Guild Wars 2

I wouldn’t go for the armor. Trinkets are easier to come by, if you’re set on mixing in some Celestial.

Never expect balanced numbers of skills here. You’ll probably be disappointed.
At this point, I’m holding out that the new skills and trait line aren’t chock-full o’ suck.

^ Now that is funny.
Seriously, though … I woulda been all over Staff or (land)Spear. Eh, hopefully if Thief does get Rifle, they’ll at least make it tricky and/or stylish.

Control spec or bust. Not to mention, the last thing I want to see is Mesmer build diversity getting shafted like Thief. (Seriously, ANet really loaded the hell outta Shadow Arts. Acrobatics gets short shift by comparison …).

(Heh. Good to see an OP with knowledge of the old Rosenberg novels. )

Lemme see, here:

Profession: Probably my Sylvari Mesmer, considering I did make the poor SOB first.

Unwanted Game Mechanic: Freaking LOS. It works poorly as is, and screws up my Phantasms.

Unimplemented Game Mechanic: More Chronomancy. Time Warp is just not enough. Hell, freezing time would just own.

Who to hang out with?: Caithe. Gotta get that girl out on the town. Seriously. Go dump Faolain into a volcano, already. Or Taimi, cause she’s funny as heck.

Who to clobber?: Besides a certain jerklicious plant-dragon? Caudecus has been left in one piece for too bleeding long …

Home area?: None, really. Why stick in one place for long?

Random question Cantha expac. When? :P (All jokes aside, do illusions in this situation at least succeed in distracting the enemy?)

Most of what I’d like to see has already been mentioned. So, let’s go with:

Dolphins. (Seriously, when can I give my Ranger “Flipper” as a pet?)

What needs done is the following:

• A proper looksee/rework of everything that’s been nerfed on this class. The problem is that Mesmer’s got a goodly chunk of inbuilt bugs as is; nerfing things that actually work, on top of said bugs merely screws the class further.
• Truth is, there are regards in which this can be said for all classes.

Do I believe this will actually be done?

• Nope.
• Heck, Engineers still get shafted with hobosacks … RTL on Eles is still c/d nerfed from months ago … Thief is still trait-slanted heavily towards Shadow Arts … Necros still get shafted in dungeon runs. However, we’ve got plenty of gemstore stuff

Eh. Vengeful used to be a lot better. Its current -abysmal- state is due to getting the retal duration sliced. Of course, retal getting its damage pruned on top of that doesn’t help, either.

At least it’s not an “on downed” trait. Those are just … insulting.

StickerHappy.8052:

For the first time i would agree with swish…

Hey guys isnt it weird we mesmers dont get a confusion on crit trait? Hell revenant gets torment and chill on crit

You also forgot how -of all classes- Warrior can trait for Confusion-on-Interrupt. Considering how much ANet’s been pushing ’rupt Mesmer as an “in” thing, why is this issue still extant?

I’d probably use (in no specific order)

• Pathfinder
• RIFTS or Palladium Fantasy
• BESM

I’ve never really used IP, to be honest. My builds typically snag Executioner. Although, I could see it (maybe) being real brutal with life sigils/mug/SoM added in. Especially if I’m stuck zerg-surfing.

I wouldn’t complain if Mesmer did get Taunt. Although, I’m definitely more waiting for Slow. I can smell the Slow/CI fun already.

My usual setup’s mixed Zerk/Valk/Cav, using the Valk and Cav for extra survivability. (Although, I do flip a set of Cele trinkets between my alts for additional options.)

Eh. Went from Human Engi to Norn (both female). I never looked back. Especially when you add in the story that starts from you getting too drunk at a moot. IMHO, absolutely begs for a Norngineer.

Xaylin.1860:

Swish.2463:

Axe: Frigid Blitz – You throw an axe in the air, chilling anyone in the axe path. When the axe arrive at your target, you will teleport to it and do a spinning attack that places you behind the enemy. You can chain Temporal Rift (axe pull in) with this skill to gather a large group of enemy and then teleport behind them to do a melee spin.

Please let it be a projectile.

This would be golden.

Meh. They really are wedded to the concept that Staff=caster, if you’re correct.
Unfortunate, in that acrobatic Staff combat would be pretty stylish.

I ended up with both, personally. As to which of the two I play more often? Elementalist.
Don’t get me wrong, I dig Guard’s combination of melee and buffs. However, on my Ele, I can do reasonable melee, buffs, or ranged nuking. It all depends on gear and Traits.
I’d say – if you have the slots – it wouldn’t hurt to run both.

One thing I can see working out for Thieves is that the Profession has a nice amount of ways to disengage or interrupt. Assuming both of these new conditions have some visual “tell,” it’s only going to suck the first time a Thief takes on a Revenant.
Imagine the fun of baiting out some poor mook’s Taunt or Slow attacks.

Swish.2463:

Also Relevant to The Current Gw2 Mesmer is the introduction of the new condition Slow. I think we can expect to see some of this in our new Specialization.

I would absolutely hope so. Hell, I’ve said for months that time slowdown or freezing would be a darned fun addition to Mesmers. Especially if the Mes Spec. is called a bleeding Chronomancer.

Otherwise, drawing on my (admittedly) sparse knowledge of GW1, Revenant seems -overall- like a Ritualist/Dervish crossbreed. Which could be entertaining. My only honest complaint is that -with some of the preexisting issues on our current eight
Professions- it seems a tad … premature to add in Profession #9. Suppose we’ll have to wait and see.

Eh. I’m more for the idea of melee staff or “unarmed” offhand. Mainly since both can fit into the “sneaky” combat archetype. Although, maybe Rifle’d be mainly trick-shooting, which could:

• A: Be pretty interesting
• B: Probably fit in with Richochet … so imagine a Rifle, P/P setup.

Longbow? I personally don’t see that working out, but that’s just my 2 coppers.

I’m still convinced that the balance team changes from time to time. It’s the only thing I can think of that explains the (ahem…) logic of some of the adjustments they make to classes and skills. Black Powder, for example. I could see either shrinking the AoE or changing pulse timing. IIRC, they did both.

As far as damage vs. initiative, I’m also convinced that concept wasn’t fully thought out. It is logical that all aspects of a Thief’s kit should be equally useful … this is not always the case. Especially for P/P, considering the sacrifices you make on utility and defense, to get workable damage.

Eh, as a Mes player who does occasionally use Cele gear, I’d say Trinkets. Especially if you’re getting regular gold/commendations/laurels … it’s easier to get multiple sets of Trinkets.
[Although, Jurica and others aren’t wrong, RE: Cele stats. Mainly, a Mes is a walking waste of Healing Power, stat-wise. Mightstacking is mediocre, at best. You’re mainly going Cele to get either “kinda”-zerker or “kinda”-condi.]

Eh. Decoy is like Deceptive Evasion in this case: namely that certain builds can go without it, but in general, it gives too many benefits to easily pass up. I could see a phant or heavy-mantra spec not using it, however.

There was a similar problem RE: Eles and Cantrips … considering what happened to stop their “reliance” on ‘em, I think we’re better off learning to love the Decoy.

Phase Retreat and Time Warp

http://de.gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAR8flknpEt1oxMNUrNipRY6+4cSFU6wrOA-TVCEAB7eQAsb/BCOCAJq+zWKBZS5nBXAg20NAwDAIAACwNvZ2sNDWuyVuyVuy5m38m38m3sUARsMC-w

Since using Staff already means I’d be best in close-medium range, I may as well stay there. Hybrid interrupt/phant setup. Buff up a bit from BI procs, CI procs help with lockdown work. Swordsmen for faster phant damage, Warlock for the slow ‘n painful
route. TW usages alloted for faster dps and (if needed) resses. No idea what I’d name the bloody thing, though.

Hmmm … my interest is piqued. I may have to give this one a whirl.

IoL/SoM/Mimic. Especially Mimic, with how it was “fixed.”

My BM/condi build uses dual Axe and S/D. Pretty fun, especially in WvW.

Eh. After 3 Sylvari, 2 Asura, and one of everything else … I honestly don’t know. Guess I’ll decide once the expac’s on my comp.

I still think the “tell” on Engis could have easily been something non-hobosack related.
Hell, if we’re to consider an Ele’s “bracelet” effects to be enough of a tell for attune-swapping, there’s no honest excuse for Engineers to have to go far beyond the pale by having a permanent backpack. Indeed, the weaponry should’ve held enough difference in overall design to handle that issue.
As we stand now, I wasted my time putting that Antitoxin Injector on my Norn. Not like she gets to show it off half the time. And this, for a game with such an assortment of endgame cosmetics, is just harsh.

You could be doing a lot worse. At least there is a beta Mac client. On the Linux and/or BSD side of the equation, you’re either dualbooting or using WINE. (Although, with CSMT-patched WINE, I do get framerates darned close to what my old Win 8 install ran at …)

It’d be funny to see the guy get trolled by a gunslinger build. Which server? I might have to “unretire” for a spell

In my case, I just went with the idea that Sylvari names tend to run in the Gaelic/Arthurian vein, and modded the spelling of a preexisting Arthurian name.
Thus, we have good ’ol Malegryne running about.

You know, I’m going to just be “that” guy.

Is it me, or does DarkSyze sound a lot like Burnfall?

As for stealth, nothing more needs said past the earlier comments from TheLastNobody. I’ve said for friggin months Acrobatics needs to be evened out to where it’s as overall “desired” for Thieves as Shadow Arts. But, you can’t blame the users of the class for (generally) going with the option that allows for more condition dropping, extra health regain, and free blinds (depending on how you trait in SA).
You have to blame the designers of the game for making the class’ durability so bleeding reliant on such a mechanic. Full Stop.

Although, considering how hated Stealth is, I would honestly think folk wouldn’t whinge when an evasion Thief whacks ’em … but we all know how futile that hope is.

Heh. I’ve also played with 0/4/6/0/4. The major issue, honestly … you don’t have the on-demand boon rip like a 4/4/6, or the Maim pressure of a 0/4/4/0/6. However, it can still trip folks up nicely.
Running Traveler on mine – but then, I mainly log for WvW, and more speed is good.
Used to use Perplex pre-nerf, and that was downright frightening to see work on folks.
(Scepter or Sword/Focus, Staff setup. Distraction on utils)

Female Sylvari for my own tastes. Although, if I had’ve know how darn funny female Asura were beforehand … chances are, I’d have made that my Ele.

I stuck with Melandru. Helps with condition issues, especially since I mainline P/P stealthless.

Female Asura. It’s all about the wacky quotes and animations. That, and being short enough to shoot most folks’ kneecaps out.

I dunno. I could really get behind OH “Unarmed” as a weapon. Dirty tricks like eye-gouges and rabbit punching fools in the kidneys. Especially mixed with a heavy evade spec.

Eh. I’m still hoping for MH Pistol and (eventually, Gods only know when), MH Focus and/or Fans.
Ah, well … gonna be a while before I can even afford HoT, with my current lack of a J.O.B.
sob

I frigging wish. Along those lines, also the opportunity to mix ‘n match said “racial” technology designs. After all, we’d not want to deny things such as Asura Engis with a steampunk fetish. Or Norngineers who cribbed any and all possible tech for their own loadout.

Surprisingly decent changes. Especially BP/DD, both of whom got rather unfairly hosed.

I don’t know why they just can’t give IMage a small AoE hit. This’d at least allow Mesmers using him to troll multiple attackers. Other than that, he (and IWarlock, not to mention Sceptre #1/3 could honestly use a modest speed increase.)

However, these are at least buffs. Unless(until?!) they break more mechanics.

That’s different, but interesting. I typically run 0/6/0/4/4, personally. Valk/Cav/some Zerk. Definitely agree on Withdraw/RFI/SStep, though. Considering P/P’s lack of (inbuilt) stealth and/or evasion, you definitely need ways to maintain distance.

As for offset, I generally roll with either SB or S/P, mainly for the additional evasion options.

Curse your sudden but inevitable attack of logic. Now you have me wondering what she’d do with a P/P spec.

We don’t discuss Caithe’s thiefosity. Remember, ANet NPCs cheat.
Rather like looking at Kasmeer and wondering why your Mesmer can’t slam down Time Warps faster …

I’ve experimented with Celestial. IMO, it’s best done as a Cele Trinket/<insert other> Weapon/Armor setup. The big nastiness about going full Celestial on Mesmers comes down to two problems:

• Mesmer Might stacking is < Ele or Engi. The extra Power/Condition Damage is what makes those two Cele builds so feared, really.
• Mesmer is pretty weaksauce at Healing Power scaling. So, you’re effectively wasting a stat when you go full Cele.

I can work biz with anyone, but I’ve always preferred a good Thief. Just something brutally awesome about the two “misdirection/sneaky” classes teaming up to smack hell out of folks.

One word that explains pistol thieves: Pirate (S/P).
Hell … Gunslinger (P/P)

Depends on the environment, really. I’d definitely go with Traveler in WvW. That extra speed helps catch up to fools what think they can play hit-and-run with a Mes.
Perplexity (anymore) is arguably niche. Mesmers (hell, any class) made better use of ’em before the #6 got an ICD put on it.

Also, I’d swap that armor from Carrion (p/v/C) to Rabid (prec/t/C) or Rabid with about 1/3 Dire (t/v/C). Especially running a 4/4/0/0/6, since that Trait spread is … glass-tastic. Not to mention, the Precision helps with bleeds from Sharper Images.
But, that’s just my 2 coppers.

Consider this a yes vote from my side of the fence. I can’t say I’m fully “dedicated” to the class like many of you, but that is a sensible change.