Guild Wars 2

I apologize for a noobish question. I am still leveling up my mesmer and I am looking at traits. Some state they will apply a condition (either specific or random) when an illusion is killed. Does this mean the mob has to kill it or does shattering count as being killed and applies the condition to the target?

Thank you for your answers and patience if this has been asked a dozen times over.

Shattering is not killed. Basically you either want to build your clones for offence (shatter build) or defense (disable enemies if they’re killed).

Or ignore clones and use phantasms for damage.

“on kill” means that the illusion died via enemy reducing the illusion to no health, or the illusion being replaced by another illusion.

Shatter does not count for these traits.

Shattering is not killed. Basically you either want to build your clones for offence (shatter build) or defense (disable enemies if they’re killed).

Not always true.

The big thing is do not build your illusions to deal damage on death and to deal damage via shatter — that is typically a waste.

Oftentimes if you are shatter spamming, the enemy will kill a lot of your clones — it is kind of inevitable. There’s also the case where you’re not 100% solid on perfectly managing your clones. In which case it’s entirely possible for you to overwrite your clones at certain times (causing on-death traits to proc).

In that case, a defensive (cough, cripple on death) kill trait is pretty effective to pair up with shatter DPS (I mean, think about it: you kitten them up with shatter DPS, or they kill your clones and you get free perma-kite, kittenol?)

The only problem is that the cripple on kill is in the same trait line as 20% mind wrack damage, and who wants to sacrifice pew pew for utility?

Answer: a kitten kitten Shatter build without the GS trait, taking 20 points into Dom, that’s what. Then again, a big reason for that build is to strip boons …

EasymodeX.4062:

The only problem is that the cripple on kill is in the same trait line as 20% mind wrack damage, and who wants to sacrifice pew pew for utility?

Additionally, Debilitating Dissipation only really has 1/3 chance of a good condition (bleed) on the target. Weakness is awful in its current form, and Vuln is a little underwhelming.

I’d love to get the 3s confusion on death trait, but not at the expense of IP or the staff trait.

Weakness is really good for attrition / anti-attrition fighting though. Durable players typically have low-ish crit chances and negating half their dodges is lols.

IIRC, Debilitating Dissipation puts multiple stacks of those effects on, so 3x Vuln is almost worth mentioning and stuff. Mostly a filler trait though, when you’re aiming for the 15pt or Staff trait.

Thank you all. I just hit 40 and I am loving mesmer. I truly love the shatter build and concept. I believe I am getting it down but I was just trying to get some of the basics on the traits down. For shatter builds does power play into the damage or condition or both? Thanks again for every ones opinions and knowledge.

I am thinking of going Staff and scepter/pistol.

Drunken Mad King.8193:

Thank you all. I just hit 40 and I am loving mesmer. I truly love the shatter build and concept. I believe I am getting it down but I was just trying to get some of the basics on the traits down. For shatter builds does power play into the damage or condition or both? Thanks again for every ones opinions and knowledge.

I am thinking of going Staff and scepter/pistol.

If you are running that particular weapon set the answer is both, you will want power and condition dmg. The power will of course boost your direct dmg from weapon skills and mindwrack and overall help increase the phantasms dmg, while the confusion stacks will benefit most from condition dmg as well as the conditions from staff. Rampagers would probably be a decent set for this style of play and you can adjust how much survival stats you would or would not like through trinkets and runes.

Carrion will > Rampager for pure shatter. Rampager is relevant if you feel like keeping your clones alive for Sharper Images. Else, more Carrion, IMO.

I am going to try to test shatters tonight on a dummy. I am not sure what boosts the damage of a shatter. Power or Condition or both. I will post what I find but I am suspecting condition. I was fighting the skeleton champ last night and when he was immune to physical condition the shatters were still doing damage which would indicate either poor programming or that this was condition damage.

The initial damage from a shatter is based on power. The confusion damage from CoF is obviously condition.

Sidenote: COF has a direct damage piece too, just because.

Helps tagging.

Thank you all. I appreciate it as Mesmer traits and abilities are a bit confuzzling at times. I attempted scepter and pistol but no matter how I played around with it I just found it… lackluster for my playstyle. I found myself staying more in staff mode to instead of utilizing the abilities of the scepter. The pistol was fine and enjoyed it. I am trying sword/pistol now and I seemingly create more clones, don’t lose much as far as defensive, and my damage seems to be boosted as well.

I had been playing GS / Staff but heard down the road they don’t synergize well for shatter builds.

GS/Staff is fine for shatter builds in general.

It comes down to what you do specifically within the shatter build.

Drunken Mad King.8193:

I had been playing GS / Staff but heard down the road they don’t synergize well for shatter builds.

GS & Staff are both great for shatter builds. GS is nice that is provides the clones to already be in melee range.

I’d love to be able to go GS/Staff more often in WvW, but the often need/utility of a Focus is hard to give up.

why not keep a focus in the bags and bring it out for pulls and out of combat speed buff? Unless traited of reflection ofc the siuations you get to pull ppl of cliffs/walls etc is kina static and often give time for a wep change and out of combat speed talk for itself.

Because that’s annoying. And you don’t want to keep exiting combat to pull people.

And Sword is pimp.

Edit:

Also AOE knockdown + pull is something useful all the time in every situation, including dynamic situations, and projectile block = win almost all the time. Focus is So Good You Feel Dumb When It’s Not In Your Hand.

@osicat

Because if I need the swiftness buff, I need it right now, not ‘when I manage to get out of combat’ — which often amounts to “I get caught and am dead because my enemies had swiftness while I waited for mine”

Ok alanis, if thats how you prefere setup, i just dont find focus a good wep for other than pull, swiftness you have by the team, movment by your utilitys. I dont think focus is a wep to use in a fight other thean for utility of pull ppl fron stuff. In those situations you not in danger anyway. A mesmer wont run away from anyone, period, a mesmer get away by portal blink etc.

Osicat.4139:

Ok alanis, if thats how you prefere setup, i just dont find focus a good wep for other than pull, swiftness you have by the team, movment by your utilitys. I dont think focus is a wep to use in a fight other thean for utility of pull ppl fron stuff. In those situations you not in danger anyway. A mesmer wont run away from anyone, period, a mesmer get away by portal blink etc.

Putting a iWarden down right prior to Feedback is actual pretty effective vs groups, but certainly not something I’d choose over a GS if it weren’t for the swiftness.

If swiftness provided by a team was reliable, people wouldn’t use the Focus as much. In actuality, the AoE range on most group-based swiftness abilities is rather small, and you won’t always get them.

And I never run around without blink, but blink alone won’t ensure your escape if the enemy has swiftness and you don’t.

Note: running Centaur solves this issue for those that like that Rune set.

Side note, kinda funnie how I every argument run in strait opposite direction of alanis and get in clinch. Dont think I discussed with anyone who in so many ways are in total different opinion would love to see a vid by you some day of how your group wvwvw.

Thank you all for your opinions and experience and even the back and forth on the viability of weapon choices. I am learning from all of it.

@Alanis and Osicat I see both your points. I am trying to get used to focus off hand but I see it as so situational but in those situations it’s a life saver and game changer.

Doing WvWvW without a focus is painful. Very painful.