Guild Wars 2

I know this is a PVE thread but I would appreciate if people mentioned how the balance is in pvp as well. I’m also a returning player (6+months) and would like to get a global idea of the classes in pve and wvw

Staff does okay physical damage. The conditions it applies adds to your damage nicely even without condition gears. However the main reason people use the staff is because of its defensive capabilities, helping us stay inside combat with boons and huge in-combat mobility. Phase retreat is an immediate clone spawn and a backwards blink. This single skill is a huge lifesaver already. Add to that chaos armor and chaos storm, in which the latter you can trigger another chaos armor with sword leap.

EDIT. Based on your edit. Do check out Osicat’s guides as he has many shatter builds for you to check out.

I don’t know the name exactly but you can filter your search! On TP filter for armors at your level, that should narrow it down nicely. As for stats I would advise you to get more berserker stats (pow/prec/crit damage) and practice your kiting. It’s an invaluable skill, especially as a mesmer as we normally don’t really get much tougher.

If you’re looking for strong damage and in-combat survivability then go for sword OH. The sword trait will benefit both your mainhand and offhand. If you want more utility then go focus. Even without trait, it’s still useful with the speed buff, pull and projectile block.

Personally I would sub the focus with either a sword or a pistol given that you aim for a “phantasm build”. The focus simply isn’t trustworthy damage, you use it for the utilities it gives you. Otherwise your main damage will only come from one of your weapon set. With a staff(GS) and sword/(sword or pistol) you can get two phantasms out much quicker.
The strength of the phantasm build is having as much of your phantasms out as possible while you yourself survive any attacks. That is your goal and that is what your enemies will focus on preventing you.

Sorry I can’t give you specific traits/gear/builds but let me offer some advice. Based on your previous messages you seem to be relatively new.
Don’t be stuck at using x profession with y weapon. Guardians with GS are indeed great for damage but don’t neglect the other weapons. The same goes for your companions. I read somewhere that rangers biggest dps is with a sword. At the same time he can provide some good support. On the other hand engineers can dish out strong damage via conditions while being tanky and offering support.

My advice is for each of you to explore your own toons first so that you can find what works or what doesn’t. How about guardian using hammer #2 when engi uses his water field for that nice heal? These things will come in time! It’s hard to give you all the combinations but you can find them as you play. Good luck and have fun!

I don’t think you should ignore your phantasm damage just because they’re not traited for. Osicat himself uses a sword OH in one of his builds and he always mentions how much he loves the swordsman damage (again without phantasm dmg trait).
The extra stealth in torch is definitely nice, and if it suits your playstyle then definitely go with it. As for me I enjoy using the focus because of it’s pulling properties. Great to throw people around, interrupt or when chasing.

I see a lot of mesmers with legendary gs or sword. Much less of the other legendaries we can use. GS, our strongest physical damage dealer from ranged, complete with cripple and knockback or sword with the leap, blurred frenzy (MH) or iswordsman (OH). I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either one. Now just up to you to find your own preference. By all means take your mesmer for a spin in wvw and see how you play!

If I understood correctly SOAC is looking for below level 35 five-man-class teams and having them duke it out? How long is the tournament overall?
Also what is the coaching for? Between-match advice?

Currently trying out a new variation of 10/20/10/0/30 shatter build. I really want take the 10 in chaos somewhere else but it’s hard to let go of blink cd reduction.

Clones and phantasms fall under the name of illusions however only the latter will do significant damage. As you pointed out a shatter build would focus on generating many clones and shatter them for burst. On the other side of this there is a phantasm build that focuses on summoning phantasms on the field without shattering them for more consistent damage.
These are just popular builds, there are many more out there and many mesmers vary to their playstyle. Utility choice is quite important too.
While leveling your mesmer I would advise you to take physical damage stats. Also don’t worry too much about the GS not fitting your look, it’s quite a useful weapon too =)

Baa.4582:

Vash.1920:

Focus?. i love it and i switch it in if i guess it might be useful. Always if i fight at the near of a cliff or in open fields (runspeed). The handicap is the less dmg compared to the pistol =/883 to 1029 makes almost 150 attack difference!

2 comments regarding focus vs pistol attack:
1) I don’t think the “attack” stat is used anywhere in the calculations. Damage is proportional to power * weapon_dmg, but the “attack” stat is power + weapon_dmg, so it doesn’t tell you anything useful.

2) Main hand attacks and mind wrack use mainhand weapon damage: Try using steady sword+pistol/focus on the spvp golems. Mind wrack and sword autos hit for the exact same amount whether you have a pistol or focus offhand, or even no offhand at all. Now if you equip GS, mind wrack hits for 10% more, which I’m guessing is because GS has 10% more weapon damage.

In any case, very entertaining videos.

That’s interesting, does that mean I can use any weapon stat in the offhand and not suffer from damage? What would the stats on OH be good for? I’m hoping to add some toughness/vitality through this.

@Vash Can you add a link for your gear? I’m having trouble seeing the numbers in the videos.

Since you don’t like swords I assume you won’t like greatswords either. I would advise you not to kitten yourself as mainhand sword is one of the most useful for mesmers. Try not to pigeon-hole your view of the mesmer as a “caster” only class. Heck even a guardian can be called a caster too! I say go for a different kind of playstyle for you, who knows you might find it fun!
Regarding your point, a staff / scepter-torch sounds more of a defensive mesmer. You get phase retreat, scepter block and torch stealth. For damage you probably won’t have much if you spec bunker, and as for condition builds, I’m not sure of their state at the moment.

Regarding the quick shatters you mentioned, if you are sure that he’s using the same shatter without waiting for cd mesmers do have a few options for that. There is a trait that refreshes all shatters at hp 50% as well as an active signet use. Perhaps he was using either one of those. Or as others pointed out, good management of shatter cds.

Thank you for the detailed reply. I love watching other mesmers and it helps me build my mesmer to my own playstyle. How do you feel about your mesmer’s mobility? From your reply I feel that your favorite weapon combination is your sword-pistol / scepter-torch. Do you feel the lack of swiftness? I actively use focus with temporal curtain for my swiftness and throwing people around which helps me escape from problematic battles.
Edit: Also have you tried fighting against good phantasm builds?

Very good portrayal of the burst of the berserker build. What runes are you using though? I’m interested in your thoughts on scepter and torch in a berserker build. I like seeing different weapons actually. Generally I see them on tankier or mesmers that use condition more. How are they in direct damage builds? Is it the block the reason why scepter is used often?

That was a very entertaining video. Can someone experienced break down the strengths of this build for me? I understand that it applies conditions a lot, but I thought the pistol and toolkit are mainly single target weapons. However I guess I’m wrong because from the video in my 1vx scenarios I see that the other guys chasing after him were already half hp by the time he’s downed one of their comrades.

On another note OP, which class/build do you have most trouble with? Do you duel often?

From the way you play, you should spec for phantasm. I haven’t had the time to fully check out the full video but first 5 minutes I saw that you use many skills for the sake of just using them. By this I mean there was a point where thief stealths and you do GS#5 which does not accomplish much. Another time you attempt to summon berserker when the enemy is out of range and out of LoS. So perhaps work on those, it’s good to have twitchy fingers for fast reaction but all in good time =)

Can OP post his stats just so we can compare with Brutalys?

Let’s face it, thieves are classes you know you will definitely run into while roaming in wvw. Sneaky huge burst, and sneaky getaway. I’ve been studying the engineer builds lately as well and all I can add to this thread is to first learn what the engineer can do. Unlike mesmers where the best at 1v1 build has been crowned, engineers can be tweaked to your playstyle.
I know where you’re coming from OP, I myself main a mesmer and enjoy being able to stand up to (or even dominate) our opponents. I personally find phantasm builds a little boring, but they are strong and as a mesmer you have access to utilities that you don’t even need to spec into (feedback, null field, timewarp etc.). People love you for this.
For the engineer it’s a little different. You first have to get out of the mesmer mindset. Engineers, in my server, are not as well regarded. Being a jack-of-trades they can handle so much but not very well, and this is why people don’t really understand what they do at all.
Like I said, I’m learning the ins and outs of the class too and each kit brings something new to the table. Sure the grenade kit may not be ideal for 1v1, but it can be used to slow down that thief, or blind him when he jumps on you. What about the bomb kit, another tool full of conditions and cc galore? Personally I fell in love with the toolkit! The pull… the block…the prybar, definitely deserves a place in my bar.

TLDR? Not saying an offensive L2P as people use it in the forums, but see first what the engineer can do before jumping into a build from someone’s personal playstyle. As someone said, Koroshi’s builds would be a good place to start learning.

Hey thanks for all the input guys. There’s no better info I can get than experienced guardian players. It sounds like the class definitely is worth a try and not the boring playstyle I originally had in mind. I was afraid that they were only good in teams and useless 1v1 but apparently that is not the case.

Interesting video, never thought a burst guardian would be like this. Any chance on obtaining the gear or just usernames of the people you fought?

Ressurecting this thread here. I’m interested in playing a guardian as well. I’ve been tinkering with the guardian in spvp and it has some amazing skills for group play, and can make some key moves eg line of warding or sancutary in a chokepoint.

I’m mainly interested in wvw and am trying to decide between guardian and engineer. Both are very fun, but unfortunately I only have time to level and outfit one. Can a guardian handle himself in solo roaming? Or does he need a team at all times. I mean say you get jumped by a thief as you are trying to join your group… can you do something about it or just a sitting duck?

No offense, I’m just really trying to understand guardians and see what they can reach. I hope they’re not just boon-whores, pardon my language. I’m not looking for amazing damage nor amazing mobility, I know that these can be found in other classes. But I don’t want to feel like a sitting duck running around in wvw, because enough enemies will join in eventually and the damage mitigation will be overcome. Can guardians do enough damage to down others in small group fights?

Thanks guys, these sound fun. I feel a little better now, just strange to see so few engineers and so many of everyone else (excluding necros). I don’t think I’ve even seen an engi commander in my server or with legendaries, just strikes you as a class not worth spending time on.

How do you guys fare against other popular roamers such as thieves and mesmers? Also what can you contribute to a group, aoe and knockbacks?

It’s been quite interesting to read and from such experienced discussion however it has strayed off from original topic. It’s also bit sad to see this discussion move to an I-kill-you-so-my-point-is-proven. Everyone has their own playstyle, and just like other builds in other classes some builds will show an advantage more than other in certain situations.

Case in point: Phantasm mesmers are very strong 1v1 but not every battle is a 1v1 unless you look for duels only. I believe they get weaker as more players join the fray while shatter mesmers do pretty nice aoe.

It would be nice to see more constructive posts on the weaknesses of phantasm build, as asked by the OP. From what I’ve learned so far, constant pressure is key otherwise. Easiest with 2v1. Would lots of CC or conditions be good? I’m wondering about those cc bunker guardians or necro/engi respectively.

I would advise you to try out all the weapons first and see for yourself which fits your playstyle. Frankly I could have gone through all of my PvE with just a GS but as I tried all of the weapons I realized how fun and situational they are.

Start slow. If you try a GS you’ll get to feel its direct damage and since you’re used to staff, you can learn to switch between the two to complement your playstyle.

Asurans are fun but I myself can’t play one. While their story, everything they shout and being able to hide behind the big guys is nice, I learned long ago that GW2 is a male version of a dress-up game. I don’t like having to zoom in to see the details of what an Asura is wearing. If I ever get a legendary weapon, I wouldn’t want it to be unrecognizable.

Take Osicat’s advice, this guy has played the mesmer to a huge extent. Now let me add my own experience but first off, can you tell us how you react normally to thieves? What utilities and weapons do you have?

As you know it really is based on reaction against thieves and as a mesmer we have a lot of options to counter their attacks. I normally have mirror image and I usually react with either shatter 4 or mirror image + shatter 1/2. You could also simply use daze to give you time to think of your next move.

Once you know a thief is around, make it hard for him to reach you or make him think twice of approaching you. By the former I mean things like blink away, staff 2, focus 4, GS 5 that would make him waste time and initiative just to get near you again. Alternatively use things such as staff 5 or sword 3,3 ->2 and burst him down. Thieves generally don’t have high health or defense so you will be hurting him.

My own problem with thieves is catching up with them when they decide to run away, as stealth and that shortbow teleport is such a pain to catch.

EDIT: Your photo you put just loaded for me, can now see your setup. Decoy is a good move to get out of burst while he wails on your clone.

Oh no I’m not worried about that. Just that if we’re going to be listening to them, it’s nice to know a little something that’s all

It would be nice to hear about the hosts too, a little introduction to give some character. Maybe why they were chosen to be hosts etc.

Hello!
1. Can you tell me your thoughts about the Staff and sword/sword build? I feel like the staff is good but the cds are huge, even with the trait.
2. Also what do you have for condition removal?
3. Your favorite build?

Hi Osicat,
I’m trying to switch to Staff from GS but I cannot really understand how important the chaos traits are. I feel that the reduction of Staff skills are good but the others are a little weak compared to when you have 20 points in domination line where you can get 20% mind wrack damage etc. Can you explain a little bit the importance of chaois trait line?

Osicat, I’ve been wondering about the 3% more damage(or defense) per active illusion traits. How important is this, especially since as the shattercat build calls for shattering. Will that 9% defense be effective even if it’s only up for a short duration as you would be shattering them immediately?

I also wanted to ask what you normally do in big fights, or do you only run around with a small group? Just that I’m feeling my staff autoattack isn’t contributing much when it comes to huge standoffs.

Lastly, can you share your thoughts on pistol vs sword as offhand?

Link does not work anymore, anyone have a copy of the build?

For stats, power/prec/crit damage would give you the best damage. I would recommend you use it all the way to 80, putting some minor defensive ones as you see fit. But as most mesmers will tell you, we do get enough “tricks” to avoid damage such as clones, decoy, staff 2 etc.
Condition damage is not really optimal for leveling as
1. aside from random staff debuffs, our source of condition damage is confusion and bleed.
2. Mobs attack too slow to rely on confusion much.

At the lower levels I would look at traits such as:
Domination: Empowered illusions or mental torment (10)
Illusions: Deceptive evasion (20). This skill is quite important in most mesmer builds.
Inspiration

First of all let me say that at higher levels we are still squishy for the most part. I think your main obstacle at the moment is learning to play the mesmer. By this I’m not referring to traits but actual style.

May I recommend you try using the pistol first instead of the focus. While the latter does give more utility, the former is easier to pick up and would provide more damage.

Let me also advise you to give staff and gs another chance. At the moment the gs phantasm is bugged so here’s a simple combo for the staff. Practice with one creature first. Use staff skill #3, creature should start running towards you. Use staff #5 so that would give boons for you, damage and debuffs for creature. Combo quickly with staff #2 so that you trigger chaos armor on you. By this point you have 2 clones out, you can use your F1 mind wrack and the creature should be low, if not switch to next weapon set to finish off.

Osicat has covered it mostly. We excel in many areas and we can even solo mobs other classes can’t. It takes a while to get used to playing the class though. Biggest drawback is event/orr farming, but rest of the game we’re very fun to play.

Hello! I have a few questions regarding battles vs thieves and the weapon set in general.
- I usually come across thieves that stack condition damage. I can survive their initial burst fine and remove the conditions with null field but soon enough the thief will be back again re-applying his stacks and I’m just left to bleed to death as he dances in stealth. I see in your vid you don’t even use null field or any condition remover, how do you handle condition builds?
- I also wanted to know how you feel about chasing people with that weapon set. It’s what I use in spvp actually but in wvw I would imagine people can get away easily from you without the pull (focus) or crippe (GS). Any input?

I find this very common too. There needs to be a harsher punishment for alt+F4 while in the WvW map, heck at least delay their log-in back to the game by some time or something.

I would disagree. I think it looks good. You see for yourself whether it’s worth it or not.

Personally I’d say you have enough toughness and can afford to use berserker’s for your weapon. Ultimately it would depend on your playstyle and your experience during WvW. Do you find yourself more with large groups or small ones? Probably need more toughness with smaller groups as you’ll get higher chances of getting targeted. With larger groups once you’re targeted and stray far from your allies, toughness won’t help much.

Also do you stay long in melee range? That’s another thing to factor in.

Indeed it does have the highest disparity, but all together (armor and jewels), it does add up to a hefty difference. It’s this difference that I wanted to know about from experienced mesmers.
I compared Berserker to MF gear anyways and they’re both squishy.

Thanks for the reply guys. Good to know that the MF is the same! The real question would be how much much damage do we lose as green vs gold gear does have quite a large difference. Having MF is great and all but if the damage is too low to even reach the threshold of tagging then it would be all useless.
Just for comparison’s sake green chest armor gives 59 power, 59 precision and 3%MF while yellow gives 72, 72 and 3%.

Both the posters have working links. Make sure to read Sarelm’s note about copy-pasting the link to his build and not clicking directly.

Hello!
I was wondering if those who have a full (or close to full) magic gear can tell me their experience with farming in Orr. I personally can farm fine but I have berserker gears on. I know that the traveler’s set are power and precision gear, very similar to berserkers but I cannot afford full exotic magic find gear. The whole point of the gear is to gain income, how would full green or yellow set affect our damage?

Zera.8907:

My Mesmer, I love her. 80 Necro and 80 Thief , none of them matter. I love this class and every thing about it.

Very cool. Mind sharing which GS is that?

Guys, there is a major trait in the Inspiration line that reduces focus skills cd and enables reflect on both warden and temporal curtain.
As for OP’s problem, if you do have this major trait but projectiles still go through then it’s because the temporal curtain is not very high. You really have to play with the environment here, I guess your positioning and that of the harpies that can fly enabled them to shoot over your curtain. It’s not very high itself that vertical axis.
I would recommend you to find another ranged mob but that is on land and try it again, I assure you that it does work.