(edited by Embolism.8106)
You are regrettably correct. It appears base stats like Precision transfer but not derived stats like CritChance, which is what Fury increases. Tested it by getting 80% base critical chance and Staff Clones still don’t crit occasionally with Fury.
Why you would run any interrupt in PvE is beyond me. Mobs that are actually worth interrupting almost always generate Defiant. If Vulnerability is all you want then Diversion is king, there are better Utilities to take.
Concentration is almost completely useless outside of very specific situations like knockback JP traps or whatever.
Well of course you can do Diversion too, duh, you can stack 25 vulnerablity and for champs that generate defiant, if you have time you can switch to a different Mantra/Utility but even against defiant, you may not get get the daze but you still get the vulnerability(that might be a bug, but at least for once it’s in our favor).
I know Vulnerability on Daze works through Defiant, that’s why I said “even if all you want is the Vulnerability”. The point is Diversion is 20 stacks, or 24 stacks with Rending Shatter. Wasting a Utility slot for an extra 5 stacks (which is just one stack if you do take Rending Shatter) is, well, a waste. There are better Utilities.
Commander tag is bad in sPvP.
Why would you want to feed your enemy info? That just sets your team back.
You basically “flaunt” at expense of your team, I would get angry too.
An excellent point. Not only are you perverting the function of the Commander but you’re also dragging your team down.
The thing is, having your Commander tag out for no reason other than to “flaunt” it gives me the feeling that you’re the one who’s, in your words, “up yourself”. Too many people get the Commander tag as though it is some kind of status symbol, perverting its intended function of being a rallying point for WvW and, to a lesser extent, PvE. I hate people who do that.
Other than that I don’t care if you’re bad or whatever, we’re all new at one point.
Anet needs to change the Commander tag to actually reflect WvW competency, as opposed to having every PvE gold farmer looking to it as a “symbol if 1337 5k1ll5”.
(edited by Embolism.8106)
Flaunt your commander badge? Really? Le sigh…
The point of the Commander badge is to organise large groups of players, which only occurs in PvE and WvW. If you turn it on solely for the purpose of “flaunting” it then you instantly lose all respect from me.
That’s a Confusion burst and basically doesn’t involve Ether Bolt (nor Illusionary Counter for that matter) at all, which is the main problem with the Sceptre. Plus, how often can that burst occur compared to a Shatter burst?
Also, replace iMage with iDuelist (or possibly even iSwordsman) and that burst is far more powerful, even in a condition build. Not to mention it can be used more often.
I think Mesmer Illusions are better thought of as a combination of mind and chaos magic. So they are just figments of your imagination, but they also have enough chaos/ethereal/<insert your phlebotinum here> energy to have an effect in reality.
Given that Clones are, well, Illusions; the best they could do for is pretend to work at your desk while you slip away, And any kind of attempted interaction would likely reveal them.
And remember Clones need someone’s mind as a link, so you can’t conjure a Clone without another animal to cast it on and it likely wouldn’t be able to stray far from that animal either.
The Staff is the primary support weapon. Winds of Chaos gives your allies Might and Fury, and it is also cast by Staff Clones; and Chaos Storm is prized for its AoE Daze on enemies and AoE Aegis on allies, not to mention being an Ethereal Field on a relatively low CD (for mass Chaos Armour). Your other set should probably be Sword-Focus: the Sword provides boon-stripping through Mind Spike, which is also used by Sword Clones; and the Focus provides group Swiftness, AoE pull and when traited, Reflection.
For Utilities you definitely want to focus on Glamours. Feedback is a powerful Reflection skill that also has a chance of imbuing reflected projectiles with Confusion (being an Ethereal Field), Null Field is an AoE boon-stripper and condition-cleanser, Veil provides group stealth, and Portal… well, good use of Portal (and a coordinated group) is awesome. Plus, apart from Portal all of these are Ethereal Fields for proccing Chaos Armour.
You could also go with something like Mantra of Pain and Restorative Mantras (Inspiration 20), which gives you a relatively spammable group heal (~2,600 HP every ~5s). Signet of Inspiration can also be godly with a coordinated group, get your allies to pile boons and you and then share them with everyone.
For Elites, Mass Invisibility gives you a group stealth, and Time Warp increases the attack speed of all allies in the area by 50%.
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Illusions share all your stats except Vitality. Any on-the-fly changes to your stats, such as from boons like Might and Fury, also apply immediately to your Illusions.
Boons on you “stacks” with boons on your Illusions, so a Phantasm with Phantasmal Fury will get +40% CritChance in total when you yourself also have Fury.
If the world of GW were real I don’t think we would be as eager as we are in a game to eat each other’s faces off.
Okay so what about people like me who love the game, but live in Australia. The latency issue pretty much guarantees I’ll never win a game. It’s impossible to keep away from people if you can’t actually see where they are.
Basically most people who live outside the US but not in Europe is screwed out of that achievement/title.
I have all the other titles, but not that one.
I play from Australia and I can get Champion quite regularly. Latency is well compensated for in GW2 compared to many other games.
Half the time when I go to knock the ball from someone’s hand, they’re ten feet away a second later. I know it’s not the computer. My connection is pretty fast. I don’t have the problem in SPvP, but I definitely have it here.
Also I should mention there were quite a few australians talking about the same thing in Lion’s Arch, who have the same problem. Maybe it’s where you are in Australia but this isn’t my imagination.
I live in Brisbane and my connection is mediocre. I think what you’re experiencing are the lag spikes that plague this particular minigame, it happens to everyone. Not a latency problem.
Okay so what about people like me who love the game, but live in Australia. The latency issue pretty much guarantees I’ll never win a game. It’s impossible to keep away from people if you can’t actually see where they are.
Basically most people who live outside the US but not in Europe is screwed out of that achievement/title.
I have all the other titles, but not that one.
I play from Australia and I can get Champion quite regularly. Latency is well compensated for in GW2 compared to many other games.
Clones used to replace the oldest Illusion regardless of whether it is a Phantasm or a Clone. Now it only replaces the oldest Clone unless you have three Phantasms, in which case it replaces the oldest Phantasm. It’s already much better than it used to be.
But yes, the Sceptre is a poorly designed mess. Anet doesn’t know whether they want it to be a Power-based weapon, a condition-based weapon or some obscure Clone spamming concept; and the result is something that isn’t any of those and fulfills no role.
One thing that I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned. Illusionary Membrane is on a 15s CD, and therefore doesn’t really synergise that well with Phantasmal Healing.
Debilitating Dissipation inflicts one of three conditions: Weakness, 3xVulnerability or 3xBleeding. The first is short and therefore not particularly helpful in PvE, the second is meh and the third is more useful in a condition build. For Power builds I’d go for Illusionary Defense.
If you look at any other staff, the “head” of the staff is some distance above the shoulder. With the Fractal Staff its “head” is behind your shoulder. Also note how the end of the Fractal Staff is basically dragging along the ground.
An MoP spamming RM build could easily work within a Phantasm build, allowing you to sacrifice relatively little DPS. Healing Power doesn’t really boost RM that much, IIRC the base heal is around 2.6k and with Cleric’s it’s about 2.9k, not a huge difference.
Punishing condition cleansing really doesn’t work given how much condition cleansing that goes on is passive.
WoC’s bouncing range isn’t set, it depends on how much of its 1,200 range is left after it hit its target. You can see this easily with Clones: a Staff Clone at maximum range won’t give you boons unless you’re right on top of the target, while one in melee range can give you boons even if you’re standing quite a distance away.
There seems to be a bug with how the Fractal Staff looks on an asura’s back: it looks like it’s much lower down than it should be. Below are some screenshots comparing it to the Pact Quarterstaff:
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Pact Quarterstaff
[img]http://i.imgur.com/YFDz2j5.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/SeenDZX.jpg[/img]
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Fractal Staff
[img]http://i.imgur.com/8VNHENh.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/l6GRGpw.jpg[/img]
Why you would run any interrupt in PvE is beyond me. Mobs that are actually worth interrupting almost always generate Defiant. If Vulnerability is all you want then Diversion is king, there are better Utilities to take.
Concentration is almost completely useless outside of very specific situations like knockback JP traps or whatever.
They have no place in PvE. Individual Mantras may be useful: Mantra of Recovery is a strong heal, Mantra of Resolve is a reliable condition cleanser and Mantra of Pain works wonders with Restorative Mantras; but as a whole build? Nuh uh.
Number 2 is most likely because of Deceptive Evasion, which conjures a Clone targeting the nearest enemy instead of the enemy you are targeting.
For Number 1, I suggest that Imbued Diversion be replaced with a trait that gives Shattering Illusions Distortion and Swiftness.
It works. Only the tooltips are bugged.
A base for a Shatter build would be 10/20/0/0/30, leaving you with 10 points spare. A base for a Phantasm build would be 10/15/0/25/10, again leaving you with 10 points spare. Note this is assuming you go for Berserker stats, a.k.a. glass cannon. You could certainly switch some traits around if you want more defense at the cost of offense.
I don’t recommend investing in CondDmg with either build. If you want more offensive power you’re better off investing more in Power/Precision/CritDmg.
As for Utilities, in PvE I don’t feel like it matters much as most Mesmer Utilities are more geared for PvP anyway. Signet of Illusions is good for Shatter or Phantasm. Mirror Images is a good Utility for Shatter builds. Mimic and Feedback are good when fighting mobs that use projectile attacks. If you feel you need condition cleansing, get Mantra of Resolve, Null Field or Phantasmal Disenchanter. Phantasmal Defender is a very strong defensive skill for any build.
Personally I run with mostly racial skills in PvE.
Kicking people for using the Sceptre is a bit senseless, as the Sceptre does have a place in builds that use two off-hands (some Phantasm builds do this) or in condition builds. Either way though, the Sceptre is not used as a primary weapon.
In PvE it’s good because (as a condition Mesmer) it gives you a pseudo-AoE capability, but in PvP you really want your Clones to focus on your target and not on, say, other Clones.
The nerf to Blinding Befuddlement probably killed it deader, along with destroying the trait’s synergy with Chaos Armour.
IMO the Blinding Befuddlement nerf needs to be reverted. It is a senseless change, and they try to call it a buff by pretending they increased the Confusion duration from 1s to 4s when it was 4s to begin with.
Thanks for this information. I’m gonna try out sword/sword and see what goes down.
If you are still running a condition build then you want either Pistol or Focus. Although I don’t know, if you haven’t unlocked Sharper Images yet and invested in Precision then iDuelist or iWarden won’t be that much better than iSwordsman.
For a Shatter build your choice of off-hand is not as relevant as it is for a Phantasm build. It pretty much comes down to preference. Only the Torch should be avoided as the iMage is useless, but if you really think an extra stealth would do you good (not particularly useful in PvE) then you can still go for it.
Weapon choices for either build are quite flexible. The only weapon you definitely don’t want is the Torch, and the Sceptre should only be taken if you want to use two off-hands.
This is from a PvE point of view, in PvP matters are slightly different.
No, any +% damage has no effect on condition damage.
Empowered Illusions is a relic from Beta, when Clones actually did pretty good direct damage. Back when we actually had Clone Power builds… now it’s pretty much a second copy of Phantasmal Strength.
1. Shatter builds are more about burst damage, Phantasm builds are more about sustained damage.
2. It really depends, but generally Phantasm builds are more survivable as most of their offense is delegated to Phantasms; allowing them to focus more on defense. Shatter builds usually have to get up close and personal to deliver their maximum burst.
3. This isn’t a question, but I suspect what you’re seeing is the Phantasm/Clone’s cast time and maybe some minor graphical rendering lag. Some Phantasms (such as iDisenchanter and iDefender) have particularly long cast times.
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There is no need to decide beforehand what build you want to go for. Shatter and Phantasm builds generally use the same type of equipment (i.e. Power focused), so it’s a simple matter of respeccing traits to switch between the two.
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It’s particularly annoying when fighting other Mesmers as a Shatter or condition Mesmer. Phantasm Mesmers unfortunately don’t suffer in this regard.
Even at medium range Spatial Surge is probably as effective as Ether Bolt, more so if you can hit multiple enemies with it. As Pyro said, at close range you really should be using the Sword, which does more significantly damage and can hit multiple targets.
I use Staff Sword and Torch. The use of the Scepter has been more of an experimental newbie form of play.
As of right now my mode of attack, when soloing in pve is, start with a long range attack via the Staff. I pop Clones, Phantasms, Chaos Storm, the Shield and use Mantra of Pain during this faze. When the combat gets close, I switch to Sword and Torch and use Blurred Frenzy, followed by Prestige ( the flame blast ) and Phantasmal Mage. With that combination I’m able to get quite a few kills.
This all is coming from a level 38 perspective.
Thanks for the reply.
The torch is a horrible weapon for pve. There’s literally no situation in pve where you should be using the torch.
Put on an offhand focus/sword/pistol. The torch is useless.
Torch seems to be a viable weapon in my opinion. You’ve got Prestige that gives an AOE blast that causes damage over time. I’m running a condition damage build so that’s a plus and Phantasmal Mage has high damage output.
Any non-Utility Phantasm in a Power build deals more damage than iMage in a condition build. Even in a condition build, iDuelist and iWarden are stronger condition damage Phantasms than the iMage.
In my condition build for example: fighting a Reef Drake, iDuelist inflicts ~800 direct damage and ~2800 Bleeding damage, for a total of ~3600 damage. iMage inflicts ~250 direct damage, ~1300 Confusion damage, ~250 Retaliation damage and ~350 Bleeding damage.
With the speed at which mobs use skills and the short duration of iMage’s Confusion and Retaliation, you’re realistically going to get one proc off most mobs; but even if you’re lucky and get two procs the total damage is still ~3700 damage, slightly higher than iDuelist’s average damage: and if we’re talking about being lucky then iDuelist can inflict up to ~6600 damage. iMage also has a 50% longer CD than iDuelist.
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Some of it’s kitten inhumane. The Heart that takes you through Metrica Province, gathering Skritt for a group-intelligence test, has you beating them down when they were just minding their own business in a cave.
That’s not inhumane, nor is it cruel.
It’s rude, yes, but not inhumane. Inhumane would be like poisoning their food to see how the poison affects skritt. Roughing them a bit to get their (unwilling) cooperation then asking them a bunch of questions after they’ve healed is far from inhumane.
If a group of thugs came to your house, beat you up and dragged you away to ask a few questions, would you consider that just “rude”, or do you think it’s somewhat more serious than that…?
Consider how you would feel about that, especially if you don’t know what your captor’s intentions are and they’re wielding swords and guns (which they use to “rough you up”).
As I said in a previous thread about the exact same issue, the balance between condition damage and condition cleansing is completely off. Condition cleansing is balanced against the best condition damage professions, which makes professions that aren’t top tier in condition damage completely useless when they try to run a condition build.
This needs to be looked at. All professions have two stats and most have at least one weapon dedicated to condition damage, a condition build should therefore be viable for all professions. Not the same, mind you; but certain professions should not be completely incapable of damaging others with condition damage because of the huge discrepancy between damage and cleansing.
The one downside to that switch is you lose protection from your phantasm (33% dmg reduction)
If you’re talking about Illusionary Membrane with Phantasmal Healing, that’s on a 15s CD; so it’s hardly something you can rely on.
Skills really shouldn’t be balanced by traits though, and if Illusionary Elasticity worked with Clones it’s basically 2x DPS.
Clones and DPS don’t belong in the same sentence wherein clones denote actual DPS gain.
I have no idea what you’re trying to say.
Three Staff Clones is about half your DPS as a condition Mesmer. Illusionary Elasticity currently only affects you, so it increases your DPS by 50%. If it worked with Clones too then your DPS is increased by 100%.
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A shield with a mirror theme would work very well with the Mesmer, the problem is the Focus already sort-of has that mirror theme with Warden’s Feedback granting both its skills Reflection. Another off-hand with Reflection may be redundant.
Even at medium range Spatial Surge is probably as effective as Ether Bolt, more so if you can hit multiple enemies with it. As Pyro said, at close range you really should be using the Sword, which does more significantly damage and can hit multiple targets.
In a Power build Ether Bolt’s damage is actually not particularly weak compared to Spatial Surge. The problem is however that Spatial Surge can hit multiple enemies, and other skills the GS offers outstrips the Sceptre (plus any off-hand) in terms of damage and AoE: Mirror Blade does a lot of damage and has a very short CD, and Phantasmal Berserker deals pretty good AoE damage (iWarden’s AoE is smaller, particularly because it’s stationary; and has a tendency of being destroyed by melee mobs before it’s even halfway through its first whirl).
Ether Bolt and Ether Blast already have the same cast time as Crossfire (according to the tooltips at least), it’s Ether Clone’s doubled cast time that makes the whole chain sluggish. Halving Ether Clone’s cast time and making it inflict one stack of 2s Confusion sounds pretty good to me. Reduce direct damage if necessary.
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Skills really shouldn’t be balanced by traits though, and if Illusionary Elasticity worked with Clones it’s basically 2x DPS. If it were up to me I’d make WoC bounce twice by default (so IE only adds an ally bounce) and balance it around that.
If you take a look, every profession that uses the Sceptre uses the Focus, and vice versa. There is no such correlation between Sceptre and Torch or any other off-hand.
Vulnerability kind of makes sense on Winds of Chaos as the Staff is not just a condition damage weapon, it is also a support weapon; and while Vulnerability is not very helpful for the Staff it is helpful for allies that focus on direct damage.
It would be nice if Vulnerability (and all other % damage modifications) affects condition damage however.
I’m more interested in having Clone WoC Bleeding duration fixed first, as that is very obviously a bug.
In PvE, the slow ramp-up of damage makes WoC very inefficient at killing normal mobs. In PvP, everyone farts out condition cleansers every few seconds.
The Staff should theoretically have higher DPS than direct damage weapons: it’s (unreliable) DoT, after all. In practice however not having to wait for your damage has many advantages.
A Fan Focus main hand? Sold!
Except it seems like the Focus is meant to be a “full set” with the Sceptre, i.e. the Sceptre is the “main hand version” of the Focus. I doubt Anet would even consider a main hand Focus.
As for the skill ideas, #1 overlaps with Winds of Chaos, #2 shares many similarities with Phase Retreat, and #3, in terms of combat, is similar to Temporal Curtain.