Guild Wars 2

Let me start by saying I have been playing ranger since the first day of the game. I am not new to the class and I have experience with nearly every build. I have attempted half a dozen variants that didn’t force me to give up my play style. (I generally run Longbow builds with an emphasis on pet management.)

I am experienced enough that I am able to handle nearly any matchup with nearly any build.

With the exception of two.

Those being the signet necro and the current power mesmer build.

So far fighting either one seems to be a massive uphill battle.

On the necro side it is the boonhate involved thats the source of most of my issues. Seeing my swiftness and regen when im running a shout build or my strength of the pack turned into a death trap may be the most painful thing I have experienced in this game in the sheer “you will not away” nature of it. I have attempted running trooper runes to provide condi clear with the shout build and even using traited survival skills. There simply isn’t enough condi clear. And having the fury/vigor from survival skills corrupted is equally painful.

So far the most success I have found has been with full signet builds. Which are lackluster due to the lack of condi clear that doesn’t involve suiciding your pet. Or standing in confined circle saying “please spam me now”

On the mesmer side im sure everyone here has been hit by them by now. Or seen massive reflect uptime negating any chance you have of dealing damage before they blink into range and lock you down. Burning stunbreaks only to be restunned/or caught in an immob while they are LITERALLY untouchable is not a fun way to die.

So im asking those rangers out there with more experience than I after having played over 2k games. How in the flying hell do you cope with these builds.

Hi.

I main mes. Post patch I’ve been running Dom/Duel/Inspiration, Harmonious Mantras, MoD, Sw/Pi with GS, full zerk. Pre patch I was running the same in a 6, 6, 0, 2 setup.

I’ve also run Kshot war both per and post patch, though it’s a fun alt thing I like to do (Though I take it just as seriously). I have gameplay vids of both.

Anyway, being that I know this brand of Mesmer inside out, and that I’ve also been fighting post patch on a Kshot warrior, I can understand your issue given the ranged aspect of your game. I’ve found that I’ve had to try and find the small openings in between the reflects and invulns, which can be troublesome. I’m not sure there’s any silver bullet in solving this (omg, so punny), however watching the buff frames and relying on your intuition is what’ll see you through. Unfortunately that’s something that just comes with knowing your class, your opponents class, and making magic happen.

That aspect aside, when I come up against a troubelsome mes (some builds/opponents are easy, others are hard), I utilize my strengths. On a Kshot Warrior pretty much all of my defensive measures boil down to mobility, and despite what people thing, Mesmer doesn’t have a ton of mobility with which to engage. Disengage and kite? Sure, but otherwise this is one area they’re lackluster. Ranging a Mes actualy becomes quite easy in this regard, but before you can do that you have to survive their bursts. Obviously you’ve probably read “dodge the mirror blade”, and thankfully it’s an obvious tell. iLeap on sword is another easily avoided assault. I think the real problem people have is the stealth. Depending on what you’re playing probably changes what you do about this, but on the kshot war if the mes drops into stealth I’ll use my WH/Sw leap and disengage. Open up space. That’ll remove the mesmers dominance over the scenario and at best, force him to burn utils and skills if he wants to commit. More than likely he’ll already be burning them anyway and you’ll have opened a gap his clones/damage wont be able to close. After this you apply pressure with range, and wait for the pattern to continue.

Is this possible to replicate on a Ranger? Maybe to some extent but I can’t say how well it’ll compare. Really your best bet is not to engage 1v1. Wait until the mes is focused on another target and then pressure him from range. Don’t be to hasty with your Rapid Fire as it’s the only real attack of note to reflect. Regular AA’kitten hard enough to be a persistent threat, so drawing out dodges/reflects/dazes etc with those can take you a long way. I won’t burn a MoD on a LB AA unless I’m in retreat, saving it for the long channels instead. Yet those AA’s can be brutal, so play into that mind game, you might get more out of it than you realize.

Other than that, I don’t know. Ranger might just be lacking in these match ups. Maybe there’s nothing you can do.

Ross I wan’t to really thank you for the insight. It seems like good advice and why I tried using some of what you stated before Ill give the whole picture you put forth a shot.

It really does help getting some perspective from a different classes mentality. Ill see if its duplicatable on a ranger and well see how it goes.

Thank you again.

@Ross

I know your motives are good, but I really disagree with you. Mesmers are God-Tier atm, a ranger will have a very hard if not impossible battle against an equal skill mesmer.
Experience with both classes do not count.
I have 2k games with my mesmer and 2k games with my ranger, high MMR matches, if that tells you something.

Not to engage 1v1 might help, but in teamfights, rangers will be always focused since they are squishy and lack defensive mechanisms.

Mesmers (even the generic mesmer) has all the tools to counter rangers.

Condi? Inspiration line (This line is the meta so a lot of mesmers you see will run this)
Reflects? An Adept Major trait can be taken to counter projectiles.
Blinds? A lot of blinds, BD, Ineptitude, Chaos Armor.
Disengage/Burst? Distortion (Baseline IP now), Stealths (Mesmers have a lot) Torch Decoy is also a staple now +Mass invis if you want
Burst Again? Inspiration line (Mental Defense) Maul Burst? Easily blinded, RF Burst? Easily Interrupted.
Burst? CC? Mesmers have easily ports (Phase Retreat, hell a traited blink is a 24 second cd Stun breaker, Reflect of 2 seconds, 1200 Range)

^All of the one I mentioned above, any mesmer build can have 1 or 2 of those.
Toughness does not even do anything nowadays (See Rylocks Video For Comparison)

Rangers are underpowered compared to other classes we all know that pre patch, post patch the gap is even bigger.

You also Cannot replicate that warrior perspective.

Why? You have higher hp, higher base armor, sustain with healing signet, etc.

I am sorry, Mesmers are overbuffed and overpowered at the moment.

Dodge the mirror blade? Good mesmers cast this from stealth, how do you exactly dodge something from stealth again?

I knew you’d reply, Stickerhappy. I was considering saying you’d be the one worth asking. Of course I also knew what you’d say. Do you realize you’ve offered nothing? You didn’t even say something unhelpful like “roll another class” :p

Anyway, while a mes can cast mirror blade from stealth, the projectile itself isnt stealthed. Same as spawning a clone from iLeap, it’ll appear on screen which is the obvious tell. The truth of the matter is that these are dodgeable in so far as you’re able to dodge. Countering a stun will mean being ready with a stun break, or having stability up. Such is the nature of the game.

The thing you’re right about is that if you’re going against a pro Mesmer, you’re more than likely boned. So don’t engage bad matchups alone. The reality right now though is that most Mesmers are FOTM Mesmers who appear more intimidating than they are. They’re beatable even on setups that you’d expect to have trouble.

When I started the game I played WvW exclusively, and the king of all classes was Thief due to their stealth, super high damage, and the old culling problem. So back then I built to hard counter Thief. As I said in my first reply, Ranger might just be lacking in this matchup so there might not be much you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your best chance.

You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion. Anyway, yesterday I put my thinking cap on and decided to branch out and make a SB Axe/Torch condi, death by a thousand papercuts, Ranger Shout build. I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience. My obvious concerns are thieves and mesmers, both of whom have the all powerful stealth ability. Thus Sic Em sees great use. I also know that condi cleansing can be a kitten for condi classes (Mesmer inspiration line + mantra heal), so burst condition assaults seems a silly approach. SB and Axe/torch appear more as a constant application/pressure, which better serve my purpose. Reflects? It hurts when you’re full zerker and letting off a Rapid Fire, or even those LB AA’s, but I can carelessly take the off hits of SB or Axe hits, especially when the condi damage scales off the target instead of myself. Finally traited shouts provide me and my team with perma swiftness and regen. You also get a bit of damage mitigation, and pulsing stability off the elite. So my bases are covered for an assault at least. So long as I fight in and alongside my team in the right role, I can cause the appropriate amount of pain. It’s not meta. It’s not torny tier. But it’s something.

https://youtu.be/9UdU2LhE2ew
(3:15 mark Mesmer comes in to try and burst. Thieves too throughout the vid)

Oh and ahh, this is the silly build I was running
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAV8fnUqA9Ci1CCuCCctgBDhqf3gtE4AY0L9fLu9a/kdVoJA-TJhHwAB3fAwFBAZZgAPBAA

Ross Biddle.2367:

I knew you’d reply, Stickerhappy. I was considering saying you’d be the one worth asking. Of course I also knew what you’d say. Do you realize you’ve offered nothing? You didn’t even say something unhelpful like “roll another class” :p

Anyway, while a mes can cast mirror blade from stealth, the projectile itself isnt stealthed. Same as spawning a clone from iLeap, it’ll appear on screen which is the obvious tell. The truth of the matter is that these are dodgeable in so far as you’re able to dodge. Countering a stun will mean being ready with a stun break, or having stability up. Such is the nature of the game.

The thing you’re right about is that if you’re going against a pro Mesmer, you’re more than likely boned. So don’t engage bad matchups alone. The reality right now though is that most Mesmers are FOTM Mesmers who appear more intimidating than they are. They’re beatable even on setups that you’d expect to have trouble.

When I started the game I played WvW exclusively, and the king of all classes was Thief due to their stealth, super high damage, and the old culling problem. So back then I built to hard counter Thief. As I said in my first reply, Ranger might just be lacking in this matchup so there might not be much you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your best chance.

You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion. Anyway, yesterday I put my thinking cap on and decided to branch out and make a SB Axe/Torch condi, death by a thousand papercuts, Ranger Shout build. I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience. My obvious concerns are thieves and mesmers, both of whom have the all powerful stealth ability. Thus Sic Em sees great use. I also know that condi cleansing can be a kitten for condi classes (Mesmer inspiration line + mantra heal), so burst condition assaults seems a silly approach. SB and Axe/torch appear more as a constant application/pressure, which better serve my purpose. Reflects? It hurts when you’re full zerker and letting off a Rapid Fire, or even those LB AA’s, but I can carelessly take the off hits of SB or Axe hits, especially when the condi damage scales off the target instead of myself. Finally traited shouts provide me and my team with perma swiftness and regen. You also get a bit of damage mitigation, and pulsing stability off the elite. So my bases are covered for an assault at least. So long as I fight in and alongside my team in the right role, I can cause the appropriate amount of pain. It’s not meta. It’s not torny tier. But it’s something.

https://youtu.be/9UdU2LhE2ew
(3:15 mark Mesmer comes in to try and burst. Thieves too throughout the vid)

Oh and ahh, this is the silly build I was running
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAV8fnUqA9Ci1CCuCCctgBDhqf3gtE4AY0L9fLu9a/kdVoJA-TJhHwAB3fAwFBAZZgAPBAA

The reason my reply was like that, it is usless to offer tips at this state, useless i tell you, after we see some nerfs or tweaks on all classes.

Fighting mesmer now is really hard close to impossible even, Ele has the best chance of winning

StickerHappy.8052:

Ross Biddle.2367:

I knew you’d reply, Stickerhappy. I was considering saying you’d be the one worth asking. Of course I also knew what you’d say. Do you realize you’ve offered nothing? You didn’t even say something unhelpful like “roll another class” :p

Anyway, while a mes can cast mirror blade from stealth, the projectile itself isnt stealthed. Same as spawning a clone from iLeap, it’ll appear on screen which is the obvious tell. The truth of the matter is that these are dodgeable in so far as you’re able to dodge. Countering a stun will mean being ready with a stun break, or having stability up. Such is the nature of the game.

The thing you’re right about is that if you’re going against a pro Mesmer, you’re more than likely boned. So don’t engage bad matchups alone. The reality right now though is that most Mesmers are FOTM Mesmers who appear more intimidating than they are. They’re beatable even on setups that you’d expect to have trouble.

When I started the game I played WvW exclusively, and the king of all classes was Thief due to their stealth, super high damage, and the old culling problem. So back then I built to hard counter Thief. As I said in my first reply, Ranger might just be lacking in this matchup so there might not be much you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your best chance.

You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion. Anyway, yesterday I put my thinking cap on and decided to branch out and make a SB Axe/Torch condi, death by a thousand papercuts, Ranger Shout build. I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience. My obvious concerns are thieves and mesmers, both of whom have the all powerful stealth ability. Thus Sic Em sees great use. I also know that condi cleansing can be a kitten for condi classes (Mesmer inspiration line + mantra heal), so burst condition assaults seems a silly approach. SB and Axe/torch appear more as a constant application/pressure, which better serve my purpose. Reflects? It hurts when you’re full zerker and letting off a Rapid Fire, or even those LB AA’s, but I can carelessly take the off hits of SB or Axe hits, especially when the condi damage scales off the target instead of myself. Finally traited shouts provide me and my team with perma swiftness and regen. You also get a bit of damage mitigation, and pulsing stability off the elite. So my bases are covered for an assault at least. So long as I fight in and alongside my team in the right role, I can cause the appropriate amount of pain. It’s not meta. It’s not torny tier. But it’s something.

https://youtu.be/9UdU2LhE2ew
(3:15 mark Mesmer comes in to try and burst. Thieves too throughout the vid)

Oh and ahh, this is the silly build I was running
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAV8fnUqA9Ci1CCuCCctgBDhqf3gtE4AY0L9fLu9a/kdVoJA-TJhHwAB3fAwFBAZZgAPBAA

The reason my reply was like that, it is usless to offer tips at this state, useless i tell you, after we see some nerfs or tweaks on all classes.

Fighting mesmer now is really hard close to impossible even, Ele has the best chance of winning

You do realize that unlike you most Rangers dont spend their time in custom arenas dueling the most hardcore lineup of Mesmers GW2 will ever know, right? :p

Ross Biddle.2367:

StickerHappy.8052:

Ross Biddle.2367:

I knew you’d reply, Stickerhappy. I was considering saying you’d be the one worth asking. Of course I also knew what you’d say. Do you realize you’ve offered nothing? You didn’t even say something unhelpful like “roll another class” :p

Anyway, while a mes can cast mirror blade from stealth, the projectile itself isnt stealthed. Same as spawning a clone from iLeap, it’ll appear on screen which is the obvious tell. The truth of the matter is that these are dodgeable in so far as you’re able to dodge. Countering a stun will mean being ready with a stun break, or having stability up. Such is the nature of the game.

The thing you’re right about is that if you’re going against a pro Mesmer, you’re more than likely boned. So don’t engage bad matchups alone. The reality right now though is that most Mesmers are FOTM Mesmers who appear more intimidating than they are. They’re beatable even on setups that you’d expect to have trouble.

When I started the game I played WvW exclusively, and the king of all classes was Thief due to their stealth, super high damage, and the old culling problem. So back then I built to hard counter Thief. As I said in my first reply, Ranger might just be lacking in this matchup so there might not be much you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your best chance.

You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion. Anyway, yesterday I put my thinking cap on and decided to branch out and make a SB Axe/Torch condi, death by a thousand papercuts, Ranger Shout build. I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience. My obvious concerns are thieves and mesmers, both of whom have the all powerful stealth ability. Thus Sic Em sees great use. I also know that condi cleansing can be a kitten for condi classes (Mesmer inspiration line + mantra heal), so burst condition assaults seems a silly approach. SB and Axe/torch appear more as a constant application/pressure, which better serve my purpose. Reflects? It hurts when you’re full zerker and letting off a Rapid Fire, or even those LB AA’s, but I can carelessly take the off hits of SB or Axe hits, especially when the condi damage scales off the target instead of myself. Finally traited shouts provide me and my team with perma swiftness and regen. You also get a bit of damage mitigation, and pulsing stability off the elite. So my bases are covered for an assault at least. So long as I fight in and alongside my team in the right role, I can cause the appropriate amount of pain. It’s not meta. It’s not torny tier. But it’s something.

https://youtu.be/9UdU2LhE2ew
(3:15 mark Mesmer comes in to try and burst. Thieves too throughout the vid)

Oh and ahh, this is the silly build I was running
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAV8fnUqA9Ci1CCuCCctgBDhqf3gtE4AY0L9fLu9a/kdVoJA-TJhHwAB3fAwFBAZZgAPBAA

The reason my reply was like that, it is usless to offer tips at this state, useless i tell you, after we see some nerfs or tweaks on all classes.

Fighting mesmer now is really hard close to impossible even, Ele has the best chance of winning

You do realize that unlike you most Rangers dont spend their time in custom arenas dueling the most hardcore lineup of Mesmers GW2 will ever know, right? :p

I know, but heres the deal, Even trash mesmers are hard to deal with now. No exaggeration. Just realtalk.

StickerHappy.8052:

Ross Biddle.2367:

StickerHappy.8052:

Ross Biddle.2367:

I knew you’d reply, Stickerhappy. I was considering saying you’d be the one worth asking. Of course I also knew what you’d say. Do you realize you’ve offered nothing? You didn’t even say something unhelpful like “roll another class” :p

Anyway, while a mes can cast mirror blade from stealth, the projectile itself isnt stealthed. Same as spawning a clone from iLeap, it’ll appear on screen which is the obvious tell. The truth of the matter is that these are dodgeable in so far as you’re able to dodge. Countering a stun will mean being ready with a stun break, or having stability up. Such is the nature of the game.

The thing you’re right about is that if you’re going against a pro Mesmer, you’re more than likely boned. So don’t engage bad matchups alone. The reality right now though is that most Mesmers are FOTM Mesmers who appear more intimidating than they are. They’re beatable even on setups that you’d expect to have trouble.

When I started the game I played WvW exclusively, and the king of all classes was Thief due to their stealth, super high damage, and the old culling problem. So back then I built to hard counter Thief. As I said in my first reply, Ranger might just be lacking in this matchup so there might not be much you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your best chance.

You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion. Anyway, yesterday I put my thinking cap on and decided to branch out and make a SB Axe/Torch condi, death by a thousand papercuts, Ranger Shout build. I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience. My obvious concerns are thieves and mesmers, both of whom have the all powerful stealth ability. Thus Sic Em sees great use. I also know that condi cleansing can be a kitten for condi classes (Mesmer inspiration line + mantra heal), so burst condition assaults seems a silly approach. SB and Axe/torch appear more as a constant application/pressure, which better serve my purpose. Reflects? It hurts when you’re full zerker and letting off a Rapid Fire, or even those LB AA’s, but I can carelessly take the off hits of SB or Axe hits, especially when the condi damage scales off the target instead of myself. Finally traited shouts provide me and my team with perma swiftness and regen. You also get a bit of damage mitigation, and pulsing stability off the elite. So my bases are covered for an assault at least. So long as I fight in and alongside my team in the right role, I can cause the appropriate amount of pain. It’s not meta. It’s not torny tier. But it’s something.

https://youtu.be/9UdU2LhE2ew
(3:15 mark Mesmer comes in to try and burst. Thieves too throughout the vid)

Oh and ahh, this is the silly build I was running
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAV8fnUqA9Ci1CCuCCctgBDhqf3gtE4AY0L9fLu9a/kdVoJA-TJhHwAB3fAwFBAZZgAPBAA

The reason my reply was like that, it is usless to offer tips at this state, useless i tell you, after we see some nerfs or tweaks on all classes.

Fighting mesmer now is really hard close to impossible even, Ele has the best chance of winning

You do realize that unlike you most Rangers dont spend their time in custom arenas dueling the most hardcore lineup of Mesmers GW2 will ever know, right? :p

I know, but heres the deal, Even trash mesmers are hard to deal with now. No exaggeration. Just realtalk.

That I disagree with.

The changes have given trash mesmers an avenue to be effective, albiet in a very straightforward and simplistic way. I.e. the Mirror Blade Blink Mindrack burst. But it’s also a predictable assault. CoD has a weapon dubbed “the newb tube” which allows newbs to get into the game and be effective in a very hostile environment.

So yes, trash mesmers can be effective, but they’re easily avoided and counterable. If I can do it on a kshot war, then it’s open season on FOTM Mesmers for all.

Ross Biddle.2367:

StickerHappy.8052:

Ross Biddle.2367:

StickerHappy.8052:

Ross Biddle.2367:

I knew you’d reply, Stickerhappy. I was considering saying you’d be the one worth asking. Of course I also knew what you’d say. Do you realize you’ve offered nothing? You didn’t even say something unhelpful like “roll another class” :p

Anyway, while a mes can cast mirror blade from stealth, the projectile itself isnt stealthed. Same as spawning a clone from iLeap, it’ll appear on screen which is the obvious tell. The truth of the matter is that these are dodgeable in so far as you’re able to dodge. Countering a stun will mean being ready with a stun break, or having stability up. Such is the nature of the game.

The thing you’re right about is that if you’re going against a pro Mesmer, you’re more than likely boned. So don’t engage bad matchups alone. The reality right now though is that most Mesmers are FOTM Mesmers who appear more intimidating than they are. They’re beatable even on setups that you’d expect to have trouble.

When I started the game I played WvW exclusively, and the king of all classes was Thief due to their stealth, super high damage, and the old culling problem. So back then I built to hard counter Thief. As I said in my first reply, Ranger might just be lacking in this matchup so there might not be much you can do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your best chance.

You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion. Anyway, yesterday I put my thinking cap on and decided to branch out and make a SB Axe/Torch condi, death by a thousand papercuts, Ranger Shout build. I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience. My obvious concerns are thieves and mesmers, both of whom have the all powerful stealth ability. Thus Sic Em sees great use. I also know that condi cleansing can be a kitten for condi classes (Mesmer inspiration line + mantra heal), so burst condition assaults seems a silly approach. SB and Axe/torch appear more as a constant application/pressure, which better serve my purpose. Reflects? It hurts when you’re full zerker and letting off a Rapid Fire, or even those LB AA’s, but I can carelessly take the off hits of SB or Axe hits, especially when the condi damage scales off the target instead of myself. Finally traited shouts provide me and my team with perma swiftness and regen. You also get a bit of damage mitigation, and pulsing stability off the elite. So my bases are covered for an assault at least. So long as I fight in and alongside my team in the right role, I can cause the appropriate amount of pain. It’s not meta. It’s not torny tier. But it’s something.

https://youtu.be/9UdU2LhE2ew
(3:15 mark Mesmer comes in to try and burst. Thieves too throughout the vid)

Oh and ahh, this is the silly build I was running
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQNAV8fnUqA9Ci1CCuCCctgBDhqf3gtE4AY0L9fLu9a/kdVoJA-TJhHwAB3fAwFBAZZgAPBAA

The reason my reply was like that, it is usless to offer tips at this state, useless i tell you, after we see some nerfs or tweaks on all classes.

Fighting mesmer now is really hard close to impossible even, Ele has the best chance of winning

You do realize that unlike you most Rangers dont spend their time in custom arenas dueling the most hardcore lineup of Mesmers GW2 will ever know, right? :p

I know, but heres the deal, Even trash mesmers are hard to deal with now. No exaggeration. Just realtalk.

That I disagree with.

The changes have given trash mesmers an avenue to be effective, albiet in a very straightforward and simplistic way. I.e. the Mirror Blade Blink Mindrack burst. But it’s also a predictable assault. CoD has a weapon dubbed “the newb tube” which allows newbs to get into the game and be effective in a very hostile environment.

So yes, trash mesmers can be effective, but they’re easily avoided and counterable. If I can do it on a kshot war, then it’s open season on FOTM Mesmers for all.

Trash mesmers are still counterable using other classes, but rangers tho? I would not think so.

Everything the ranger has, mesmers can easily counter. Our ranged weapons are easily nullifed with high uptime on reflects.

Ross Biddle.2367:

…You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion…I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience…

Oh wow, the arrogance.

Heimskarl Ashfiend.9582:

Ross Biddle.2367:

…You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion…I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience…

Oh wow, the arrogance.

Heh, Stickerhappy and I are PvP buddies, and this is a running joke I have going with him :p

Ross Biddle.2367:

Heimskarl Ashfiend.9582:

Ross Biddle.2367:

…You know me Stickerhappy, I’m a pro Ranger, hit the skill ceiling pre patch after three pvp matches. LB GS Power Champion…I’m probably something like 20 PvP Ranger matches deep now, so I’m well into the pro territory despite having little to no condi ranger experience…

Oh wow, the arrogance.

Heh, Stickerhappy and I are PvP buddies, and this is a running joke I have going with him :p

Ah, hehe, apologies for my misunderstanding!

Um, really guys, the core of the issue is not beating a Mesmer 1v1. The issue is usefulness in a team.

Every class that has stealth in abundance has the edge in 1v1, that goes for thief and for mesmer when facing them as a ranger. The problem is being useful to the team.

So mesmer brings:
-boon stripping
-great single target and AoE burst
-portal
-stealth

Thief brings:
-absurd mobility
-stealth
-+1 ganking potential

This is the core of the issue, team viability.

Hmmmm, while Aunt Ross and Uncle Sticker bicker, I have some words for Shadelang.

From a Mesmer perspective, you are definitely going to have a monstrously tough time fighting us as a Ranger. It’s an unfortunate part of the game right now for Rangers. And I’m saying this not having even touched mine post-patch.

However, I will say this. The majority of Mesmers are running Domination/Dueling/Chaos builds. At least, the mega-stealth spike damage stunlock ones are. The weakness of these builds? Condition clearing. Without going into the Inspiration line, a Mesmer will have a horrible time trying to clear a condition. May I ask what elite you are running? Because I find that when I run 0 cleanse, and a Ranger catches me in an entangle, it almost guarantees a lights-out for me.

What weapons are you using? A PU mesmer will always try to set up burst from up close. Try swapping to your melee weapon and if the auto attack’s weapon chain advances, go ahead an dodge, because you can anticipate the burst. (Furthermore, if the chain advances and you’re feeling ballsy, just go ahead and cast entangle. It surprises the Mesmer and you can go ham, you’ve gone from being pressured to totally turning the tables, that mesmer now has to blow their blink or distortion).

The “hardcore lineup of Mesmers” Aunt Ross was talking about includes him and myself. I’ve dueled Stickerhappy a lot and I can tell you that 95% of the times that he’s beaten me, it’s been because he caught me in a super nasty entangle.

Re-reading what I’ve written for you so far, it sounds like I’m saying that elite is the be-all end-all for fighting Mesmers as a ranger right now. (Traps get me too). But for that special brand of PU Mesmers (I like to call it the “backstab” mesmer), locating them in stealth goes a long way. Especially when you pay attention to how long stealths last. Torch – count down from 5 then dodge. Same thing for Decoy. Mass Invisibility is 10 seconds, but most Mesmers won’t wait that long.

Tealots.6095:

Hmmmm, while Aunt Ross and Uncle Sticker bicker, I have some words for Shadelang.

From a Mesmer perspective, you are definitely going to have a monstrously tough time fighting us as a Ranger. It’s an unfortunate part of the game right now for Rangers. And I’m saying this not having even touched mine post-patch.

However, I will say this. The majority of Mesmers are running Domination/Dueling/Chaos builds. At least, the mega-stealth spike damage stunlock ones are. The weakness of these builds? Condition clearing. Without going into the Inspiration line, a Mesmer will have a horrible time trying to clear a condition. May I ask what elite you are running? Because I find that when I run 0 cleanse, and a Ranger catches me in an entangle, it almost guarantees a lights-out for me.

What weapons are you using? A PU mesmer will always try to set up burst from up close. Try swapping to your melee weapon and if the auto attack’s weapon chain advances, go ahead an dodge, because you can anticipate the burst. (Furthermore, if the chain advances and you’re feeling ballsy, just go ahead and cast entangle. It surprises the Mesmer and you can go ham, you’ve gone from being pressured to totally turning the tables, that mesmer now has to blow their blink or distortion).

The “hardcore lineup of Mesmers” Aunt Ross was talking about includes him and myself. I’ve dueled Stickerhappy a lot and I can tell you that 95% of the times that he’s beaten me, it’s been because he caught me in a super nasty entangle.

Re-reading what I’ve written for you so far, it sounds like I’m saying that elite is the be-all end-all for fighting Mesmers as a ranger right now. (Traps get me too). But for that special brand of PU Mesmers (I like to call it the “backstab” mesmer), locating them in stealth goes a long way. Especially when you pay attention to how long stealths last. Torch – count down from 5 then dodge. Same thing for Decoy. Mass Invisibility is 10 seconds, but most Mesmers won’t wait that long.

Practical advice? HOW DARE YOU!

As Ross mentioned above. Most mesmers the average ranger will face are also just “average.” My experiences so far since the patch. I can beat any bad mesmer. They are either too busy spamming interrupts, or just not landing any of their shatters and I don’t feel much pressure through the fights. Decent Mesmer’s I’m about 50/50 on in terms of either I straight up win the fight, or they miss their burst/I mitigate their burst and apply enough pressure back at them they are forced to disengage. It’s the rare “good” Mesmer that jumps in and just blows me up.

I am by no means e sports. I play the game casually in my downtime. Here are strategies I’ve found that help me succeed.

When using LB always do as much damage as you can from max range. You’ll either drop their health a bunch, or force them in to using cooldowns like their invulns, blinks or stealth. Next keep moving. Getting surrounded by clones is a big no no. You basically land their burst for them. By continuously moving the clones get strung out and you have much more time to react to a shatter. They don’t all blow up in your face at once.

LB provides some other useful tools vs mesmer. Barrage chews through clones. Most mesmers you run in to now don’t know how to react to having zero clones up. Advantage you. Stealth as well. In a match up vs mesmer I will 95% of the time allow the mesmer to stealth first. Mesmers almost always leave behind a clone or 2. Easy targets for hunter’s shot. Wait a bit, maybe 3 sec in to their stealth to use yours. This makes it so they will most likely come out of stealth before you. Most mesmers try to set up their burst from stealth as well, so while its not a guarantee they wont land it you just made it much harder for them.

When stealthed you can free cast your barrage, heal if you need, cast Strength of the Pack, or land a big juicy Hilt Bash, Maul combo.

Continuing on the topic of stealth, Ranger has a couple other tools to deal with that. Rapid Fire obviously tracks through stealth. The tell for stealth isn’t as obvious for Mesmer as it is for Thief but you can catch some players with this. Beastly Warden also is excellent. Mass Invisibility has a long enough cast time and obvious enough tell you can start the taunt before they stealth, only to pull them back out when they start auto attacking your pet.

On the subject of pets Owls are your best friend. Just don’t let it get blown up in the first second of the fight.

Condi builds fare pretty well in duels with Mesmers as well. While some rangers have complained that clones trigger traps I’ve found Flame Trap to be great at clearing out clones. Just don’t waste your spike trap interrupt on a clone. Entangle will win the fight for you, but don’t open with it. Mesmers can blink out and the good ones will use their sword leap or Phase Retreat to save their longer CD utilities. Entangle is more about securing the kill once you’ve worn them down enough.

Geomancy sigils are a great friend of the ranger in this fight. When Mesmers dance in and out of stealth, on to and off of the point, being able to reliably get instant dmg in helps so much. A weapon swap followed by a Split Blade into a Crippling Talon is probably my favorite combo. It’s fast, low cd, easy to reapply.

Condi builds I think also don’t have to take such offensive traitlines. You can successfully run condis on 0,6,6,6,0 or 0,0,6,6,6. The pairing of Wilderness Survival and Nature Magic mitigates a TON of dmg for you, AND gives you an advantage in sustain.

When all else fails remember to do what Mesmers do and leave the fight. They are gonna cap the point anyway if you are dead or not. May as well limit your losses and just leave. The new QZ is awesome. Pop it while stealthed and you should be able to break line of sight on any pvp map. Quick Draw in the Skirmishing line is great as well. Double Swoops or double blocks. Entangle, Beastly Warden, Drake hound Immob, Wolf Fear, Spike Trap all buy you time and make the disengage easier.

So yeah, just a couple of my thoughts on the subject.

Got a good fight in with a good Ranger last night running power/LB. I overcome him eventually in the first fight but its worth seeing what he did because he put me through my paces
https://youtu.be/1S61F2Io9l0?t=37

If you continue watching you’ll see him consistently stick to 2v1’s after that which causes me to either go down or withdraw. His ranged presence/pressure was supurb.

Hey all. wanted to thank those that responded for the info. I do appreciate it and I did want to say im still reading this though I havn’t responded much. Thanks again.

Try this build if you place holding , not really for roaming but works fine v mez mostly

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vNAQRAnY8fjMqQ5K2tCurAXLGYEqecr1MgLgLPA8QfEO9CW1A-TJhAwArLDAb/hOHFAAvAAA

Hi Shadelang, excellent post. I run both mesmer and ranger, though I main ranger. I’ve found the combination of carrion amulet, and scavenger runes to be very effective on ranger against both mesmers and necros in conquest. Doubling up on hydro and geomancy sigils helps a lot as well. You can use any weapons you like, though I am finding swords and torch to work really well.

Don’t think you have to kill the mesmer right away. They can’t decap or hold a point at all. If you end up contesting a point against one just stay on it long enough to decap. Afterwards, feel free to swoop/leap around all you want when they go invisible. They are slow and like it when you stand in place on the point. If you can see their spike coming weapon swap fast and hit 3 (serpent strike) or 4 (GS block). With the two sigils you’ll escape unscathed most of the time.

It’s not an easy fight against a good one but you can certainly stalemate and decap them without too much difficulty. I think they are the bigger looser if you can stalemate them.

Mesmer: Evade the damage, invuln it, blind it, whatever. Wear them down. Interrupt their long channeled heal. Or run. I believe this fight is in the mesmers favor but can definitely be won by a ranger (assuming equal skill). If they aren’t using mantra the fight should be easier since they won’t be able to sustain if you miss the heal interrupt.

Necro: This is probably a build issue. I just CC the kitten out of them. I think ranger should win this match up.