Guild Wars 2

I’m a new Mesmer and know that we are coveted for many of our utilities, one of which is our Portal Entre/Exeunt skill. So, what are some useful tactics, sneaky tricks, and expected uses of our Portal skill? This thread is for just that. Let’s see how inventive we are.

Enjoy my solo portal guide:

For group usage:

/Osicat

Osi’s got some of the most clever tricks around. Definitely great videos. (I’m still trying to get that portal stomp down.)

If you’re going to try hiding in keeps and towers, make sure you have your portal routes rehearsed. Do test runs (in the keeps especially) so you know exactly where your portals will reach, what the best exit paths are, and where to direct people. Nothing is worse than hiding in inner Hills, then overextending the portal for the ninja team. I should know

Insider tip: Portal range reaches from inner to outer on all keeps except Bay.

Portal is something that I certainly enjoy. It really is a fantastic utility especially in wvw. One of may favourite moments being assailaning a group catapulting a tower. Jump in to the zerg burst the catapult and portal out. Boy did they rage! But not once did they send out any scouts.!

What are the expected uses for portals? Are there any times in a dungeon that a mesmer is expected to use portal other than for exploits?

Seras.5702:

What are the expected uses for portals? Are there any times in a dungeon that a mesmer is expected to use portal other than for exploits?

Many parties want the mesmer to portal people past tricky puzzles. (Like the laser beams in CoE, or the ramp with electric fields in the Uncategorized Fractal.) These aren’t difficult puzzles, but the portal can help people clear them faster.

The portal is a godsend in the Swamp Fractals. Once you learn the map, this is actually pretty easy to clear without a portal. Having the portal for the furthest essences, however, can keep a group from getting tangled up.

At any rate, run dungeons with friends and guildmembers. They’ll let you know where a portal is appreciated. (Pick-ups sometimes have higher expectations and get annoyed when a portal doesn’t work out. That’s been my experience anyway.)

Speeding up golems in WvW, either lower the walk distance outside, or when getting outer down, portal straight to next gate.

Edit: also for ambushes, or siege snipe. May require some planning, but when you know shortcuts etc. You can snipe down siege with ease.

Seems portal’s strongest place is in WvW. Might have to take up WvW.

I use the portal during Claw of Jormag fight – mostly to portal people quickly out of his AoE or the other way round, to portal people in to damage him quickly.

Also, jumping puzzles. Incredibly useful on the ones requiring long run back if you miss the jump.

Seras.5702:

Seems portal’s strongest place is in WvW. Might have to take up WvW.

One does not simply" Take up WvW".

Some dungeon uses:

Lazors (CoE)
Balls of Fiery Death (CoF)
Swamp Fractal

Am I the only one that will throw down both portals in combat lol?

You can use portals to teleport back and forth in combat thus dodging attacks without actually needing to use endurance, in sPvP this helps with the confusion when you have clones running around especially if you stealth (make them think you used the portal).

In PvE it’s useful in a lot of bosses by dodging without really dodging, however in PvE it’s not as useful for melee as it is for ranged, which as a lot of people know, isn’t really the “meta” atm. That being said if you run dungeons for fun instead of speed runs then it’s still useful xD

I use thr portal in wvw… When im solo : D.
Its like an extra blink you can use several times that has a much higher range. You also dont need line of sight of the place youre teleporting to ^__^. Portal finishing is also fun.

Portal’s great many uses:

• In WvW, to move Siege Golems around faster.
• In WvW, to have an escape route for Siege Golems to behind your zerg. This is ~crucial if you expect the enemy zerg to be nearby, they’ll probably jump into your golems, getting them out that very moment ruins their attack since they’re sitting ducks.
• In WvW, to move the group past walls or above and into things. Also into enemy groups, though this is too expected by now and frequently fails as a result.
• In WvW, to stomp players (see Osicat’s video, it’s awesome ).
• In PvE, to have a checkpoint in difficult jumping puzzles.
• In PvE, to skip tricky moments in dungeons.
• In PvE, to help players frustrated with reaching a vista.
• In PvE, for it’s way-too-long CD.
• In sPvP, to slot something else instead.

Carighan.6758:

Portal’s great many uses:

• In WvW, to move Siege Golems around faster.
• In WvW, to have an escape route for Siege Golems to behind your zerg. This is ~crucial if you expect the enemy zerg to be nearby, they’ll probably jump into your golems, getting them out that very moment ruins their attack since they’re sitting ducks.
• In WvW, to move the group past walls or above and into things. Also into enemy groups, though this is too expected by now and frequently fails as a result.
• In WvW, to stomp players (see Osicat’s video, it’s awesome ).
• In PvE, to have a checkpoint in difficult jumping puzzles.
• In PvE, to skip tricky moments in dungeons.
• In PvE, to help players frustrated with reaching a vista.
• In PvE, for it’s way-too-long CD.
• In sPvP, to slot something else instead.

Well you clearly have no idea how sPvP works.

Durzlla.6295:

Am I the only one that will throw down both portals in combat lol?

You can use portals to teleport back and forth in combat thus dodging attacks without actually needing to use endurance, in sPvP this helps with the confusion when you have clones running around especially if you stealth (make them think you used the portal).

In PvE it’s useful in a lot of bosses by dodging without really dodging, however in PvE it’s not as useful for melee as it is for ranged, which as a lot of people know, isn’t really the “meta” atm. That being said if you run dungeons for fun instead of speed runs then it’s still useful xD

I used to do this a long time ago when portal was ~30s. Funny how I used it more as a solo person than a group oriented Mesmer when it was on a low CD.

I remember popping portals near a good hidy hole while taking out some enemies, and when the enemy zerg walked over, I would pop it.

Sadly, I’m discouraged to use it now, with that high CD (untraited/traited even)

Osicat.4139:

Enjoy my solo portal guide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svvbTHeDcOE

For group usage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxpydARmmDQ

/Osicat

Osi, please reload your videos. A huge fanbase arn’t able to watch them since they are blocked by the GEMA (German music license contributor)

Use this :
http://www.proxfree.com/youtube-proxy.php
Allows you to ignore those restrictions

One little trick I discovered: if you equip Portal and drop the Portal Entre, you can swap out Portal on your util bar for any other skill and use it as much as you want, then swap Portal back in and set up a port without any issue.

In other words (an example):

- Drop Portal Entre
- Swap Portal out for Decoy
- Use Decoy
- Swap Decoy for Portal again (must be OOC)
- Drop Portal Exeunt

If you’re roaming and being chased by a larger group, dropping the Portal Entre (with no intention of ever using it) will frequently make most of the chasers hover over the portal for the 60 seconds it takes for it to despawn. I’ve had quite a few times where just doing that has evened the odds enough for me to either get away or kill the pursuers.

Mesmer mind games ftw.

LumAnth.5124:

Durzlla.6295:

Am I the only one that will throw down both portals in combat lol?

You can use portals to teleport back and forth in combat thus dodging attacks without actually needing to use endurance, in sPvP this helps with the confusion when you have clones running around especially if you stealth (make them think you used the portal).

In PvE it’s useful in a lot of bosses by dodging without really dodging, however in PvE it’s not as useful for melee as it is for ranged, which as a lot of people know, isn’t really the “meta” atm. That being said if you run dungeons for fun instead of speed runs then it’s still useful xD

I used to do this a long time ago when portal was ~30s. Funny how I used it more as a solo person than a group oriented Mesmer when it was on a low CD.

I remember popping portals near a good hidy hole while taking out some enemies, and when the enemy zerg walked over, I would pop it.

Sadly, I’m discouraged to use it now, with that high CD (untraited/traited even)

Yeah, same here, it’s kinda upsetting that now portal is pretty much just a taxi service, was more enjoyable when it was more of a combat move…

Most people have gone over the many uses. Two that I’d like to call out:

1) Helping zergs get supply faster. Portal has a limit on horizontal distance but not vertical. You can portal 20 people back up at NE tower by dropping down after they grab NE supply. Same for NW camp and NW tower.

2) SW camp is a huge choke point for zergs because people like to set up ballistas and arrow carts. Lay portal on one side, blink to the top of the bridge/hut, jump to other side and drop portal

Ethics.4519:

1) Helping zergs get supply faster. Portal has a limit on horizontal distance but not vertical. You can portal 20 people back up at NE tower by dropping down after they grab NE supply. Same for NW camp and NW tower.

2) SW camp is a huge choke point for zergs because people like to set up ballistas and arrow carts. Lay portal on one side, blink to the top of the bridge/hut, jump to other side and drop portal

Both very strong applications, and they do work. Just to keep from perpetuating misinformation, portal range does include height. If you jump a great height and then run to the typical range, your portal will be overextended.

Nikked.7365:

Ethics.4519:

1) Helping zergs get supply faster. Portal has a limit on horizontal distance but not vertical. You can portal 20 people back up at NE tower by dropping down after they grab NE supply. Same for NW camp and NW tower.

2) SW camp is a huge choke point for zergs because people like to set up ballistas and arrow carts. Lay portal on one side, blink to the top of the bridge/hut, jump to other side and drop portal

Both very strong applications, and they do work. Just to keep from perpetuating misinformation, portal range does include height. If you jump a great height and then run to the typical range, your portal will be overextended.

Thanks, I’ve never fully tested it, but it seems to work that way.

So then how exactly does it work? Vertical distance is taken into account somewhat, but not fully?

One thing to keep in mind with portals, especially in wvw, is portal placement. If you’ve the spare time, make an effort to place the portal where it’s harder for the enemy to see.

I’m not sure if it was mentioned, but deception portals are occasionally useful to disorient and stall an enemy a bit. For instance, an enemy zerg might back off a gate for a few seconds if you drop a portal behind them.

Ethics.4519:

Nikked.7365:

Both very strong applications, and they do work. Just to keep from perpetuating misinformation, portal range does include height. If you jump a great height and then run to the typical range, your portal will be overextended.

Thanks, I’ve never fully tested it, but it seems to work that way.

So then how exactly does it work? Vertical distance is taken into account somewhat, but not fully?

Hmm, that’s a good question. I remember on the forums, someone tested the vertical height in Rata Sum. S/he was able to pretty much overlap on the map, but overextended through height alone. I know I’ve experienced this in some of my riskier portals in WvW. (I tested a lot of portal ranges when I rehearsed my exit paths from hiding spots in inner keeps.)

It seems like the portal takes distance into account through a straight line between entrance and exit. Best way to explain this is through a right angle triangle. You’ve jumped the distance of the height, then ran the distance of the base. Those distances combined exceed the range of the hypotenuse. However, portal range equals the hypotenuse So, you are travelling further than your portal range, but not overextending the portal.

Again, this is just an educated guess, but it involved basic geometry and a crappy picture I made. So that’s something.

Adding a video of last nights solo roaming, alot of portal usage.

/Osicat

I’m sure i missed it in your video Osicat, but I’m a newer player and have heard the term portal bomb. The term was used when assaulting a towers gates and i had no clue how to preform it. I am no where close to a good Mesmer yet, hopefully with lots of practice one day, anyways can someone give a brief explanation of a “portal bomb”. Thank you all in advance for any help.

NapoleonMP.7964:

I’m sure i missed it in your video Osicat, but I’m a newer player and have heard the term portal bomb. The term was used when assaulting a towers gates and i had no clue how to preform it. I am no where close to a good Mesmer yet, hopefully with lots of practice one day, anyways can someone give a brief explanation of a “portal bomb”. Thank you all in advance for any help.

Mesmer drops portal entrance. Zerg stacks on it. Mesmer pops veil, decoy, mass invis, torch #4, etc. to stealth up to opposing zerg, blinks behind, in the middle, or to the side of the enemy zerg, and drops the exit portal. The friendly zerg then takes the portal and crushes the opposing zerg because of the culling and sneak attack.

Portal now only allows 20 people to go through, it used to allow infinite.

Edit: Not sure about other tiers, but new meta seems to be chain veiling. 3,4,5 mesmers stagger veil and call out when they drop it. This allows the zerg to stealth rush to the enemy zerg

Ethics.4519:

NapoleonMP.7964:

I’m sure i missed it in your video Osicat, but I’m a newer player and have heard the term portal bomb. The term was used when assaulting a towers gates and i had no clue how to preform it. I am no where close to a good Mesmer yet, hopefully with lots of practice one day, anyways can someone give a brief explanation of a “portal bomb”. Thank you all in advance for any help.

Mesmer drops portal entrance. Zerg stacks on it. Mesmer pops veil, decoy, mass invis, torch #4, etc. to stealth up to opposing zerg, blinks behind, in the middle, or to the side of the enemy zerg, and drops the exit portal. The friendly zerg then takes the portal and crushes the opposing zerg because of the culling and sneak attack.

Portal now only allows 20 people to go through, it used to allow infinite.

Culling also isn’t an issue anymore in WvW, which also reduces the effectiveness of the tactic, however it’s still strong and used regularly because the element of surprise is often enough.

Durzlla.6295:

Culling also isn’t an issue anymore in WvW, which also reduces the effectiveness of the tactic, however it’s still strong and used regularly because the element of surprise is often enough.

True, but I still think culling plays a part. Like you said not as strong, but if our zerg gets portal bombed I usually see red aoe/start taking damage before I see enemies. Sometimes…

Ethics.4519:

Durzlla.6295:

Culling also isn’t an issue anymore in WvW, which also reduces the effectiveness of the tactic, however it’s still strong and used regularly because the element of surprise is often enough.

True, but I still think culling plays a part. Like you said not as strong, but if our zerg gets portal bombed I usually see red aoe/start taking damage before I see enemies. Sometimes…

I’ve been told (i’m not someone who jumps through the portal i tend to anchor myself on a siege weapon xD), that you can cast some aoes as you launch through the portal and it’ll fire through it first.

My guildies were trying to teach a new ele how to do it with Glyph of Storms, i was just kinda glancing at chat, but that’s the gist of what i got from it, i can ask our WvW person for more confirmation.

Durzlla.6295:

Ethics.4519:

Durzlla.6295:

Culling also isn’t an issue anymore in WvW, which also reduces the effectiveness of the tactic, however it’s still strong and used regularly because the element of surprise is often enough.

True, but I still think culling plays a part. Like you said not as strong, but if our zerg gets portal bombed I usually see red aoe/start taking damage before I see enemies. Sometimes…

I’ve been told (i’m not someone who jumps through the portal i tend to anchor myself on a siege weapon xD), that you can cast some aoes as you launch through the portal and it’ll fire through it first.

My guildies were trying to teach a new ele how to do it with Glyph of Storms, i was just kinda glancing at chat, but that’s the gist of what i got from it, i can ask our WvW person for more confirmation.

Interesting. That would make sense as I know you can start a stomp, portal, then come back and finish it (thanks to osicat).

I wonder how that would work, because most aoes that I’m thinking of our ground targeting, so I wonder if that would switch or not. I guess it would work with some ele ones like D/D earth #4,5

Ethics.4519:

Durzlla.6295:

Ethics.4519:

Durzlla.6295:

Culling also isn’t an issue anymore in WvW, which also reduces the effectiveness of the tactic, however it’s still strong and used regularly because the element of surprise is often enough.

True, but I still think culling plays a part. Like you said not as strong, but if our zerg gets portal bombed I usually see red aoe/start taking damage before I see enemies. Sometimes…

I’ve been told (i’m not someone who jumps through the portal i tend to anchor myself on a siege weapon xD), that you can cast some aoes as you launch through the portal and it’ll fire through it first.

My guildies were trying to teach a new ele how to do it with Glyph of Storms, i was just kinda glancing at chat, but that’s the gist of what i got from it, i can ask our WvW person for more confirmation.

Interesting. That would make sense as I know you can start a stomp, portal, then come back and finish it (thanks to osicat).

I wonder how that would work, because most aoes that I’m thinking of our ground targeting, so I wonder if that would switch or not. I guess it would work with some ele ones like D/D earth #4,5

It was a weird timing thing like they needed to finish the cast right as they hit the portal (F) and it’d transfer the skill over to the other portal too. I know our ele used a staff (we normally do keep defense/offense)

@NapoleonNP, Portal bomb is in general the group attack thru portal and explained in latest posts. Still it can also be done in solo gameplay like I show in the solo portal guide. In general is about land a burst of skills thru distance using a portal. Have clones attack enemy, portal out start shatter, start a phantasm cast and just kittenter hits take the portal, leap and frenzy as you phantasm hit.

Trick to know both for the ele want to do earth aoe bomb, or mesmer who want a pantasm instant cast is that portal use dont brake a cast. So if you target a player close to other portal, then start cast a phantasm and then take portal your phantasm pop nstantly as you pop out of portal, leap and blurred +shatter make a evil dmg combo.

Same with heal, always start a heal before you tale portal if you can as this save some cast time.

/Osicat

Thank you all for the replys. Appreciate it, some how i had it in my mind really wrong lol.