Guild Wars 2

So I’ve known this issue for a long time in WvW and it bothered me when I played my mesmer. I recently noticed this applies to sPvP as well.

If a mesmer uses a glory booster (or uses food in wvw) you can easily tell them apart from their clones simply by tabbing until you get back to the one with the boost. It doesn’t take any skill to see the real mesmer by their actions, you can just look for the one with the buff.

Is this intended to give away mesmers as an easy go to trick? It makes me sad when I play my mesmer since I feel obligated to forgo glory boosters (and food buffs) so that I am able to be more deceptive against people relying on the buffs as tell tale signs of the real mesmer.

It’s not just glory boosters. Illusions typically don’t have all the buffs a mesmer has, so it’s easy to tell them apart.

Thedenofsin.7340:

It’s not just glory boosters. Illusions typically don’t have all the buffs a mesmer has, so it’s easy to tell them apart.

lol illusions look total different then the mesmer

hooma.9642:

Thedenofsin.7340:

It’s not just glory boosters. Illusions typically don’t have all the buffs a mesmer has, so it’s easy to tell them apart.

lol illusions look total different then the mesmer

lol, you lol at people even though you should be lol’d at because lol you confuse clones which the op is obviously talking about with lol phantasm. But at least your post starts with a lol, lol.

lol then != than lol

tarcheg.4872:

hooma.9642:

Thedenofsin.7340:

It’s not just glory boosters. Illusions typically don’t have all the buffs a mesmer has, so it’s easy to tell them apart.

lol illusions look total different then the mesmer

lol, you lol at people even though you should be lol’d at because lol you confuse clones which the op is obviously talking about with lol phantasm. But at least your post starts with a lol, lol.

lol then != than lol

Well, he’s partially right. There are many many ways to differentiate the real mesmer from the clones.

Clones won’t have all the normal buffs that a mesmer will pick up, vigor being most common. Additionally, clones will attack slower than the real mesmer. Clones also don’t strafe or backpedal or dodge. Ranged clones won’t move at all unless you run far away and/or break LoS. Clones won’t use skills other than autoattack.

Clones are not viable copies of the real mesmer. No skilled mesmer player relies on the clones for more than a momentary distraction. You always assume that your opponent has targeted the real mesmer and knows where you are, because a good player will.

At lest, there should be a trait, which gives clones the same buffs, the mes has and the mes the same buff, clones have

EverythingEnds.4261:

At lest, there should be a trait, which gives clones the same buffs, the mes has and the mes the same buff, clones have

why? more ai fights?

You can tell them apart just by paying attention. If you’re going through all enemy targets looking for the one with buffs, you’re doing something wrong.

I know that you can tell them apart by watching the motions. That’s the way it should be. What I have a problem with is how easy it is to hit tab 1-4 times and find the real one that fast without even looking at the motions. Kind of defeats the purpose of requiring someone trying to get a player to attack their clones instead of them.

I just think that if they took away this cheap way of spotting mesmers it might encourage people to play more than just a shatter build in sPvP.

Pyroatheist.9031:

tarcheg.4872:

hooma.9642:

Thedenofsin.7340:

It’s not just glory boosters. Illusions typically don’t have all the buffs a mesmer has, so it’s easy to tell them apart.

lol illusions look total different then the mesmer

lol, you lol at people even though you should be lol’d at because lol you confuse clones which the op is obviously talking about with lol phantasm. But at least your post starts with a lol, lol.

lol then != than lol

Well, he’s partially right. There are many many ways to differentiate the real mesmer from the clones.

Clones won’t have all the normal buffs that a mesmer will pick up, vigor being most common. Additionally, clones will attack slower than the real mesmer. Clones also don’t strafe or backpedal or dodge. Ranged clones won’t move at all unless you run far away and/or break LoS. Clones won’t use skills other than autoattack.

Clones are not viable copies of the real mesmer. No skilled mesmer player relies on the clones for more than a momentary distraction. You always assume that your opponent has targeted the real mesmer and knows where you are, because a good player will.

Having different buffs is in my opinion not “looking differently”. Clones →look<- exactly the same (until you switch your weapon).
I completely agree that clones should have the same buffs as the real mesmer. But it’s only fair that clones have minimal movement and use only aa.
And imo the real distraction comes from simply having so many characters in fight with you rather than the 0.5s someone needs to identify the real one.

I usually tell them apart by setting them as my initial target (control +t,) then you only have to worry about decoy or stealth whiping it and get your target back by their movement or attack speed.

I play a mesmer often and the glory buff sucks as it shows you. Makes the nubs know you faster but don’t matter for experience players.

The annoyance isn’t that I can’t find the real mesmer, but more of… the target is lost now I have to try targeting again.

I can try clicking to target, but sometimes its too hard with all the stuff overlapping. (Try targeting with ranger/necro petting zoo) Could cycle tabbing but that takes awhile and hit or miss.

The target system already helps mesmers in fights to the point that if you press the key to select the nearest enemy, it will never target the real mesmer but the clone that is behind the real mesmer, even if the real mesmer is right in front of you. You need to click the mesmer to be able to target him.

Mesmers already have such an easy time not being found through teleports, invisibility, multiple clones and the current targeting system in your favour.

Yet you want even more?

I haven’t had to play the “find the mesmer game” since ‘94.
It’s second nature to automatically find the real mesmer as soon as he pops out of stealth.

I like the idea of having a trait which gives mesmers the same buffs as the main mesmer.
It could play out pretty interestingly.

Could just give clones visual appearance of buffs on the mesmer without them actually having the real effect.

The only time I don’t have a real mesmer targeted is when they’re stealthed, or when I’m purposefully killing a phantasm. As soon as they pop out, I target the real mesmer in a fraction of a second.

It’s that easy. No, I don’t look at their boons. The one that’s running around like a headless chicken, dodge roll spamming, using skills — it can’t get anymore obvious, and it blows my mind how some people honestly mistake clones for the real player.

From playing my mesmer the bigger problem is minions(namely ranger pets) being able to instinctively lock onto the real mesmer. For example, if a ranger sees a mesmer coming up, just target and click the F1. Your pet will now only attack the real mesmer and go straight for them the second they emerge from stealth even if clones/phantasms are dealing more damage to them. It basically makes it incredibly for rangers to target a mesmer for the rest of the fight.

Necrotize.2974:

From playing my mesmer the bigger problem is minions(namely ranger pets) being able to instinctively lock onto the real mesmer. For example, if a ranger sees a mesmer coming up, just target and click the F1. Your pet will now only attack the real mesmer and go straight for them the second they emerge from stealth even if clones/phantasms are dealing more damage to them. It basically makes it incredibly for rangers to target a mesmer for the rest of the fight.

Nice, I didn’t know that!

Well, if the enemy has to tab target you to get you again (example: messy situation, new/tired/not so focused opponent), you are making him lose time. And other than that, you can realize it ofr the healthpoints. Illusions will be at full health. Mesmers won’t.

Mash Hog.5672:

Necrotize.2974:

From playing my mesmer the bigger problem is minions(namely ranger pets) being able to instinctively lock onto the real mesmer. For example, if a ranger sees a mesmer coming up, just target and click the F1. Your pet will now only attack the real mesmer and go straight for them the second they emerge from stealth even if clones/phantasms are dealing more damage to them. It basically makes it incredibly for rangers to target a mesmer for the rest of the fight.

Nice, I didn’t know that!

NP. Rangers(as long as they aren’t petting zoo rangers) need all the help they can get when it comes to mesmers with their rooting auto attack making accidentally attacking clones a huge waste of time. Ranger was just an easy example but IIRC it happens the same with necro summons, if the mesmer is their first attack target they’ll just keep going right for it.

I easily can detect them from their low health bar that is at 10 percent when they run away and spam clones that are at full health.