Guild Wars 2

Point blank, signet of ether is usually not best for squishy builds, but they are amazing in tanky builds that can maintain phantasms.

FLIMP.8172:

Hi All,

I’ve been playing my mesmer quite extensively lately but only in Ranked PvP and was wondering if people were interested in Ranked PvP videos?

Most mesmer videos I see are WvW so not sure if there are any interests for this. I might make one just to see what the response is but if there is anything in particular you’d like to see, please let me know

Cheers,
FLIMP

YES YES YES! You can add some editing here and there to spice things up.

BUMPING!

And maybe I’ll participate as well. <3

AlphatheWhite.9351:

What is with people and deleting their OP right after finding disagreement from the community today?

People don’t like others having receipts. X_X

+1

Or alternative instead of making it passive, just bump the healing per illusion to a more significant amount. This will give players another incentive to balance between shattering and actually keeping illusions alive.

messiah.1908:

MailMail.6534:

Will the 2s of Alacrity onto Wells be in addition to the 2 conditions removed? That would definitely make the trait highly competitive and “incentivize” using wells.

As far as I know it won’t as they state function change to the trait

alol so alls well still isn’t well that ends well. “OK” in my Paris Hilton voice

I simply want one reliable blast finisher. That’s all. Either a blast on the start of Prestige or a blast on GS3. Just something… reliable.

I’m fine with our fields being mostly ethereal. There could be a bit of diversity I guess. I like some of the ideas being brought up in this thread.

I’ll definitely be trying to check you out. I’ve gotten out of the habit of watching peeps on twitch, but when I do, I like to try to support my mesmerizing Mesmer mains.

I’ll put you down for the 4th in my calendar. I doubt I’ll be getting the money to buy the game before then. My money is tied up in vacations! >_<

argh deleted post.

Anyway, I don’t WvW. Gameplay looked good. You rekted some peeps. Music was fantastic. Keep up the good work.

Will the 2s of Alacrity onto Wells be in addition to the 2 conditions removed? That would definitely make the trait highly competitive and “incentivize” using wells.

I’ll check him out. I definitely recognize the name. Isn’t he new-ish though? I feel like I watched him when he first started his stream.

edited to add: OMG YES THAT’S HIM! He’s super cool. I remember watching him roam wvw and we’d just chit chat about Mesmer builds and I was giving him random tips. Imagine that, a scrub like me giving tips to new Mesmer players! lol Hopefully his channel has grown a bit since those days.

I feel like our blocks should block all attacks for 2 seconds. If you block an attack during that period, you simply gain its secondary effect in which you have 5s to cast instantly onto any target. Whether this is a daze+damage on Sword or a torment/blind on Scepter.

I’d feel much better about both blocks in this situation.

Some bugs should take priority over others. Glad to know that it is indeed a bug though.

VERY happy with these changes. It looks really good actually. Gravity Well is definitely competitive with Time Warp now. It’s a must have for any interrupt build now, and it’s definitely on par for what our elites should be: game changers!

My hope for HoT Chronomancer is definitely high now after seeing these changes and the way they’re balancing.

Silverkey.2078:

AlphatheWhite.9351:

MailMail.6534:

Phantasmal Fury is much better if you’re running condi.

Wut?
PF gives .2*8=1.6 bleeds above baseline.
DD (fixed) gives .33*8=2.64 bleeds above baseline.
By the math, DD gives 1 more bleed stack per volley per iDuelist, which is better than Phantasmal Fury for condi.

Add that to the fact that DD also has the recharge mechanic while PF does not, and pistol condi builds might actually be able to benefit from the pistol trait, where now they do not.

Full hybrid builds like Rampager builds might still get more out of PF, given the extra physical damage from phantasm crits.

I think he meant that he does not believe iDuelist will ever benefit from DD, so fury is better.

MailMail.6534:

At this juncture, DD works as intended as far as I’m concerned.

I didn’t “mean” anything. I explicitly expressed my opinion. lol But thanks for the math anyway.

This is easy. Pick Ineptitude. I would even pick Ineptitude over MF in a power-based shatter build. The blind on evade/block CD is based on individual targets which means you will have an increased survivability even against multiple targets at once. That alone outshines MF. Now, the confusion application is also really good here when combined with your other blind applications like Blinding Dissipation.

The cripple is OK. The AOE Diversion is pretty legit, but the cooldown on that is so long that you won’t really see its impact as often like you would with Ineptitude.

At this juncture, DD works as intended as far as I’m concerned. Phantasmal Fury is much better if you’re running condi. The 33% bleed on Magic Bullet is as good as the extra bounce providing confusion. -_-

Ross Biddle.2367:

MailMail.6534:

Ok so basically I was gonna pvp tonight but now I’m not.

Killshot Mesmer never runs into this problem.

lol You’re so right about this.

Ok so basically I was gonna pvp tonight but now I’m not.

Temporal’s Enchantment is excellent on Portal, Null Field, Medic’s Feedback and kind of ok on Feedback. It’s extremely hard to use well with Veil.

I was always under the opinion that Temporal’s Enchantment should work similarly to Master of Fragmentation in that it effects each glamour in slightly different ways according to its use in addition to 2s Resistance. For example:

• Null Field: Remove/Rip 2 boons per pulse.
• Portal: Superspeed/Quickness for 4s
• Veil: Superspeed/Quickness for 4s
• Feedback: Allies passing through Feedback will gain Mirror for 4s.

No. .
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GREAT job here friend! Always love your videos and build concepts even when we disagree on stuff. This looks like a lot of fun.

I love the use of both wells AND glamours! Some strengths/highlights that I would see in theory:

• Team Condi clearing/resistance and amazing rezzing capabilities.
• Boon sharing, including that of quickness.
• On-Demand self-sustain via shatters in case of emergencies like needing to make a stomp or getting out of stick situations.

I always feel highly handicapped without a stunbreaker. If I were playing this, I might drop the boon sharing capabilities of S. Inspiration for Blink.

edited to add: my roommate wants to know where you got the song from in your video! Also, I was proud of you during that 2v1 at the 2:50 mark!!

I think Nullfield is pretty great. I use it in all 3 of my builds. All of them happen to take Temporal Enchanter though which might explain why I favor it.

I think the 32s CD is more than justified for such a strong effect, specifically in pvp. I would definitely call it one of our stronger utilities when taken.

Why I use portal even in solo q most of the time:

• Trolling a 2v1 far. Stalling for time, leading to a 2 cap in my favor. Port back to mid to finish the mid fight…
• Leaving a discreet portal at home and being able to get back there in case someone tries to backcap you. Most of the time, no one is looking to defend home (#soloqprobz) so it might as well be you.
• Escaping a fight either 1v1 or 1vX that you know you can’t win.

I am SUCH a well-rounded Mesmer.

2 Chaos
1 Inspiration
3 Domination
1 Dueling
1 Inspiration

Nice post OP. I was wondering if the scepter trait was really worth it or not…

In terms of the “debate” here, it’s very silly to say that using Shatter has always been the best method in terms of builds for Mesmers. PvE Mesmer says hello. From a PvP perspective, let us please not forget that not too long ago clone death builds were a thing which rarely used shatters either (those builds were only decent in low-mid tier though). Bottom line is until recently, using our class mechanic has been counter-intuitive in a lot of situations, hence why we are the only profession where there are builds designed not to use it.

It goes without saying that as of right now, using our class mechanic is the most optimal way to play highly depending on your MMR and opponents.

Silverkey.2078:

But why was the bouncing beneficial then?

If you’re not familiar with the Clone Death style of game play, take a look at some of my top posts. The bouncing was beneficial, because in small scale fights (when I say this, I’m talking less than 4 opponents), the extra bounces would ensure that enemies remained debuffed in one shape or form. pDisenchanter specifically did extremely well. pMage was also fantastic when his attack actually hit as 3 stacks of confusion bouncing onto enemies actually provided a lot of pressure.

Before the lynch mob smells my blood too soon let me clarify my position: I’m not suggesting that I think these phantasms don’t need buffing. I’m simply saying that I don’t think the actual mechanic of bouncing effects is the main problem…

tobascodagama.2961:

MailMail.6534:

Clone Death builds were the perfect match for phantasms utilizing bouncing effects btw.

Is this a joke?

No. I actually used pDisenchanter in my clone death build from time to time… The point of such a build was letting clones auto attack and die without shattering them. If such a build still existed, pAvenger would be a great addition I imagine. pMage has always needed buffs. It wasn’t the bouncing effect that made it bad. It was his velocity of attack, how easy it missed and the subpar effect it gave.

I love your videos so much Chaos! <3

Chaos Archangel.5071:

… Anddd that’s about it. Yeah we have null field and feedback, even Mantra of Pain/Distraction. But that’s just the problem: these things are less practical and more situational. You only sometimes take feedback or nullfield. Shatters are dependent on clone production. Mantra of pain rarely ever gets taken. MoDistraction has kitten radius.

What you describe is a moot point considering ALL of our utilities are highly “situational” outside of Blink/Decoy. In most cases, you’re bound to be using at least one of those AOEs in which case you will get a lot of bang for your buck. I think MoD’s radius is more than efficient. Shatters being depending on clone production doesn’t make the AOE they give any less potent. This is all from a pvp perspective.

Bouncing attacks on phantasms do have a certain novelty, but there is a reason iDisenchanter is one of our worst forms of condition removal outside of a 1v1 and rarely ever gets taken. Theres a reason torch is considered to have 1.5 skills… and did you ever actually notice the alacrity iAvenger gave you? These phantasms not only have no team benefit but they don’t work more often then they do.

I think the issue is again regulated back to the fact that phantasms die so easily. These more “utility-based” phantasms are designed for bunker/support builds with high health/toughness. Novelty might indeed be the word to use here, but the issue isn’t the bouncing attacks imho. The issue is that these phantasms are meant for a certain playstyle that most Mesmers aren’t used to. pDisenchanter being looked at as singularly a condition-clearing machine is part of the problem. Again, it’s designed to fit well into a bunker/support build that clears conditions from teammates while stripping boons from enemies. This implies you don’t want to shatter often.

Clone Death builds were the perfect match for phantasms utilizing bouncing effects btw. I guess now that it’s tougher to have bunker phantasm builds, these specific phantasms might need a buff? I’m all for buffing some of the weaker bounces, but I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with the bounce effect in and of itself.

Just Cho’s opinion.

Very cool videos! I love the idea of lockdown with Chronomancer.

online.1278:

Drarnor Kunoram.5180:

online.1278:

oh common, just give me clear asnwer guys~ i just need more winrate so i need to run current’s most op class

We have: it’s D/D Celementalist. By far the strongest build in the game.

Cele Signet Necro is basically the one build that has a good shot at beating it, but that build has a host of weaknesses that other professions exploit.

it sounds like both are op in general, but i will try signet necro since i didn’t lost to dd cele ele but lost to signet necro. !

If you lose against my friend’s LB Ranger, does that make it OP too?

Silverkey.2078:

Carighan.6758:

I don’t see what the problem with bouncing attacks is?

That it is vastly inferior to AOE in number of targets and randomness. So it makes those phantasms fine in 1v1 but worse as the number increases.

This may be true, but what we have to ask ourselves from a broader perspective is this: does our AOE capabilities need to be buffed? No, because this is what our main mechanic (shatters) excels in already. Include glamours and now wells and we are in a good spot in terms of AOE capabilities.

The randomness of our bounces is something I have always enjoyed from a character design aspect as it taps into the Mesmer’s “chaotic theme”. Yes, the bounces don’t do well in 4v4s or more, but it does very well in match ups with lower numbers, and I don’t think it’s a big enough drawback that we need to look for buffs.

I don’t have an issue with these phantasms. They excel in small scale fights. The only issue is their survivability which needs to be looked at via traits.

Protected Phantasms should be changed to not be a low budget version of the Chronomancer’s version. I think it would be better giving phantasms aegi periodically or something else to buff their defense.

Deimos Tel Arin.7391:

JaeleCt.3967:

merged traits that are UP, sure. making traits baseline? no.

mesmers get 6 traits baseline, so why can’t other professions get them too?

not fair.

Use a little context, and you will quickly learn that it is indeed fair.

Velimere.7685:

Jace al Thor.6745:

This thread isn’t productive. Needs to be closed.
There’s too much misinformation being spread.

No. Even though I’m an elitist, I don’t agree with punishing people that can only play quick games and don’t have time for queues.

Simply disallow team-changing. Force players to join the team with fewest players. This will allow a short “queue time” of sorts, but it destroys the toxic team stacking and chaos that makes hotjoin completely un-fun and not a viable gaming experience for the majority.

The above suggestion would NOT apply to custom arenas.

barbie.9576:

yasss now comes the forum warriors it was good while it lasted though, guys thanks for being cool.

You’re new. I get it, but learn to have low expectations when you post here.

I guess I have to buy HoT now.

My pet has been sick, and my boyfriend is monopolizing my time, so I’m unsure if I’ll be able to get on this weekend to fight against all you chronomancers!!

I hope it’s off to a fantastic start. Everyone report back everything you find out!

I assume someone has already schooled the OP on his obvious exaggeration.

The trait is only seen as counter-intuitive with MI. I actually think it’s good for this reason:

• If you were to pop Mass Invisibility for a get away, this would actually help to protect you from further damage assuming you’re low in health. Being revealed again is an issue, but not as bad as getting downed seconds later anyway. If I can, I always try to have a blink ready for when I MI anyway.

Outside of this, the trait works fantastically well with Blink/Mirror and actually makes Arcane Thievery arguably playable when it never really was before.

+1 to a very interesting conceptual change.

Great job on this thread.

I disagree. The blur is our only way to evade while still contesting the point. Also blur is an evade so all on-evade traits still synergize.

Unless you are running Condi Shatter, contesting a point for a long period of time is pretty foolish on Mesmer unless you have ample team support or you’re running a higher sustain build. And if you have ample team support, you distorting is not a big deal.

You’re right though. We have many more on-evade traits than I realized. I don’t use Evasive Mirror or Mental Defense often, but I’m a huge fan of Ineptitude. Probably one of our best gms.

Right now, enemies can easily defy your control over gravity and just walk out unscathed. It’d be ideal if they added a large pull initially, but I can understand them wanting to stick with 2 identical pulses in which 2 pulls plus a float would be OP.

They could add pulsing cripple or chill to Gravity, and switch out the cripple on Calamity for Confusion.

I’m not surprised at all in Gravity Well getting nerfed to not have any sense of gravity. Lol There were many ways they could have balanced this elite. They took the cheap easy route. I’d take Well of Calamity (which is like the very nice MoP version of wells) over Gravity Well at this point… And this is why I haven’t pre-purchased HoT.

Well of Precognition should give distortion instead of blur. They obviously don’t want this to synergize with our other distorting traits. Shame. That being said, can you say hello to kill-shot warriors being paired with Chronomancers?! The plays with this can potentially be insane.

Well of Eternity I’d honestly prefer the self-healing be changed to pulsing. That could possibly be a great AOE healer for your team in conjunction with Mantras. Come on, they keep teasing us with supportive capabilities. I guess I won’t complain too much since we’re as supportive as we’ve ever been.

Wells look to be under-WELL-ming to me at this point overall. I was most looking forward to Gravity Well, but Time Warp outshines it by so SO much considering they do very similar things both in theory and practice. I’ll just happily continue being a glamour fanboy. See you guys during the beta! haha

serenke.4806:

The answer is simple. You will feel utterly useless as condi mesmer if the enemy team has a dd ele or a bunker guardian and you are trying to fight in fights involving those.

So if you REALLY want to use condi, pick your fights. No matter what the condi mesmers on the forums say, you will be dead weight to your team if you try to take down those heavy condi cleanse classes.

This is hyperbole. Your objective shouldn’t be to focus a DD ele/guardian in the first place. Additionally, their condi clearing does not outpace your condi output in a team fight where there is a focus target.

Yes, DD ele and bunker guardians are difficult match-ups for condi Mesmer (they’re also difficult match ups for power Mesmer. WEIRD, right?). Yes, they make the team fight a bit more challenging. No, you will not be dead weight to your team if you have the right build.

I think the beta is only open to pre-purchasers? As some may already know, I refuse to pay for HoT until I see how balancing is handled over these next few months. If I’m unsatisfied, i’ll surely be one of those people not purchasing HoT at all…

Good luck to all you peeps testing things out! Report back!

Sifu.9745:

Hi! What are pros and cons of power vs condi build in PvP and WvW? I like them both: condi Scepter/Torch + Staf and Power GS + Staf or Sw/x. I just can’t decide … Want to sit in ONE build not changing it every match lol.
I’m not yet lvl 80 btw.
And which one do you think can be more effective: PU power or PU condition build?

Our condi application gives moderate pressure at most and with Torch instead of pistol, you’ll be dishing out even less pressure while decapping your own points. The way to go if you’re doing condi in pvp is more of a condi shatter support role. I main one that uses Temporal Enchanter which has excellent sustain and team support. It’s the closest thing to a cele dd ele that I think Mesmer can get.

In terms of dps, there’s lots of builds you can do with a zerk/marauder amulet, and I mean lots. Boon share, signet shatter, PU shatter lock, pure interrupt/lockdown, etc etc. My current favorite dps build is a glamour one actually. Great zerk roamer that can support the team as well.

I don’t wvw so I’ll refrain from giving you advice there.

Bubi.5237:

MailMail.6534:

• I don’t have the numbers on this, but surely after the pistol trait is fixed 2 years from now, pistol will offer more overall dps than torch. The biggest thing you’re missing out on is the stealthing capabilities. This goes without saying, but my other suggestion is to take the pistol trait instead of DD. You’ll get more phantasms for bleeds and shatter fodder as well.

If you’re using pistol in a condi build with Dueling line, Phant.Fury is the trait you want to take. Duelist’s Discipline will give you exactly 0 Bleed stacks as it’s still bugged (tested yesterday), while the extra Fury on the phantasm will trigger the bleed-on-crit minor trait a bit more likely.
When Anet decides to fix the Pistol trait, then maybe it’ll be better, but that’s still years from now probably.

You’re right. I was simply suggesting that Pistol gives more bleeds than say… pMage. I take Duelist’s Discipline for the immense CD interrupts give.

Nomad.9764:

Thanks loads for the reply,
Since posting the build, I’ve tried it a fair bit in dueling and conquest,
I got mixed responses with being able to work really well against some professions/builds and get rekt by others necroes in particular, it doesn’t cope well against high paced/damage like shatter, but all of this may be due to my inexperience, I found the shatters at times hard to land, with them being easy to dodge so I’ll definitely try pistol, and I’ll also give a hybrid build a go

Oh yay, well I’m glad you’re practicing. Honestly, you should be able to handle the biggest burst classes pretty well since you have so much dmg mitigation throughout an engagement. This is especially the case against Mesmers. You should have most issues against Guards and Eles I think. And condition Necros aren’t really a good match up either. If you know you’re facing multiple necro/guards, you might want to switch out Ineptitude for MF which will give all of your distortions reflect.

Also, if dps Mesmers are your issue, just get in their face melee range. Even with our greatly increased survivability, they still can’t last long in melee unless they blow their shatters/blinds.

Keep at it!