Warden’s been reaalllyy frustrating me lately. So much so that I’m tempted to go back to Sword/Sword and I would if it weren’t for Temporal Curtain being so kitten awesome.
I don’t exactly see CI as being support-based, actually. I just see it as a very good trait that has more use beyond lockdown-oriented builds.
Oh man good stuff! Will use this to update the Grimoire with anything outdated.
I play mostly with my main (Mesmer), but I have an alt Guardian, Ele, Thief, and War all made for pvp.
… I’m terrible with all of them. X.x
BOONS
THE BOONS
(If this looks like it was ripped from “The Chaos Maestro” it’s because .. it was. =P )
Why They Matter
An unfortunately high number of people overlook the usefulness of boons. Regeneration is largely ignored, Protection doesn’t last long enough to notice, Might means nothing if it isn’t at least 5 stacks, Swiftness only seems useful out of combat, Retaliation doesn’t do enough noticeable damage, who cares about Aegis if it only blocks a single hit? Misconceptions like these, in addition to how poorly Healing Power scales, have shied many people away from support-oriented builds in favor of DPS or Tanking. Try to apply the following buffs at the same time.
• Swiftness/Vigor/Regeneration
Regeneration “Resist Bleeds/Burns. Grow back life.” is more effective with the less damage we take. Having a high Healing Power allows Regen to mitigate effects of Bleeding/Burning. At 1300 healing power classes with lower vitality Guardians, Thieves, Elementalists(15k) can benefit so much from Regeneration that it feels reminiscent of an FPS)
Swiftness “Maneuver Quickly Without Dodging” allows you to avoid melee, projectile and AoE attacks without having to waste a dodge, as well as keep within buffing proximity of your allies much more easily. Swiftness makes you the kiting king.
Vigor “Dodge Twice As Often” allows you to dodge twice as often. ‘Nuff said. One bar of endurance usually takes 10 seconds to recharge. Vigor cuts this in half.
• Aegis/Protection/Retaliation
Aegis“Block The Next Attack” is much more useful than it seems at first glance. Aegis is great for blocking obnoxiously telegraphed “This-Is-Probably-Gonna-OneShot-You” attacks, it also gives you further combat advantage against Blinded enemies.
Protection “Take Less Damage” reduces incoming damage by 33%. That’s a lot. Protection is one of the highest priority boons in the game, and combined with Retaliation, makes up a huge part of your melee “tanking.” Protection is the main reason you want to be in Earth Attunement the LEAST of all attunements. The less time you’re attuned to earth, the faster you can swap back to it and apply AoE Protection
Retaliation“Hurt You For Hurting Me” scales off Power, which works well with Cleric’s armor. The damage on it’s own isn’t good, but combined with Confusion or other damaging conditions, it can become devastating.
• Might/Fury
Might “Do More Damage.” Increases both direct damage and condition damage. It takes about 7 stacks of Might for the damage to become noticeable(At level 80, 35 per stack. A ridiculous 875 at 25 stacks. Make friends with a shortbow thief who knows about fire fields and blast finishers.)
Fury“Crit More Often”(20% crit chance increase; Suddenly your lousy 22% crit chances now crits nearly half the time.) is the real reason you want to blast your ice field.
- Geyser: is possibly the least important heal you have to offer. Geyser casts an AoE heal that pulses three times, healing for over 3k if each pulse connects. This is a very unreliable ability as it’s very easy to accidentally run through it without recieving the heal, and allies rarely stay within the field long enough. It’s best used in tandem with LEAP and BLAST combo finishers.
- Attunement Swap [Water]: is one of the least frequent heals you’ll be applying, but is still very important. Swapping to water grants a meaty AoE heal, AoE Regeneration, AND removes a condition. It’s very important to try to NEVER stay in water attunement for longer than you need to, that way you can more frequently swap to water and apply it’s restorative effects.
- Evasive Arcana[Water] is rather important for two reasons: It’s a strong AoE heal AND it cleanses a condition. It’s very likely you’ll be combining this with Attunement Swapping for your main heal, dodging and swapping to water JUST before the dodge finishes in order to AoE heal for over 5k and remove two conditions from allies in an instant.
- Water Elemental this badboy not only drops an ICE combo field for you to blast for Frost Armor, but it AoE heals for 6.5k every 25 seconds. Thanks to Aquatic Benevolence, it’s pretty easy to keep it alive too.
HEALING PRIORITY
Pop quiz: You run to battle only to find a Warrior low on life, and a Mesmer at half way. They’re not close enough for you to splish-splash heal, so only one can get burst healed. What do you do?
It can be tricky prioritizing who to heal and when, and no two situations are ever the same. Here are some general tips on picking a priority healing target.
COMBOS/ROTATIONS
These combos are listed in order of whats highest priority to lowest in my opinion. Your experience may vary depending on situation. While it may not seem like a lot, these are the things to keep in mind specifically for the purpose of playing support
WHAT CLASSES NEED WHAT BOONS
(This section is still under construction… cuz I have no idea what Necromancer, Ranger, Engineer and Engineer do/need boon-wise. x.X)
(Sorry for formatting issues x_x will fix! )
So the staff ele build I was working on before has evolved further, and I’ve finally found a pesudo-sweet spot between damage and support (still more leaned towards support). As I’ve been running it I get a lot of whispers with questions on what I’m running and how to make it work, so I figured I’d post a bit of a breakdown here for those looking to play their own Healer Staff Ele. Keep in mind this is for the purpose of PvP, and while most of the tips are specifically for staff, I feel any weaponset can make effective use of Aquatic Benevolence as long as they have Evasive Arcana.
0/2/0/6/6 – Celestial Amulet – Strength Runes – Sigil of Energy/Battle
Air: I – Water: IV, X, XIII – Arcane: I, VIII, XI / Arcane Brilliance, Arcane Wave, Cleaning Fire, Arcane Shield.
Keep in mind that this build is NOT easy to use. In order to play an effective support build there are numerous things you have to do:
Peeling: When you’re not being focused, you have to be able to “peel” enemies off your allies. Discouraging AoEs like Lava Font (Fire 2), Ice Spike (Water 2) and Eruption (Earth 2) are all ideal for both forcing dodges and taking pressure off of enemies.
Boons: You offer Fury, Regeneration, Swiftness, Might, and Protection in abundance. Use them! While Protection, Regeneration, and Swiftness are particularly important defensive boons that help make it easier to keep the allies you’re healing topped off, Might and Fury are more important for yourself to gain a respectable damage output. You also have to keep in mind what classes you are supporting and their personal boon access. (More on this in the “Boons” section)
Positioning: Playing a competent staff ele means putting yourself in a location where you can offer benefits to allies while keeping out of harms way. Playing a HEALER Staff Ele means you’re significantly closer to the heart of the combat, and thus have to be more aware of Thieves/Mesmer, AoEs, and allies in danger.
Cleanses: You have an abundance of AoE condition cleanses, from your [Water] dodge heal to attunement swapping to Healing Rain. This, combined with the actual act of healing, is a huge reason to both keep an eye out for specific classes (Necros/Engineer) and keep an eye on your allies’ meters.
Healing: Your main job, of course, and it’s not as simple as tossing out Geyser and Healing Rain once in a while. Learning to be an effective healer means making split-second decisions on who to use your heals on and exactly what heals to use for specific situation. Overhealing is useless, underhealing isn’t effective enough, and trying to heal a poisoned ally can end up being a waste. People who don’t play healers often think it’s a simple job of “healing the lowest HP ally” but who gets healed when you have both a Warrior and Elementalist at 25% HP? Which classes are more likely to accidentally dodge out of one of your AoE heals? While a lot of tips and tricks are covered in this guide some things can only be truly learned through experience.
HEALING
Like previously mentioned, healing requires more than simply splashing water over allies like an epic wet t-shirt contest. You have to have an understanding of each of your heals; how much health they restore, when to use them, and what additional effects they have. Also, I’ll be referring to the dodge+attunement swap combo heal as the “splish-splash combo” because I’m silly like that.
- Soothing Mist applies to all allies (1200r) whenever you’re in Water Attunement; and thanks to Lingering Elements it lasts even when you’re not attuned to water. While not too epic on it’s own, it combines with Regeneration to give a passive heal stronger than Warrior’s Healing Signet.
- Regeneration can be a bit tricky to apply, but you should be trying to grant it as often as possible. Swapping to Water will be the quickest, easiest way to apply AoE Regeneration when you don’t have Healing Rain up.
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
Now it had all made sense to Karayan. As he perched low in the bushes overseeing a small clearing in the copse of trees, the reason why he had awoken in the Hinterlands rather than Lions Arch all became clear.
Chieftan Ulgar, a centaur leader, stood towering over Vinesta. His massive eight foot frame was ripped with lean muscle on both the tanned human half and the black-furred stallion that made up his torso. The way his battleaxe, permanently stained from hundreds of battles, rested diagonally across his back so easily gave Vin a clue as to how this particular centaur rose to power.
Still, if she was the least bit intimidated she gave no inclination.
“Where are the slaves?”
Though he wore a skull-shaped helmet that obscured the majority of his face, steam shot from his nostrils as Ulgar exhaled. One of his front hooves lapped at the floor, a centaur sign of agitation at her straightforwardness and lack of respect for someone of his stature. His voice was deep and gravelly, uncompromising in his tone.
“Kneel. Then we shall speak.”
Vinesta stared at him, unmoving. Karayan sucked in his breath.
“I will ask you one more time…” The human said, somehow managing to match the centaur’s intensity.
Karayan was torn. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of Ulgar for a moment, certain that any second the centaur could erupt into violence, but that was not why Vinesta had asked him to accompany her. His job was to find and secure the centaurs’ hostages while she kept him distracted with negotiation. It was difficult, but Karayan sheathed himself in a cloaking spell and shuffled away from the scene, more concerned with not disrupting any of the plants than his noise level.
This was Kar’s element, the reason why he was such a valued Whispers agent. Not only was his invisibility spells so absolute that it took an expert disenchanter to locate him, but Karayan’s illusionary talent allowed him to hide not only from sight, but from sound and scent as well. He could ring a bell right next to a dog’s ear and not be heard. The problem was, neither him nor Vin knew where the centaurs kept the hostages and their time was short. Kar could still hear Ulgar’s voice in the distance.
“You will kneel, or you will lose your knees human.” It wasn’t a threat. It was Ulgar’s law.
“And if so, you will lose this one opportunity for more land, better weaponry, and peace for your people. If that matters to you more than pide…”
Ulgar’s hoofed front leg shot up to slam into Vinesta’s chest, slamming her backwards into a tree. The centaur roared loud enough for Kar to feel it in the pit of his stomach. Karayan ran faster, but then came to a stop. His heart was racing, his mind was torn between his duty and his desires. He had to stop and calm himself, so he braced against a tree and closed his eyes for but a moment.
Then he felt it.
“People like to pretend their thoughts are private, but all prominent races are creatures of art. We want to be understood, thus the body language and shift in vocal tone when trying to make a point. The more emotional we become, the harder it is to conceal our thoughts.”
He could sense it. Not coming from himself, Vinesta or the centaur. He could sense…
Fear.
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
Gasmic responded with a grin. He took one slight step forward before pivoting on his heels, an action that made sparks of flame burst from his feet, and suddenly he was jetting towards Aeoldyn on a column of fire. The Mesmer let his right leg slip behind him for a more solid stance, crossing both his swords up in front of him to block the oncoming Elementalist. Right before the two collided, Aeoldyn disappeared in a sudden burst of dancing lights, reappearing right behind the Elementalist and thrusting both swords into his spine.
But Gasmic had anticipated such a move, and with sudden burst of swirling wind he quickly twisted himself around to Aeoldyn’s side. The Mesmer’s sword struck only dissipating flames, and a smirking Gasmic ended his twist with a sudden backflip as the air that maneuvered him suddenly surged beneath his legs and violently expanded between the two combatants, sending Aeoldyn –the real Aeoldyn-flying a dozen feet away. Not one to relinquish an advantage, the Elementalist already had the beginnings of another spell in his mind as he landed, but Aeoldyn was nowhere to be seen. Gasmic smirked, “You think I need my sight to find yo-Arrghh!” His words were interrupted by something sharp stabbing into his ribs. The Elementalist glanced over to see Aeoldyn, or atleast a transparent ghost-like image of Aeoldyn, standing before him with a sword drawn. Gasmic spared a quick glance at his wound, which didn’t seem too deep, and narrowed his eyes at the phantasmal illusion. It clearly wasn’t Aeoldyn, so if he went to attack it he could still be ambushed by the Mesmer, but if he ignored it…
A sudden ringing in his thoughts alerted Gasmic to the true Aeoldyn appearing at his flank, and he brought a dagger in line to intercept the Mesmer’s sidelong slash at his neck. As they clashed the Elementalist noticed Aeoldyn’s free arm pumping in for another stab, and again Gasmic intercepted the attack, leaving the two deadlocked. Gasmic inhaled, as if nervous, and the perceptive Aeoldyn smirked. He twisted his wrist to try and free one of his swords but quickly realized that Gasmic was subtly using magnetism to keep his daggers locked. The sylvari lifted a foot to kick his opponent in the chest, but the human was faster. His inhale drew oxygen down into his body, feeding the flames that roared in his stomach. His exhale blew a steam of fire into the Sylvari’s face! Aeoldyn’s eyes widened, and he leaned back as quickly as he could before finally releasing his disappearing swords and rolling away once the blaze singed the side of his head. Gasmic wouldn’t let him go so easily though. As the phantasmal swordsman lunged in for a second stab, the Elementalist closed his mouth and inhaled sharply through his nose, suddenly ducking underneath the of the Phantasm and stabbing his daggers into the floor. The magical flames that roared in his chest flowed out through the daggers and burst out in a ring between the two, trapping Aeoldyn inside and the Phantasm outside. Aeoldyn smirked, glancing over his shoulder at the fires and pretending that the sweltering heat didn’t bother him.
What he didn’t notice were the humanoid shapes that were forming in the flames.
“We all see the world through our own personal illusions…” He said outloud, to no one but himself. “We prefer half-truths, so that we may fill the other half with what we would like to believe. When someone throws an undeniable truth at us that clash with our illusion, our first response is frustration.” He said, putting his right sword into a slow rotation to feel its rhythm and balance. It was true that Aeoldyn, like most others, didn’t like being alone often. It was also true that Aeoldyn found himself alone most days because of his own insufferable personality. The second sword fell into a routine behind the first, as Aeol began practicing basic cuts and jabs. “How many of us can barely stand to look at our own reflection in a mirror? Or hear our own voice played back to us? How many personal flaws do we cover up, either with external makeup or internal lies?”
Fully engrossed in his deadly dance, Aeoldyn brought his right arm into an overhead chop, twisting with the motion to roll his trailing sword behind the first. The movement forced him into a slight spin that he ended with a forward thrust of both blades in a more solid stance. “Karayan exposed the flaws I choose not to see in myself. Thus, in a moment of weakness and damaged pride, I attacked him.” He stood calm, staring at his reflection in one of his blades, watching the thorned vines writhe across his hand without cutting them. “In order to erase this flaw, I accept it as truth.” He declared, again to himself. “And I accept that I made a ..” He coughed, “.. mistake.” It was a hard word to say, even to himself, but Aeoldyn never heard the word. A crack of thunder smothered his dialogue, and turned his attention to the sky with a slightly amused smirk.
There was a flash in the puffy gray clouds, soon followed by another burst of thunder. A second flash, a third, and suddenly a crackling light spilled out of the sky. Aeoldyn’s eyes narrowed against the brilliant glare of a ball of lightning racing from the clouds. The electrical bolt seemed to oscilate down towards where he was standing, yet the Sylvari stood perfectly still as he watched. Aeoldyn finally drew his swords when it became clear that the crackling sphere was going to slam into him, but by then it was too close, too fast, and too late.
BOOM!
The ground shook, and the smell of ozone permeated through the air along with wisps of smoke. There was a circular trench four feet into the ground at the point of impact, and inside of it was not Aeoldyn. The mesmer had been blown backwards and lay on the ground nearby, trying in vain to fight his electrical twitching. A human stood inside the crater, steam smoldering from his clothes. His breakneck momentum left him kneeling, and the electrical filaments that jumped from his eyes had them glowing a bright blue. As he stepped out of the crater, he folded his arms at the sight of the prone Mesmer. “Aeoldyn, I know you didn’t call me from the Mist Wars in order to fold over and die like that.”
Aeoldyn’s body fractured, shattering apart like glass yet drifting off into the air like paper. His voice echoed from behind the Elementalist.
“I know you’re busy, and I appreciate that you came, Na-“
“Gasmic.”
Aeoldyn smirked. “Gasmic. Right. Easier to use a nickname and harder for your enemies to catch you, but ‘Gasmic?’ Seriously? Even for a human that is a bit.. erm. Well, I can imagine the Orr jokes.”
Gasmic smirked. With his arms folded and standing so casually with two daggers belted to his pants it was easy to forget how powerful this mage really was. Gasmic was a guild leader of high renown in the Mists, and a fine fighter; so much so that if he hadn’t studied in the arts of illusions, Aeoldyn was certain he would’ve trained under Gasmic. “Yeah, keep makin’ fun, that’ll just make this all the sweeter.” The human replied.
“I hope so. I really need to clear my head.”
“Well, nothing like an Elementalist to wash away cluttered thoughts, right?”
Aeoldyn stared blankly, then drew both swords. “You fight better than you joke.”
Aeoldyn’s condescending smile greeted him. “Dear Vinesta says that I am odd for not using contractions in my speech. At least I do not wake up shouting like a grawl.” Vinesta was by Karayan’s side in an instant, taking one of his hands into her own deceptively soft hands while helping support his back while he sat up. “Are you alright?” She asked, her tone calming Karayan enough to even draw a slight smile from him. “I’m fine, I ..” A smug voice tickled the back of his thoughts “Rise to your feet with some dignity, sprout. It makes you look weak to have her supporting you like some unwashed infant.” Though he gave no outward signs of hearing the message, Kar did grunt as he pulled himself up. “It was just a little disagreement.” Though her eyes were covered, Vinesta looked concerned as she stood with him. Though her gaze seemed fixed on nothing in particular, Vinesta reached up to feel his newly acquired bandages. “A little disagreement? You fell 30 feet! Even if you fell into a portal, and out onto grass rather than stone it, was a heavy fall.” Karayan gave her a reassured smile and waved it off, “It’s nothing! I had everything under control I-“
Alright, now you are trying too hard.
Both Karayan and Vinesta paused to look at Aeoldyn.
Aeol blinked, curiously. “Oh, apologies, did I project that too loudly?” He said with no real conviction. “Well, I believe you two have ‘Whispers’ business to attend. I will make myself scarce,” He said, and gave a very polite bow to Vinesta. “My dear, even when our meetings are brief it is always a pleasure. I will be in contact.” He glanced up from his bow to throw another smug smirk at Karayan, who narrowed his eyes, and then vanished in a burst of dancing lights that left a high pitched chime echoing in the back of the minds of the other two Mesmer.
Aeoldyn stood nearly motionless out in an empty plain dotted with a few jutting stones and skinny leafless trees. He had a sword in each hand, blades pointed towards the floor, and felt the ethereal purple vines creeping from his wrists and crawling up and along the blade. These Nightmare Vines coated his sword with a toxin that, true to their name, induced nightmares so violent that it made it impossible for the afflicted to sleep. The gray clouds rolled across the sky, threatening of a coming storm, and the wind began to pick up. Aeoldyn, so lost in his thoughts, didn’t care.
“You know what I think? I think you spend 20 hours a day alone and contemplating about life since you have no friends and no one can suffer to be around you for more than five minutes at a time”
The words echoed in his mind, undeniably true.
You study and explore people’s thought processes and invent frivolous philosophies because quite frankly there’s nothing else for you to do!
He felt his grip tighten on his swords, and he inhaled sharply. Aeoldyn always found it interesting that air seemed to have an effect on emotions. People often sighed heavily when feeling down, as if breathing out their sorrows. When surprised, people would gasp as if to sublimate the shock. Laughter, an often-involuntary display of amusement, was achieved in a process eerily similar to the heavy gasps one took when trying to calm themselves from anger.
The mesmer shook his head, he was mentally distracting himself from the real problem. When Karayan had said those words to him, Aeoldyn gave in to anger and had assaulted the younger sylvari, an action that spat on so many of his own beliefs.
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
( Again continuing where I left off. If anyone read the “Mesmer vs Elementalist” piece I wrote, this is the full story from where that scene was taken from. That fight scene is edited a bit here, and is weaved directly into the story. As always thanks for the encouragement! Reading the comments brings such a huge smile to my face and a sense of proudness… which is not a real word until now. )
• Part 1
• Part 3
The soft grass always felt nice against his bare skin. The leafy blades against his face, so similar to his own epidermis, made him feel as if Mother was always just a whisper away.
“You WHAT?”
“Karayan and I came to a slight altercation”
Warm rays of light, gifts of the sun, spilled over his body. He didn’t realize, but the rows of crimson leaves that made up the “hair” on his head was slowly starting to bend and twist ever-so-slightly, presenting a wider surface area to drink the light and feeding nutrients into Karayan’s body.
“Altercation!? If I hadn’t opened that portal beneath Kar his head would’ve been split open.”
“Perhaps, but…”
“Perhaps? Aeoldyn he would’ve been killed!”
“Perhaps, but…”
“Aeoldyn!”
“O.K. fine…”
Karayan Dedria’s consciousness returned to him slowly, recounting the battle before he had fainted. He had been meditating, then met Aeoldyn, then the bar, then …
“So, I may have miscalculated slightly.”
“Slightly?”
“I … “
“Admit it, you made a mistake.”
“Erm, I would not call it exactly that. More like I overestimated the sprout.”
“Overestimating is the same as making a mistake Aeol.”
“But it sounds so much better.”
“Don’t joke! Karayan almost died because of this ‘miscalculation’ of yours. Why would you attack him like that anyway? Surely he couldn’t have said anything that agitated someone as composed as yourself into attacking him.”
“…”
Kar could hear the voices, and both of them were familiar. Aeoldyn was nearby, and that thought alone was enough to anger the younger Sylvari, but he kept his frustration in check. The other voice, the melodic tone –Vinesta’s voice- that always carried his thoughts to safe, happy place, was there reprimanding Aeoldyn. If he got to angry, Aeol would hear his thoughts and know he was awake so Karayan kept his eyes closed and listened intently, eager to hear what they had to say.
“So, that’s two mistakes you made.”
“I was not keeping score.”
“… Aeoldyn.”
Karayan could hear an exasperated sigh coming from Aeoldyn. “Fine, yes. I allowed myself to assume that Karayan Dedria was competent enough to cover his teleports under the cloak of a stealthing spell, or even enact an illusionary decoy to throw off his location. When I chased him, I had assumed it was another fabrication of Karayan I had appeared infront of, so I destroyed it.” Aeoldyn explained, nervously running his hands across his thorny ‘hair.’ “As it turns out, I was … wrong.” Aeol made the word ‘wrong’ sound more like a noise someone made when throwing up. “Karayan is not competent. For a Mesmer whose fighting style is based off of running and hiding, he is a sub-par escapist against any decent opponent.”
Again, that flash of anger reverberated through Karayan. Again, he tried to hide it.
“Aeoldyn. First of all, Karayan is a Whispers agent and espionage is his specialty, not combat. Secondly, did you know that you’re terrible at lying to your friends?”
“Yes. That is why I do not collect any.”
“So just admit that Kar-“
Aeoldyn clapped his hands and smiled, cutting Vinesta off. “Oh, look at that! Our sprout has bloomed from the confines of his shattered consciousness.” Karayan felt a sudden knife-like pain in his head, as if someone suddenly jabbed needles into his ears, throat, and eyes. He shot up into a sitting position with a startled yell. “Gah!”
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
Ty! =D part two coming today, actually.
The thing is, these are the common thoughts/misconceptions about boonshare builds.
Mesmers being pigeonholed currently is pretty true, but at the same time it’s builds that go OUTSIDE of the box that open up new diversity for the class. Lockdown builds are a perfect example: before they became meta no one would’ve really thought to run one because of the same reasons. “Another class can do it better” or “Mesmer just aren’t good at it” I argue that we can boonshare as good as other classes and better than most. The classes that match our boonsharing offer different boons under different conditions, and we don’t compete with that; we compliment it.
I didn’t wanna respond to the above replies until I had more practice with the build in pvp and could give an honest assessment rather than speculate on what the build could be, and I can happily say that the results have been surprisingly positive.
It isn’t difficult to share boons at all, and it doesn’t even require a team that’s all that organized. The burden ends up almost entirely on the boonshare Mesmer, but the playstyle is surprisingly smooth. I run CI in the build because CI makes it significantly easier for me to do damage with my phantasms (warlock and warden) and I did try BD, Disillusionment made the build feel cumbersome and clunky.
The playstyle is similar to a standard lockdown build, just with increased emphasis on sticking closer to allies. It’s unique in that each ally now is not only a potential source of damage, but of boons. Guardians are my best friends, Engineers, Eles, and some Rangers are big help, and the other classes don’t really give boons that frequently.
That’s all from a PvP perspective, PvE-wise I would go a significantly more damage-focused route since it’s easier to share boons in clustered/organized parties if it’s necessary.
All in all, I think there is some true potential here. The build works well in hotjoin and solo/team queue and is effective whether or not my group is organized. I’m hoping to work more with Warlord of Chaos to see exactly how high-level such a build can compete.
That brings up the debate of “viable vs optimal.” If you’re running a confusion build in PvE then you’re statistically doing less damage than you would in a power build.
But at the same time, is it worth it to run a meta build if you’re not enjoying yourself in the process? If doing that turn the game into work like Foosnark says, then what’s the point? I think in the end how ‘viable’ a pve build is comes down to how smooth and wipe-free the run goes.
Other thing about this discussion that’s important to consider is the build/traits being used. For example, sword off-hand is better to use IMO than pistol in a 4/4/6 lockdown build using CI and BI due to the pistol stun overwriting the effects of CI. Sword #4 daze orb is excellent for that type of build.
annddd blade training in adept tier ftw
@SlimChance: You have Mender’s Purity AND Harmonious Mantras and aren’t running the mantra heal? Blasphemy! (Solid looking build otherwise though)
@Raunchy: You’re right, Chaotic Dampening is reallllyy good for Chaos Storm, but I choose BI because it gives me more of a benefit for multiple skills. Since I usually grab a Focus, BI can easily proc me 10+ stacks of might plus some useful boons like Protection/Fury/Vigor, and as a result it’s too hard for me to drop that just to put Chaos Storm on a lower cooldown. While it also affects the other skills, I don’t think the reduction is profound enough to really warrant the change besides C-storm.
Unfortunately Diversion won’t strip the stab AND daze them. Your best bet would be to chain daze (sending 2 or 3 clones at different distances to shatter via Diversion) or to F3 shatter two clones at once on the opponent.
Personally, I make Cry of Frustration my boon-strip shatter of choice, and don’t forget sword autoattack also strips boons.
Technically.. since Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod, wouldn’t that make him an engineer? =P
Also, this article reminds me as to why I feel like one of the most underestimated human resources is our imagination. Imagination guides our focus, our ambition, and even our ability to learn and remember. People often underestimate “imagination” as being only for games and children, but our ability to imagine things has helped us overcome massive obstacles, invent amazing technology, and apparently even cure diseases through sheer willpower.
The one thing I think most schools fail to teach is how to properly utilize this.
All of this talking down on the sword! Eff you guys!
The sword has a couple of advantages over the pistol and other offhands:
The trick to using offhand sword effectively is mastering that counter. It’s difficult and often best saved for AoEs or telegraphed attacks (or when you can distortion to cover it) but it’ll make all the difference.
The pistol’s stun is good for sure, but it’s single target (though it can bounce to daze a second target) and on a much higher cooldown than the swords multi-target daze.
Bumping cuz its Mesmer Month! (The birth month of Dr Mesmer)
.. and the perfect month for the BoTM /nudge /nudge@keenlam
Everyone and their momma is human or asura. If you wanna be somewhat rarer and unique (and turn into awesome animals) go norn
I don’t think boons really count as CC, as much as CC could count as support. I also feel like Mesmer have quite a bit of CC, but it’s spread across different weapons in a way that can make it difficult to build around.
Take warrior’s for example: Mace-Shield / Hammer warriors gain 6 different forms of hard CC just from their weapon/class skills while doing nutty damage in the process.
Mesmer on the other hand: Sword/Sword – Scepter/Focus offers 3 forms of hard CC, 2 soft CC and without the warrior’s insane damage.
I think that Mesmer need more interesting forms of CC that can tie into their damage. A hard CC phantasm such as something like: “*Phantasmal Thumper: uses Warrior’s Earthshaker every 8 seconds”* (totally random idea off the top of my head)
If I could add something to the class, it’d be more hard CC and denial; Temporal Curtain is a perfect example. Traited, it cripples, reflects, AND is a strong pull. When we someday get out mainhand pistol, I’m hoping it’ll be a ranged control weapon, offering interesting double-tap like curtain, maybe some form of channeled CC, and perhaps 1s cripple on the autoattack.
A lot of awesome ideas here.
One thing I’m hoping to get changed are these ridiculous “downed” traits that I’m sure not even the Anet devs have ever used.
Both of these traits aren’t even as good as any minor on any of our traitlines. I think that the only way I’d ever consider grabbing a trait like this would be something like:
Chaotic Revival: 10% increased revive speed, summon a chaos storm when reviving.
or
Chaotic Revival: 10% revive speed, gain Chaos Armor when Reviving an ally, copy all current boons onto ally when revived.
And even THEN I’m not sure if it’d be worth it. Other things I’d like to see (though I haven’t given too much thought from a balance perspective)…
- Temporal Enchanter & Glamour Mastery merged.
- Restorative Illusions’ heal improved to how it is with iPersona
- Compounding Celerity reworked (something silly like 25% chance for 5s AoE swiftness on phantasm summon)
- Shattered Conditions moved to Master Tier
- Vengeful Images’ Retaliation duration increased to 15s
Staff is pretty much my favorite weapon, and while I agree it needs a couple buffs, I don’t think they need to be very drastic.
- WINDS OF CHAOS
WoC has essentially 0 pressure. There’s almost no situation where you’d spam the auto like you would for any other weapon (even scepter auto gets more play). The boons are often forgettable, and the damage is lackluster for a single-target ability
- PHASE RETREAT
This skill is awesome
- iWARLOCK
iWarlock’s damage is good, attack rate is good, but it’s accuracy is attrocious
- CHAOS ARMOR
Chaos Armor as a combo field is almost excellent, but as a standalone weapon skill it’s extremely lackluster.
- CHAOS STORM
Chaos Storm kinda rocks, but omg dat cooldown.
One thing I wanna comment on, Chaos Storm does pretty good damage when all six pulses hit. Not including the potential to proc Halting Strike or Fire/Air sigils, Chaos Storm hits for about more or less 700 per pulse in a zerk build, and it’s not uncommon to land 3k-4k damage.
The boons/conditions in chaos storm aren’t meant to last longer than the field’s duration. C-Storm’s Poison/Weakness/Chill/Aegis/Retaliation are meant to make it very difficult for opponents to harm you/defend themselves while you and they are inside the field, especially combined with Chaos Armor’s Protection/Swiftness/Blind/Cripple.
Will have a sketch tomorrow. =] For both characters and a short story will be 10g total
When someone asks you, “How is mesmer right now?” what do you tell them?
I hear a range of responses from “Mesmer is one of the worst classes in all parts of the game” to “Mesmer is OP” my response to the question has always been a little different…
I believe that mesmer isn’t a class that’s for everyone. Some people play mesmer specifically to feel overpowered in a PU build, or just because their team is lacking one. But to me, the mesmer’s effectiveness depends on the creativity and skill of the player. Our abilities aren’t straightforward, our role isn’t clear-cut, and there’s so many ways to play the class effectively that different builds feel like entirely new playstyles.
I’m not someone who min/maxes and I don’t have any ambition to go into top level PvP (er.. anymore). This isn’t because of any lack of confidence in my abilities, but because I find more enjoyment in the journey, rather than the destination. I enjoy trying strange builds, wierd traits, and unusual skills. I can play an effective shatter, condition, boonshare, lockdown, glamour builds and anything inbetween and still be a large asset to my group. I was playing a lockdown Mesmer before it became “meta” and will continue to play one now that the hype train has passed because it’s one of my favorite builds.. I say all of this to emphasis that I do not believe in letting other people dictate how I should play.
I am not a leech for not running a min/maxed build. I am not bad for running a non-meta spec in pvp. I am me, and I cater to my own sensibilities. I believe that that is what makes me a good player. The fact that I’m willing to do my own research and not simply agree when someone says “this is bad.” Sure, once in a while I’ll fold to Pyro’s unyielding logic, but not everything can be proven with math and theory. Some things you just have to feel out and see how well you do with it. Osicat runs PU now even though some people say it’s bad, or doesn’t work for roaming, ect. He runs it because it’s what he enjoys and suits his goals the best. I’ve been stomped out by a full-signet Mesmer. Hell, for a while I was talking crap about how Guardians can’t beat Mesmer and then got my shiz pushed in by a spirit guard. (Sigh =[)
Helseth has an awesome title for one of his insanely sick videos “Mesmer isn’t viable, I am.” , and I agree wholeheartedly: The class and build you play don’t determine your skill level. Your intelligence and reflexes do. Of course there are badly made builds, but that doesn’t mean the concept or player behind them are bad. What is “the best” for everyone may not be the best for you… It all comes down to arrogence and humility: If my goal is insane PvE damage I’m not going to arrogantly claim Shatter is the best when I’ve never even tried a Phantasm build, especially when someone who has done the research is telling me otherwise. If I want to join a competitive tPvP team I’m going to make sure my role doesn’t conflict with someone elses (IE not running a support build when there’s already a support player and my team is lacking damage). It all comes down to keeping an open mind about your abilities and limitations.
If nothing else, remember that no matter what you do people are going to judge you for good or for ill, but no one can live your life. Be smart, be creative, be open minded with your Mesmer and you’ll find a way to succeed.
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
CI = Chaotic Interruption ( Interrupted foes are Immobilized + Blind/Cripple/Chill)
CD = Chaotic Dampening ( Gain toughness with staff equipped & reduce cooldowns by 20%)
A lot of people who spectate my weird 0/4/6/4/0 build often ask me why I choose Chaotic Interruption despite not necessarily considering it a lockdown build. I’ve fallen into the habit of almost always traiting CI whenever I grab Staff and Focus because in my opinion it offers a better benefit to both weapons.
CHAOS STORM
The majority of staff’s damage comes from iWarlock (4k+ dmg) , second to that is Chaos Storm (3k+ dmg). Both these skills are difficult to land on mobile opponents … or anything that has legs and a brain, really. Chaotic Interruption works very well with Chaos Storm for trapping people in it’s radius when it interrupts. Since c-storm also has a chance to proc chill, CI helps really dampen an opponent’s mobility.
iWARLOCK
… Which is why I summon Chaos Storm before I summon iWarlock. iWarlock does 10% more damage for every condition on the opponent, but also has the curse of barely ever being able to strike any enemy that has the ability to.. hell, wiggle. Not only does CI’s immobilize make it easier to for Warlock to hit, but since CI drops an instant two conditions on the opponent, it already guarantees an extra 20% damage boost.
TEMPORAL CURTAIN
This is the same reason I use CI with Focus. Temporal Curtain is an excellent CC ability, not only does it cripple but after being cast, the magic rupture lingers for about five seconds. This is very dangerous for the opponent! Many people like to cast curtain and pull instantly, but this is predictable and easy to avoid. Temporal Curtain is one of the best “mindgame” skills we have: letting it linger usually forces an opponent to waste one or both of their dodges and makes them extremely uncomfortable with using any skills with longer cast times. It’s almost always better to summon the curtain and not immediately pull. This also gives you access to a cripple field and a LIGHT combo field.
iWARDEN
But you can do all that without CI. Dealing damage iWarden is the real reason you want to use CI with Focus. A proper (summon curtain > summon warden > pull curtain before warden is fully summoned) combo can land a couple of iWarden’s 12 hits, but landing an interrupt before summoning -combined with swords Illusionary Leap- can immobilize an opponent long enough for nearly all of Warden’s attacks to hit, while at the same time giving you an opening for a blurred frenzy or full sword autoattack from inside the Phantasm (and thus safe from projectiles)
These are just a couple examples of why I enjoy using CI even when I’m not running Mantra of Distraction or Halting Strike. Saving people from Stomps/Preventing rezzes and random immobilizes are all well and good in teamfights too, has anyone else come up with other creative ways of using this excellent trait?
When you log in and reply from your cellphone just to avoid socializing with the lames you’re surrounded by.
Ty and sure! And since you’re the first (and possibly only one) interested, 5gs for pic + story =P
Keep in mind its better to give a quick vote and small reason why rather than large paragraphs to make it easier for the devs to read through the thread.
Quick note: Phantasms only benefot from might on the Mesmer.
Ive used altruism runes with MoRecovery to grant instant fury to phants. They dont need vigor or swiftness, retal and protection are the tricky ones.. (sorry for typos. Cellphone)
“Please, Sprout, spare me the theatrics.” Aeoldyn, swords in hand, shrugged helplessly before his body seemed to suddenly burst in a shower of sparks and dancing purple lights. The crowd gasped in unison as one Karayan lurched forward when a sword burst out from his chest, the others soon followed as an image of Aeoldyn appeared behind each image of Karayan and backstabbed them. All of the illusions faded as one, yet neither of the two Sylvari remained. One patron, who had voted for Aeoldyn, scratched his head. “So.. erm. Does that mean I won? My plant killed yours.” Another, whom placed is coin on Karayan protested. “Oh yeah? So where is he? Ye ain’t getting’ an ounce o’me coin till I see some proof.” Tensions began to run high in the bar as people, already inebriated with drink, began to dispute payment over the brief fight. “Preposterous!“ One Asura shouted. “It’s painfully evident that-“
KSSHHING! In a high-piched chime and flash the two combatants appeared in the middle of the ring of bystanders. Aeoldyn’s blade flashed for Karayan’s skull, creasing the scalp of a shattering illusion. Karayan appeared on the bar stand, firing a crackling bolt of unstable purple energy into Aeoldyn’s chest and causing him to burst into flames. Like Kar, Aeoldyn shattered into a burst of magical energy, leaving only the younger Sylvari in the makeshift “arena”.
Karayan looked around, relying more on his sense of touch to “feel” Aeoldyn’s magical energy than to actually see the rival Mesmer. He kept one hand firmly grasped on his staff and his eyes darted to-and from, knowing Aeoldyn could strike at him from all sides, could even attack Kar in his mind. Several long seconds went by, an eternity in a fight, yet Karayan could see nothing unusual. Everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
It wasn’t long before Karayan found out why, and his eyes widened. Everyone in the bar spoke at the exact same time, “You continue to impress, Sprout.” Their faces were blank and impassive, though some Asura seemed to be twitching and squirming at the sudden mental intrusion. Kar noticed how their eyes were glowing a soft purple and he could feel the emanations of Aeoldyn’s magic radiating from them. The elder mesmer had possessed everyone in the bar!
“But you have made a critical error in fighting me in a place with so many vulnerable minds.” One Asura spoke, drawing an angular pistol from his belt and quickly firing it at Karayan. The bullet passed through him harmlessly, and the image of the Mesmer fell apart like shattered glass. Kar reappeared on the roof, panting more from the shock and disgust of seeing a mesmer abuse their power so callously than from the exhaustion he was starting to feel. “Those people have no part in this!” Kar screamed mentally, knowing that Aeoldyn could hear him wherever he was. He received no response beyond a sudden and rapid thumping noise coming from below him. It started faint, but rapidly got louder and louder; the thunderous footfalls of a charging Norn. Kar gritted his teeth and braced himself, fully prepared for raging Norn to come blasting up to the rooftop to attack him. He gripped his staff tighter, focusing his magic through it, as he listened intently until the footsteps sounded right beneath him. The Norn shouted a warcry, Kar narrowed his eyes.
Without warning a sword flashed down from behind Karayan, slicing a gash into his side. Kar stifled a yelp as he vanished, hearing Aeoldyn’s laughter echo behind him. When the Kar reappeared, now standing atop of the iconic lion statue in the middle of the always-busy town square, Aeoldyn was right in front of him. Aeol’s swords flourished through defensive ‘figure-eight’ loops as he approached the younger Sylvari, finally lashing out with a straightforward thrust that forced Kar to tuck his hips in and hopped back. The second blade swung horizontally over the first, aimed to swipe across Karayan’s eyes and Kar’s only defense was to lean as far back as he could. Their gaze locked for a moment, Aeoldyn’s eyes flashed purple as he suddenly violently bombarded Karayan with a serious of discordant mental images and emotions, and Karayan’s world went spinning. It was only for a moment, but he could not think straight and could not regain his balance. For that instant he could taste sounds, hear scents, and visualize vibrations as if all his senses had been criss-crossed. With a simple kick to the chest, Aeoldyn knocked the dazed Karayan off of the statue and sent him plummeting head-first towards the ground. Kar scrambled to try and clear his thoughts, to try and focus before he hit the ground. His mind was already beginning to fight the effects of Aeoldyn’s assault, and the young mesmer refused to give in to panic. As the haze in his thoughts began to fade he started to whisper the beginnings of a spell.
…But he hit the ground first, and his world went black.
“Um.. What?” Karayan barely heard the words. For the briefest moment he had felt an odd sensation, sadness? Anger? He knew for a fact it wasn’t his own.
Aeoldyn’s blades –two ornate longswords – flashed into his hands, right in the middle of the bar! Karayan could see thin violet vines begin to creep from the swords’ crosspiece, up into the blade, and down to Aeoldyn’s hands; burrowing into his wrists. Aeoldyn didn’t look angry –he rarely ever did– but he did stand from his stool with his blades drawn. Other patrons spewed complaints back and forth, Aeoldyn ignored calls like “Hey shrubs! Take yer squabblin’ elsewhere!” and “By the gods can I not go a single day without someone getting into a fight?” while he slowly raised one sword to point it at Karayan. “Back up your words with action or take better care when you speak them.” Karayan, though he was in no mood for a fight, had one hand behind his back ready to draw his staff. “Aeoldyn be reasonable, I do not want to fight you.”
“Oh, so not only are you weak minded, but a coward as well? Vinesta would be proud.”
Kar narrowed his eyes. “You know very well that’s not the case. It’s just-“
“Just what, Karayan Dedria? So desperate to pretend to be human that you have adopted a surname. For what? Do you plan to sire a lineage?”
Karayan narrowed his eyes.
“I told you that nothing good would come of you trying to couple with a human,” If Karayan could blush, he would’ve at the ambient chuckles he heard from the bystanders. “Do you think she wants to be with an infant –by human standards– with no experience in the real world? Whom she cannot even have a child with? You are a pet to her, Sprout. A curiosity project, loyal and needing attention like any puppy or kitten but absurd to try and love like one of her own kind. You-”
The younger Sylvari had enough. “Just.. Just shut up.” Kar growled through gritted teeth.
“And what did I tell you about mental defenses, boy? Your mind is an open book to me again.” Aeoldyn’s superior grin had returned, and he spun to face the circle of people now crowding around the two combatants. The bartender had moved away from behind the bar and was walking around, taking this opportunity to encourage bets and pass around drinks. Sure fighting in Lions Arch was illegal, but it brought great publicity. “Shall I tell these people about your dream? About how your entire life is based around a human that does not even share your devotion to her? About ho- .. Oh my.”
Aeoldyn wasn’t sure when it happened, and neither did the audience, but suddenly there were five Karayan Dedria before him. Mesmer magic had a habit of manipulating the weave between time and space but it often took years of practice and experience to be able to cast so quickly, there was only one other person whom he knew could augment their illusion magic via raw emotion: Vinesta.
“Well, that is moderately impressive.” Aeoldyn congratulated, but if any of the Karayan could hear him they gave no sign. As one they had all drawn their staves and as one the all pointed their open palms ominously towards Aeoldyn, threatening to loose bolts of shredding chaotic energy into his body. “One last chance.” Karayan warned. “Stand down.”
Left alone, Aeoldyn’s condescending smile slowly melted. Had his lesson been taught? He had come to warn Karayan about keeping his mind properly guarded from other mesmer. Aeol spoke about Kar and Vinesta in order to spark the anger in him that would allow Aeoldyn entry into his head but… Maybe there were better ways to get his point across. If he had only succeeded in dampening Karayan’s mood without actually teaching his fellow mesmer anything, then that wouldn’t do at all. Aeol knew that Kar didn’t want to see him, but maybe it didn’t have to be Aeoldyn that taught the lesson…
—-
Lions Arch was a smorgasbord of different cultures, ideas, and beliefs. It was a loud and busy place where everyone hustled and shuffled past eachother with some sort of agenda. Aeoldyn hated loud, crowded places and that was exactly why Karayan had come here. He didn’t mind the noise or the crowd much, because here he wasn’t some strange curiosity or inferior to anyone else. Here he was just one of many, another spice in the big melting pot of the city. He was sitting in a tented outdoor bar, sipping a glass of “water” (Water from the Grove and water from here were so different in quality that Kar had a hard time even calling it the same drink.) and amusing himself by watching the passerbys go on about their lives. A fight had broken out between a pair of Skritt and a Hylek and instead of stopping it, most people were placing bets and passing drinks, elsewhere a promiscuous human wearing far too much makeup and far too little clothes offered suggestive questions to any norn or human that passed her by, and then of course there was Vinesta approaching him from the west looking every bit as glorious as he always-
Wait. Vinesta?
Kar’s grip tightened on his glass at her approach, and he alternated from looking at her to his drink with a slightly awkward smile on his face. Vinesta glided up right beside Kar and took the seat next to him, giving a smile and a nod. “Well met Kar, I didn’t expect to find you here today.” The Sylvari sat just a little bit straighter, nodding at her. “And yourself,” Reflexively his eyes roamed her body, and as usual she was fantastic. The velvet red wraps around her eyes may have smothered her powers at one point but did nothing to conceal her beautiful face, with soft skin devoid of any noticeable flaws. Her straight brown hair flowed down past her shoulders, stopping at her shoulderblades. Like most scholars, she wore robes but hers were form-fitting yet comfortable and flexible. Whenever they were close, Karayan would remember a soothing melody in the back of his mind –the same song from his dream- that reminded him just why this particular human was so precious to him. He always had a hard time speaking to her, so captivated was he in her presence, but just sharing a drink with her was more than enough to brighten his day. When the bartender came Vinesta also ordered water, and turned to glance at Kar. “What brings you out to Lions Arch?” Kar paused before responding.
Vinesta was blind, she almost never looked directly at his face like that. And water? Humans preferred wine at a bar, and there was a certain brand Vinesta always asked for. Frustration began to well inside of Karayan, but instead of showing it he simply sipped his glass and stared at Vin. “What do you want from me, Aeoldyn? Isn’t it beneath you to play childish tricks for the sake of amusement.” His lips hadn’t moved, but he projected his thoughts as loudly as he could. Vin also didn’t move beyond sipping her glass, and stared right back at Karayan. “Ooh, clever Sprout. I even went so far as to project Vinesta’s song into your mind and you still discovered me. Maybe there’s hope for you after all. I do not want anything but to enlighten you, I-” Karayan Dedria had enough. He cut Aeoldyn off, “You know what I think? I think you spend 20 hours a day alone and contemplating about life since you have no friends and no one can suffer to be around you for more than five minutes at a time. You study and explore people’s thought processes and invent frivolous philosophies because quite frankly there’s nothing else for you to do! You were the one who told Vinesta, who then told me, that our lives are defined by the connections we make but you don’t really have many connections do you?” They sat there staring for quite some time, locked in a mental debate, somewhere along the way Aeoldyn’s illusion of Vinesta had faded. The elder Sylvari’s facial expression did not shift in the slightest, it seemed to Kar as if he was frozen with his face locked in his customary inquisitive stare. Several tense seconds of silence yet again passed before Aeoldyn finally replied in a deadly calm voice.
“… I do not appreciate disrespect. Draw your weapon.”
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
Karayan kept his tone respectful, but it was plenty clear he was not pleased with being disturbed; especially with such negative news. “Aeoldyn, it’s good to see you.” Aeoldyn’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed a bit, as a knowing grin tugged at his lips. Several awkward seconds of silence passed without him giving a response, Kar nervously glanced around and ran a hand through his crimson Mohawk-styled “hair” while waiting before Aeol finally responded. “Sorry. I was waiting for the pointless formalities to be over with. Anyway, as I was saying, it is obvious that you’re smitten with her –which, by the way, is terrible that a mesmer is so transparent about their emotions– but you do know that nothing good could ever come from such a coupling.” A soft red glow flushed from Karayan’s cheekbones. He wanted to shout at Aeoldyn that his personal contemplations were none of his business, but a more important question stopped him. “… How do you know that?” He asked, keeping his expression impassive despite the impulse to punch the smug sylvari in the face. Aeol’s condescending smirk widened just a bit more; he was always happy to explain his thought-process to fools. “You mean besides the obvious visual cues? And the way your tone subtly shifts when you speak with her? Why, I pulled the knowledge straight from your mind of course.” Kar hadn’t meant to ask how Aeoldyn knew about his feelings for Vinesta as much as how he knew nothing good could come from his relationship, but that last sentence had him rocking back on his heels. “You.. You what? You invaded my thoughts?” Aeoldyn responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. “People like to pretend their thoughts are private, but all prominent races are creatures of art. We want to be understood, thus the body language and shift in vocal tone when trying to make a point. The more emotional we become, the harder it is to conceal our thoughts,” he shrugged, “and young sprouts like you are just filled to the brim with emotions.”
Karayan didn’t quite know what to say, he felt… “Like right now! Perfect example.” Aeoldyn beamed, “You are feeling stunned, invaded, and more than a little outraged. Who does he think he is to just waltz into my thoughts? Can all mesmer do that? Wow! He’s speaking my thoughts moments as I think them, this guy is such a… ” Aeoldyn paused, staring right into Kar’s annoyed eyes. “Oh, that is a very rude word.” Karayan had come to this little refuge for peace of mind and wasn’t quite in the mood for any kind of argument, either physical or verbal. He blew a long sigh as he stood up; looking at Aeoldyn with eyes that perfectly reflected how tired he was of this conversation. “Well, thank you for that,” he said, every word dripped sarcasm. “My life is that much brighter due to your delightful insight.” He turned his back to the purple Sylvari and walked to the edge of the giant leaf he had been perched on, staring down at the 100 foot drop. Kar knew that Aeoldyn knew he was thinking about Vinesta, and that just made him want to get away from his “elder” that much more. Without glancing back to Aeol, Karayan vanished in a sudden burst of purple flames.
( Hey guys, this is the proised full story that I pulled the “Mesmer vs Elementalist” segment from. As always thanks for all the support! Its because of y’all that I really believe I could actually make it as a writer, and that revelation has both boosted my confidence and altered my goals for the future! The story starts off a bit slow, I’ve been told, but picks up once the violence starts. =P Apologies for formatting errors )
• Part 2
• Part 3
“Is it difficult? To love someone that you cannot be with?”
Those words, and the condescending tone in which they were spoken, stirred Karayan Dedria from his meditations. The red-and-purple sylvari was sitting perched on a particularly strong leaf on a particularly massive tree in the Caledon Forest. Unlike most sylvari, Karayan had developed a bit peculiarly; after being born into the world, he began to grow six uncommon wing-like appendages (similar to the seeds of a maple leaf) on his back. Large iridescent leaves had grown across his entire frame from his chest to his legs to give him a sort of “robed” appearance, perhaps suggesting that it was always his destiny to become a mage. This was one of his favorite spots in the woodland because of the stunning view it gave of the entire forest, and because of how difficult it was to reach. It made him feel unique, empowered, and most of all independent. Just like…
“Vinesta. I am speaking about your favored human of course, Sprout.”
It was a familiar voice, one that always carried an air of haughtiness and superiority. Kar inhaled deeply to sublimate the impulsive frustration building in him and turned his head to offer a slight smile to Aeoldyn, a fellow Sylvari, mentor, and … friend? Not quite. The purple-skinned Aeoldyn had no desire or use for friends -a fact that he seemed to repeat often- and with his blunt, straightforward personality he was a very hard person to like. Aeol had also developed a differently compared to most sylvari; he had no leaf-like hair as much as rows of sharp poison-tipped thorns on his head, his vibrant purple skin was highlighted with a cool cerulean bioluminescent glow in stripes on his chiseled face, backlit his eyes, and emanated from various spots on his body. His eyebrows and chin seemed to branch just a bit off his face, and his ears came up in a fey-like point. His body seemed sculpted in the proportions of a warrior, with a solid, almost-muscular chest (as muscular as a leaf-skinned slender species got), and chiseled arms. The leaf formation on his forearms had shaped into what looked like gauntlets, and the stem that made up his spine sprouted three hardened, curving leaves that wrapped around his shoulders like guards. Aeoldyn walked and talked as if he was always the smartest person wherever he was, and had an insatiable fascination with how sentient minds worked and the connection between choice and emotion. It was that very same curiosity that fueled Aeol’s vicious mental experiments and studies on what he dubbed the “races of lesser importance,” which included Skritt, Quaggan, Ogres, and Human.
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
It’s been over a year since I had published the Chaos Maestro build and in that time I’ve become soo much more experienced since then. Taking the experience I’ve gained from dabbling with nearly every type of Mesmer, I wanted to revisit the original concept that I first championed: boonshare!
For those who don’t know about Mesmer’s boonsharing capabilities, Alissah created a great general overview of how to manipulate Signet of Inspiration for your party which can be seen by clicking here.
There’s been a number of fantastic boonshare builds released, my favorites include (some slightly outdated):
- Zumi’s Phantasmal Boons
- Sensotix’s Bountiful Interruption tPvP Build
- Arganthium’s LSD
- Azo’s GvG Inspiration build that I can’t find the link for currently. x.x
Right now I’m currently working on an sPvP variant of the Chaos Maestro (which is less of a concrete build and more of a sample of how to put together a Mesmer support build. Shoutouts to AsteriskCGY.5931 for championing it! ) which so far is looking like this:
Sword/Focus – Staff Blink / Null Field / Signet of Inspiration
The thing I’m liking about this build so far is that you don’t need signet to share a lot of boons. You can grant Regen, Swiftness, Might, Fury, Retaliation, Vigor and Aegis via Runes and weapon skills all without needing the signet, allowing you flexibility in your utility choices.
So far I’ve been having a blast, but there’s quite a bit to learn (& remember x.x) with this unique playstyle. Such as:
Has anyone else recently been running a boonshare build? If so, what’s your experience been?
Ty! keenlam!
And to those whom I e-mailed the final version to.. I found atleast 3 errors after I sent it. x_x Gah, Ima try to put it up in parts in the fan-gen section though.
@Neurophen: You’re right DE is more for my personal preference (for chain-dazes mostly.) but definitely isn’t required, Phantasmal Fury on the other hand is a big help with multi-hitting phantasms like warden or something that attacks as rapidly as Swordsman.
@Amethyst: This is true, and another reason I grab Blade Training. Double cooldown iCounter, swordsman, and leap!
My vote goes for number 4 “Make this a channeled skill that pulses AOE damage and boon removal while you hold the sword in the ground.”
This would be extremely interesting and give Mesmer some much needed AoE damage in a way that can be used creatively rather than “spam skill & forget”.
Is it viable to go staff + gs with an interruption build? :s
Staff / GS most definitely works in most lockdown builds, especially the standard 4/4/6
It seems to happen the most on teleports though, for Mesmers, Thieves, Necros, Guardians, & Eles.
The fastest way to break out is to type /no
It depends. What build do you run?
I love the Chaos line, and not just I’m a narcissist.
Bountiful Interruption is a bigger personal boost for damage/defense ASSUMING you’re running Staff, offhand sword, Focus or Greatsword for AoE interrupts and fighting 4+ opponents.
Debilitating is better for smaller/closer engagements, specifically when you’re being focused on by melee opponents.
If I had to choose only one, I’d give it to Bountiful… but that’s because I run focus & staff.
Looks pretty good, but you’d probably get more mileage out of Debilitating Dissipation (Chaos V) over Illusionary Defense… Also you have Chaotic Dampening with no staff. o_O Was that supposed to be Bountiful Interruption? (VIII)
@sendmark: I reallyyy wanna get the chance to talk to Misha, I’ve seen some of their vids and I love interesting out-of-the-norm builds.
@Quadox: Sigils of Paralyzation are bugged and don’t work with Runes of the Mesmer or Confounding Suggestions. =[ Otherwise they’d rock and I’d revisit 6/4/4.
@Neurophen: They’re both good options, but I tend to lean towards Bountiful for a couple reasons: Protection, Fury, Swiftness, 5x Might and no ICD, I feel like Bountiful works better if you have a Focus in your build along with the staff, but Chaotic Dampening is still excellent and you can immediately notice a playstyle difference with and without Chaotic. I miss my low cooldown C-storms but I’m addicted to Bountiful. =[
Whoops, I thought I had that on the list. I handle opponents with strong AoE pressure with range, honestly. iSwordsman attacks from midrange and iWarlock/iDisenchanter from far.
It’s obviously not as cut-and-dry as that, but with Phantasms on such a low cooldown, it’s not too much of a sacrifice to shatter when I need to, or pressure with lockdown. The situation varies too often for one simple solution, it’s an adaptive playstyle, but the build isn’t as passive as a pure Phantasm build and so far hasn’t been simply a weaker version of both.
Hey guys. I was hoping to open up a discussion on Mesmers and condition damage, specifically why choose condition over power?
I have a couple of condition build ideas in mind but I’m so acclimated to using power builds that I have a hard time justifying trying them out, so I was hoping some of the condition Mesmers out there could share their experiences and give some reasons as to why they prefer running condition builds over power builds. The Prismatic Understanding (PU) trait doesn’t count for much here, as it works for both power and condition builds; though I do realize that when gearing for conditions you do stack significantly more toughness with Rabid armor.
Still.. If a condition build simply does less damage than a power build -considering cleanses, teamfights and all- for more survivability then what situations does it outshine power?
Hey dude, are you on US or EU? Anddd are ya in [OMFG]? I’d happily meet up with ya in-game and try to help out. I’m a bit too pressed for time for a lengthy write-up.
Edit: Also, take the points from Illusions and 5 from Dueling and throw them into Dom for a traited torch and Crippling Dissipation.
As for using a PU condition-build, you may be running in to problems because a lot of people have learned how to fight PU Mesmer atleast semi-decently. Many know your weaknesses and strengths and will use them against you.
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
Ironically, the day you bumped this is the same day I finished up the entire story. I’m working through final edits/changes now and will be sending it out to those who requested.
I did NOT expect it to come out to 25+ pages. o_O It’ll be posted in the fanfic forum though.
(edited by Chaos Archangel.5071)
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