Guild Wars 2

Sagat.3285:

skills are weaker because you can activate them multiple times

Haha wat.

Yes, heartseeker is very weak. Yes, pistol whip, much weak. Yes, flanking strike/larcenous strike, incredibly weak. Oh yes, a teleport immobilize condition removal, very weak. Hm, a blinding field, oh yes quite weak. Yeah, you’re so wrong it hurts.

Sagat.3285:

swap weapon still got the same initiative, initiative is too fragile but fits the role of thief.

And so according to you, the role of thief is….to be completely immune to anything that might impact their unrestricted skill spamming?

Sagat.3285:

They weren’t meant to be is why. Every weapons carries specific downsides and especially post patch, don’t mention p/d it lacks mobility and just like d/d heavily reliant on CnD,missing it hurts.

Yes, every weapon has specific downsides. Guess who else that applies to…..no, you guessed wrong. The proper answer is…. EVERYONE ELSE. See, every class has downsides associated with their weapons. The difference is that when a mesmer with power block interrupts them, they get punished for it. Thieves don’t. Remind me why you’re so special again?

Edit: Honestly, you may as well just not continue this. Nobody here thinks you’re right, and with good reason. @OP: Until Anet decides that thieves should be punished for skill spamming, nothing will really change, but I suppose we can hope.

Sagat.3285:

Thief losing initiative and skills usage CD is not enough?

Well, you’re actually wrong on both accounts.

First, most thief skills will not actually cost initiative if you interrupt them too early. This means that the thief will often just get off scot-free if you don’t actually interrupt them at the right part of the skill.

You also seem to think that power block puts thief skills on CD. This is incorrect. Power block has absolutely no effect on thief skills whatsoever. It used to, but it was patched out as apparently requiring thieves to put thought into their skill spam was not intended by Anet.

Junkpile.7439:

Jim Hunter.6821:

Junkpile.7439:

Well when there is 50-80 enemies barrage works just fine.

So you’re tagging a zerg, hoping that your zerg wins, and that you don’t die to retal… and this is you being more effective than you are on your ele? I… I don’t know what’s left to say… every time you respond you are just making yourself look worse…

You think that people stack retaliation in EotM.

Bwahahaha! So now you are basing your arguments on eotm zergs?! You were better off when I assumed you were basing your arguments off of the test golems.

Lookout everyone, this guy nailed the real problem. Rangers are OP against uplevel eotm pug zergs. Guess they need a nerf because only the best of the best can beat an uplevel eotm pug.

If warrior did more damage with LB auto then you, then he had zerker full ascended and you didn’t or your pet was not attacking.

Simple fact:
Ranger damage = pet + ranger
Ranger LB 1 coeff = 0.5 at minimum range
Most reliable pet is spider due to it being ranged.
Spider AA coeff is 0.35, and its “weapon strength” = 3000

Warrior LB AA has 0.66 coeff
Exotic LB weapon strength average is 1000

Damage formula =
Weapon strength x power x coeff / target defense

We assume just full zerk stats, no traits (ranger benefits more from traits due to more % boosts)

Full zerk power stat (pvp one for simplicity. Wvw id high but i am writing this on a tablet)
Is 1858

Pet stats is separate from ranger stats, so pet power = 1374

We will use heavy dummy golem defense which is 2600

Warrior damage = 1000×1858×0.66/2600 = 471 (for both arrows) pr skill use.

Ranger damage is
1000×1858×0.5/2600 = 357 pr shot
Pet damage is
3000×1374×0.35/2600 = 554 pr shot

Both spider and ranger has skills whith much higher coefficients just like warrior. But end result is that ranger will, even in melee range, unless it stands inside combustive shot for its full duration, win due to coefficients alone.

“This won’t be too significant to classes like warrior, who are so tough they can trait offensively” … Ehhh ?

Then you say…“We HAVE to trait defensively and utilize all our skills and combo’s to stay alive”….. Like warriors can just run around 111111 soak up all the dmg and kill ppl left and right while laughing his kitten off.

Honestly,thats just bull…Did you ever try playing a warr without 4 in def,without “Utilizing all skills and combo’s to stay alive..” ?

You make it sound like ele’s have such a hard time when everyone else is just kicking kitten allover the place without any trouble.

Besides…I found this old thread from you where you say…

“PEOPLE, THESE CHANGES DON”T AFFECT JUST YOU! THEY AFFECT YOUR OPPONENT TOO.!

So you can’t just assassinate someone in 3 hits anymore huh? Might take a little skill to win the fight instead of just spamming huge hits because of your gear now huh? You might need to know when to use your skills instead of spamming them at the get-go so you’re opponent doesn’t have a chance to fight back huh? Bummer…."

Might wanna re-read your own statements..especially the last one.

I gave it a shot. It was pure hell.

If you don’t have scouts it’s just free cap. I had really low interest in defending any stuff during the event and I haven’t spend a single silver on any upgrade. Our border defenders took their leave and I could understand that.

As a raid leader for my guild I had so many headaches just to figure out where enemy was, and it was impossible to estimate the group just looking at the map.

As a romer in other borders I had no idea where the enemy was and if there was anything interesting to do.

Last night I logged only to flip a couple of camps and get a sentry, but the swords gave me reason to check that tower that was tagged, then go to hills and try to defend against that group etc.

In our tier having no warning is just a joke. And if the enemy blobs is way better for us tbh, at least we can focus our defense instead of running around like headless chicken to check 3 keeps with 2 people.

#whiteswordsforever

To me WvW is too often instant “Game Over!”. E.g., just before posting this, a thief got 95% of my health with one hit. I had been 3 minutes in WvW. I rather would like to play the game longer.

Classes should be modified so that nobody can do instakills. Longer fights. Longer gameplay.

Alternatively the game should have a difficulty level. Those who like instakills would play with level “hard” and we the rest would play with level “casual”. Perhaps in different WvW maps if the idea causes somebody to rage.

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/roundup-world-vs-world-community-videos/

Well, thank you Iris for your input, but the crickets have spoken.

That is enough for me.

msalakka.4653:

Tao.5096:

Use Superior Rune of Traveler.

Problem solved.

Meanwhile a whole new batch of problems appear. Using these runes waters down many potentially great builds and narrows down the options, at least for the Mesmer.

imo mesmer needs a “mantra of movement” or something for a speed buff. Mantras can be worked into builds easily (imo of course)

I would be happy if there was an option to turn that stupid gallop off. Fed up with pressing 1 every few seconds just make him not so stupid.

You seem to have mesmerized yourself finally. Happens when you have 5-6 copies of yourself running around. One day you just start to think that maybe you are the clone and one of them is the original.

JUN YANG.4328:

sorry guys, i dont really get, whats CI condition lockdown mean?? why won’t respect opponent by using that rune?

Lol.

So CI condition lockdown is a build that uses Chaotic Interruption, a 6 point Grandmaster trait int he Chaos line. Your build is very different so don’t worry about it.

As for perplexity rune, some players create made up rules in their minds that state some build options as “cheese” “lame” “no skill” “cheap” “disrespectable” or whatever words you can think of. As a good player you should ignore this sort of bad thinking. It’s the talk of scrubs who aren’t here to play the game, rather play their own made up game that nobody else is, or has to play. Ignore them. Play the game with whatever rune is available to you, and pick the ones that give you whatever edge you need.

Gotta admit, I love my mesmer’s perplexity runes when I come across a perma-stealth thief. I feel thief stealth is broken anyway (should be in line with a mesmer’s invis, imho), and the only ones that give me trouble are the cleanse on stealth thieves. But using Maimed the Disillusioned trait and stacking torment AND confusion is just too fun against thieves and warriors that are so used to face-rolling everyone in a 1v1 situation with their power builds. Coglin.1867 said it best above.

Arikyali.5804:

If you can’t beat em, join em…-sigh-

I’m about ready to hang up my gorgeous WvW zerker set, the shiny sword, fancy daggers, ascended trinkets, and sneaky stealthy tactics. I’ve done my shopping/farming and got the meta – dire condi p/d.

I do not like P/D – it’s clunky, it’s “skill-less”, it’s slow, and it’s cheese. Dear flippin love, it’s more cheesy than a triple-cheese-lover New Yorker pizza. All I have to do, is press 1 and win? How, who – ok, genius whoever discovered this build, but come on! This is too easy!!

My scariest foes now eat the dirt, and mercy of kittens, how did I not die from that condi-spike? This – this is witchcraft! I am terrified of the possibility that I may forget how to play thief!

Must adaprt to survive, but how far must it go? Is this the future for my poor thief? Accursed to follow the condi meta? Has she no hope of regaining her fluid grace, and must be shackled to this clunky build?

IS THERE NO HOPE?!

…

Nope, not for you or any other people that play a build they don’t like. Just like server bandwagoners, you hop onto whatever wins the fights. Enjoy the cheese scrub.

msalakka.4653:

AdaephonDelat.3890:

msalakka.4653:

Somewhat off-topic, and maybe I’m not even talking about the right game, but wasn’t there a backitem once with loads of moving tentacles? I thought that one was cool. I wonder if that’s available for Asura Mesmers.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sclerite_Karka_Shell

You can still get it from laurel vendors.

:O It wasn’t time-gated?

Logging in now to check this out… If I can get it, I’m going to shower you with kisses.

I haven’t shaved today, though.

It was time gated but they reintroduced some of the season one rewards as laurel vendor items.

Haha dinner and a movie first! I’m not that kind of guy :-P

“Idiot’s guide to EOTM” — seems a bit redundant.

I’m sure many people will agree with the below helpful guide for EOTM

- Ensure you follow a commander that has no idea where they are going

- Only wear zerker, so that when you attack a boss u die fast and then cry for a res

- When fighting the red keep boss, make sure you stand in the fire and burn to death, then cry for a res

- Watch as the commander refuses to use scorps as he has no idea what they are for and instead would rather PVD the door

- Shout INC when you see 1 opposition and watch as your entire zerg runs / ports away back to spawn afraid to fight 1 person for fear that it is a zerg

- When above the workshop ensure that you jump down to your death rather than jump onto the ledges provided.

- When at the top of observatory, make sure you jump all the way down to your death then cry for res because you cant jump down the ledges

- Make sure that you are running no supply so when the commander places a ram you have none to build with

- When a mesmer provides a portal into the keep, make sure you avoid this and instead stand there and try and pvd the door by urself.

- When a commander places a ram, make sure if you are not a master you get on it first, I mean you want to take this as slowly as possible right?

- Make sure when you are fighting a boss you use knockback to slow down the fight and ensure that the warriors waste their big skills and have to move to fight again

And last but not least – when in EOTM, spam the chat asking what EOTM is…

Now please feel free to add more useful eotm tips :-)

phokus.8934:

Again, learn how to use Portal which means knowing where to place the exit and when to use it.

You’re better off disengaging and going back to a point rather than being stomped, losing points, and having to respawn.

I guess I’ve just never had a problem with disengaging without portal. What do you do when portal is on cooldown? I mean, learning to use portal isnt hard, but lessons only come a minimum of once every 90 seconds.

msalakka.4653:

Haha! You guys make for interesting opponents. Lively, I’d say.

Haha and you guys(Mesmers) can be frustrating to pin down if you lose sight of the REAL one for just a second. I can not explain my frustration at using PryBarr or Magnet on an Illusion just to have it shatter instantly in my face.
Its like retaliation on steroids.

msalakka.4653:

Acien.2306:

I like the turret builds as well. Are they good PVE dps and WvW?

You’re going to have an interesting time roaming. Any Mesmer worth his salt will slice you into pieces from a distance while you dance among the teapots. The engi that are more challenging are the grenade spammers.

BOMBS awaaaayyyy!!!!

I find that only if a Mesmer somehow sneaks up on me that i have a problem. Normally Bomb+Tool+Rocket Boots do the job well vs Mesmers.

These boots are made for JUMPING!

Djinn.9245:

Donari.5237:

A good list but I will debate “toxic.” I mean if it’s aimed at one person, as in “you are making a toxic post,” sure. But I think the term applies nicely to some overall behaviors discussed vis a vis champ train disputes and “fail farmers” versus “event completers.” Likewise “complainers” would need to be viewed in context to see if it were a slur meant to deride or a simple description of people with concerns to air.

So don’t be as draconian and undiscerning as the feline filter

“draconian”? ROFLMAO

/grins

I mean how if you use “bit” instead of “tad” in “a tad cheesy,” for instance. Or comment on how hard someone is working on something, but just follow “hard” with “on.” Or say you are going to … gosh, how do I paraphrase this. “Examine the merits of something” but you use a common slang word for “rear end” followed by “ess.” Heck, I cannot even comment on a post by Redenaz by saying he is right, if the letter “i” in any way follows his name. That filter has no context to it at all, it simply checks for letter strings without making use of an exceptions list to allow innocent words free use.

I call that draconian and undiscerning, indeed I do.

You’re not supposed to hop between maps to bring supplies. In fact, Anet should just change it so that when you load into a WvW map you lose all supplies carried.

Michael Henninger.7451:

To remove someone using hacks (teleports, speed, etc) we have to witness the act in game so you must use the in-game reporting tool. The only exception is if you can point us to chat where the player cheating has said they are using a 3rd party program.

So people getting caught on stream (live one with real time viewers) is not enough. People admitting in chat they are hacking is not enough, if they spesifically don’t mention that they are/were using 3rd party program(s). Now since this is the case, how is it possible to use hacks (teleports, speed, etc) without 3rd party programs?

But this really explains why hackers or other bad apples are never banned (unless their actions directly affect to gems sales). “We must be able to see it ourselves in the game in live environment” and “you must point us to the chat where player said they used spesific program to cheat” are just… Absurd, and extremely hilarious at the same time. Regardless, an honest thank you for an explanation why reporting hackers with or without links to streams with timestamps are worth nothing, why reporting itself is pointless and waste of time, and why nothing is ever happening to hackers.

:D

I guess after anet’s publicity stunt 2 weeks ago to make us think devs actually do something in WvW, they won’t step into WvW for a year.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/wuv/Cheating-Dev/first

I know that the title sounds like a continuation of this thread but it’s not.. Sorta.

If you play Mesmer and have crafted your own build then I’m sure you’ve heard it before, whether PvP, PvE, or WvW:

“What is that? Whatever the hell you’re running isn’t viable.”

Many Mesmer players are a creative bunch, and there are loads of traits and utilities that are a lot of fun or highly interesting to use but don’t fit into the meta for one reason or another, and thus get labeled as unviable. As a result, builds that take these traits often too-quickly fall to the wayside.

Lets get something straight: Meta builds are meta for a reason, and that reason is usually because of all the competition, they’re the best at what they do. Shatter is the best in PvP, PU is the best at WvW roaming, Mantra/Phant is the best in PvE. But this does not mean that anything that isn’t one of these specific builds is bad.. quite the opposite.

I often feel that people get too caught up in terms and labels. “Viable” gets misused too frequently, good builds will be labeled “bad” if they are not the the absolute best, and creativity gets stunted as a result. These labels often don’t take one major factor into account: player skill.

Many of us have had instances where we’ve been happily playing our custom-made build and kicking all of the butts until we’re suddenly told that what our trait combo, amulet/gear sucks, even though they’ve worked fine for our purposes. This can often be helpful, and one should always keep an open mind for new information on how to improve but -IMO- one should never simply blindly compromise their ideas.

This is especially important in PvP, where meta builds reign in abundance. You’ll often hear that what you’re running isn’t viable if it is not shatter, ESPECIALLY if it is condition-based, but what is often overlooked is that there are actually a LOT of different good builds that can work very well all the way up until you reach the highest levels. But ask yourself: Are you playing PvP to compete against top tier teams and go to tournaments? If so, then you’re likely already playing shatter or have found a team that you can build around. These people are the few, but for the majority it really matters way less on what build you’re running as much as how well you’re running it.

6/6/0/2/0 can work. 0/4/6/4/0 can work. 4/4/6 condi can work and so can plenty of other combinations as long as the player behind the build is competent enough to make it work.

There’s the argument that if you could make these builds work, then you could make shatter work even better, and this is true to an extent, but again .. if you’re not playing for serious competition, then why shoehorn yourself into a build you don’t actually feel like running?

TL:DR- Don’t be afraid to explore! Your build isn’t as important as the skill of the player behind it, and experiencing different styles of play only serves to improve.

Chaos Archangel.5071:

Lets get something straight: Meta builds are meta for a reason, and that reason is usually because of all the competition, they’re the best at what they do. Shatter is the best in PvP.

I would like to debate this claim right here. I think CI mes is equal to shatter if played at the top level correctly. The only reason “top players” think CI is inferior is because they played CI like shatter, which you just cant do. You have to play CI like a opportunist, you cant just yolo in and expect to do damage.

I change build almost weekly so I am all ears and find what you say interesting and happy you posted it.

As you say, I too get a nice streak of winning duels and/or ranked/unranked games and that is when I think I finally found the well balanced build for my play style. But then I run into that thief which may have just outplayed me (but I do not want to openly admit it and blame the build for the fail) and suddendly everything falls to pieces. I scratch everything from the board and start with new ideas all over again.

Skills may be behind the problem but there are certain situations where I feel neither skills nor builds are the issue, but it’s the profession itself. And it’s not a conicidence if some of the pros have switched their main char.

I get joy from crafting and testing builds by myself. Other people get joy from being the best they can be by using meta builds.

But im sick of only seeing shatter mesmer videos and shatter mesmer guides. Youd be forgiven for thinking that the only viable build for mesmer is shatter. This is not the case.

Shatter is very powerful and most top teir pvp teams run shatter in tournaments. Does this make shatter viable? Yes, but just because its the most popular build doesnt make it the only viable build out there.

Ive been absolutely destroyed in wvw and pvp by players running unique builds. This is because they are good players and they have adapted their builds and playstyles to the current pvp wvw environment and not on what is in fashion.

Take this point. A lot of classes are running heavy boon stacking/might stacking builds. There are also a lot more condition and hybrid spec builds in response to this.

A shatter mesmer is a ganker. That is what it excels at. But it becomes increasingly difficult for a player to gank something that is balls deep in boons, throwing out cc and aoes everywhere.

Some of the veteran mesmers on here that have saturated the forums with their opinions might say, “I can eeal with that, shatter is amazing”. I would argue on the contrary. Shatter is not amazing, you are and I think you would have just as much success playing a different build because you are a good mesmer.

So basically all I want to say is shatter gank montage videos are boring. Youtube mesmer and most of what you see are shatter vids. Im not impressed anymore and its becoming so predictable. What i want to see is a video of mantra mes killin fools or a confuse bomber in spite of the nerf, not because shatter is bad but because youre an awesome hipster mesmer and i want to have your babies.

Love.

My advice: don’t.

Long videos suck. They’re hard to get through, turn people off, a pain in the rear end to upload, just all sorts of bad. Instead, aim to keep your videos at 10 minutes or below. Starting from that length, pick a limited range of topics to cover in each video. One on matchups, one on builds, one on tips and tricks, etc.

This way you can link specific videos for reference instead of saying ‘oh, it’s somewhere between 12:00 and 20:00. It allows you to do it in pieces to make the project more manageable as well.