Showing Posts For Urban Monkey.1580:
I simply wanted to show that its impossible for a Mesmer to have a build that has zero clone or phantasm skills, meaning its actually intended for Mesmer to always utilize both.
Well yeah mate, thats how this class is intented to work. Maybe its playstyle isnt ment for you? Try more classes out m8, maybe you find 1 that suits you just fine. I like the mesmer class and know what it has in store for me, it is an illusion class its not like a necro where you can choose to get your pets or dont. Mesmer illusions doesnt hurt either when you dont want them. they vanish anyways when a mob is dead + most skills we use to summon a mesmer also have a nice damage from ourselfs.
I think you misunderstood my sentence. I didn’t mean I want to have zero clone or phantasm skills. I love the illusions as its really what Mesmer is all about.
I meant that you are always force to have both illusion types. So there is no weapon with 2 clone skills and no phantasms or the other way around.
So lets say I love clones and shatter skills but I dislike phantasms, I am stuck with at least one phantasm skill that I won’t use. That was my meaning.
By the way, I am fine with that as well, I just would like it better if there was some sort of synergy between clones, phantasms and shatters.
I’m not sure that I follow the OP here.
If you like using shatter, how does having an extra illusion summoning skill on each weapon hurt? Especially when some of those illusions will grant significant side bonuses until they are shattered?
The way I look at it, phantasms are just a more pet-like illusion, while clones are more about deception and denial.
Personally I don’t like the way shatter works, but if you’re fine with that part, then surely more skills that summon shatterable resources – illusions of any sort – is a good thing?
I simply wanted to show that its impossible for a Mesmer to have a build that has zero clone or phantasm skills, meaning its actually intended for Mesmer to always utilize both.
Exactly. So why the thread? You seem to understand it.
Because my main point was the fact that on one side ArenaNet forces you to play with both clones and phantasm but at the same time the skills given to you as a class mechanic only synergize well with clones.
Take Signet of Illusions for example. Why would I have a skill that boost the life of my phantasms when the core class mechanic is to break them.
I’m not sure that I follow the OP here.
If you like using shatter, how does having an extra illusion summoning skill on each weapon hurt? Especially when some of those illusions will grant significant side bonuses until they are shattered?
The way I look at it, phantasms are just a more pet-like illusion, while clones are more about deception and denial.
Personally I don’t like the way shatter works, but if you’re fine with that part, then surely more skills that summon shatterable resources – illusions of any sort – is a good thing?
I simply wanted to show that its impossible for a Mesmer to have a build that has zero clone or phantasm skills, meaning its actually intended for Mesmer to always utilize both.
You do not have to choose between clones and phantasms, the fact that every weapon combo or 2H weapon offers both should be a clue that you use both. That is part of the defining class mechanic (i.e. not up to choice, just as it’s not up to choice to play like a Warrior if you’re a Mesmer).
What you have a choice with is which part of your toolkit to emphasise and strengthen. Confusion build, Shatter build, Condition build, Damage build, etc. All these will use both clones and phantasms, but in different ways, and in different ways relative to various types of content.
I agree with you. ArenaNet apparently wants you to use phantasms AND clones while still using shatters of course.
But lets take your example. Lets say I choose to go with a phantasm heavy build where I invest all my traits in phantasm life and damage. How does that synergizes with our shatter skills? It doesn’t. Suddenly my class defining skills destroy everything I invested in (I know there are still cases where a shatter is semi-useful but we are talking class defining skills here… we should use them all the time.)
Why not make shatters targeted skill that only affect illusions on the selected target? It’s not overpowered, and it doesn’t dumb down the class. On the contrary, it makes it a little more complex and raises even higher the skill cap.
Disclaimer: this post is not about balance or power. I do not feel we are weak nor do we need a buff. I don’t want Mesmers gameplay to be dumbed down or changed. I simply want the class to feel coherent, with all the class mechanic elements can play together nicely.
I don’t want to write a wall of text so I will keep my observations really short:
On one hand, the mechanics as they are push me as a player to choose between clones & shatters, and phantasms. These are pretty much mutually exclusive so it would appear smart to pick one side and specialize. Fine, I don’t want to lose 4 different skills so I will go with clones & shatters and get me all the nice traits to back that up.
But on the other hand, EVERY weapon Memers have has 1 phantasm and 1 clone skill. Wait, what? So I can’t specialize? Why isn’t there a weapon that has only phantasm skills or only clone skills. So ArenaNet, you don’t want me to specialize? You want me to use both phantasms and clones?
Now I am confused. I thought I was playing the class that is supposed to cause confusion, but not to itself…
The word you’re looking for is “burst”, but if you prefer to say “spamming” that’s up to you.
I think “burst” was the intended mechanic of the class with “spamming” being the actual result.
I think the people who designed the “burst” thief though fights will be played out something like this:
Jump in/ Steal
Skill A
Quickly followed by skill B
Quickly followed by skill C
Quickly followed by skill D
Thief out of initiative – either the target is dead or you get the hell out of there.
That’s a “burst” class.
Now it all sounds good in theory, but in reality my experience was 99% something like this:
Jump in/ Steal
Skill A
Quickly followed by skill A
Quickly followed by skill A
Quickly followed by skill A
Thief out of initiative – either the target is dead or you get the hell out of there.
As someone already pointed out before in this thread, if skill A is the best skill in a given situation, it will most likely still be the best skill 0.5 seconds later.
At the core of every and I mean EVERY thief build I have seen is the spamming of a certain skill. The builds differ in traits, healing and utility skills but in the end the instructions of how to play the build are always: “…and then spam skill XXX”.
I by no means trying to bash thief players. I am just thinking that because of the way initiative is set up you are basically forced to spam your best skill.
Now I know there are some situations where other skills are used but all other classes force you to use your other skills because of the cooldown. This makes for a more varied gameplay IMHO.
So, is it fair to say that the class mechanic of the thief is officially “spamming”?
Stop using staff?
It’s the most boring Ele weapon, why will you do that to yourself.
Ok, I will try dual dagger to see if its any better.
I recently shelved my elementalist not because he is weak (as I couldn’t care less about that since I mostly PVE) but because its an inconsistent class with a very schizophrenic class mechanic.
Playing an elementalist feels like playing:
5 seconds as AOE DPS
5 seconds as single target DPS
5 seconds as healer
5 seconds as tank
repeat
So to play an elementalist as designed, you need to constantly swap elements. But the problem for me is that I find it obnoxious to do that as each element plays so differently.
The basic idea of this class is you can’t swap weapons but you can swap elements. So far so good right? Except it’s not that you can swap weapons, you HAVE to swap weapons.
Many people miss the fact that by design the idea of the elementalist is to swap elements as soon as they are up. Why? Because of several factors:
1. Long skill cooldowns
2. All master level basic traits provide an effect when attuning to an element
3. Several other traits enhance or add additional effects on attunement
Does anyone else have this kind of problem?