handling against the condi META
I’m going to separate dealing with PU condie builds from all others. The thing with PU is that it’s heavily based on countering, so you can reduce the pressure on yourself by choosing to stop attacking, and in that way can get a breather. You also need condition removal of course, but that relationship between your pressure and their pressure is unique to PU condie builds.
The key with all other condition builds is that they function around nonstop spammable application of conditions. This is a basic problem with condition builds in this game, but mesmers do have the tools to counter it.
To counter nonstop condition spam, you need nonstop removal spam. This can be accomplished in several ways.
- Mender’s purity with the healing mantra has strong condition removal output.
- The condition removal mantra itself also has a good rate of condition removal.
- A traited torch actually has strong removals as well. Both skills remove a condition on activation, and the iMage will remove conditions from allies hit by the bouncing bolt.
- The pDisenchanter is an extremely potent condition removal. In some situations or against an opponent that lets it stay alive, it can actually suffice to counter condition spam by itself.
Basically, those are the condition removal options for Mesmer. Note that I did not include 3 notable things: shattered conditions, null field, and arcane thievery. Shattered conditions is nearly unviable in any build, and so not generally worth discussing. Null field and arcane thievery are easily countered and are on extremely long cooldowns, and so are not sufficient as condition removals in any way.
The general rule of thumb I use is that to counter condition spam, you need any 2 or more of the options I mentioned. The more you have, the safer you are, but the less your build can do other than just remove conditions. 2 of those options combined with effective use of active defenses and offensive pressure should be sufficient to defend against most condition spam. Taking less than 2 is potential viable, but understand that you will melt to sustained condition pressure.
thanks a lot and i do try to take the mantra and mender purity but for me as i see it if i stay on the defense i will die eventually so i try to put more pressure on my enemies but is seems the pressure is not enough to handle those condi builds
maybe the torment AA will give some edge or the ie trait
but for power mesmer i really dont know
Whenever I can I take Harmonious mantras and mender’s purity with heal mantra. It’s 6 condis cleansed every 10 (12 if you count recharge time) seconds. Whenever I run with that I feel basically immune to condi builds, except maybe certain necro builds.
I’ve pulled it off in a few builds and each time I’ve just lol’d at condi thieves, engineers, etc. Like I said sometimes Necros get a little crazy even with the above, but the rest are close to a joke.
That is just HM/MP by itself, throw in AT or any other condi clear utility and you really are basically untouched by any condi build.
I don’t get why mesmer’s complain that we have no condi removal. We have insane condi removal, you just have to really build for it :-/
With a power build you get the added perk of centaur runes giving you perm swiftness if you build like the above. It’s pretty sweet. Running a condi build is a bummer after getting used to centaur.
Whenever I can I take Harmonious mantras and mender’s purity with heal mantra. It’s 6 condis cleansed every 10 (12 if you count recharge time) seconds. Whenever I run with that I feel basically immune to condi builds, except maybe certain necro builds.
I’ve pulled it off in a few builds and each time I’ve just lol’d at condi thieves, engineers, etc. Like I said sometimes Necros get a little crazy even with the above, but the rest are close to a joke.
That is just HM/MP by itself, throw in AT or any other condi clear utility and you really are basically untouched by any condi build.
I don’t get why mesmer’s complain that we have no condi removal. We have insane condi removal, you just have to really build for it :-/
With a power build you get the added perk of centaur runes giving you perm swiftness if you build like the above. It’s pretty sweet. Running a condi build is a bummer after getting used to centaur.
You’re right. People don’t understand that you have to sacrifice a bit of offense if you want to be able to face a wider number of builds. You want to not get demolished against condi spammers? then trade some offense for mender’s purity and harmonious mantra. It’s the same story for every freaking class (thief needs to trade some offense for defensive traits if they want some condi clearing, Engis too, etc etc).
(edited by Ergolicious.1507)
I don’t get why mesmer’s complain that we have no condi removal. We have insane condi removal, you just have to really build for it :-/
The key thing here is “you have to really build for it”.
Im not complaining, but the perception that mesmers have low condition removal is not entirely unfounded.
At baseline level, mesmers have the least access (perhaps by intentional design) to condition removal tools. This can be easily observed as we are the only class that doesn’t have a heal skill with condition removal built-in and also among the classes without any condition removal on weapon skills.
At the opposite side of the spectrum, we have necros and eles both have insane condition removal tools at baseline (heal skills and weapon skills).
So as the meta shifts to condition spam, some people adapt and build for condi removal while others are reluctant to change and thus … all the whining.
IMO, there’s two general strategies:
- Bring more people. Conditions scale terribly when you are outside of 1v1~2v2 fights. There’s nothing wrong with taking 3-4 other people and making a team to highwaymen the roads. Roamers will be fodder due to better mobility and lots of cleansing coupled with easy rezzes (low pressure on a downed target). At the same time, 4-5 people not touching camps and towers much won’t be enough to divert a guild group or a zerg to you, so you’re free to farm. This is probably the most efficient way as it improves income, stability and coverage with virtually no downsides.
- Avoid them. Some condition specs like Blackwater have very low ability to pressure you. They fully rely on the idea that you want to do that 1v1 fight and are committed to see it through to the end. Which gives them an advantage, they’re both defensible and good on long-term damage. Only, they lack any kind of real output on their own. By merely walking past them to a different fight you can pretty much invalidate their choice of build. Not the most glorious way to fight, but it might give them something to think about before complaining about how overpowered that PU Mesmer they rolled is. :P
You could rethink the way you play. Perhaps the problem isn’t the condi being applied to you. Perhaps the problem is you’re not doing enough or well enough to eliminate your opponent.
Easiest way to counter the condition meta as a Mesmer is probably something like this:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQBSSf2i0EZ1QO1ySTAA
Now fill in the rest of the build to your taste. If you want to remove more than 12 conditions, by all means, throw in more condition removal.
Seafarer’s Rest