Guild Wars 2

So I made a quick character and went to spvp with a mesmer, I really like them. I used greatsword build and was wondering are they hugely much better once you have all your kit and stuff on, also are they good in WvW and PvE?

I’ve been playing a mesmer for nearly 800 hours and I can easily say: No.

I cant speak for wvwvwvw, but I believe we do very well in PvE. Not god tier face rolling mind you, but if you put effort towards it, you will decimate enemies and look kitten doing it.

They are more a utility class, then a a damage class (though there are some deveastating builds out there)
Thanks to some of their abilities they get some flag and hate. Though thats more subjective.
The damage in PvE isn`t that high, so you have to pull more abilities then most other class. He gets better later though.
In WvW he shines a little bit more, because conditions rigger more frequently (like confusion) and clones actually do something more, however it depends on your enemy.

My dmg with mesmer is pretty high in spvp and wvwvw. IT depends on who plays the mesmer, my dmg can exceed a thieves dmg sometimes. I am talking about 13k crits with mind wrack, 7k with the berserker. We do decent in pve.

Kamata.5762:

My dmg with mesmer is pretty high in spvp and wvwvw. IT depends on who plays the mesmer, my dmg can exceed a thieves dmg sometimes. I am talking about 13k crits with mind wrack, 7k with the berserker. We do decent in pve.

Can you post your build, I’ll like to try it in spvp? Also is it a greatsword you use

HeatBlast.9346:

Kamata.5762:

My dmg with mesmer is pretty high in spvp and wvwvw. IT depends on who plays the mesmer, my dmg can exceed a thieves dmg sometimes. I am talking about 13k crits with mind wrack, 7k with the berserker. We do decent in pve.

Can you post your build, I’ll like to try it in spvp? Also is it a greatsword you use

I’m using a full berserker build, with air runes for wvwvw. But you should use scholar runes for spvp. 20-30-0-0-20, for the first trait line: mind wrack does 10% more dmg, and reducing GS skills by 20%

duelist: phantasms have fury, when you dodge spawn a clone, and reducing sword skills by 20%

illusions: 15% (i think) more crit chance with mind wrack, and i cant remember which one i used then.

this way, youll do pretty good dmg with your GS skills and blurred frenzy, but youre clones will also do amazing dmg when you shatter them.

yes, i use GS, sword/pistol, with air runes on both swords.
there are bigger dmg builds out there but I like this one the best myself.

I leveled up my Mesmer from 11 to 75 in WvW, and the only real thing I’ve had problems with, is escaping. Mesmers have next to zero swiftness and movement skills, so you have to always be mindful of your surrounding, as you have to be one step ahead if you get attacked by a zerg. The Mesmer also doesn’t have that many AoE skills. But other then that, we are golden. We have Time Warp to help beat down gates faster, AoE stealth skills to help allies out of bad situations, AoE swiftness on the focus, Portal to get allies past various obstacles or to help golems move faster, intimidating skills like Feedback and Chaos Storm that are great for pushing foes back, and clones that help when fighting in small groups, as they make it look like you are more players. With a lot of illusion generation, and bit of stealth, you can also solo camps (this takes a lot of time, though).

Mesmer are a fatastic wvwvw class. Our dmg spikes are among the highest in game played correct and we are a key class in any organiced group play.

Il add a solo vid, first a dmg one, after a group play vid.

Enjoy:

Solo, maximum dmg spikes:

Seccond show why we are a key class in any organiced wvwvw group:

/Osicat

Esplen.3940:

I’ve been playing a mesmer for nearly 800 hours and I can easily say: No.

Anyone who believes the Mesmer is a poor profession in WvW/PvE very simply does not know how to play as one. Having a high playtime does not mean someone is a skilled player and it does not mean someone is qualified to give a proper, unbiased judgment.

Mesmer right now is incredibly useful in Fractals (I say Fractals because Dungeons are so faceroll easy that a permanently Moa’d player can be useful in them) due to high damage, extremely high mobility, the most powerful Armor skill in the game (Chaos Armor dominates and can be given to everyone in the group with Ethereal Field + Blast Finisher), and the ability to reflect projectiles.

In WvW Osicat already showed you proof that Mesmers are beasts. To anyone who believes Mesmers are bad at escaping…Torch #4, Decoy, Mass Invis, Focus #4, Blink, Shatter #3, we have plenty of tools to gtfo so I can’t really see how people think we’re bad at escaping.

What people need to realize is that the skill level needed to be effective is not balanced across the professions. Warriors can run into combat, close their eyes and bang their keyboard and still do decent damage. Mesmers, Thieves, Engineers, and to an extent Eles need to actually learn how to play the game in order to be effective.

TL;DR
So if you’re having trouble with the Mesmer or believe it to be underpowered then (and I hate saying this but in this case it’s true) there is a very simple case of Learn2Play.

Prism.5649:

In WvW Osicat already showed you proof that Mesmers are beasts. To anyone who believes Mesmers are bad at escaping…Torch #4, Decoy, Mass Invis, Focus #4, Blink, Shatter #3, we have plenty of tools to gtfo so I can’t really see how people think we’re bad at escaping.

12 seconds of reliable swiftness, a few seconds of stealth, and one teleportation skill, is not extremely high mobility. That’s just false advertising. A Mesmer can escape situations where there’s a lot of chaos, or corners to hide behind, sure, but when foes are chasing you on open ground, you won’t get away.

Prism.5649:

Esplen.3940:

I’ve been playing a mesmer for nearly 800 hours and I can easily say: No.

Anyone who believes the Mesmer is a poor profession in WvW/PvE very simply does not know how to play as one. Having a high playtime does not mean someone is a skilled player and it does not mean someone is qualified to give a proper, unbiased judgment.

Mesmer right now is incredibly useful in Fractals (I say Fractals because Dungeons are so faceroll easy that a permanently Moa’d player can be useful in them) due to high damage, extremely high mobility, the most powerful Armor skill in the game (Chaos Armor dominates and can be given to everyone in the group with Ethereal Field + Blast Finisher), and the ability to reflect projectiles.

In WvW Osicat already showed you proof that Mesmers are beasts. To anyone who believes Mesmers are bad at escaping…Torch #4, Decoy, Mass Invis, Focus #4, Blink, Shatter #3, we have plenty of tools to gtfo so I can’t really see how people think we’re bad at escaping.

What people need to realize is that the skill level needed to be effective is not balanced across the professions. Warriors can run into combat, close their eyes and bang their keyboard and still do decent damage. Mesmers, Thieves, Engineers, and to an extent Eles need to actually learn how to play the game in order to be effective.

TL;DR
So if you’re having trouble with the Mesmer or believe it to be underpowered then (and I hate saying this but in this case it’s true) there is a very simple case of Learn2Play.

I do have one concern, though. If I want to play with scepter, I feel underpowered. Whereas with many other classes, you can do well with any other weapon, by adapting your playstyle. Well, I am kiting and not playing like I would my favorite class, but I can’t damage certain enemies solo enough. It keeps regenerating, and I can’t outdamage it. And-this is key-I honestly don’t want to go with a “proven” build, but more with my own thing. I want to do well with scepter on PvE, even if I am not supposed to. Why? Because one can do well with other weapons in most professions as well.

In other words, it feels as if I must follow a “proven template” of playstyle to do well at PvE, and I would love to play Mesmer “my way”, so to speak. I am already level 43, but seem to be stuck soloing a regenerating Veteran at the moment. O.o And yes, I love the Mesmer concept, so I would want to see it work (I am certainly not deleting it, since it’s one of my “main classes” since headstart-I just didn’t play it much since I made it.) Is it possible that weapons are not currently balanced, or MUST I use the “proven” traits to do well?

I want to use my Mesmer mostly for PvE, BTW-WvW holds little interest for me (though I assume Mesmer will make it more fun) and I’ve never liked PvP competition in any game. I know it’s possible for them to be good at PvE, but I am looking for individuality at the same time (I.E. not using a strict “leveling build”, but better something that appeals to me, even if it’s slightly harder-currently, it seems Scepter is too hard to use well.)

I did like using the pistol off-hand but haven’t used it in a while.

In short, I am wondering if it’s really possible to do well in PvE with ANY sort of weapon/build, other than the usually recommended ones. Learn to play isn’t the same as doing what everybody else does, right? And this is mean’t to offend anyone, because I do like the Profession (I certainly don’t think it’s underpowered), but it can be frustrating at times, if I want to deviate a little from what everybody else does.

Kasama.8941:

12 seconds of reliable swiftness, a few seconds of stealth, and one teleportation skill, is not extremely high mobility. That’s just false advertising. A Mesmer can escape situations where there’s a lot of chaos, or corners to hide behind, sure, but when foes are chasing you on open ground, you won’t get away.

You misunderstand. Mesmer has extremely high mobility in combat, which means we can be anywhere on the battlefield extremely quickly and we never need to be still during combat. I never meant we were good at running long distances.

Star Ace.5207:

I do have one concern, though. If I want to play with scepter, I feel underpowered. Whereas with many other classes, you can do well with any other weapon, by adapting your playstyle. Well, I am kiting and not playing like I would my favorite class, but I can’t damage certain enemies solo enough. It keeps regenerating, and I can’t outdamage it. And-this is key-I honestly don’t want to go with a “proven” build, but more with my own thing. I want to do well with scepter on PvE, even if I am not supposed to. Why? Because one can do well with other weapons in most professions as well.

You have an overly high opinion of other class’s weapons. Weapons are not meant to be usable in all situations. The Scepter is a great weapon, but like many weapons it is only useful in certain situations. In this case the Scepter is mainly useful in PvP Condition/Shatter builds. Mesmers are not alone in this, other professions have weapons that are sub-par in PvE as well. That being said, the Scepter is definitely at the top of the list of weapons that need to be adjusted.

Kasama.8941:

In other words, it feels as if I must follow a “proven template” of playstyle to do well at PvE, and I would love to play Mesmer “my way”, so to speak. I am already level 43, but seem to be stuck soloing a regenerating Veteran at the moment. O.o And yes, I love the Mesmer concept, so I would want to see it work (I am certainly not deleting it, since it’s one of my “main classes” since headstart-I just didn’t play it much since I made it.) Is it possible that weapons are not currently balanced, or MUST I use the “proven” traits to do well?

As I said, Mesmer is a much more skill-based profession than others. You absolutely can use non-mainstream builds and still be effective, but only if you are skilled at playing the profession. Being “already level 43” really does not mean anything as you don’t even have access to half your traits. Traits can change the entire game, so of course without them you are going to feel underpowered.

Kasama.8941:

In short, I am wondering if it’s really possible to do well in PvE with ANY sort of weapon/build, other than the usually recommended ones. Learn to play isn’t the same as doing what everybody else does, right? And this is mean’t to offend anyone, because I do like the Profession (I certainly don’t think it’s underpowered), but it can be frustrating at times, if I want to deviate a little from what everybody else does.

It is possible to do well solo with any weapon/build, but when you get into Dungeons, and more importantly Fractals, then min/maxing your effectiveness by using the most powerful builds becomes vastly more important. This is true of any profession in any MMO game. If that’s not something that interests you then stick to solo play. Also there is a difference between learning to play and using the right build. Just because you have the same build as someone as else does not mean you will perform as well as them. Likewise a skilled player can be effective even with a terrible build.

Also, how can you feel like you’re being pigeonholed into a specific build when there are so many viable Mesmer builds out there? Just take a look at the sticky at the top of these forums for a big list of many of the viable builds. There’s a build for every aspect of the Mesmer, so if none of those are fun for you then maybe Mesmer is not the right profession for you.

All in all, 99% of the problems with the Mesmer can be overcome by playing smart and knowing the ins and outs of your profession.

Nah, I don’t need elite-think (no offense) because I am sure that with the right friends, any decent working build is viable in dungeons/fractals (and truth to be told, the Fractal grind is not for me, not because I lack “skill”, but because it’s way too repetitive; I will do them ocassionally but never to get to super high fractal levels… no reason to, in MY case). So I need not “stick to solo play”, as I like playing and cooperating either in parties or groups, even on the PvE map. Also, having problems learning a class doesn’t mean it’s not for you. You just have to work harder until you master it. I just did want to use scepter because I like the animations and the concept (and I used to use it a lot on the original). Having said that, I did come to a fun solution for it, which made the game way much easier and fun for me.

Basically, I am using the Scepter with Torch along with the Staff. I was trying to make Scepter/Focus work together but it was an uphill battle (I would have liked that, because the classic GW1 light armor character used both together to great effect, and I did want to emulate that.) I had paired that with double-swords, but while the swords were better, it was very difficult to make those two pairs of weapons work well together. However, the Torch works great with Scepter, being able to stack confusion with the Phantasm, and keeping me out of harm’s way-the staff is almost overpowered in comparison, but using both constantly in tandem allows me to deal with both solo and multiple enemies rather effectively.

Of course, all of you are the masters of this profession (no sarcasm intended at all), but I am rather happy to have found a working compromise to my problem. What I end up using later on at level 80 will probably vary from the current setup, but at least I am having fun and a good time, and also already being helpful in battles with many allies.

I am leaning towards condition damage and healing in the future. After all, I have never been a fan of strict DPS.

I know sword and focus makes sense, but it looks weird to me. I am sure I will change opinion with time and experience.

Thanks for the suggestion to look at the stickied builds; I like to look at those once I’ve come at terms with the profession on my own, to get new ideas, but not necessarily emulate or use exactly the same gear, etc. I did look at a few videos Yesterday as well, and of course, I don’t mind people using whatever they like, be it “popular” or otherwise-I just like the freedom to play whichever way it’s fun to me, more than using the “best builds” (which don’t need to be mutually exclusive either.)

(I believe it’s a personality issue-not everyone really likes to do what everybody else likes, and that’s OK. Not everyone likes to play the supposedly most powerful builds. People that prefer to powerplay or do things “more efficiently” should understand that not everybody is like them, and both types of people can and should tolerate each other.)

Back to subject, I did love playing my PvE Mesmer this afternoon after a few tweaks, and he will only get better. Mesmer is good, if it’s fun for you-on that criteria, all professions can be good as well (there’s no “best class”-what’s the point of playing a supposedly “best class” that is boring to you?)

How are they at lasting long than, do they die easy?

Prism.5649:

You misunderstand. Mesmer has extremely high mobility in combat, which means we can be anywhere on the battlefield extremely quickly and we never need to be still during combat. I never meant we were good at running long distances.

Well that’s what I meant =)

But Mesmers are very mobile when it comes to combat, yes. We can literally be in two places at once.

HeatBlast.9346:

How are they at lasting long than, do they die easy?

That depends on your build, but generally, no. Mesmers are capable of going bunker, as they can have a lot of boon control, interrupts, stealth, and clones. I run a semi bunker/boon build on my Mesmer, and I have close to 1700 toughness and little over 19500 health, while still being at around 1050 condition damage without any boons/food/signet. I have fought 1v5 in WvW several times, and lived to tell the tale. As mentioned, the problem comes when you are trying to run away with low health. That usually means you’re dead, as you can’t outrun anyone. But I’ve always felt like it’s a fair drawback to everything ells the Mesmer can do..

Kasama.8941:

Prism.5649:

You misunderstand. Mesmer has extremely high mobility in combat, which means we can be anywhere on the battlefield extremely quickly and we never need to be still during combat. I never meant we were good at running long distances.

Well that’s what I meant =)

But Mesmers are very mobile when it comes to combat, yes. We can literally be in two places at once.

HeatBlast.9346:

How are they at lasting long than, do they die easy?

That depends on your build, but generally, no. Mesmers are capable of going bunker, as they can have a lot of boon control, interrupts, stealth, and clones. I run a semi bunker/boon build on my Mesmer, and I have close to 1700 toughness and little over 19500 health, while still being at around 1050 condition damage without any boons/food/signet. I have fought 1v5 in WvW several times, and lived to tell the tale. As mentioned, the problem comes when you are trying to run away with low health. That usually means you’re dead, as you can’t outrun anyone. But I’ve always felt like it’s a fair drawback to everything ells the Mesmer can do..

I’ve just made a mesmer and I can’t seem to kill anybody. I’m know I’m not doing it right, are you able to tell me how to do it. Do you create loads of illusions first or somethin

Mesmer… very stronk in tournament play.

Ranger/Ele/Guard(God Tier)
Mesmer/Thief/Engi/Necro/Warrior(Stronk Tier)

HeatBlast.9346:

I’ve just made a mesmer and I can’t seem to kill anybody. I’m know I’m not doing it right, are you able to tell me how to do it. Do you create loads of illusions first or somethin

You said you were interested in a great sword mesmer correct? Then I would suggest reading through this guide, https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Lazy-Kai-s-Guide-to-PvE-Leveling-Guide

It helped me a ton, and now less than a month later I am 73, and likely to hit 80 by Wednesday. The class really shines after level 40, but with this guide I was able to fly through the first 40 levels without too much issue.

I remember some situations in GW1. A friend of mine complained, that necro was too weak in PvP (mainly random arena). I played then his necro with his exact build and ppl were just dying. Same with the necro of my girlfriend. Game was new and she had almost no skills unlocked. I just bought one elite skill and then rocked random arenas with her necro with arround 20 wins in a row in the first try. (of course that relies also on other factors). (my main at this time was ritualist)

But the same is true for GW2 and any profession (and that’s why I love this game). You can have a supposed “kitten” build, but u can still be strong, if you know, what u’re doing and when to do it.

I had to laugh at the “played 800h and can say it’s no good”-comment. Mesmers have their problems, agreed, but they have also their strong side. And honestly (I realised that yesterday) to get vigor in crit hit or by default attack on trident is insanely strong imho connected with Deceptive Evasion.

It also depends on play style. Even good players can suck at a certain profession, because it simply doesn’t match their play style. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have to l2p, but that maybe this profession should simply not be their first choice.

HeatBlast.9346:

I’ve just made a mesmer and I can’t seem to kill anybody. I’m know I’m not doing it right, are you able to tell me how to do it. Do you create loads of illusions first or somethin

Mesmers a famous for being hard to play the first 40 levels, because you have a slow illusion generation. So the best advice is to just hang in there. Get Illusionists Celerity at level 16, and then Deceptive Evasion at level 40, that will improve your survivability. If you have some gold to spare, then buy masterwork armor for every tier level, so you always have the some good defense.

If you’re playing WvW it’s actually a bit easier to level up as a Mesmer, because you are scaled up to level 80. And as long as you’re running in a zerg, you always have allies to help you.

Prism.5649:

Esplen.3940:

I’ve been playing a mesmer for nearly 800 hours and I can easily say: No.

Anyone who believes the Mesmer is a poor profession in WvW/PvE very simply does not know how to play as one. Having a high playtime does not mean someone is a skilled player and it does not mean someone is qualified to give a proper, unbiased judgment.

Mesmer right now is incredibly useful in Fractals (I say Fractals because Dungeons are so faceroll easy that a permanently Moa’d player can be useful in them) due to high damage, extremely high mobility, the most powerful Armor skill in the game (Chaos Armor dominates and can be given to everyone in the group with Ethereal Field + Blast Finisher), and the ability to reflect projectiles.

In WvW Osicat already showed you proof that Mesmers are beasts. To anyone who believes Mesmers are bad at escaping…Torch #4, Decoy, Mass Invis, Focus #4, Blink, Shatter #3, we have plenty of tools to gtfo so I can’t really see how people think we’re bad at escaping.

What people need to realize is that the skill level needed to be effective is not balanced across the professions. Warriors can run into combat, close their eyes and bang their keyboard and still do decent damage. Mesmers, Thieves, Engineers, and to an extent Eles need to actually learn how to play the game in order to be effective.

TL;DR
So if you’re having trouble with the Mesmer or believe it to be underpowered then (and I hate saying this but in this case it’s true) there is a very simple case of Learn2Play.

Well said.

I was actually a little surprised by comments about mesmers not being a viable class in PVE or having low DPS. I’ve started running around Orr at times with just sword/pistol to switch it up because GS can be almost too easy. Mesmers are great! Don’t let the negativity on these forums discourage you from enjoying this really fun class. There is a little bit of a learning curve to tho. Don’t stress, you’ll get it.

I just want to touch on the mobility for escaping combat issue for a second. The term “smarter not harder” comes to mind here. Control your battles and skirmishes. A portal exit placed up on a cliff or hill before jumping into a brawl will do wonders.
Also, I see people thinking escape from combat being linear away com your target. Instead, try mind kittening them. After all, we’re mesmers. Begin running away from them in random direction ‘A’. When they give chase, stealth and double back. Right before your stealth wears off blink.
Hiding is also a legitimate “get away” tactic. Stealth and hide. Make your escape after the frustrated player has given up, or simply way point back soon as you’re out of combat. There will always be a glitch in plans made and getting away won’t always work. We’re not thieves or a RTL ele and thank god for that. Enjoy the class for what it has.
Mesmers are slow as hell but that doesn’t make us bad at getting away. Use your mind first then take action.

I just want to agree with the above poster. You can break off combat without needing to straightline outrun your opponent. This is the thinking man’s profession and it is not easy to master, but once you do you will often feel invincible.

Shatter mes is easy mode in both sPvP, tPvP.