Guild Wars 2

@Cascade – My shatter build is full bezerker

@Palu & Libertine – I might give it a shot, it won’t hurt I guess lol. F2 is a confusion shatter, so they would get 2 stacks of confusion per clone due to the trait. F1 only gives 1 stack and does some damage but since we’re condition damage focused, it won’t be that much.

@Fallen – haha. glad you enjoyed it as much as I did

Currently streaming….
http://www.twitch.tv/flimpgw2

lol. Let’s see how this goes!

I really enjoyed your stream! I look forward to more in the future (hopefully)!

Palu.3405:

I really enjoyed your stream! I look forward to more in the future (hopefully)!

Me too!

Your #3 video is exactly the same as my build. I love it!

Actually, the only difference is I go 20/20/0/0/30 and use two superior sigils of energy on my staff and my sword. On my focus/pistol/etc, I use sigil of accuracy. With 103% crit damage, it works very well. Plus the extra endurance from swapping weapons not only make it easier to avoid attack, but easier to get clones up faster.

Just my two cents.

I enjoyed the live stream, thanks for putting it up

Hey guys. Thanks Really appreciate it haha

Let me know if you want to see more of something on the streams and I’ll see what I can do.

@Wookie – Yeh sigils of energy are great and you’re probably right! It’s a better choice on the pistol over the hydromancy – I haven’t played that build much cos it’s a bit too squishy for my liking so I haven’t tried to improve on it.

Currently Streaming! – http://twitch.tv/flimpgw2

Another great stream tonight! My only suggestion is that you continue doing these livestreams!

STOMP OF THE YEAR!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVIVkcvrpcw

:D

Haha very nice getting distortion in there then teleporting in front of the ele, I tele stomp all the time, but this one definitely made me smile. Very nice

even the ele thought: “like a boss”

Didn’t get a chance to watch the stream while it was live. Watching the recordings as we speak. Great job! Its really nice to see the unedited action. Keep up the great work : )

I did an asura back flip in real life after it hahaha. Thieves are pretty standard but that was my first mist form stomp xD

Must me the most epic ever, tried, and to bad I had to cancel my stomp, but not retrigger it, I really want to get them kitten off .D

Thanks for all the great content FLIMP. Like many others I’ve learned some really fantastic WvW tactics from these videos. I’m getting to the point where I want to start recording and studying some of my own battles to help improve my game even more.

Do you use Fraps like many others or can you recommend something better for recording in-game footage.

Keep up the great content.

Have you ever though of using Rune of the Undead? Rune of Lyssa is great for its 6 but Rune of the Undead is pretty much a match for the tanky condition build you run.

@deuswebs – Thanks I use Fraps but it’s not very good… files are large and it eats up the computer’s resources like a kitten. Heard there are better programs out there but I’ve been lazy to look for them.

Anyone have any suggestions?

@Fallen – Definitely have tried Undead and it’s great for condition damage and more toughness. It would be better than Lyssa in most cases.

However, against a heavy condition enemy, e.g. necros or pistol thieves, I find that Lyssa’s 6 is just too good to let go. Since this build has 0 condition removal and I don’t like slotting them in my utility, Lyssa runes really helps out. It’s also perfect with mass invis because this combo literally makes it a “get out of jail free” card. Having said that, even necros and pistol bleeding thieves give me a hard time.

For those running my build, I realised that although this build works as a solo roamer, it REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY shines and makes your life easier when you partner with a D/D elementalist. I’ve played with quite a few different classes and this build works best with a partner. Having played with a few D/D ele’s though, it really works best with them.

3 Reasons:
1 – D/D’s are melee range and tend to draw the focus of enemies. They also can’t go invis and therefore are relatively easier to target and hence they indirectly increase your survivability. Because they are also in the middle of all the enemies, enemies tend to spam more spells and therefore take more confusion damage.
2 – If traited correctly, they are tanky which means they can survive and tank more hits for more confusion
3 – They have aoe attacks which helps with the aoe confusion you put out. Their damage is also power based and quite bursty which goes really well with our condition damage

So if you’re using my build and have not partnered with a good D/D ele, go find yourself one. It’s amazing

FLIMP.8172:

…
For those running my build, I realised that although this build works as a solo roamer, it REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY shines and makes your life easier when you partner with a D/D elementalist. I’ve played with quite a few different classes and this build works best with a partner. Having played with a few D/D ele’s though, it really works best with them.
…

sooooo true! confusion mesmer + d/d ele feels so overpowered, 2 vs 12 no problem xD
could not tell why, but your points seem valid :P

streaming right now for those that are interested

Watching your stream. Also, what did you think about Pain Inverter? Worth it… not worth it?

I pulled this off in SPVP earlier and felt like a boss. Inspired by you of course.

Pain inverter is amazing! love it thanks for that!

Update Added a new video: “A Troll’s Cave”

Flimp, can you tell me , about your’s amulet , rings and accessory .They are berserker in WvW or crit,toughness and condition damage

Mower.9735:

Flimp, can you tell me , about your’s amulet , rings and accessory .They are berserker in WvW or crit,toughness and condition damage

I’d assume that they’re the latter since berserker’s gear wouldn’t work well with FLIMP’s spec. Also, I since he stated that he uses rabid gear on page one of this thread, I’m assuming that applies to his jewelry as well. I could be wrong, but it seems logical to me.

yup. using full rabid gear

Just wanted to stop and say I appreciate all the vids and information you contribute. Today I was dueling in the mist with another fellow Mes that was playing your build. At the end he made mention he’s never had such a hard time keeping up with another Mes other than yourself and…. ME. Just made me feel really honored I could be compared to rock star. ah lol ok fan rant over..

LOL! Thanks……. though I think I’m the one that should feel honoured being called a rock star :p

Rendering volume 8 as I type this! >:D

Volume 8 Added.

Awesome play as usual. Could you share how you’re able to use Phase Retreat to port forward so quickly? The only way I know how is to keybind “About Face”: so I’ll hit About Face to turn 180, then Phase Retreat which ports me backward towards my original walking direction, then hit About Face again. But it’s slow and cumbersome.

Regarding the audio, could you consider including some of the in-game sound effects? I think it’s useful when watching, as with when playing, since it gives so many additional cues to what’s happening or about to happen. Plus, I think it feels more immersive that way.

You should have gotten five exotic trident drops for that 1 vs. 5 in the beginning. Game doesn’t even reward you properly.

Phase Retreat always moves you away from your target so if you want to move forward just make sure your target is behind you.

Xavi.6591:

Phase Retreat always moves you away from your target so if you want to move forward just make sure your target is behind you.

Oh wow. So simple. I had assumed it would always port you backwards, so never even bothered to use it while fleeing. Thank you.

Is there a way to port yourself forward then, but outside of combat, with ease?

Libertine Lush.1320:

Xavi.6591:

Phase Retreat always moves you away from your target so if you want to move forward just make sure your target is behind you.

Oh wow. So simple. I had assumed it would always port you backwards, so never even bothered to use it while fleeing. Thank you.

Is there a way to port yourself forward then, but outside of combat, with ease?

There’s usually random white named mobs around you can click to get a target behind you that you can phase forward off of. Or use blink lol

^ what kazhiel & xavi said.

Just take note that if you do it within the “clone spawning” range, a clone will spawn and attack your target which will put you into combat and slow you down.

Otherwise, about face, phase retreat, about face works best. I’m still practising that – problem is if you screw up, it ends up being slower. Given that I’m from Australia, my ping also makes the process a bit harder/slower and thus the benefit is only marginal

In regards to in-game sound effects, I like to play music when I play and that also gets recorded when I’m recording. This means I can’t put another song on top when I edit…

If there’s an easy solution to this let me know and I’ll try
(using a second device for music is not an option!)

Build Change

I’ve swapped my corruption on staff for sigil of fire to get a bit of “aoe”. When I solo, I die quite a bit so it was rare for me to get 25 stacks for long periods of time. In groups however, it was a different case – maybe I might get 2 staves…?

The alternative is sigil of earth which I’ve tested also. It all comes down to preference… aoe vs single target. 30% proc vs 60% proc. Short duration burn vs long duration bleed. Both are viable

Edit: Fail. Sigil of fire does not do an aoe burn…

Just watched vid 8, very good stuff. I’ve got a few questions, if you don’t mind:

- why Manipulation CD reduction instead of 3% less dmg per clone or even the random condition on clone death trait?
- do you have problems with people staying at range when fighting you? (or who just run away when the fight goes bad for them)
- you mentioned dying quite a bit when soloing. are you just getting overrun by zergs who aren’t loaded yet or what are the most common reasons for your demise? :p

Thanks

FLIMP.8172:

Build Change

---

I’ve swapped my corruption on staff for sigil of fire to get a bit of “aoe”. When I solo, I die quite a bit so it was rare for me to get 25 stacks for long periods of time. In groups however, it was a different case – maybe I might get 2 staves…?

The alternative is sigil of earth which I’ve tested also. It all comes down to preference… aoe vs single target. 30% proc vs 60% proc. Short duration burn vs long duration bleed. Both are viable

Do you still use hydromancy in your offhand (on your condi builds it shows you have it on the torch I believe)? I’ve noticed that when either a sigil of earth or sigil of fire when it procs and the internal timer is ticking, weapon swap procs won’t go off within that time period. Sometimes makes weapon swap proc sigils useless, which is annoying haha.

@Xolo
- Although the manipulation CD only affects blink, blink is your best escaping tool. Having its CD reduced by 6cd’s helps me to rotate my escaping skills which include prestige, decoy, mass invis, phase retreating and even dodging.

- People staying at range don’t really bother me. I have blink to close gaps, decoy / invis to run up to them whilst avoiding damage and both my auto attacks are ranged. However, people who want to run will have a good chance to get away – the only thing I can do is really blink and chaos storm and hope for a chill/cripple.

Common causes of death:
- Outnumbered / Culled zerg
- Fighting condition heavy players. 1 on 1 is okay. 2 v 1 with 1 condition guy will give me a very hard time (especially good staff/sceptre necros) and often I will be focusing that person first. If I roam and I die a lot to conditions on a certain day, I would often swap signet of inspiration for arcane thievery (which also has its CD lowered due to manipulation trait)
- Not managing my skill CD properly or being forced to use them up

@Osif – Yeh I do still use it though like with most sigils, you never really rely on it. It’s only there to support you. I might switch the sigil out for something else, haven’t decided if I like sigil of fire yet…

update

Zzz. Sigil of fire is power based and triggers a “flame blast” which is just an aoe hit…

Thought it was an AoE burn. Fail

In my torch i currently have a sigil of geomancy. I was using sigil of blood but i couldn’t tell if i was getting the life steal effect or if so how often. Went to geomancy for more bleeding.

Personally I always take Descent into Madness in WvW for jumping down cliffs and walls. Mostly a convenience thing but can come in handy if combat takes place near said cliffs and walls.

Otherwise I’d take Illusionary Defense. Debilitating Dissipation kind of relies on your opponents being stupid and even then it has a good chance of dispensing a crappy effect.

I absolutely love this build and I’m surprised there isn’t more attention to it on the forums. My only issue with the build are the sigils. I’m currently running Earth on staff and Earth / Hydromancy on scepter / torch. The earth procs are definitely interfering with the hydromancy which can be annoying when it’s one of the build’s only reliable ways to slow people down that are trying to get away. I thought about using the stacking condition damage sigils but I feel they take too long to get a full stack and then it’s so easy to lose it.

FLIMP, I’m curious if you think the upcoming culling changes (aka nerf of stealth) will affect the build because of how much invis usage is required to survive against large groups of players (1v4+).

This build is particularly reliant on Stealth but it’s not often chained together even in say a 1v4. Combining ALL of your utilities amplifies the stealth provided in this build. (stealth into blink or utilizing the extra second on prismatic understanding)

If your super worried about the stealth nerf, I run a simliar build that is 0/25/25/0/20 instead losing the grandmaster in return for the confusion on clone death. It does make your stealths shorter which sucks 1vx players but overall roaming with a group its not a huge disadvantage, and with the clones being killed in group confusion yay more damage. That being said i’d probably use flimp’s build if i roamed solo more instead of group roaming.

@Embolism – yeh jumping off cliffs and watching people jump off with you and die is quite fun lol

@Nortagemdrol – ^ Exactly what Fallen said :p

I also run 0/25/25/0/20 sometimes and play around with the traits. Overall, your build as a condition/confusion mesmber will work as long as you maintain the core components of the build which are:
- a constantly supply of clones/phantasm for shattering/dying
- selecting the right utilities/weapons for escaping and being able to manage its cd’s effectively
- decent condition damage
- decent crit chance for bleed/vigor procs

moar vids please
also, it would be really nice if you wrote when you’d be streaming

Hey! Sorry for the lack of updates, I’ve resigned my WvW mesmer :p

I’ve started TPVP again since the leaderboards and MMR system is out though I’m playing as an engineer now haha. I also play my mesmer here and there (in tpvp) so maybe i’ll fraps that and make another video. It’s a bit hard since there aren’t many 1v1’s in tpvp, mostly team fights which isn’t very fun to watch? we’ll see I guess

Seems like the ranking is very volatile – lost 4 solo queue matches and went from rank 3XX to off the board lol

Hey guys. Hope you’re all well!

Just thought I’d pop by and let you guys know what I think of the upcoming confusion nerf. Had quite a few PM’s so I thought I’d just post it here for those using my build…

Confusion as a condition is NOT op. It does decent damage, doesn’t last very long and a big purple bubble pops up to tell you you’re taking confusion damage.

HOWEVER, confusion from a mesmer IS op due to the fact that there are so many ways to apply it and it’s AOE. When you can do 30k+ damage in a few seconds across a group, I think it’s a bit too much…

There have been discussions around single vs aoe skills and the conclusion (and a very logical one) was that aoe skills should not do more than single target skills which is fair. Confusion damage just did too much as an AOE given how often you could reapply. It’s not like a Necro’s Power well where once you miss you go “OH kitten I totally screwed up” but more like “oh well, just need to wait a few seconds to try again”.

Toning it down by 50% will make definitely hurt the build but it just means you can’t blow someone up in a few seconds if they are a button spammer. You can still win but it’s not gonna be as good and it’s definitely gonna take longer. With this change, you will need to focus more on timing and “bomb” them with large stacks instead of spreading them out.

People have said if it’s still good, why dont you use in tPvP? It’s because it’s not suited for conquest gameplay. It CAN be viable if it’s tweaked but as the build stands now, the reliance on stealth makes it a kitten bunker and its offensive capabilities are far too slow.

Hope that helped…

Hey, first of all, I just wanted to say I’m a big fan! Loved the YouTube vids! I was just wondering if you were planning on improving your shatter build? I recall you saying it was too squishy, so do you have any recommendations to improve that aspect?

Also, how do you plan on changing your builds in light of this upcoming nerf?

Hey! Glad you’re enjoying my vids

Yes, my shatter build is quite squishy but not in a 1 v 1 situation. It’s more of a 1 v 3+ where it starts to hurt (relative to other tankier builds).

If you want to improve on the shatter build or make it tankier, Osicat has a massive guide on various shatter builds. I’d recommend having a browse through that

In terms of confusion, I’d swap out sceptre for sword – I think it’s pretty useless now lol

Flimp,

Would you mind posting the current build you are using?

Hey Jossa / Everyone,

Sorry but I’ve quit the game

Life is keeping me busy (in a good way!) and I no longer have time for games haha

Thanks to everyone who subscribed and followed/supported me! Was much appreciated.

All the best to all the mesmers out there and keep rocking

Cya mate and enjoy this Rl thingy :;D