Guild Wars 2

WELL it’s interesting. Is it a glitch/bug ?
I’ll try my healing phantasm build tonight and will see.

Hypothesis : It’s the bugged Signet of Illusion working seconds after, making it a ’’heal’’.

Advent.6193:

Now, if they could only touch up that bloody IMage . . .

Agree. iMage can’t even aim and land the bolt with a moving target.

Why ? I just don’t get why they can’t give Torch some love…
It was 2 blast, went bugged, then nerfed to one blast.

Like EasymodeX.4062 said, these people are smoking some strong stuff. GS is by far our best AoE ranged weapon and the most versatile, followed by the staff.

It makes me remember a conversation in LA map chat, some guy was saying GS mesmer suck. Then I asked him why. Turns out he said mesmer suck in general, because he doesn’t understand how we do damage. Eeeh…

I’m always trying to change of gamestyle with my mesmer (playing Sword/Torch, even with the bug), but I always go back to GS somehow. The Torch can do good burst damage on a moving/dynamic target and gamestyle.

A real tanky ? Cleric set, runes of the water, sigil of water, signet of illusion, traited hp phantasm trait, iDefender. Sword/Focus (projectile and speed boost), Scepter/Sword (2x block, ranged and mobile iSword). 10/20/10/25/5

When I’m glass canon, I just bring iDefender when I know it’s more dangerous.

Torch : Prestige with no blast finisher ? With same cooldown ? With crappy phantasm ?
Leaving the torch and never using it again for a long time I guess.

Yeah, I’m trying very hard to give some love to Torch, but the damage is just terrible.

iMage is really lacking. It only bounces twice (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Phantasmal_Mage). Illusionary Elasticity doesn’t apply.

Heinel.6548:

DavyMcB.1603:

Esplen.3940:

DavyMcB.1603:

Esplen.3940:

DavyMcB.1603:

Esplen.3940:

Eh, that’s all it really is: Fun.

It doesn’t have THAT much usability.

It’s actually does if you trait for it…. aegis/regen/protection every 4 sec is a lot. Blind lasts 5 seconds with the spam rate of 4 second. 2.3k burn every 4 second. Cure all conditions every 4 second. 2 blast finisher every 4 second. and on top of it all stealth every 4 second — suppose you’re not in combat you’re exposed only for 1 second.

If you’re using it offensively, you have to include stealth cooldown. Have you actually tried doing it every 4 seconds in combat?

Like I said.. there are more than just stealth. Detection debuff lasts for only 3 secs so yes you can do it every 4 second.

Every 7 seconds*

And again, as to everyone who’s saying this is superb, have you tried doing it yet, because we can theorycraft all we want, but our opponents aren’t going to stand still while we nuke them.

I’m doing it every 4 second and I’m doing right now. How did you come up with 7?

Are you in battle?

I can do it while running about and mostly stealthed but there’s no point.

Stealth, Burn, AoE Damage, Blast and if traited with Prismatic and Illusionary Membrane… No point ?

They will fix it, but I hope they will reduce the cooldown and buff iMage.

Bugs :

Spear #1 miss (always)
The Prestige abuse if attacking right after casting (cancels cooldown)

Moxic.5892:

It’s nice they fixed Mirror, but I had thought Mind Stab hit 5 mobs…it really needed a buff, not a nerf…

Ouch yeah I forgot the #3 GS is Mind Stab too. We will see if it is a Sword buff or GS nerf.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Mind_Stab

Thank god The Prestige and Torch is more interesting now.
Yay for Mind Stab and Mirror !

It’s bouncing to the closest ally and back to the closest ennemy. If there are nobody around its range, then it’s a single attack with no bounce.

Yes viable.

20/20/0/0/30. Put Sigil of Earth on GS. The big difference is you don’t need to facetank like the Staff. The damage you lose from Staff random burn come from your auto attacks, Mirror Blades and iZerker. It’s a little more hybrid, but you can still pump over 1.6k CD damage. You can kite better than staff (IMO). You won’t feel useless in a group fight when the boss is condition saturated. It can even work with 0/25/25/0/20, just try it with Sigil of Earth.

For solo/wandering PvE open world, traits :
20 : +15 % damage phantasm, gs trait
20 : Fury phantasm, Clones on dodge trait
30 : (as you wish, probably Master of Misdirection), Bounce trait, Recharge phantasm trait

You can use it for an another build… If you feel you want to do more support, you don’t need to respect, just change to glamour traits.

20 : (as you wish), Confusing Enchantement
20 : Fury phantasm, Clones on dodge
30 : Master of Misdirection, Dazzling Glamour, Blinding Befuddlement.

I’m torn apart between CD/Thougness/Precision (Build : Condition or Glamour) and Power/Crit/Precision (Build : Mantra or Phantasm or Shatter). Ascenced berserker backpack is so pricey…

Power/Crit/Precision is way more versatile though.

When I dungeon with my friends or guildies, I feel more usefull with Glamour traited (blind + confusion). I’m on Rabid with Undead runes. Scepter 2 blind, Torch Prestige blind, Signet of Midnight blind and of course Staff.

Most of time, my mesmer friend is here too and he’s on the Phantasm build that provides regeneration (Phantasmal Healing), defense (iDefender) and condition removal (iDesenchanter). He sometime uses Cleric with Water Runes or just Beserk.

+2 Time Warp ftw.

WoC is slow and random. Also, you need to be close and face tank the mob. If you are a Power/Crit mesmer, Chaos Storm can do some damage, but shatter is still the best for tagging.

They should just give us the Trident skills. Keep Phase Retreat and Chaos Storm, give me Siren’s Call, Ineptitude (would be perfect with confusion on blind trait) and Illusionary Whaler. FYI, Siren’s Call of clones is affected by Illusionary Elasticity and not WoC clones…

Just give us Siren’s Call, ANet.

Kanto.1659:

Personally I keep the GS for its CC. I know, GS is not known for it, but yeah. iBerzerker to cripple, knockback to stop someone from stomping a team mate or push thieves out of their shadow refuge, and two illusions on demand.

You would be surprised by the bleed stacking speed from GS clones. It’s way faster than Staff clones. Since iZerker is a whirl animation, it gives you 3-4 bleed stack as well. IMO, it’s better than staff from bleed stacking and damage overall for CD mesmer. I still keep the staff though, for Phase Retreat and Chaos Storm.

Critical Infusion and Deceptive Evasion are no brainers. I can solo most of champions.

If somehow I didn’t include these traits, I feel it really quickly. The mesmer mobility in combat is insane (I said in combat, not in running). I can’t live without 20 in dueling anymore. Also, I don’t shatter clones and phantasms when I solo a champ.

Same story as alekelpragh at Giganticus Lupicus. I was the only one alive (many times). Tips : You can blink out of its prisons. Same with Alpha CoE prisons.

Staff is better at close range, so you can get the bouncing and return it back faster. If you are not close and there are no allies around the monster, your Winds of Chaos is lost. You must be good at kiting.

It’s strange, but I use the GS for CD mesmer. Bleeding stack go up faster with GS clones. You lose Burning, but your auto attacks are more reliable than random Burn.

Xavi.6591:

You can buy exotic Rabid rings and accessories with Karma? Where?

I think it’s Dwayna temple. It’s the new update. No more overpriced Plague rings and Tortured roots.

I bought carrions, then replaced it with rabid. (CD mesmer), but it was when the game went live (first month).

Now, I just used some karma to buy me some cheap rabid rings and accessories.

Winds.3087:

Half-naked huge male norn in pink for massive psychological assault.

I’m a norn male mesmer and everyone think I am a warrior. It’s funny. Some guy once said he was scared of me because he though I was a boss in Orr (I was red with necro mask).

http://i.imgur.com/aBCS8Yu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oFgZztC.jpg

To answer the poster, asura is the best with radiation field (if you want to play CD mesmer).

OMG no nerf. I welcome the Prestige change.

Varkronn.9783:

Mark Katzbach.9084:

Hey everybody, please keep in mind that we are in the Pacific time zone and most of us just got into the office within the last hour or so.

I hate this growing laziness amongst game developers these days. As if “just got in the office” is some kind of reasonable explanation! With all these iPhonies, PadEyes and Cyborgs there is no excuse for a modern day industry worker not to be productive 24/7. Mr. Katzbach, when we say we want our patch we expect you to put down the steak sandwich you no doubt frivolously purchased during one of your luxuriously decadent “lunch breaks” and give us our patch!

Honestly, the cheek of these guys….

I’m not sure if it is sarcasm, but I’ll go anyway… Are you serious ? They are not machines, they are humans. I hate this growing view of faster productivity and forgetting about the respect of the human body.

Are you that entitled ? They are not working for your sole existence. They have lives you know. You are surely going to be a good employer.

Fact is, everyone will forget it tomorrow. Go do something more productive than whining on the forum

I though Illusionary Riposte -> Counter Blade and Illusionary Counter -> Counterspell. So now, you have to choose between blocking or shooting a bolt in a line that do no damage ?

Daroth.4285:

Press the skill button twice to cancel the block and activate the 2nd skill.

I’m mind blow… I feel so noob after so many months of wondering… Oh god !

I keep reading people saying it’s dazing/blinding and I’ve always been puzzled, because I never daze/blind when I block. Or is it working, but I don’t see the daze and blind icon ? Hope it’s not bug related to Fiery Sword skin.

I must went nut.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Counter_Blade
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Counterspell

Try it on a moving monster in PvE with lots of dodging, it will miss often. The bolt is bad like the iMage slow bolt (this one is worse).

It miss alot in PvE too when the monsters are moving. They need to make it faster.

There are no armor stat combination in karma temple vendor that look like knight or berserk. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Armor_stat_combinations

Might as well craft them, it’s cheaper and faster than gathering all the karma.

Darzinth.7960:

Just FYI critical damage does not work on phantasms.

‘’ Illusions derive their precision, power, condition damage, critical damage, armor, and healing directly from the mesmer’s attributes. Illusions do not gain any benefit from the mesmer’s vitality, condition duration or boon duration. They are neither affected by the damage of the mesmer’s equipped weapon nor by any of the various non-stat effects of weapon sigils or armor runes. ’’ (http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Illusion)

I often switch Phantasm build (20-20-0-25-5) and PowerCrit (30-30-0-0-10), I can see that PowerCrit… crit way more than Phantasm Build even if the tooltip says a little difference in damage. Actually, PowerCrit build gives more damage to Phantasm tooltip than the Phantasm build itself.

I did nearly like Simonoly, but 20/20/20/0/10. Just to get the GS mastery and more power instead.

Would put my mesmer on Signet build, IF ONLY DISTORTION REFLECTION (MASTERFUL REFLECTION) WORKED WITH BLURRED INSCRIPTION or ’’Blurred’’ frenzy for that matter. Geez, it been 6 months ANET. Would have been perfect with Sword main hand, but no, Blurred Frenzy get Invulnerability from ’’BLURR’’ <- LOL. They didn’t even bother to change the icon of Distortion from the ’’Blurr’’ effect in Blurred Frenzy tooltip.

Yeah, iWarlock is pretty good when fighting a monster with lots of condition. Only if you are traited power crit, though…

If you put 10 in Illusion, you don’t need that rune for Fury. I would suggest Water (Heal on heal) or Dwayna (Regen on heal) rune and also the bugged Signet of Illusion.

I can tank Broodmother and Champions melee with Water rune. Never tried in WvWvW with tanky heal spec.

Also, traited with +20 % hp and Signet of Illusions (even with the bug), it tanks really well. Add it with Dwayna or Water rune and Water sigil. It’s strange, I still don’t understand how it works, but I ended up with 2 defender sometimes and they are tank champion. I think it’s a 3 person chain. Party/Your damage → first Defender → second Defender.

They nerfed Mesmer to death in GW1, then tried to buff them later on. Will probably happen here… or not.

Probably phantasms. They already cried about iZerker LOS and damage before. Hence why we won’t get that ‘’good old time’’ iZerker we had.

If you were really running the real phantasm build, I would say Dwayna or Water runes so you can heal your phantasms, or just glass canon since phantasms get stats from crit damage, power and precision.

Phantasmal Haste is crap. Your phantasms hit faster, but way weaker. Since you are relying on condition, your iWarlock must do nothing as damage. If you really wanted Phantasm build, you will need :

Empowered Illusions – Illusions inflict 15% more damage.
Phantasmal Fury – Your phantasms have fury.
Phantasmal Strength – Phantasms do 15% more damage.
Persisting Images – Phantasms have 20% more health.

You won’t be stealth all the game, neither you will use all the duration (you can to get more boons). You can just use it to get a rapid buff (random, too bad if you get regen :/).

It works when you are downed and also when someone else gave you stealth (thief).

Well I’m trying to give reasons why it can be good. So yeah, shatter burst and cd bunker are still the top mesmer builds.

If you get prestige, decoy, mass invis, signet of midnight and inspiration, you get 3 buffed stealth and 3 kind of distorsion (with the shatter), with 2 conditions removal. It’s situational, you need to use it right. Signet of Inspiration and Primastic random boons can be good and bad.

If you are a melee/tank mesmer, you can just use the stealth to get Illusionary Membrane , some protection, aegis and regen with that. You get the 30 % boon duration up and more thoughness. Add this with Retaliatory Shield or Confusing Cry and iMage, you are a retaliation champ with confusion up. Think about the combination, Sword/Torch, Scepter/Sword (2x block). The Stealth is just enough to break aggro, take a little rest and come back in combat buffed.

If you traits your signets, because you will want to get all signets up for this build (Signet of Midnight and Signet of Inspiration is enough though), you get your conditions removers and also stun breaker from Signet of Midnight. You can also trait your signet to make Distortion (Instead of Retaliatory Shield).

20-20-30-0-0 build.
Utilities: Decoy (A stun breaker), Signet of Midnight and Signet of Inspiration.

If you are the staff mesmer, chaos armor and chaos storm come play with the build. You are a booner bunker.

People need to stop thinking that mesmers are all about burst damage and shatter.

I love this guy, it’s the shortest cooldown condition remover. The casting range is bugging me. Same thing for Defender, it should spawn at range and follow us.

Sword/Torch
GS
Staff

Choose what you like. S/T and GS is the best for events. Staff is also good, with Chaos Storm if you are Power oriented, but it’s a long cooldown.

Shatter the fastest possible when your phantasms finished their animations. Shatter is NOT the best for tagging events, since it’s a ONE TIME burst. When you want to tag in event, you want to make it a little more ’’durable’’. You need to mix durable and ’’shatter’’.

Chaos Storm or iZerker -> iWarden and Blurred Frenzy (The more important at the moment). Shatter. Repeat.

You need to time it right. We are not like mindless guardian #1 staff spamming.
Edit : Put MAJOR fire sigil. It’s cheap and doing the same damage as the Superior Fire Vigil, it’s just 10 % less chance.

Get the Fire Elemental Powder to help you in events. If necros, warriors, guardian and ele can put insane AoE, then why can’t you abuse as well ? http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Fire_Elemental_Powder

Shhhh… keep it quiet

10-15-0-25-20 = Full phantasm traits
I don’t really like Phantasmal Haste, since it’s in Illusions line, so I go 20-20-0-25-5 or 10-20-5-30-5 instead.

Try to spawn a clone before spawning the Phantasm. The best is iWarden for the build. I switch iSword and iWarden depending of the situation. Phantasmal Defender can be a good protector till the Signet of Illusion works (a bug).

Shatter is not all the mesmer have left, people are just copy pasting an easy and effective build, then get used to it.

But yeah, we all know it is coming.

Try Glamour mesmer. 0-0-20-20-30. Very good for dungeons, WvW and PvP.

If you want to tank, you will want sword, so 10 in Dueling.
You will want Chaos line to 30.
You may want torch, so 20 to Domination. (Prismatic Understanding and Torch skills remove condition + blind + 2 blast finisher)
You can put the 10 other points in Inspiration or Illusions.

Now, you choose your stats. Power/Vit/Thoughness ?
Or go Condition Bunker (full of boons and conditions! 0-20-30-0-20) or Glamour mesmer (full of blind and confusion! 0-0-20-20-30) if you want to support in dungeons.

If I play open PvE world for solo farm, with my tanky traits, I go 20-20-30-0-0 (the best for running from nodes to nodes). I’m mostly mantra glass canon mesmer for PvE though…

Shatter the 3. Pop mirror images. If the person is running = 5.

Norn transformation are bad. The cooldown is too long to do anything with that. Also, you are rooted (like mind stab) everytime you do a skill.