Guild Wars 2

Evening all,

Just rolled a Mesmer, first character ever in the World of GW2.

If anyone has any useful hints and tips for leveling and combat and things I would be very appreciative.

Looking forward to learning my trade and hopefully becoming, at least, a half decent Mesmer.

Thanks in advance peeps!

Uh, how about reading the forum? Build and guide lists are stickied in a thread at the top. Pretty much all you’d ever need to know about lvling and playing a mesmer can be found in the guides there.

Experiment with all the weapons, and find the ones that work best for you. Only scepter is generally regarded as a bad weapon, but even it in the right situations has its uses. Greatsword is the direct damage weapon, and Staff is the great defensive weapon.

For utility skills, it is really a matter of preference. Most will used null field, mirror images and deception, but all of them have uses. Mantras are really best if you plan to build a mantra only type build and take awhile to really come into their own.

Practice shattering alot to really get the hang of it and the timing. It is our core mechanic and very useful.

Once you can get trait points, put the first 5 points into Illusion in order to get the minor trait. It gives a 20% cooldown to all clone and phantasm summoning skills, both weapon and utility. Probably the best trait in the whole game in my opinion.

As to the rest there are several good guides in this forum. Do a search and find one that sounds good to you.

Most of the guides aren’t very oriented towards low level players. Random tips:

1. Use Scepter before level 7.
2. After level 7, don’t use Scepter.
3. After level 7, practice weapon swapping extensively to get good as using your cooldowns.
4. First 5 trait points into Illusion.

5. Salvage white gear. Sell green gear (that you don’t need) to the vendor or through the auction house. Blue … meh. In today’s economy, probably sell it to the vendor.

6. Only use crude salvage kits (when you only want base materials), or Master salvage kits (when you want runes, sigils, or gems out of the item).

7. Salvaged materials / materials in general can be stored in a completely separate “collectables bank”. In your inventory bag, there is a “gear” icon in the upper right. Select that and “move everything to collectables” or w/e. The collectables bank is accessible at any bank location or crafting station.

8. You get XP from doing basically anything in the game — killing stuff, gathering materials, crafting, dynamic events, personal story, exploring, tagging vistas / map completion. So go do whatever you find fun / interesting.

9. Generally speaking, don’t waste karma on item purchases while you are leveling up. You may wish to spend karma on salvage kits or gathering tools (low karma cost, and it saves gold). Karma gear purchases tend to be expensive and you will inevitably regret the lost karma some time in the future.

Easymode, I think Fay has a section in there for lvling that includes a number of guides including Mr Prometheus and Kai’s lvling guides.

Wesz, lol I saw that before it got deleted. If you’d actually take the time to browse the forum before making a post you’d see that several other people the past couple days have made posts exactly like yours. Your questions are asked on here usually a couple times a week. Call me a prick if you want but it’s way easier for me to just tell you to go read the guides rather than writing out some long explanation that I’d have to repeat again two days from now for someone else. Helping lazy people gets pretty tiring.

Good point; I may have simply read past those guides since I’m not leveling. Lulz.

My only pve advice would be to focus on power/crit mostly. GS and sword/X are all great. Utilities are situational.

For PVP or WVW… The staff is my best friend. 90% of the time I have blink, null field, decoy and mass invis on my bar. Null field is amazing. Love using it offensively to strip boons, and love the free chaos armor from comboing with staff retreat. If you end up doing a lot of pvp/wvw, practice how to move, and when not to move. You can really confuse people if you have a few clones out and you’re not strafing/dodging/jumping and making it obvious which is the real you.

Personally I recommend getting used to the Shatter mechanics early on. Heavy shattering isn’t the only way to play the mesmer—builds that rely mostly on sustaining phantasms are viable as well—but shatter heavy builds take more to get used to probably.

Use shattering more often than you necessarily have to as a source of damage, and learn how to save yourself with F3 and F4. Get used to the CDs on your shatters.

And most importantly, get used to how to make clones, how often you can make illusions, and how the CD’s on your shatters fit into the CD’s on your illusiom making abilities.

Early on, your shatters will probably more limited by how often you can pump out clones (though the CD on your shatter #1 will probably be close to how often you can pump out 3 clones, if just slightly shorter). Later, you’ll be able to pump out illusions faster than you can shatter them. When you get Dueling X, producing a clone on dodge, you’ll really be able to pump them out

Note that for DPS in PvE, you’ll want to use shatter #1 primarily. Shatter #2 does inflict some damage both directly and through confusion, though it is a far poorer choice than #1.

And remember that generally speaking, clones don’t do DPS. They are fodder for shattering and a distraction to enemies (though humans can easily tell the difference between clones and players).

Kazhiel, I deleted it. It annoyed me. I appreciate the forum is filled with these (a lot of them I have read) but I also know that people like to share their experience, and I am very grateful. I am keen to get as much info as I can and people, generally, are happy to help.

Also, it’s not compulsory for you to reply. If it is that tiring then don’t bother reading it, definitely don’t bother writing in it. Seems very contradictory.

Thanks to the rest of you for being helpful.

Wesz.1493:

Kazhiel, I deleted it. It annoyed me. I appreciate the forum is filled with these (a lot of them I have read) but I also know that people like to share their experience, and I am very grateful. I am keen to get as much info as I can and people, generally, are happy to help.

Also, it’s not compulsory for you to reply. If it is that tiring then don’t bother reading it, definitely don’t bother writing in it. Seems very contradictory.

Thanks to the rest of you for being helpful.

Aww, well… if you decide to give it another go, please realize that mesmers for most people are annoying at first, but are a lot of fun once they get used to their flow of the class.

And once you get traits, they really take off. Mesmers have the best traits bar none, and their traits probably have a far more impact on how they operate than those of any other profession in the game.

I’d encourage you to give them another shot at some point, if you ever feel the urge.

Wesz.1493:

Kazhiel, I deleted it. It annoyed me. I appreciate the forum is filled with these (a lot of them I have read) but I also know that people like to share their experience, and I am very grateful. I am keen to get as much info as I can and people, generally, are happy to help.

Also, it’s not compulsory for you to reply. If it is that tiring then don’t bother reading it, definitely don’t bother writing in it. Seems very contradictory.

Thanks to the rest of you for being helpful.

Oh I’m happy to help which is why I directed you to the place where you can answer your own questions and why I’m still here writing. Just seems pretty silly to make a post asking the same generic question as other posts you’re saying you’ve read. Mesmer is one of the most complicated classes to play, there are so many little things you can do with traits and weapon combos that would make absolutely no sense to you as a new player and if a person tried to detail them here would turn into an epic novel of gibberish. You’re better off just going to the guide section and reading Lazy Kai’s guide to lvling and Mr Prometheus complete Mesmer guide. The traits you use lvling will probably be completely different than what you use at end game bordering on not making much difference because lvling in this game is so easy. I was lvl 80 long before I ever made it into the lvl 80 maps. Besides most of the 75-80 maps are full of icky undead things and not real pleasant to visit anyway lol. Just go play your char and explore the maps, try out the different weapons and get a feel for how the game works. If you’re on Yak’s holler and I can tour you around some time, I have several alts I’m lvling.

scyld.1743:

Aww, well… if you decide to give it another go, please realize that mesmers for most people are annoying at first, but are a lot of fun once they get used to their flow of the class..

scyld, he wasn’t talking about the char he was talking about deleting a reply he made to me.

GS/Staff for leveling is my advice. You will have wonderful offense, and decent defense with this combo while building power/precision. Something to note though, is that Mesmers don’t really flesh themselves out until level 40 or so. Until then, the experiences you have may feel lesser or more difficult in comparison to other classes. It’s the traits, mainly. Mesmer traits take awhile to get to, but they’re very, very good.

Alternatively, if you absolutely need movespeed, Sword/Focus in offhand works well too but doesn’t fill in the defensive gaps you would have running damage oriented gear/stat combinations. If you want some more advice, I can whisper you in game.

Kazhiel.8194:

Wesz.1493:

Kazhiel, I deleted it. It annoyed me. I appreciate the forum is filled with these (a lot of them I have read) but I also know that people like to share their experience, and I am very grateful. I am keen to get as much info as I can and people, generally, are happy to help.

Also, it’s not compulsory for you to reply. If it is that tiring then don’t bother reading it, definitely don’t bother writing in it. Seems very contradictory.

Thanks to the rest of you for being helpful.

Oh I’m happy to help which is why I directed you to the place where you can answer your own questions and why I’m still here writing. Just seems pretty silly to make a post asking the same generic question as other posts you’re saying you’ve read. Mesmer is one of the most complicated classes to play, there are so many little things you can do with traits and weapon combos that would make absolutely no sense to you as a new player and if a person tried to detail them here would turn into an epic novel of gibberish. You’re better off just going to the guide section and reading Lazy Kai’s guide to lvling and Mr Prometheus complete Mesmer guide. The traits you use lvling will probably be completely different than what you use at end game bordering on not making much difference because lvling in this game is so easy. I was lvl 80 long before I ever made it into the lvl 80 maps. Besides most of the 75-80 maps are full of icky undead things and not real pleasant to visit anyway lol. Just go play your char and explore the maps, try out the different weapons and get a feel for how the game works. If you’re on Yak’s holler and I can tour you around some time, I have several alts I’m lvling.

I kind of agree with the op.
Most builds and posts are for level 80 and without searching through a whole bundle of crap its hard to find a good noob guide.I’m sure some exist but the topics at the top like shatter cat and show your mesmer ,aren’t going to help a new player.
Good simple advice like a few people have posted in this thread is going to help noobs more.
“Use this weapon/offhand as its best for early levels”,“put trait points here first” , “don’t lose heart cos mesmers come into their own at x level”..All little bits of advice that aren’t always easy to find without searching a ton of posts.
“Read stickies” is an answer people give on many forums but its not always the best answer.

roadglue.2568:

I kind of agree with the op.
Most builds and posts are for level 80 and without searching through a whole bundle of crap its hard to find a good noob guide.I’m sure some exist but the topics at the top like shatter cat and show your mesmer ,aren’t going to help a new player.

Try looking at the one stickied at the top called “[List] Find your Mesmer Build & Guides!” there are lvling guides in it.

Its not immediately obvious.
Maybe we need a proper noobs guide sticky.
There is a lot to read through to get some simple answers.Most stuff does cater for people already 80.
I still think theres no harm in asking for simple advice.Not everyone needs to know the depth of the dogs backside

Good advice for any class: Rebind your keys.

Don’t use the WASD and 1-10 set up, by moving in one step you open up a lot more keys you can easily hit. For example:

I have:

E: Forward.
S: Strafe Left.
F: Strafe Right.
(you don’t need to turn, mouse turn/strafe only – and I don’t have back movement. It’s slow and if you’re doing it in combat you’ll get hit)

That opens up W, A, Z, X, C, V, F G, R and T as well as 2-5 all in easy range.

Bind Weapon Swap to Mouseclick. Trust me, it makes a world of difference with swapping.

I use W for auto attack, Q for target closest, R, F and G for utilities. T for heal. G for my Epic and have my shatters on Z, C, X and V. D for interact (spamming it during events makes sure you grab all of your loot).

If you are going to take Tailoring, salvage every piece of cloth gear that won’t make you a decent profit, same goes for Leatherworking I imagine.