Guild Wars 2

I am considering making a Mesmer but not sure.
I assume it is good for 1vs1 pvp, but what about world pvp? and for pve?
I also don’t like any condition builds, so with out building mesmer like that, how good can it be?

How would a necro fare against it (second option i consider)

^.^

For PvP:Team utility and quick burst. Not good at duelling though.

Quadox.7834:

For PvP:Team utility and quick burst. Not good at duelling though.

Lolwut.

He’s trolling you, mesmer is the #1 dueling class. And gets weaker the larger the team fight.

Mesmer is a superior duel class as long as you don’t place any mental constraints or silly rules.

So what are the pros and cons of a mesmer in pve, pvp and mass pvp?
And how does a necromancer fare next to it?

PvP pros
Good dueling class
high burst damage
stealth
tons of ways to get out of sticky situations
Wide variety of builds and play styles to choose from
Good class to mess with and have fun with your opponent
Can be excellent at range
Can use blink to get up terrain that would take you a long time to get up otherwise.
Portal is an excellent way of getting you and your team across the map
takes a kitten ton of time to master
can be really good when you learn the class well

Cons
Light class/kinda squishy, takes more damage. However, this is offset by how many ways there are to avoid damage in the first place.
Can’t hold points as well as some other classes.
takes a kitten ton of time to master
Probably won’t be as good starting out as you would be with some other classes. Especially if this is your first time.

WvW
Don’t do much wvw so this is better left to some others. I would say its mediocre at best in zergs. Mesmers don’t have very good AoE damage compared to other classes. However, they are good at reflecting projectiles and pulling people off walls with their focus. As of right now, they also only have the focus for any speed. Therefore, it is kind of a necessity. Only mesmer and thieves are really good at wvw roaming. So which class you choose depends on how you want to play.

PvE
Pros
Probably the best class in the game at reflects: iwarden, temporal curtain, feedback
Can use portal to speed up runs, get your team across some “puzzles”, and can use portal to get your team through skips.
Can use blink in the same way as you use it in pvp
Can use stealth to get your group through content. Especially if you don’t have a thief
Has pulls and pushes.
Good at support, especially potentially when the chronomancer comes out
Can potentially feel rewarding if played right because of some things only mesmers can do.

Cons
Once again, don’t have good AoEs
Bad sustained damage compared to other classes
Takes a long time to set up your damage, summon phantasms and what not
If your looking for straight out pve damage than this is probably not the class for you
Takes a lot more effort to get the same results that you would see from other classes.

Bonus pro: can use portal for jumping puzzles

Wow thx Xstein

Any chance u would know a detailed version of a necromancer too?
Necro and mesmer are the 2 classes i cant decide on.

SwiftXShadow.4236:

Wow thx Xstein

Any chance u would know a detailed version of a necromancer too?
Necro and mesmer are the 2 classes i cant decide on.

make both and go into spvp (you can at level 2), play a bunch of matches(not just one or two) and get a feel for which u prefer.

Try different skills and builds until you think you know which you like more . . .then make the other your alt incase you change your mind later XD

in spvp you have everything unlocked so u can try it out like its max level

Can’t give a lot of info on the necro since I don’t play it. From others opinions in videos, they say it is a very good class at wvw zerging with death shroud and what not. Have also seen a video of necros scaring zergs off the side of cliffs which is hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H64_4uWxjok

I lot of people are not happy with them in pve. They don’t support a group like other classes. Also their damage isn’t as high as some classes, like eles, to offset this fact. There was recent’y a thread asking for potential ways to fix the necro in pve if that gives you an idea of its situation. Most pugs won’t care if you run necro though. If you like the play style, don’t let that hold you back.

Don’t really know what to say about pvp. They are very good at handling conditions, something I forgot to mention many mesmers may have a hard time with. They obviously can’t burst like some other classes. They are more of a bunker class.

Talking about WvW, if you are just gonna run with a commander in “blob” fights (which is most likely since you’re not that experienced in the game from your post), then mesmer is not that good. You are just gonna use veil when commander asks, then run around trying to focus down one person. In that case, I’d strongly advice you to play necromancer, since they a lot more AoE damage and contribute a lot more to winning the fight.

If you just wanna go WvW to roam around, capping camps solo and stuff like that, mesmer is better than necromancer. (although the usual roaming build for mesmer is condition)

If you wanna get really good at the game in WvW then your guild might make focus parties of 5 people and your job is to focus down 1 person quickly. So it really depends on what you wanna spend your time / commitment.

Either way mesmer is not that straightforward, and in my opinion thief and mesmer are the hardest classes to master and I’m sure you’d have more fun on a necromancer.

I don’t do PvP so I can’t comment on that.

EDIT: Either way, gearing up is not that hard (in PvP you don’t even have to gear up, can go straight to it in a lvl 1 character), so you can just level one than the other. I for one started on an engineer then switched, take your time to enjoy the game

AlphatheWhite.9351:

Quadox.7834:

For PvP:Team utility and quick burst. Not good at duelling though.

Lolwut.

He’s trolling you, mesmer is the #1 dueling class. And gets weaker the larger the team fight.

I wouldn’t say this imo. Mb at arenas with ‘no cele\bunker’ restriction. In other cases I think top 1 is cele d/d ele. Though mesmer has better chances to kill cele ele if traited with shattered concentration then any other class except cele signet necro, iirr.

Whoa, hold it there.

PvE:
Pros:
Portal for speed runs.
….
……..
…………
Carrying really inept teams if all the guardians go on strike?

Cons:
Damage is bottom tier, like rock bottom, I’d rather bring a necro for damage.
Phantasms are about 50% of your dps and the whole game hates phantasms with a passion.
Guards completely outclass you for utility except portal and do better damage.
The game is infuriating to play in PvE sometimes because it is so toxic to pets.

Good news! It’s a lot better in WvW and PvP and almost makes up for it.

I personally like a necro for standing in the middle of a point and causing mayhem. With a mesmer, you’ll likely have to move around a bit, fight from the sides, stealth some etc. So it depends on what kind of playstyle you like.

I currently alternate between necro and mesmer depending on my mood. After the latest patch, I used to have trouble fighting mesmers on my necro. Then I learned a few tactics to go on the offensive and I can now survive against mesmers for a very long time. Killing them is a different story, one because the fights last so long that help usually comes from one team or the other, and second because mesmers can disengage nicely and necros have poor mobility.

I think I’ve killed a mesmer on my necro maybe once or twice 1v1 since the patch. Mesmers can also do cool stuff like blink around (great for mobility) and of course, stealth. There are some pretty nice builds by @ChaosArchangel for boon sharing that I enjoy as well.