Guild Wars 2

From a PvP/WvW point of view I see a lot of issues with Mirage, but one problem stands out and imho needs to be resolved before everything else. I shortened the post several times to increase readability. I hope the intended message is still there^^

The Mesmer’s dilemma
Core Mesmer can either shatter offensively or defensively before needing to actively rebuild the shatter resource: Illusions. Conceptually, however, a Mesmer relies on confusing and disorienting its foe requiring to leave illusions up and refrain from frequent shattering. Committing to a shatter works against the Mesmer’s intended design to confuse the enemy. And after a shatter (except temporarily F4) the Mesmer is vulnerable and “alone”.

Chronomancer’s resolution
Chronomancer hugely improved shattering, making it feel more worth while and less sacrificial. It took the core Mesmer’s dilemma and offered a resolution in favor of shattering. This set Chronomancer and core Mesmer apart favoring shatters more and leaving the concept of confusion and disorientation somewhat behind.

The Mirage’s dilemma
Mirage on the other hand lacks the distinction between what core Mesmer and Mirage “want” to be and Mirage is faced with the same dilemma as core Mesmer is. Additionally the mirage cloak and ambush mechanic adds a new layer to the core dilemma: offensive vs defensive dodges (an issue core Mesmers might already face with Deceptive Evasion).

Possible resolution for Mirage
If Mirage wants to offer a resolution to the core dilemma in favor of not shattering, then either its traits need to reflect that and/or the shatter skills need to be reworked even possibly merged with ambush skills. But currently I see no real uniqueness and no real value in the Mirage specialization and it only adds problems instead of resolving them.