Guild Wars 2

I created this build with the intention of being a little bit tankier (hence the armor choices) but I was wondering, does this version of a shatter build sacrifice too much damage or does it have plenty of damage?

Build:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhEQJARWlknpMtNqxINcrNipxg60OrNS+QAlMkxB-TFiFAB4pLoKlgGp8rRVZA4JAYz+DHq2QCXCgAAIA38mZzbGYoDdoDdoDtbO0bO0bO0CBMaMA-w

Mesmers rely heavily on their active defense in WvW to avoid damage. You really don’t want to give up IP for a sub-par trait.

Your armor choice/stat distribution is fine, although as you gain more experience in positioning and timing your cooldowns/dodges you may eventually want to switch to full berserker’s. Although traveler runes are more expensive, they are generally superior to speed runes for mesmers.

Please don’t take this like I’m arguing, these are legitimate thoughts/questions:

1) I normally run full zerk on shatter but this was more for looking into the potential to have a tankier edge to help survive burst a little better without sacrificing too much damage. Your input was greatly appreciated in that respect.

2) Again with the tankier approach I chose speed runes to keep my health higher without losing mobility, Though I do see how traveler would work so I’ll probably switch that. Again thanks for the input there.

3) (this is really my question) Why would I want IP if I’m running with a staff/gs combo? Being at range means I’ll be shattering from far away and the alternative trait allows me to get aoe with my halting strikes giving more damage overall. I could be mistaken and if I am please inform me so I can improve this build.

Ario.8964:

Please don’t take this like I’m arguing, these are legitimate thoughts/questions:

1) I normally run full zerk on shatter but this was more for looking into the potential to have a tankier edge to help survive burst a little better without sacrificing too much damage. Your input was greatly appreciated in that respect.

2) Again with the tankier approach I chose speed runes to keep my health higher without losing mobility, Though I do see how traveler would work so I’ll probably switch that. Again thanks for the input there.

3) (this is really my question) Why would I want IP if I’m running with a staff/gs combo? Being at range means I’ll be shattering from far away and the alternative trait allows me to get aoe with my halting strikes giving more damage overall. I could be mistaken and if I am please inform me so I can improve this build.

1.) I respect your creativity, IMO play what you want, if you could do good with your build then go for it, although it wont be as effective as with IP

2.) Traveler is great but it does not give you a lot of vit.

3.) Not Running IP will:

a.) You lose 1 more clone (yourself) in shattering, 2k less damage from MW, Confusion stack + Damage on CoF,
b.) you lose an on demand interrupt (w/o clones) with Diversion
c.) you lose an on demand 1 sec invuln (very useful in close to death situations)

Have you tried the build?

The old saying Attack is the best defence really is true with shatter imo, the defence comes from forcing the opponent to defensive play by being aggressive and high damage output. If you remove some of the damage you enable their offensive play and make yourself vulnerable.

With that said I think you should try it if you haven’t because we all play differently so maybe it suits your playstyle really well.

Since you have all that toughness have you considered dropping staff and possibly taking either sword/sword or scepter/sword with blade training in place ofmanip range trait? You get either duel blocks, or blurred frenzy + block, the iSwordsman, and great clone production to boot.

In WvW, it is acceptable for shatter builds to have anywhere from 1.8-2.5k toughness; it really comes down to personal preference and how aggressive you are with your positioning.

As outlined be others, IP is a great trait that provides extra (and reliable) survivability and more damage at melee range.

Power shatter builds excel at doing damage in melee range. You will see many mesmers use mirror blade (traited with illusionary elasticity) in melee range for burst from fast bounces and using mind wrack at the same time. Shatter mesmers typically do not shatter in staff, but use it as a defensive weapon to recover and build up clones.

If you’re looking for a build focused on ranged damage, shatter may not be the best option.