Guild Wars 2

I’m still pretty new to pvp (maybe 100 ranked games), but this build has been working reasonably well up to low-sapphire where I am now.

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQNAreWnknBlphVoBeoBEgilnj6sACgDreQP0FFdxynDA-TJxHwACOFAA3f4YZAAPBAA

I basically never see other mesmers running signet of illusions. I understand how portal can be much more powerful supporting teams and perhaps condi chrono is fairly rare already. Is there any other reason that people don’t use this signet?

In this build, signet of illusions feels like it gives a tremendous amount of benefit. The passive is quite nice for keeping illusions up when there’s AoE. And with the defender phantasm from Mental Defense and retaliation from Persisting Images, it provides a nice damage sponge and can actually help a bit with dps (I’ve seen 1000 damage in the logs from retaliation when all the hits get shared with iDefender).

But the active part is the thing that I really like. It takes 1.25 seconds to cast (a bit faster if I’m in scepter/shield with Malicious Sorcery) and it has a long cooldown. But casting it gives a minimum of four shatters which means:
- about 3500 healing
- four, single-condi clears
- 3 seconds of alacrity
- 1 second invuln
- 1 daze
- 5 stacks of confusion
- 4 stacks of torment

Granted, at any given point, some shatter is likely to be almost available, so maybe it only saves you 6 seconds on getting Mind Wrack back. But I tend to use this when I’ve over-committed and then I get focused. If I can get this signet cast, I can usually survive and sometimes down an opponent who’s pressing to finish me off.

Anyone else using this signet?

I’ve been using it in a Settler’s Chrono Condie Shatter build the past week or so, and I’m liking it for the same reasons you’ve pointed out. It’s a bit more selfish and thus probably better for pug sPvP, but that’s pretty much all I do.

The CD on it isn’t all that long (60s) once you factor in Alacrity, and considering what it does. It seems to be up almost every time I am inclined to use it.

It’s a solid utility for any Condie Shatter build, especially since the MtD nerf. With F2 being our only decently effective burst, it’s nice to get more of them off with all the condie clearing going around.

Can you post your build written out? I’m interested but it looks like the gw2 build editor website is down. Thanks!

Gw2skill is down, so I can’t look at the build, but here’s my own, very simple, reasoning as to why I don’t use illusion signet: other skills are more useful and answers my need and those of my team better than what it could do in the current meta
I tried running it, just like I tried running a thousand of other troll, barely viable build that should have been left in closet (don’t try a manipulation build alright, reflect isn’t worth it) and signet of illusion can offer (with proper use of cs) a very reliable way of getting shatter, especially in a condi build. An that’s without being properly traited with diversion in a signet build (which can be very fun)
However, the way meta has settled shoved mesmer in a niche role of support where he’ll share his boons that are not readily available (alacrity, quickness, resistance(ish)),
Shatter is sub par, condis PU is a thing of the past (has it ever been in the present)… Even portal play has been shoved on the side for that bunker boon bot build. It’s its only use and I expect it will fall out of meta pretty soon when tempest Cele and scrapper does a much better job a whatever else than providing alacrity and quickness… Still, as the current meta goes, you are more useful to your team by running either glamour traited, or Well traited because of what your team requires to help it rather than slot a selfish skill such as signet of illusion

Tldr: signet of illusion is a nice skill, but it’s too selfish for the role meta has pushed mesmer in: boon wh**e bunker. You won’t contribute and might hinder your team

Like others have said, it’s selfish and only benefits yourself. I guess the small benefit would be having iDefender out for your team to dish out retal.

I run it on my power phantasm mesmer and it’s pretty strong for 1v1. Open with mass invisible, pump out swordsman and zerker phantasms along with defender, most of the time they’re down 60% health (pure damage + 2x retal if they attack the swordsman or zerker), burn their heal early, all while you didn’t reveal.

A lot of retal was removed or nerfed from mesmer like gain retal on block or gain retal when downed – which was amazing when you still had an iDefender out on field . Not only that, retal trait used to be 100% uptime for phantasms. Pretty sure we used to have more retal access than a guardian.

Thanks for the feedback. This build is definitely not as team-oriented as the bunker build that many mesmers play. Since I’m always queueing by myself, there’s always this moment when the fight is about to start when the team starts talking strategy and someone asks if I’m a bunker mesmer. Nobody jumps for joy when I say “no, I’m condi”

That said, the build feels like it’s working pretty well for me. I can take home and typically hold against any single attacker (and usually kill them though a diamond skin ele or a bunker mes take a while). After I take home, I can usually get to mid to drop a bomb on that fight (gravity wells, chaos storm, tides of time) and still get back to protect home. And I am mobile enough I can get to far and often kick off a defender.

I’m clearly new enough at pvp and there are enough variables in the fight to make it still hard to kitten how well I’m really doing. But I’ve been wondering a bit about how much it’s really a problem that a build is “selfish” if it fulfills a clear role and helps the team win. In these pug teams, it’s really hard to predict how well people will coordinate (at least in my experience in sapphire tier).

In any case, here’s the build description since the editor site is not responding.

Weapons:
- Scepter/shield
- Staff

Utilities:
- Ether feast
- Blink
- Signet of midnight (20% condi duration passive, stun break with AoE blind active)
- Signet of illusions (%50 illusion life passive, reset F1-F4 active)
- Gravity well

Traits:
Inspiration
- Persisting images (%20 illusion life, retaliation on summon)
- Restorative illusions (heal and condi clear on shatter)
- Mental defense (illusionary defender on block/evade)

Illusions
- Persistence of memory (2 sec recharge reduction on phantasm shatter)
- Maim the disillusioned (torment on shatter)
- Malicious sorcery (20% cooldown reduction on scepter, 15% attack speed increase)

Chrono
- Time catches up (superspeed shatters)
- Illusionary reversion (shatter two illusions, get a clone)
- Chronophantasma (get a second copy of phantasm when you shatter first)

Sigils
- Leeching and energy on both sets (leeching is important for getting the punch on diamond skin eles for me)

Runes
- Nightmare (condi damage, condi duration, fear on hit)

Amulet
- Rabid (the precision is very low value but the condi damage and toughness are key)

What you need to wonder when creating a build is not “how useful can I be” but, “what do I need to bring to be the most optimal choice for my team to pick?”
Your build is useful, but not optimal.
You do the job of a thief on a subpar level (+1 fight and dueling) (well pre HoT thief anyway), while bringing condis to the table, which rev and Necro can bring on a level that is incredibly more efficient, moreover, your capability of bunkering a point can be done in a much better manner by a bunker alacrity mesmer or a cele tempest.
It’s not about being selfish or not, it’s about the fact that on the current mesmer, a bunker boon share build is that much more optimal to a team than any other build.
A shatter mesmer can be useful, but that doesn’t bring out the fact that it is still a subpar build compared to all the other dps around.
What makes the bunker alacrity that much appreciated is not only the incredible sustain and ease to play, but rather the capacity of bringing a hefty amount of alacrity and quickness to the table (coupled with resistance if traited) and the speed rez of allies.
Your build is good, and useful, granted (I’ll go onto its analysis a bit further down), but compared to the bunker alacrity and its impressive amount of support and sustain, it doesn’t bring anything that makes it absolutely needed, nor do you fill any role that other classes can’t fulfill themselves equally or even better.
On your level it might not be important, but step up in the mmr, the day you’ll fight against people who have mastered their rotations and their synergy and you’ll see how important having the least flawed build possible to not have to worry about weaknesses that might impair your own gameplay and can positively impact the game in a much bigger way than other build.
That’s what meta represents in fact. What is the least flawed and most balanced build that can exist on given classes that maximize the strength and minimize the weaknesses of the team.

As for your build:
The weapons and utilities are good, they synergies well together and are what one would expect a condi build to have. I would, maybe, sacrifice one of your skill for nullfield or maybe, even, the mantra because of the amount of condis and Mesmer’s inherent weaknesses to them despite the traits.

For the traits, if you ever decides to go over mantra, pick up the one that heal you and allies instead of PImage, Compounding power may offer more oomph and synergy instead of Persistence of Memory and MtD has been nerfed so much since it’s been introduced that it’s almost useless (IMO), maybe test it with Shattered strength instead, especially with the signet, which will offer a nice increase to your condi damage.
Otherwise the traits are good, and also synergize well together.
The sigil of (leeching) is an interesting idea, and energy is pretty much mandatory, however I’d maybe swap things out and add a geomancy and doom for more condis somewhere in there

Runes and Amulet are pretty straightforward.
Overall, for someone who’s fairly new to pvp, you did a good job on the build and it will work out on your level. However be aware that the more you’ll advance, the less happy your teammates will be with your choice, you would provide much more by bringing alacrity and quickness to the table.
Nice job and good luck on your pvp!

Thx much for all the feedback!

There’s a really key point in all this that I’ve been asking myself – how far do I want to go in league play? I have really been having fun learning pvp. I’m not playing in the league to get the wings. I like having goals though, so I think I’d like to finish sapphire tier. But I don’t to cause my teammates problems along the way. Right now, it feels like if I choose my fights well, I am more of a help than a hindrance. So my plan is to stop playing league play when it feels like I’m no longer a help.

Since it takes me a while to learn new builds, I’m hoping that this one carries me through sapphire.

Pepsi, you said you thought Persistence of Memory wasn’t good. Can you say more about that? That trait feels like it’s amazingly good for me in this build. Every phantasm shatter takes 2 seconds off the recharge of all phantasm shatters. That include the iDefender phantasm from mental defense. With staff, shield, and iDefender phantasms and with the chronophantasma trait, I can drive the cooldowns really low on some of my key skills.

Anyway, thx again for the help!

At that point, League aren’t representative of one’s skills, hence why I spoke of MMr, you will progress, don’t have any other ideas. And maybe the meta will shift in a way that will make your build more useful, but it is not a bad build, it’s a fairly good one, simply not optimal like I spoke earlier. If it works for you, then, by any means, use it. You are not at the level where it matters. I was simply making you aware of how one must be aware of what to think in order to make a build and be a must-have asset to your team.

As for your question:
Persistence of memory is not bad, it does actually work pretty well in your build, and if I gave the idea that it was a bad choice, then I apologize, because I had to wrote this blasted thing three times because of power outage in my area :/
I was simply suggesting that you could try Compounding Power for the additional damage and it may be a good trade off depending on the other team comp (if they are on a bunkier side (more ele or mesmer in their teams) , but Persistence of Memory (because it affects your block CDs) is also a good choice (especially with Mental Defense, since it also reduce the ICD of the trait)
I was thinking out loud, ’is all

Thx! Yeah, I wrote that wrong. You didn’t say it was bad.

I did try compounding power in some earlier builds where I was trying for a hybrid damage strategy. And there is definitely a case where I end up on a pug team where everyone is a bunker. Then it gets really hard to kick anyone off a point.

Thx again for all the help and feedback.