Guild Wars 2

Hey I’ve been out of the game for a bit and just now starting to come back. I haven’t touched my mesmer for a bit but last time I did I ran a phantasm build and I was wondering what exactly is the current Mesmer meta? I know conditions are really strong right now and when I used to play they were considered very weak on Mesmers. Thanks in advance!

Depends on yoru goal. SPVP, Solo Roaming, Small group roaming, zerging.

I would say there is a Good spec for each, but not great for every situation.

In WVW, I run a Phantasm build MOSTLY when roaming, just because i can run traveler runes with it. Ill also run a 0/20/20/0/30 bountifulful interruption shatter build alot also (with traveler runes).

My prismatic understandtion condition build, which is very strong for soloing and dueling, i dont run as often cuz its so slow. But ill whip it out when my powerbuilds start getting whooped in duels lol.

So there are alot of great builds. The only downside to the mesmer right now is the heavy condition meta right now, which hurts us alot, with our limited condition clearing abilities.

Thanks for the response. Sorry I should’ve mentioned earlier that I mostly roam with my mesmer and use my guardian for larger stuff. Glad to hear that phantasm builds still have a place

Pyro has a really good 1v1 build (the best), not sure how it goes in 1vx fights as i haven’t tried it yet but here is the link to the thread anyway.
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Guide-Overpowered-PvP-Phantasm-Build/page/5#post2788684

As for condi’s the blackwater build is big right now, massive condi burst and great fun build to play. https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-The-Blackwater-Mesmer-Condition-WvW/page/5#post2969885

The in between is lockdown/interrupt builds and support.

Link for interrupt build:https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Build-Bountiful-Interruption-TPvP/first#post2778193
Link for support build: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Guide-The-Chaos-Maestro-WvW-Support-Builds/page/4#post2737437

(might have missed a few but they are the biggest play styles I can think of right now, and of varying aspects of the game)
GL!

Behind every great party stands a cutesy asuran mesmer.

I try to stand where they can’t hit me while I’m hitting them.

Carighan.6758:

Behind every great party stands a cutesy asuran mesmer clone.

Fixed. The real one’s chilling in the forums while the party takes down Clockheart.

This is exactly where the mesmer stands in pvp.

Pretty good for duels.

Rubbish for mass fights, pretty useless in wvw zergs.

Token veil and portal.

Overall not a very good class at all for wvw, which is exactly why you dont see alot. (targeting and single target dmg priority issue)

This is their exact position as they stand.

dan.3618:

This is exactly where the mesmer stands in pvp.

Pretty good for duels.

Rubbish for mass fights, pretty useless in wvw zergs.

Token veil and portal.

Overall not a very good class at all for wvw, which is exactly why you dont see alot. (targeting and single target dmg priority issue)

This is their exact position as they stand.

Mesmers are usefull everywhere, even zergs.

Mesmers contribute:

• best boon stripping in the game
• perma regen on up to 15 people (unlikely, but possible), which tick for 300+ per second
• more than perma vigor on 5 people, which can go to others if you move around.
• healing equal to engi/ele/guardian healing, with any weapon set and is spammable (0 second cooldown).
• feedback every 10s when reviving, and every 32/40 sec normally
• perma retaliation on 5 people (but zergs usually already have that)
• occasional 12 might stack sharing for 30ish seconds (on 45 cooldown)
• lots of other things i forgot, but im too tired to think properly _

You wont see “1337 dps numbers”, but if you know what youre doing, youll definitely be usefull in ways most dont understand.

Mesmers are very usefull, everywhere. Phantasm and condi builds do well for WvW roaming solo or small group. In large groups go Glamour. Veil, portal, timewarp, null field and feedback are absolutely awesome in organized wvw.

As stated above, you wont see the numbers, but when you are running in group, DPS numbers are just not necessary.

There are new builds coming out every week for Mesmer, many of them are quite viable.

That should speak for itself, but here’s why I think the class is in a great place:
Mesmer has access to the best escape options (stealth + invuln), best burst, group teleport, reflection, boon stripping/sharing, best revive skill, awesome elite skills, and a ton of build variety. Really the only downside to Mesmer is lack of passive swiftness and condition removal (but there are Traveler runes, condition duration foods, etc. so its not that big of a deal).

Honestly, I wouldn’t change much about the Mesmer class, in fact I’d much rather see other classes brought up to our level of viability rather than any nerfs.

dan.3618:

This is exactly where the mesmer stands in pvp.

Pretty good for duels.

Rubbish for mass fights, pretty useless in wvw zergs.

Token veil and portal.

Overall not a very good class at all for wvw, which is exactly why you dont see alot. (targeting and single target dmg priority issue)

This is their exact position as they stand.

our best wvw aoe was glamour, but after the countless nerfs, mesmers have been stripped of surviabilities and also zerg dmg. i do not like playing a support build, but if u like it, mesmers do have something tho contribute. being only used as veilbot is not really what i call a viable role for me as a mesmer. i love this class and would love to see some more aoe abilities that a mesmer can do to fight a zerg. we do need some serious love in wvw and im not willing to give up on my mes to reroll as a warrior.
give us more viable wvw zerg builds.

I agree with the post above me. As far as WvW goes; mesmers suck. It has been my experience that it is the least played class in WvW which is proof in itself. We have some utility but we are useless outside of the zerg and arguably the worst class for 1v1 and other small fights.

What are you smoking, Vex? Mesmers are amazing in 1v1 and small groups, much more so than in zergs.

Emissary Vex.5690:

I agree with the post above me. As far as WvW goes; mesmers suck. It has been my experience that it is the least played class in WvW which is proof in itself. We have some utility but we are useless outside of the zerg and arguably the worst class for 1v1 and other small fights.

Worst class for 1v1? You need to look into mesmer some more. We are literally one of the BEST classes, if not the best, for 1v1’s.

WitchKing.5317:

Emissary Vex.5690:

I agree with the post above me. As far as WvW goes; mesmers suck. It has been my experience that it is the least played class in WvW which is proof in itself. We have some utility but we are useless outside of the zerg and arguably the worst class for 1v1 and other small fights.

Worst class for 1v1? You need to look into mesmer some more. We are literally one of the BEST classes, if not the best, for 1v1’s.

yeah we are duelists and quite capable in a 1v1. tpvp already shows the issue with mesmer group play though because of lack of aoe, condition cleansing, stability and survivability. in wvw yes very very weak atm due to the countless nerfs the mesmers have been through. glamours were great for zvz situations and mesmer was actually quiet feared because of it.
nowadays i struggle to find the right zvz build, that can like other classes tag, survive and kill and be part of the fight. atm it feels like i watch the other classes form the backline:
they stack, they empower, they want veil and then u have to kite the zerg trying to do dmg, trying to avoid the enemy warriors and necros, then they will ask for veil again, then u watch again while they fight, then massinvis, then u get downed due to being on cooldown as u are required to bring feedback/nullfield/veil and massinvis= very little survival(no stunbreakers, no blink, no decoy, long cd on condition cleansing)

people that say mesmers are ok, are probably not really playing wvw zerg gamemode they are more the pve players, roamers and spvp players and there i agree. im a killer roamer and even a regen warrior cant keep up with my roaming build.
we are great duelists,but its not always easy to pull off as 1 mistake can down u instantly.(11k backstabs arent fun) mesmers arent a 1 button spamming for the win kinda class which makes us so awesome .

in wvw although being a skilled player atm is not enough and watching the zerg from the backline and only being a support is not fun at all(unless u like support builds).

i wanna be a threat like a necro is, i wanna be able to do dmg and tag and being able to push with the zerg, not just veil and then stand back till the veil cooldown is gone.
mesmers shouldnt be belittled like this.i love this class and i do wanna be strong in zergs again. anet give us our glamour builds back please! even if its not the confusion u buff,add something for us so we can be strong in zergs too. it suuuucks being a veilbot. it sucks feeling squishy and up compared to every other class in a zerg atm. how about u add something to glamour traits, like u added burn for necros, add something for us (clones and phantasms srent very viable in zergs atmas the enemys aoes kill them too quick which is also the reason rangers arent that great in zergs. ai is terrible in zergs).

Literally no commander will ever ask a mesmer to take three utility skills unless they’re bad.

Most commanders in my experience understand the need of a stunbreak.

colesy.8490:

Literally no commander will ever ask a mesmer to take three utility skills unless they’re bad.

Most commanders in my experience understand the need of a stunbreak.

hmm i like feedback and nullfield, but hate veil. the cooldown is too much. but yeah there are quiet a few commanders out there that ask u to bring exactly this feedback/nullfield/veil and either tw or massinvis.

Alissah.9281:

dan.3618:

This is exactly where the mesmer stands in pvp.

Pretty good for duels.

Rubbish for mass fights, pretty useless in wvw zergs.

Token veil and portal.

Overall not a very good class at all for wvw, which is exactly why you dont see alot. (targeting and single target dmg priority issue)

This is their exact position as they stand.

Mesmers are usefull everywhere, even zergs.

Mesmers contribute:

• best boon stripping in the game
• perma regen on up to 15 people (unlikely, but possible), which tick for 300+ per second
• more than perma vigor on 5 people, which can go to others if you move around.
• healing equal to engi/ele/guardian healing, with any weapon set and is spammable (0 second cooldown).
• feedback every 10s when reviving, and every 32/40 sec normally
• perma retaliation on 5 people (but zergs usually already have that)
• occasional 12 might stack sharing for 30ish seconds (on 45 cooldown)
• lots of other things i forgot, but im too tired to think properly _

You wont see “1337 dps numbers”, but if you know what youre doing, youll definitely be usefull in ways most dont understand.

so in large scaled fights..
and make it fair large scaled fights for both sides to destroy each other..

• in a fair land
• 20 30 vs same numbers
• not allow upskilled players
• not allowed not full geared players
• not allow slackers
• not pugz
• no usage of ac balista cata…
• no resing dead in fight
• make it orginesed group
• team oriented
• comunicated in ts
• all players experienced mid to high

oNot discussing portal and veil (where i find it best effective these rather than other classes)

how can u be successfull/effective better than other class (dunno much rangers and eng)

secretly i hope they nerf veil and portal to the ground, so all the people saying oh yeah mesmers are sooo important will realize that all they were to u was a veil/portal bot and then anet might gets the point that this class is almost not played in zergs anymore and we might finally get a mesmer aoe group viable build.
as for me im on strike. u want veil?go roll a mesmer yourself and do it. its boring and btw im not your servant.
how do u feel walking your stupid golems? massinvis? nah ask your thieves to do that. id rather spec for me to survive. tw? no id rather use my hounds of baltazar to at least do some aoe dmg that doesent rely on clones or phantasms.

Jackums.3496:

Every profession can be made useful everywhere. That doesn’t mean you have to sugarcoat everything and deny fault. The Mesmer lacks damage contribution in zergs and suffers in PvP due to the condi meta. They’re the two primary downfalls of the Mesmer right now. They’re still one of the, if not the, best utility professions for both dungeons and WvW, but don’t expect to be putting out loads of damage in comparison to other professions with superior AoE and DPS.

Overall, they remain one of the game’s most versatile classes. Top dueling and skirmishing profession, alongside the Thief. Best utility skills in the game. Wide variety of builds; direct damage, condition, support, etc.

The Mesmer itself, IMO, has no major issues right now. The problem, in terms of PvP, is that other classes are too much. Conditions in general need to be toned down, and builds like the S/D Thief need some tweaking, both of which are apparently coming.

i agree with u that the mesmer def is not weak. we are not weak, but the current class balance i quite overwhelming for me as a mesmer tha fights in zergs every day.
when i roam, i run a different build and feel quite strong again as like u said we are excellent duelists. thats why i would love to see spvp and wvw balance split. in spvp the only reasone why mesmers struggle is due to condi meta and cc warriors, but if that is turned down we are fine.
wvw although its not just the other classes, its the nerfs that stripped us of a lot of dmg contribution in zergs. we are a light armor class after all, so aoe like dmg is kinda important as we cant just run in the middle of them all like a warrior for example. maybe future mantra buffs or just some changes that could open wvw zerg mesmers up to new builds. i would love to see more build varioety for a zerg mesmer. in spvp i think i have plenty of builds to choose from.

Mesmers are fantastic with utility, offer a fun mixture of different playstykitten ast some very fine weaponry with only a few rusty skills, and look ten thousand times more stylish than any other belle at the ball.

The one major complaint I would voice is that the class mechanic feels a bit inflexible. Depending on how far outside of the SPvP bubble you go, the illusion mechanic becomes less and less viable. Conjuring fragile NPCs doesn’t do much good in a WvW zerg where they get blown to bits before accomplishing anything. If world bosses follow the example of Tequatl, illusions are going to become a liability rather than an asset in that content (unless iWarden will keep bugging out and appearing in thin air, bless its spin-to-win heart). And finally, shatters just don’t do well in a setting that stresses sustained DPS instead of bursts, but we’re still being forced to bring the exact same skills on the F1-4 keys no matter what build we run.

The Mesmer is doing pretty well, but I wouldn’t say no to some illusion adjustments that make them more flexible to cope with different types of content or a way to pick what skills occupy my class mechanic tab.

Shriketalon.1937:

Mesmers are fantastic with utility, offer a fun mixture of different playstykitten ast some very fine weaponry with only a few rusty skills, and look ten thousand times more stylish than any other belle at the ball.

The one major complaint I would voice is that the class mechanic feels a bit inflexible. Depending on how far outside of the SPvP bubble you go, the illusion mechanic becomes less and less viable. Conjuring fragile NPCs doesn’t do much good in a WvW zerg where they get blown to bits before accomplishing anything. If world bosses follow the example of Tequatl, illusions are going to become a liability rather than an asset in that content (unless iWarden will keep bugging out and appearing in thin air, bless its spin-to-win heart). And finally, shatters just don’t do well in a setting that stresses sustained DPS instead of bursts, but we’re still being forced to bring the exact same skills on the F1-4 keys no matter what build we run.

The Mesmer is doing pretty well, but I wouldn’t say no to some illusion adjustments that make them more flexible to cope with different types of content or a way to pick what skills occupy my class mechanic tab.

very much agree with u. i love love love the mesmer and will not give up on it ever. the problem is the ai that only does well in small fights and of course spvp. i agree we do need illusion adjustments or even changes to f1-f4 buttons according to certain traits. i would love to get more flexibility. who knows what the future brings. still want that whip or mh pistol and maybe a new trait or even new traitlines for all classes that could open more build variety for everyone.

Jackums.3496:

Every profession can be made useful everywhere. That doesn’t mean you have to sugarcoat everything and deny fault. The Mesmer lacks damage contribution in zergs and suffers in PvP due to the condi meta. They’re the two primary downfalls of the Mesmer right now. They’re still one of the, if not the, best utility professions for both dungeons and WvW, but don’t expect to be putting out loads of damage in comparison to other professions with superior AoE and DPS.

Overall, they remain one of the game’s most versatile classes. Top dueling and skirmishing profession, alongside the Thief. Best utility skills in the game. Wide variety of builds; direct damage, condition, support, etc.

The Mesmer itself, IMO, has no major issues right now. The problem, in terms of PvP, is that other classes are too much. Conditions in general need to be toned down, and builds like the S/D Thief need some tweaking, both of which are apparently coming.

For single target dps, Mesmer comes 2nd or 3rd place, though.

Id like some more aoe damage, sure, but anet would have to be really carefull where to put it. We have to sacrifice utility for damage, or you get a uber profession thats good at everything (damage/boons/boon stripping/redlects etc).

I would argue that conditions are the reason why mesmer is being pushed out of spvp, because conditions can be evadedjust like a direct damage skill, and mesmer has some of the best evasion out of all professions. They just have been over buffing others, like stunlock warrior and spirit ranger. They require almost no skill to be good with :/.

That said, Mesmer is still awesome in pvp, just harder compared to faceroll professions >_<.

Where are Glamour builds standing nowadays? I haven’t been on in a while and used to run Pyro Atheists Immortal Mesmer build, and the rumor is that retaliation in WvW isn’t very good anymore so I need to find something new. We could disrupt a zerg back in the day with glams, or at least it always looked that way when I was on my Engi (that’s why I rolled a Mesmer in the first place). Any ideas or builds still in beta testing at the moment?

Goaticus.2409:

Where are Glamour builds standing nowadays? I haven’t been on in a while and used to run Pyro Atheists Immortal Mesmer build, and the rumor is that retaliation in WvW isn’t very good anymore so I need to find something new. We could disrupt a zerg back in the day with glams, or at least it always looked that way when I was on my Engi (that’s why I rolled a Mesmer in the first place). Any ideas or builds still in beta testing at the moment?

Glamour builds are there, but glamour confusion builds were nerfed into oblivion :’(
They found that it “punishes mindless skill spamming”, which is exactly what confusion was designed for to do.

The immortal mesmer isnt viable anymore, but pyro is making a new one that will probably be pretty awesome.

I run a glamour torch build. Works fine for me in 1v1 or Zerg v Zerg. I can’t guarantee a win vrs anyone, but i do well enough for myself, especially since i’m definitely not the fastest player out there(skill wise). Mesmers can bring a lot to a zerg. It just depends on how you spec. I run with a small group with another mesmer, who uses the focus like it’s going out of style. The reflects can be game changing. Can a guardian also reflect? Sure! But i have no intention of playing a guardian in WvW because the mesmer can do so many more things that i enjoy. While glamours aren’t what they were, they are still very powerful, feedback in a zerg v zerg or 1v1 can be a powerful tool. The same can be said for Null Field, but i feel its slightly less useful. The best thing to do is take your Mesmer out to the field and try some things. People on the forums decide whats “optimal” sometimes, but have tried something for about a 2 hour spam, and decided this or that doesn’t play like a something else, so they give up. Stripping a bunch of stability stacked melee as they try to charge into your ranks is amazingly fun. And watch any plague form necro freak out when there precious buffs are gone. I really suggest giving glamours another go. Not trying to relive “what they were” but to see if they are part of what you can make your character now.

selan.8354:

secretly i hope they nerf veil and portal to the ground, so all the people saying oh yeah mesmers are sooo important will realize that all they were to u was a veil/portal bot and then anet might gets the point that this class is almost not played in zergs anymore and we might finally get a mesmer aoe group viable build.
as for me im on strike. u want veil?go roll a mesmer yourself and do it. its boring and btw im not your servant.
how do u feel walking your stupid golems? massinvis? nah ask your thieves to do that. id rather spec for me to survive. tw? no id rather use my hounds of baltazar to at least do some aoe dmg that doesent rely on clones or phantasms.

With the removal of culling, portal isn’t as strong as it once was.

Glamour’s still workable … you just want to pair it with some other method of “punishing” your enemy. I ran with Kylia’s Triforce build for a while, and I’ll admit it’s a nasty customer in a zerg fight. Glamour/Confusion, Retal, and Reflects … all in one swank purple package. Although, as with the old Glamourbomber spec, you don’t want to get caught solo with it.
With that said, I’d not at all be adverse to some other method of trustworthy AoE,
considering that a lot of our current AoE relies on NPCs that simply melt in a larger-scale scrap. But, as Alissah stated, ANet’d have to go carefully on that one, else we’re quickly back to “OMG, Mesmer OP! Nerf plz!” territory.
Hell, that’s the good thing about our current state in the meta, less whingers in PvP crying about Mesmers. Let ’em whimper about Stun-Warriors and Dumbfire Necros for a bit …

Jackums.3496:

Every profession can be made useful everywhere. That doesn’t mean you have to sugarcoat everything and deny fault. The Mesmer lacks damage contribution in zergs and suffers in PvP due to the condi meta. They’re the two primary downfalls of the Mesmer right now. They’re still one of the, if not the, best utility professions for both dungeons and WvW, but don’t expect to be putting out loads of damage in comparison to other professions with superior AoE and DPS.

Overall, they remain one of the game’s most versatile classes. Top dueling and skirmishing profession, alongside the Thief. Best utility skills in the game. Wide variety of builds; direct damage, condition, support, etc.

The Mesmer itself, IMO, has no major issues right now. The problem, in terms of PvP, is that other classes are too much. Conditions in general need to be toned down, and builds like the S/D Thief need some tweaking, both of which are apparently coming.

so how about mesmer can better support??
can better tank?
can better crowd controller ?
what role he give better to can be selectable rather than other classes in wvw excatly on competitive groups not mean as random eb pugs.. hack and slash fights.. (instead of veil and portal)

is oke this game mechanic is differ from traditional mmo trinity (dps , tank , support)
so look/compare in overall effectiveness in 1 role? for team effectiveness
i dont need to be as celestial everything have, instead 2 celestial i would go 1 pvt and for other go for dps that we can play as team orientation

versatile.. what for.. i am talking about effectiveness.. in solo.. so what dont we ve team play or group play ??? shame.. pove it best utilities is ok ok veil portal Cuz others doesnt ve close skills ve no compariation, tw? i can show with the effectiveness is not much better than other classes elites.. Maybe u dont know what is group play.. or talk as u experianced in..

Leave Rasyonalism and be Realist.. So show me prove it .. math, videos, make votes(with describtion of experiance).. etc etc..

or sorry unneeded replies from me yes its your OPINION,
so i can ask who are u, whats your experiance..

Jackums.3496:

@Azo: I have no idea what you’re trying to say, but I’m guessing you disagree with my post.

Alissah.9281:

For single target dps, Mesmer comes 2nd or 3rd place, though.

Yes. In a zerg, though, our DPS is one of the lowest.

Sadly, in a zerg our class mechanics don’t work: phantasms and clones are way too fragile for ZvZ combat… so we can’t use phantasms effectively and shatters are crippled.

The glamour/confusion build has been nerfed twice (confusion damage and stacking cooldown) and it’s not a valid option anymore (works for tagging, but the damage is very poor).

On top of that, the current meta is very condition heavy…