Guild Wars 2

I keep hearing that at 40 our class gets way better. I am 15 right now and trying to decide if I want to continue with this class or play something else. Right now I can quest solo good enough but I find it takes longer to kill things compared to other classes.

A number of really nice traits open up at 40. For me, the two that made the most difference were Sharper Images (illusions bleed on crit) and Deceptive Evasion (dodge summons a clone).

However, those aren’t the only nice traits that open at 40 or even the best. You can also obtain: 20% CD reductions for any weapon, Illusionary Retribution (confusion on all shatters), and Illusionary Membrane (protection on regen — great tanking synergy with pistol & phantasmal healing).

So, unlike pre-40, a large variety of builds open up for sculpting your mesmer into something that’s more fun for you to play.

—

Pre-40 has the one mandatory for all builds, Illusionist’s Celerity and then for phantasmal builds, Phantasmal Fury — but that doesn’t become good until 65+ when you have enough Precision for a critical rate build. There are a couple other good traits under 40, but for the most part, those traits don’t really shine until high levels.

You might as well just stack points in whatever stat you like best under 40 and more or less ignore the traits themselves until higher level.

Because ALOT of our strongest traits are gained from the level 40 trait tome.

Clone on dodge. Clones cause bleeds on crit. Additional projectile bounce, just to name three.

Because Mesmer is all about the talents. The class is crap without them. Until level 40 you don’t really have enough talent access to make the class interesting.

Because it’s one level higher then 39?

I don’t think this arguement will ever go away, but I’ve lvl’d my main Mesmer to 80, and it was never easier or harder at any point. I’ve more or less been doing the same things the whole time.

Traits are nice little perks, but they wont suddenly make you good.

Some ppl like to tout certain traits as the be-all-end-all-traits that Finaly Make Mesmer Fun (clone on dodge, bleed on crit), but I assure you this is all just build pumping.

If you hate everything that you do from lvl 1-39, ie. creating clones, phantasms, confusing, shattering, stacking conditions, floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee, then hitting lvl 40 traits are not going to suddenly make the class “viable”.

It makes me sad that this stigma seems like its here to stay. It’s like all these Warriors make Mesmer alts, then whine about how it sucks until so-and-so-lvl and it will never go away, like Bloody Mary.

Naww it takes the OP a bit more effort and time to kill things.

Also.. Curious to know what classes you’re comparing it to. Bet one of them is a nerf proof warrior.

Okuza kinda nail it.

Mesmers base stats migh increace with some traitsand that is fun ofc but in the end it take same time to kill stuff as the pve get harder. What do change is not the base stats in first what do happens when new traits open for you is game mecanic/skill changing traits who make it possible to play in a different way.

Mesmer will stay a more complex profession than the previous you played, it WILL take more effort to kill things as you simply need to play your caracter more acctivly. In wvwvw the burst that a thief or 100b war do with a few buttons take a mesmer alot more planning and setup, same in pve. The survival that some other profession get by hit a sigil and open a block take you as a mesmer clone summoning, hit immunitys in right timing etc.

You dont play mesmer cause you in a easy way kill things. What the profession offer thu is a huge amount of flexibility and ways to outplay opponets that ot many other builds and professions offer. At tier 2 traits and later tier 3 more of this flexibility open.

/osicat

My Mesmer hit 40 yesterday. It was my 2nd or 3rd roll of Mesmer. Something just kept bringing me back. So I decided to commit to hitting 40, and then decide to continue with the profession or not.

At first, I thought I could re-trait and somehow mobs would die from exposure to my pure 40-ness. Not so much. What did happen is that I learned much more about the prof, and discovered new challenges to unlock — It’s only been 2 days, but it’s been fun to encounter new challenges and start to perceive new possibilities with weapons, movement, preparation, taking on larger groups, and so on.

Finally, thanks to the active and knowledgable members of the Mesmer community. Your insights and advice are most appreciated. Cheers.