it pre fight for a blast finisher and skips :P
Btw the GS became a superior weapon since the healing signet. My gosh I never thought I’d say that But yea, it’s awesome as long as you don’t use the AA. So for aoe → 2, 4, 4, 3, 2, swap to sword + focus and keep going. Enemies die in general before you have to swap back, so yea. The only kittenty about GS is the aa.

@Carighan.6758:
Don’t forget that you can doubletrait sword, aswell that sword got a line daze on 4 too. And Focus 5, then place 4 under him for cleaaaanse

Xyonon.3987:

@Carighan.6758:
Don’t forget that you can doubletrait sword, aswell that sword got a line daze on 4 too. And Focus 5, then place 4 under him for cleaaaanse

Meh. Since the people who kept preaching how awesome it would be if the warden could move (nevermind that it destroys the primary reason to cast it) got their wish, that is factually impossible for me. She always runs off! :’(

But you’re right about the double-traiting especially, it was originally my reason to use dual-swords when I started. I kept it now, for style-reasons, but it was what originally made me pick it up.