Guild Wars 2

Runes of the Forge
Shaman (sPvP)/Settler’s gear
Sword/Torch and Axe/Dagger
0/0/30/20/20
Juvenile Wolf and Fern Hound

http://gw2buildcraft.com/calculator/ranger/?6.0|7.1f.h1j.8.1f.h9|c.1f.h1j.f.1f.hf|1f.7p.1f.7p.1f.7p.1f.7p.1f.7p.1f.7p|21m.0.21m.0.31m.0.21m.0.31m.0.0.0|0.0.u67c.k62.k69|0.0|4i.4x.4w.4r.55|e

Note: Apothecary gear in this is a placeholder since Shaman/Settler’s isn’t in their database yet.

Basically it’s a toughness build that focuses on stacking protection to tank the mesmer while stacking him with conditions. You will get your regenerations from the Fern Hound. Juvenile Wolf is for the valuable fear that will rid you of nearby clones for a few seconds. Both howls will cripple the mesmer, even when stealthed.

Do NOT run sword/dagger and axe/torch. The evades on both weaponsets are absolutely vital. Plus running that combination forces you into an offensive/defense sort of format rather than a defensive/offensive hybrid with both weaponsets. Long story short, it doesn’t encourage weaponswapping, and it is very easy to get stuck in a position where you are playing purely sword/dagger (defensively) against a mesmer. It is very important to keep them running and on the defensive or they will destroy you, regardless of your toughness/regen.

The strategy:

The key to fighting a mesmer with this build is to time your immobilize with your pet swap. Muddy Terrain gives a 2s immobilize. Time this right after the mesmer uses the invulnerability S2 skill and blinks away. As soon as you lay it down, have your pet swapped so it uses its knockdown. After your pet knocks them down and gets a hit or two in, use the F2 if it is the Juvenile Wolf.

Spam this routine frequently, all the while kiting the mesmer around and loading conditions onto him. Do not use S2 backlunge and immediately after spam the 2nd S2 skill that brings you back over to him. Wait until the phantasms move a bit towards you (give it 2-3s) and then jump over to the mesmer.

Expect a long fight if they are good. You have godly dodging abilities, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble avoiding the phantasms. It’s all about slowly killing their hp through attrition. The muddy terrain also is amazing at keeping those phantasms at bay while they chase you (because of the pulse mass cripples).

With that said, you will probably still have extreme difficulty killing an expert phantasms mesmer. I fought a few (the ones I consider the best I know in sPvP) as I was developing this build over and over, and the results were:

12|6|6 (win/loss/tie) I counted it a tie if we took more than 8 minutes to fight.
I won every time except for once when I fought random phantasm mesmers.

So, while this isn’t a “100% kill mesmers” build, it’s still the most effective I’ve been able to come up with. You keep a good uptime on the heals from pet (15s per fern hound howl), and your ability to shake damage is amazing. Combine these with an extra dodge on every weaponswap, all the built-in evades, and massive endurance regeneration, and you’re in a good spot.

PS: I still prefer dueling with my RRR, but when it comes to phantasm mesmers, this is the best I’ve been able to do.

PSS: Video will come as soon as I find time while at home to work on it.

As kind of an offhand post, I also wanted to mention that this is incredibly effective at dealing with power thieves in 1v1s. You still can’t guarentee a kill (if they want to run, they will get away), but they can barely touch you with this.

Good stuff Faux, thanks for the advice.

Sure thing Ryan. Also note that it’s Healing Spring, not Troll Unguent. The regenerations from the spring will more than make up for the loss in regen you normally get from Dwayna Set.

Mesmer also strips them if you let sword hit you. Then again, they won’t be autoattacking you if you are doing things right.

Lastly, try to aim S2 so that you leap through the water field for extra heals. I forgot to post these in the strategy part.