Guild Wars 2

Hello guys. I saw mesmers using gs /staff in wvw, can someone please give me the build and maybe few info about it? Thank you

All info in my signature! Includes full breakdown of build + a few videos on how to play it in PvP but a lot of it can transition into WvW.

staff is not great in wvw other than zerg surfing imo

I played long time with greatsword in wvw. Staff improved my mobility greatly with phase retreat. I like staff 3 better than gs 2 and gs 4 because the illusions with staff stay near me. Staff 1 projectile bounces excellently – gs 1 does not bounce.

For example, when warrior leaps on me, I just hit staff 2 and staff 3. With gs, I was next to dead. Now I have more initial time in fight. Also, gs gave less damage in melee range and I always tried to make distance with dodges and decoys, wasting them.

Staff + greatsword is valid combo because gs 5 is much needed and because gs is better ranged weapon.

Just today I ran 17 dungeon paths with staff + sword/torch. Staff is valid weapon for dungeons too. At one point of Arah I had to solo a punch of ghostly champs(?) because others were dead – staff’s mobility was important, extra dodge.

AnniMira.2506:

I played long time with greatsword in wvw. Staff improved my mobility greatly with phase retreat. I like staff 3 better than gs 2 and gs 4 because the illusions with staff stay near me. Staff 1 projectile bounces excellently – gs 1 does not bounce.

For example, when warrior leaps on me, I just hit staff 2 and staff 3. With gs, I was next to dead. Now I have more initial time in fight. Also, gs gave less damage in melee range and I always tried to make distance with dodges and decoys, wasting them.

Staff + greatsword is valid combo because gs 5 is much needed and because gs is better ranged weapon.

Just today I ran 17 dungeon paths with staff + sword/torch. Staff is valid weapon for dungeons too. At one point of Arah I had to solo a punch of ghostly champs(?) because others were dead – staff’s mobility was important, extra dodge.

Luckily this is for wvw. The last paragraph is scary. That weapon combination for dungeon running is far from efficient. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

I wait for comments from mesmer experts. Should we organize a test? 5 gs mesmers in Arah vs 5 staff mesmers in Arah.

AnniMira.2506:

I wait for comments from mesmer experts. Should we organize a test? 5 gs mesmers in Arah vs 5 staff mesmers in Arah.

The optimal setup for mesmer in dungeons is mostly mainhand sword with offhand focus/sword/pistol. And the build mostly focuses on sustained damage from sword autoattack and setting up 3 hardhitting phantasms.

Arah or PvE in general doesn’t matter here, because OP’s question is about WvW.

With GS/Staff you have multiple builds you could play:

- Double ranged shatter, usually 4/4/0/0/6. I would not recommend that, though, since the lack of stealth and Blurred Frenzy evade will make you a lot more vulnerable against pew pew rangers and the like.

- CI Lockdown, either 4/4/6 or 2/6/6. I played the latter one and i was overall quite satisfied with the results. You will probably have to sacrifice Decoy for a cleanse or use Sigils of Purity/Generosity/Cleansing and try to stay away from conditions. Since you trait 6 into chaos, you are a bit more tanky against those rangers.

- Phantasm. I don’t have a build for that, but both Staff and GS phantasms can hit for a good amount of damage, so you should be able to build around that.

You could also try to build a clone death condi build, since both weapons have low cooldown clone producers and gs clones can stack a good amount of bleeds with Sharper Images. I’m not a condi players, so i won’t be able to help you there, either.

I’m testing a few builds with GS/Staff for large scale group fights, you might want to check the thread I’ll try to post a video for Iteration 5 in the next few days.

If you’re talking about the GS/Staff double ranged shatter, it worked for me in small scale roaming, but I like Sw/Torch+GS more.