Guild Wars 2

Could phantasms on Mesmer be set to a time limit rather than after the mob they are attacking is dead?

Honestly this is one of the things that bugs me most as a mesmer main. It doesn’t make sense that illusions are tied to an individual enemy. They should be able to swap targets and shatter when out of combat and not be on a time limit either. They have a chance of being killed by any enemy, they should have the opportunity of swapping targets when their primary target has died.

So no to time limit but yes to swapping targets, for both clones and phantasms, please.

I completely agree that the way illusions are tied to the enemy makes them feel really, really bad in most of PvE, but especially pre-80 content. Like, it’s a “build and burst” class, but my burst evaporates every time before I get to use it unless I get really lucky.

And considering ‘lucky’ means your enemy stays alive to eat that damage, which isn’t lucky for you as a mesmer.

castlemanic.3198:

Honestly this is one of the things that bugs me most as a mesmer main. It doesn’t make sense that illusions are tied to an individual enemy. They should be able to swap targets and shatter when out of combat and not be on a time limit either. They have a chance of being killed by any enemy, they should have the opportunity of swapping targets when their primary target has died.

So no to time limit but yes to swapping targets, for both clones and phantasms, please.

^ THIS.

It’s something that has always bothered me as well. I would love to see it changed.

It’s part of the class mechanic and a fundamental way in which the class is balanced. The ultimate utility class, with a huge ramp up on the cornerstone of damage. I don’t see that changing.

I’d like to see phantasms be able to retarget if we are in combat with another enemy when their target dies. I’d also like to see a trait in the illusions line allow Phantasms to persist like necro minions until they are killed (but their health wouldn’t regenerate outside of combat). At least for PvE this would allow for much better sustained damage for mesmers, though it could be hard to balance in PvP without reducing the damage that phantasms do and moving some of that back to the mesmer itself.

Honestly, as far as flavour goes, I think clones and phantasms being limited to targets works incredibly well with the Mesmer’s focus of denying reality and obfuscating perception. The phantasms and clones dying with the target suggests that they are merely manifestation’s of that victims psyche; visible only to the victim and the Mesmer. Other’s watching the duel would not see the illusions.

I think of illusions and phantasms more as dots than pets or guardians. I find that helps with realising their flavourful purpose.

That’s all fine and well, but if we are going with that route then they shouldn’t be allowed to be hurt by other players.

If I target a tempest, than the berserker shouldn’t be able to damage my illusions, and vice versa.

As it currently works though, our illusions can be killed by anyone sneezing in their direction (meaning they are clearly very real apparitions in the world, and not just mind tricks against one person), yet die as soon as their target does, which doesn’t make sense because we know they aren’t just inside the targets head.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

It’s part of the class mechanic and a fundamental way in which the class is balanced. The ultimate utility class, with a huge ramp up on the cornerstone of damage. I don’t see that changing.

I see what you are saying, but I’d find mesmer way more attractive with more persistent, but lower damage, shatters, to balance around something where I don’t feel like it’s more challenge to use my resources than just shrug and waste them.

I’m not dead hopeful it’ll see a difference, but I figure, if nobody asks then there is zero chance of improvement.