Guild Wars 2

Let me start by saying I have an 80 thief and an 80 guardian.

Holy cow this class looks complicated. That also makes them look like they’d be a LOT of fun. But I’ve got no idea where to start. I’m looking to PvE especially dungeons once I get high enough. What are some things to look at? I know there’s a build list but what are some themes? Where should I start with my mesmer?

Check out Mr Prometheus or Lazy Kai guides to leveling. Theyre in the build list. That should answer most any questions about lvling, your end game build will be determined by your preferred play style and what you want to do.

Here’s the easy answer: Start at level 1. Open all your weapon skills. See what you like. Go from there.

Later when you have some levels and skill points under your belt, come back here to bolt things down.

Ross Biddle.2367:

Here’s the easy answer: Start at level 1. Open all your weapon skills. See what you like. Go from there.

Later when you have some levels and skill points under your belt, come back here to bolt things down.

I agree. As with any class it’s best to unlock all the weapon skills first and see what style suits you. Then learn about the skills and then the traits.
I think I was a sceptor/random offhand wep till about level 20 so I got used to the clone/shatter mechanic.

or just go to the Mists, instant level 80, see if you like class.

Currently, Mesmer builds come in two major flavours, with a third one that used to enjoy some popularity but seems to have almost disappeared at this point.

By far the most popular Mesmer build is the Shatter Mesmer. These Mesmers rely on Mind Wrack as their primary damage source, and their builds tend to reflect this by focusing on improving Illusion generation (Mirror Images, Deceptive Evasion) and direct damage (Mental Torment, Compounding Power, Illusionary Persona).

Trailing at a distant second is the condition Mesmer. These Mesmers utilise Burning, Bleeding and Confusion to deal damage. They tend to be slightly more flexible than Shatter Mesmers, although almost all condition Mesmers invest in Illusion generation (Deceptive Evasion) and improving the Staff (Chaotic Dampening, Illusionary Elasticity).

Phantasm Mesmers are an endangered, if not extinct, breed. The idea is to utilise Phantasms as your primary damage dealers and focusing more on preserving Illusions instead of Shattering them. A series of nerfs however have made Phantasms pretty much secondary to Shattering, and the majority of Phantasm Mesmers have transitioned to Shatter Mesmers.

Embolism.8106:

Trailing at a distant second is the condition Mesmer. These Mesmers utilise Burning, Bleeding and Confusion to deal damage. They tend to be slightly more flexible than Shatter Mesmers, although almost all condition MesPhantasm Mesmers are an endangered, if not extinct, breed. The idea is to utilise Phantasms as your primary damage dealers and focusing more on preserving Illusions instead of Shattering them. A series of nerfs however have made Phantasms pretty much secondary to Shattering, and the majority of Phantasm Mesmers have transitioned to Shatter Mesmers.

I’m basically using this build in PvE and it’s working just fine. Then again, I’m coming from 200+ hours on an engineer….

Condition mesmers lack damage for leveling, especially in events. I leveled as condition mesmer back at the start of this game and I can tell you that as soon as there are more people around, you are in trouble tagging the mobs.
At 80 it is a different story, but for leveling I would go direct damage. Places are no longer as crowded as at release, but it is still a risk.

rizzo.1079:

Embolism.8106:

Trailing at a distant second is the condition Mesmer. These Mesmers utilise Burning, Bleeding and Confusion to deal damage. They tend to be slightly more flexible than Shatter Mesmers, although almost all condition MesPhantasm Mesmers are an endangered, if not extinct, breed. The idea is to utilise Phantasms as your primary damage dealers and focusing more on preserving Illusions instead of Shattering them. A series of nerfs however have made Phantasms pretty much secondary to Shattering, and the majority of Phantasm Mesmers have transitioned to Shatter Mesmers.

I’m basically using this build in PvE and it’s working just fine. Then again, I’m coming from 200+ hours on an engineer….

There’s nothing wrong with condition builds, I run condition all the time myself. There is no disputing however that Shatter builds can deal more damage and can end fights considerably faster. The tradeoff is that condition builds are more resilient, which generally makes it safer to play.

If you are instead talking about Phantasm builds, there’s not much wrong with them in PvE (although you’ll be much more effective if you use a Shatter build), but in PvP they fall short of both Shatter and condition builds.

Shatter spec should still source 60% or more of their damage from abilities and phantasms.

There’s also the extra-rare kittenes running Mantra builds, but we’re special.

Mantra builds are pretty much a subset of Shatter builds. Mantras themselves are support skills, you’d likely still be using Mind Wrack as your signature move.

To put it another way, Shatter Mesmers are all about burst combos. Condition Mesmers also have it to a lesser extent in Confusion, but are more reliant on a steady stream of damaging conditions.

Phantasm Mesmers used to be about, well, constant Phantasm damage. Nowadays they’re pretty much absorbed into Shatter Mesmers, where Phantasms are conjured to contribute damage while Mind Wrack is coming off CD.

Huh. I don’t know if I really accept a spec without Illusory Persona as a “shatter build”.

All Mesmer builds should utility shatters in general, and MW for power-based burst in particular.

When I’m bursting someone with a 30/30 build, shatters are only 25% of the damage output. Even less for sustained.

There is one leveling trick that makes condition mesmers shine. Normally, when you hit an enemy way higher than your level, you’ll get a glancing blow at best. That lowers your normal damage by 50%. However, critical hits will still have their full strength and conditions will always apply their full strength on hit, glancing or not. Coupled with their high survivability, this means condition mesmers can handle higher level mobs easily. I’ve gone as far as 8 levels over my head. At that point, one good hit could kill you but kiting works just as well as even level mobs.

Yeah abusing that with Staff helped a ton while I was leveling way back when.