Guild Wars 2

Hey all my Mesmer is almost level 80 now and would like to use the staff as I think the staff is an amazing weapon on the Mesmer.
Can I get some feedback on what part of the game (pve,WvWvW,PvP) the staff works well in and with what builds?

Thanks all

Sweeps

The staff is really a utility weapon so can be taken in whatever build for the unique utility it brings. I imagine it would be ineffective in PvE, but I don’t PvE so would need someone else to let you know. As for in PvP, I pretty much can’t play without one anymore :P.

Staff is my favorite but unfortunately it’s very low DPS in PVE so don’t play staff in PVE unless you wanna use the phantasm on a World Boss.

Neptune.2570:

The staff is really a utility weapon so can be taken in whatever build for the unique utility it brings. I imagine it would be ineffective in PvE, but I don’t PvE so would need someone else to let you know. As for in PvP, I pretty much can’t play without one anymore :P.

Oh whats the staff setup you use please mate?

Kirito.9207:

Staff is my favorite but unfortunately it’s very low DPS in PVE so don’t play staff in PVE unless you wanna use the phantasm on a World Boss.

Yeah . Know its abit lacking I hope they do something about it with the upcoming changes

I don’t really know, but maybe staff will be viable in PvE if they make iElasticity work with staff clones.

In a phantasm build, iWarlock can become one of our hardest hitting phantasms. I don’t typically run a staff in PvE, but since I just got my Bifrost, I thought, hell why not just play around for a bit, and my iWarlocks were hitting as high as 12.7k on the bosses in CoF. (A friend of mine that I run with is a necro, so there was an abundance of conditions).

I’m not brave enough to say that it’s optimal, but it’s definitely not terrible. The auto attacks are admittedly underwhelming though.

I say if you’re running with pugs (not optimized), just go for it.

It all makes me think of Maniac Magee’s post, Mesmer Staff Discussion & The Maniac Magician. This got me so excited about running a staff mesmer, until i learned how bad condi can be in PvE. I think in PUGs it’s probably fine because everyone is sub-optimal. I’m leveling a thief alt, focusing on condi/bleed, and I’ve been able to keep my stacks at just below 25. In any case, this post embodied what I thought MY mesmer should be: chaos-oriented, kite and dodge pest that tossed reactionary spells all around. Elementalist is proactive, mesmer is reactive. I like that. I really liked the idea of IE working for clones, because i imagined “chaos-balls” flying all over the place. Being a reflect-bot is not as fun. In any case, my hope is for IE to work “as promised” and maybe it’ll be what I’ve always wanted. For now, dropping 1 stack of condi per bounce +negligible damage is just too underwhelming.

PvE (open world) gear zerker and staff #3 hits like a truck against bosses that have a bunch of condi on them. I was having some fun doing it in Dry Top.

PvE (dungeons) PUGs wont mind, but any Fast/Exp group is going to frown upon you. Sword/Sword is what you should be running, discard staff before entering dungeon.

WvW (zerging), Staff allows you to AoE tag and #2 skill get you out of the way of enemy zerg trains. However, you’re not helping the zerg much. Only consider staff if professional veil bot.

WvW (group roaming) Staff is decent here. Use #4 skill when focused and get teammates to peel for you. #5 works great in small encounters. However, it should not be your primary weapon

WvW or sPvP (1v1) Staff can work as primary in 1v1 situations. Your clones will add bleeds/burns/vuln to opponent and you can just hide among them. Traited with DD, each clone death causes just as much harm.

Common builds include

0/5/5/0/4 and 0/4/4/0/6 with Rabid gear.
Key traits: Deceptive Evasion, Debilitating Dissipation, Chaotic Dampening, Illusionary Elasticity.

Other builds as extension from above.

2/4/4/0/4 and 0/4/6/0/4 Rabid gear.
Same key traits. Some like Cripple Dissipation in the Domination line, some like Bountiful interruption in the Chaos line. Depends on your preference within Staff playstyle.

I think the concept of a “staff Mesmer” is fundamentally flawed. You have a whole other weapon set. The question shouldn’t be “how good is staff?” It should be “how does staff work alongside my other chosen set/gear options?”

To that I think staff is our single most flexible weapon. It had a place in both power builds (iWarlock, AoE Halting Strike for lockdown, and quick clone generation for shatter) and condi builds (auto attack, clones, chaos storm, chaos armor). It also offers a great defense in phase retreat and chaos armor and sets an ethereal field for chaos armor on your allies.

Personally I think staff can be worked into almost any Mesmer build and not be a terrible choice.

Personally, what everyone says about staff hitting like a truck is very true, equip some Assassin/Knights gear, with Zerker trinkets. sw/focus + staff. I like taking the signet that increases Phantasm hp by 50% but your choice and get up 3 iWarlocks, then jump in with your sword. and watch the numbers fly. Obviously this is more a boss/single target route, but your focus iWarden (when it works) and sword is great aoe aswell.

sirrealist.1360:

I don’t really know, but maybe staff will be viable in PvE if they make iElasticity work with staff clones.

I was away from the game for a few months so can someone tell memwhat exactly is the issue with iElasticity ?

Thanks

Sweeps.3059:

sirrealist.1360:

I don’t really know, but maybe staff will be viable in PvE if they make iElasticity work with staff clones.

I was away from the game for a few months so can someone tell memwhat exactly is the issue with iElasticity ?

Thanks

It does not effect staff clones that cast Winds of Chaos. Logic would say that it should follow the exact rules of that skill, which includes a bounce, therefore working with the trait.

Basically staff clones should be our ranged AoE clone and they aren’t.

Veruah.5302:

Sweeps.3059:

sirrealist.1360:

I don’t really know, but maybe staff will be viable in PvE if they make iElasticity work with staff clones.

I was away from the game for a few months so can someone tell memwhat exactly is the issue with iElasticity ?

Thanks

It does not effect staff clones that cast Winds of Chaos. Logic would say that it should follow the exact rules of that skill, which includes a bounce, therefore working with the trait.

Basically staff clones should be our ranged AoE clone and they aren’t.

Ah ok got it thanks for pointing that out