Guild Wars 2

A question I wondered, for roaming you want as high mobility and high survival as possible, same time you dont want to give away your ability to burst.

How do you ppl try max survival, mobility AND dmg? You find condi bets or PU? or is it hybrid?

My way to tackle this is accended weps and trinkets mix of zerker and chavaler, armour mostly soldier. This give high power and crit, PU setup give nice survival and with mightstacking I pump my dmg up.

Bets I seen in wvwvw in this build is 9,5k crit with 25 vulnebility on a thief

Stats atm is: With 25 bloodlust stacks, 5 WvWvW (100+ power) stacks food and stone

2560~power
1700~toughness
18k~ Hp
50% critchance (70% for phantasm)
87 % crit dmg
200 condi dmg~

Burst PU Vid:

/Osicat

I used to play Shatter a lot, but now im trying out a lockdown/interupt build with GS, S/S:
Hybrid
Direct Damage

Mobility is ok thanks to runes of the traveler and lower cd on Blink. Burst comes from stacking might and vulnerability, up to 10 stacks bleeding add some condition pressure. Stats with full buffs see below (hybrid version).

Xaveri

@Shattenlied, thats one cool looking Mesmer you got there, I like the boon uptime, especialy with the incomming changes to vigour I think this stat will be more important, I ahve about the same uptime.

/Osicat

So although what I will describe doesn’t happen perfectly every time, PU conditions is more than capable of quite heavy burst damage.

Get 3 illusions out with at least 1 clone. Bonus points if you have the iMage out. Go into The Prestige, channel confusing images. The hits from those land around the same time. Start the block, block gets triggered. Dodge once, swap weapons, drop chaos storm and phase retreat.

I do that combo with 2100 condition damage and perplexity runes. It executes fully in about 3 seconds. Here’s what it does.

The Prestige applies burning. Confusing images + the iMage apply 8 stacks of confusion, and perplexity runes bring that to 11. People tend to attack after you pop out of stealth while channeling, so you put up your block and immediately apply 5 stacks of torment, creating a clone. That clone pops another one applying 3 stacks of bleeding. You dodge, switch weapons, drop chaos storm and phase retreat. That pops 2 more clones, applying 6 more bleed, and then chaos storm has the chance to apply poison or proc interrupts for 5 more confusion.

Total: Burning, 5 torment, 9 bleed, 11 guaranteed confusion. Potentially poison, 16 confusion.

Total damage: 853 dps burn, 1106 dps (moving) torment, 1327 dps bleed, 2447 damage per skill guaranteed confusion. Potentially 294 dps poison and an additional 1112 damage per skill confusion.

Added together, this is guaranteed 3286 dps + 2447 damage per skill. This combo executes in <3 seconds if performed correctly. This ticking for 2-3 seconds plus the usage of 1-2 skills will down a thief/ele/guard easily, and a bit more will down medium hp classes too.

@Pyro, that sound truly awsome and make me feel for go and play some condition and try that setup.

I have this vid if you look at 2:02-2:14, mmm condition burst ;D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpqP_AHb7p8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUM4NFA6AgNkUDAzuCWRHNWQ

/Osicat

Lot of respect for you two gents.

@ossicat Simply put, I don’t have the time for fractals. I know pyro is gonna bust my chops for this. WvW takes a lot of time as is. I would rather spend my time doing something I enjoy (WvW) rather than doing something I don’t (fractals) just so I can be better equipped at something I enjoy.

@pyro If you are doing that combo, how do you generate you clones to have 2 images out already? Mirror images?

@pyro, how do you stand being soooo slow? ie-No traveler runes/focus speed doesn’t last that long etc.

Schattenlied.4873:

I used to play Shatter a lot, but now im trying out a lockdown/interupt build with GS, S/S:
Hybrid
Direct Damage

Mobility is ok thanks to runes of the traveler and lower cd on Blink. Burst comes from stacking might and vulnerability, up to 10 stacks bleeding add some condition pressure. Stats with full buffs see below (hybrid version).

Xaveri

Im running the excact build… with a minor change in runes and traits. I’m using the runes of holbrek for the might stacking and less condition duration and for trait wise i use iv in domination for the extra vul. stacking..

I need to change my armor but im waiting till the change the crit so i see if its worth it or not. Glad to see another blade mesmer lockdown hybrid.

I’ve been running a experimental PU/IP shatter build
(0/10/30/0/30 – swsw/gs)
in anticipation of the vigor nerf (indirect DE nerf):

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNAscRlwzipXUTkGb9IhpHE33AH1jrr9vXqAvB-jkCBYLCiUEAkIRM5pIaslhFRjVzATlKpKXCymzCy+DKrSBAzEA-w

It has a different flavor of “burst” in that it lacks the on-demand DE + mirror image shatter burst, but it still is very easy to capitalize on enemy mistakes in the middle of the fight.

The strategy is to trololol around with 40% cd reduced sword #3 kiting and PU to make your opponent over-extend and then shatter them in the face. It also has pretty deadly immobilizes if you swap out PU for chaotic interruption against classes that lack stability coupled with condi food.

EnderzShadow.2506:

Lot of respect for you two gents.

@ossicat Simply put, I don’t have the time for fractals. I know pyro is gonna bust my chops for this. WvW takes a lot of time as is. I would rather spend my time doing something I enjoy (WvW) rather than doing something I don’t (fractals) just so I can be better equipped at something I enjoy.

@pyro If you are doing that combo, how do you generate you clones to have 2 images out already? Mirror images?

@pyro, how do you stand being soooo slow? ie-No traveler runes/focus speed doesn’t last that long etc.

I’ll usually perform that combo during a fight, as a finishing technique, so I’ll have clones out from the fight.

For movement I have phase retreat swaps, as well as swapping in a focus for swiftness. Additionally I have 1200 range blink, so I can move very fast.

As far as fractals go, can’t really blame you. I haven’t been running them either. I’ll do a level 15-19 now and then, but that’s about it.

@Adelaide,

I actually tried to put together a PU/Shatter build a few weeks ago, however, I had little success. You really need another 10 trait points, 30 in chaos and illusions are necessary for PU and IP, however, without the extra 10 points to go 20 into duelling, you can’t grab DE which is a serious loss for a shatter build.

It was interesting to try, but in practice, it doesn’t work well.

While not exactly bursty in the same way you burst using shatters, I do run a build focused on perhaps a bit excessive survivability recently, while still maintaining some degree of pressure, using full Dire equipment. 0-0-30-20-20 with Scepter+Torch/Staff. Initially I was running around with Perplexity Runes, but quickly started to miss the permanent 25% Movement Speed from Traveler Runes and promptly switched over to those again. I also felt a bit “naked” not having the Deceptive Evasion at first, but have grown accustomed to it now.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fgAQNArfWnUEVUbUNy0wWbkw0jgjcgfSBzlOKFXP7A-jEDBYfJDXUQkWAkkOQ0HJLTtIaslhFRjVJjIqWpEzqDwYWRzgO1SBAz0I-w

The clones I try to keep out are my Staff clones, as they are relatively obvious as a better choice for applying conditions over the Scepter ones (by all means, my opponents are welcome to kill them of course, though I prefer getting my buffs from the bounce). I don’t really do shatters unless I feel I need to, e.g., Distortion. With full Corruption and Guard stacks, the Condition damage stays around 2500+/- with a few Might stacks gained now and again. I try to make sure that The Prestige’s blast is hitting my opponent(s) as well as my Chaos Storm, that I Phase Retreat on that same Chaos Storm right before it times out, and then lastly push out the #4 Chaos Armor Staff skill, once that previous Chaos Armor from the Combo Leap is about to time out, giving a good amount of Chaos Armor up time in total. Luckily my opponents tends to trigger the Torment-block from Illusionary Counter before I need to swap to Staff after using The Prestige (a lot of players try to locate you through auto-attacking near where you stealthed, use it to your advantage and run into them at the appropriate time when they do). If I need to use Null Field, I always try to blast/leap on it as well. I haven’t settled on this build yet, and are still toying around with traits, but do want to stick with the Dire gear, one because making Ascended takes time, two because I don’t really necessarily want to rely on Sharper Images and crits, and three, survivability.

The idea is to be able to more comfortably engage small groups for 1vX and/or to run in the melee train when playing with the guild (with some stuff swapped out, e.g., adding Veil and Time Warp, etc.). It’s a different approach to the build I used a long time ago which focused on Retaliation using Soldier stats.

PS: It took some time for me to stop popping Signet of the Ether when reaching lower health. You can quite easily regain a lot of your HP even when as low as 2k HP, by utilizing the stealth options to either regenerate the health back, or to get far enough away to trigger the health regen from being OoC (your target should have conditions on them that prevents them from regaining as much health as you can, before you start the pressure again). I’m starting to like the heal quite a bit.

I’ve tried the 0/10/30/0/30 PU/IP shatter, but didn’t find it that great – personally I feel the loss of sharper images and DE isn’t worth it, just to gain PU – having the stealths from torch/decoy/MI is enough with standard heavy shatter.

So that’s what I’m playing at the moment – your heavy shatter build, just with elasticity instead of illusionary invigoration.

Am also using zerker/soldier/cavalier mix – need power as primary stat, so unfortunately knights doesn’t help much. If there was pow/pre/tough with power primary, then I’d use a lot of that.

With traveler runes, min cooldown phase retreat, max range blink, stealths and IP, I’m mobile enough to engage/disengage many encounters.
I am weaker vs thieves though – missing that sceptre/sword block to kitten them, and also blurred frenzy on higher cooldown, so have to play the mobility/positioning game to avoid attacks – doesn’t always work out well, especially if they get the jump on me.

The biggest problem I have with traits is deciding between duelling I and duelling IV – sometimes that cooldown on sword is more important (ie, vs thieves), but other times the 1200 blink is better – ie when running from a group.

Edit:
I’m not happy with power sitting below 2000, but I can’t raise it any further without might stacks – fortunately staff auto does that, so easy to buff up before going in for burst.
Like to keep precision above 40 for staff and below 50 for sword/x – I do like to shatter in staff, and crit damage >80%.
Toughness is around 1600 – again trying to boost, but I think when I decide to go for ascended armour that will help a lot, with resilient infusions.

I think of the 0/10/30/0/30 IP-PU build less of a shatter-based build with PU, and more of a PU build that can shatter well.

I don’t mind the loss of DE that much since I run double sword with -40% cd clone generation on them. Due to the weird way IP scales with mind wrack, I find it acceptable burst to let it off with 1-2 illusions with IP.

I can easily maintain 11-15+ stacks of might (bountiful interruption, shattered might, sigils, GS 3); but the thing I miss most is the vulnerability on dazes from Domination 15.

My opening burst combo is: Sword 5 from ~800 range-> switch to GS (not in combat yet) -> Decoy w/ PU -> GS 4 while getting in melee range -> GS 2 from melee range in stealth → mind wrack → GS 3 → swap to sword and do sword stuff based on the situation.

At that point i have decent opening burst on them and I have PU boons along with 10+ stacks of might. If something goes wrong I go into sword 3 kiting troll mode until my cd’s are back up.