Guild Wars 2

Using GS and SW/FOC I’m doing sort of OK. I get downed alot more than on other characters but I’m trying to follow the guide. Now that I have Decoy and the one that creates two clones I might get a little better at it.

I’ve read alot of information on leveling builds, watched videos, etc. One thing that confuses me is at my low level my powers aren’t doing what I see in the videos or read in the builds. For example the cripple bomb depends on constantly creating clones that are blowing up when they are killed or overwritten but with a staff I have only two skills that create clones. With the cooldown I usually have only one clone up at a time because they die so fast.
In the video I also see the clones firing the staff attack fairly rapidly and regularly but mine uses the skill once and then sits there.
So is this just another build that actually relies on you being at level 80, fully traited, etc.?
What I would like to see are builds meant to level from the beginning on up, and not assuming you have access to every buff and boost in the game, especially because Mesmer seems very hard to play well, and is slow at the best of times.