Guild Wars 2

phantasms i think are at the core of everything wrong with mesmer….they are the reason nearly all of our skills HAVE to rely on ai. they are the biggest complaint about mesmer because they are ai dictated damage rather than timed attacks.
more importantly though is the fact that phantasms are considered the main source of our damage and thus is why we are pretty weak in terms of damage and functionality then alot of other class’s. auto attack damage as a example.

what if phantasms as a whole were reworked to be more of a 10-15 second cd big damage attack instead of a minion summon. reducing our sustain but increasing our burst somewhat.

so just as a example of what kind of rework i am talking about.

1) phantasms perform their 1 attack and then turn in to a clone.
2) the hp of all phantasms is increased dramatically to around 50-100% of the players hp. so that the phantasm cannot be instantly killed while it performs its attack. can be cc’ed though.
3)some phantasms do not require a target to work. so for example warden is a targeted aoe 1200 range in which we choose a location and the warden is summoned at that location and starts its attacks regardless of targets around it.
but torch, sword, pistol and staff phantasm for obvious reasons do require a target. …unless they are slightly edited to be more of a aoe attack.. no idea ;/
4) after a phantasm finishes performing its attack it turns in to a clone.

so for a example
what if berserker cd was reduced to 15-12 second base. around 25 -50 increase in damage.
the attack works in that you click the skill and exactly like the warriors whirling attack we are given a little arrow for a direction. after choosing a direction a berserker is summoned at our location and immediately performs its whirling attack in the direction given.
the big thing is that it does not require a target so for a example it could go threw a zerg if you are within range and tag multiple people.
cast time would have to be lowered also to compensate for slight attack delay after summon. so a near instant summon can compensate for whatever delay may be had

the basic idea is to reduce the reliance on ai and somewhat automated sustain. increase the punishment /burst for the first attack and reduced cd so the skill can be used more often to keep most of its sustain.

if everything else is balanced right. aka increase auto attack damage. phantasm related trait revamp.
this would give mesmer more control of their skills and perhaps give us the much needed aoe ability to be useful in zergs. some traits that buff phantasms can be reworked to buff ourselves and neaby allies instead. so phantasmal healing for a example could give 10 sec of regeneration to us and nearby allies on a phantasm summon.

what ya think? crazy idea

I see phantasms as a crappy, yet better than nothing, replacement for all our mesmer specific hexes in GW1. The phantasm is a “condition,” in that we activate the skill, and the target suffered damage over time and sometimes other conditions (confusion, cripple).

This system is like I said a very crappy replacement, but it’s really not any different in the sense that the player has to take action if they want that dmg mitigated, i.e., kill the phantasm, which is the same as not casting during backfire in GW1, or removing the condition.

So no, I do not want phantasms turned into more bursty time skills. With a few buffs shatter will be back in a good place, and what you describe above is basically playing shatter (phantasm attacks once then is used as a resource). The phantasms staying alive allows for more attrition style play, if one wants.

The QQ over “ai” and “passive dmg” is the exact same QQ you hear from players about any strong attrition class that activates an ability and after the damage from that ability is applied over time rather than instantly, in any game, which in essence is what mesmer is with phantasms.

PvE mesmers (they’re still around to some degree) will definitely go against this lol. We don’t exactly lack burst builds, and converting sustain builds to burst build goes against the idea of build diversity. I think we just need to accept that AI is part of mesmer and try to improve on that in zerg situations, or introduce some punishing skill that incorporate AoE and unique mechanisms in GW1.

Though you did give me an interesting idea, what if phantasms shows clone appearance after using their attack, and goes back to phantasm looks everytime they attack. Would that make mesmer a lot more….mesmerizing?

P.S. None of our suggestions will be taken into consideration due to how much “work” ANet have to put in. So I’m being pretty casual and random on my suggestions.

We already have access to some of the highest possible burst’s in the game. Truth is, in a PvP setting, we actually lack sustained damage, not vice versa.