Guild Wars 2

I need some help. In the guild we bought our own PvP-arena and we decided to hold a tournament.
I myself play as a Trap/Condi-ranger. Specced 0/30/30/10/0 and use SB and sword/axe. I’ve won 2 times alrdy vs a thief and a necro.
But now in the semifinals im facing our guilds best man.
A Mesmer that’s specced 0/30/0/30/10. He uses sword/pistol and sword/sword. He relies heavy on phantasms.
The last 2 times i fought him i got absolutely obliterated. So now i need a different build to have a chance.

Any ideas on this?
I was thinking going heavy bunker/beastmaster and using axe/axe and GS but not sure

Have you tried the current fotm spirits build? I personally hate the build but I think it has a good chance, afterall everyone has been crying it OP, that must mean something

Try apothecary trinket set with a normal BM build 10/0/30/10/20 use axe/torch sword/dagger start off with a/t and switch to s/d for evades only go back to a/t when troll heal is up and switch back to s/d once it wears off ( on phone so I’ll post more later)

Diehard.1432:

Have you tried the current fotm spirits build? I personally hate the build but I think it has a good chance, afterall everyone has been crying it OP, that must mean something

can you give me a link to this “OP” build? I really hate condition builds but i want to give it a look; maybe can help to learn how to kill and enemy with that build…

It’s not just the build. If you don’t dodge the leaping phantasm or get out of the stun/invulnerable blades attack, you’re going to have a bad time.

Turning off “show all players names” should help you tell clones apart from the player. Also, learn the mesmer’s skills by playing one. The Mesmer can swap places with a clone, stealth, or create a decoy.

A good Mesmer is difficult to beat 1v1. A decent Mesmer/thief combo is very scary and efficient-especially in wvw.

I hope that helps!

Actually I was in a similar situation as you where before, the main man was a mesmer truly unstoppable. We trained together in PvP and like Chopps said you really need to understand the mesmer’s approach. A good build will only help you kill faster or survive long enough to make a come back, but only your fighting skills and the mesmer’s will prove the victor.

I like to use a fire + high condition + beast master approach. In my experience there are only a few ways to win a fight against an experienced phantasm mesmer.

1. Begin by forcing him to pull his tricks on you, waste his cooldowns while you cleverly anticipate the attacks and force the mesmer to use survival skills. Here is where you need to use your biggest chain of attack to quickly bring the mesmer down before they get a chance to recover. Now you must be careful to always have a way out, some mesmers are keener than others and if you make a mistake they will pick up on it. I personally like the entangle + fire trap + poison + stomp on possible teleport or invisibility combo. It works very well, however it’s not like its impossible to avoid.

2. Range that mesmer until they die, this will ensure that the mesmers clones will never reach you. It works when the mesmer is confident enough to try to chase you, it will also work to get them off your back… but not forever. A good mesmer can overcome this strategy but not without plenty of pain from your part. Realize you will need to know how to fight them if you happen to be caught short of a place to run.

Tips:
-Follow your pet (pet knows best), focus steady damage on the mesmer. If the mesmer dissapears be patient find the mesmer and collect yourself, do not fall for any stomps or bursts.
-Avoid feedback/clones/stuns at all costs.

I suggest that you practice plenty with an experienced mesmer who will guide you by telling you where you went wrong. I know my strategy works because now I am the strongest ranger in my guild, however it is very tough to kill a good mesmer, keep that in mind always.

Your build should be in a good spot, kill his phantasms (preferably via AoE) and make sure you shove conditions down his throat, mesmers only have BURST condi removal and condis in the long run will bring him down.

Keep in mind though, you need to either prevent his illusions from getting out (phantasms) OR destroy them quickly, phantasm builds are probably the best build for winning long 1v1s so kill him quick, and be strong!!

PS: make sure you call him out, if he’s phantasm you should have little issue finding the real one since the others will be purple and glowy.

Learn the animations. A single evade on illusionary berserker will negate 3-5k dmg. Save your skill based evades for illusionary leap combos as they will also negate mesmer burst.

Edit – can’t type on my phone