Guild Wars 2

The TS explained wrong dodging even while pressing the keys (movement key I assume).

It’s user error to rotate your camera without turning your character. Be sure to use the right mouse and movement key before trying to dodge. Dodging without direction let’s you dodge backwards from where the character is technically looking, regardless of the position of the camera.

@OP
never once happens to me, except from wrong camera positioning.

What Valarauka said is true, better skip the three mantra charges. That trait has a bad location and is only used for mantra burst builds.

10/30/0/30/0 is a phantasms bunker + support build, which I also use right now. The only real issue are the last 10 points in Dueling. They are nice for prec/ crit/ bleed and vigor, but what to put in that last slot?
- Deceptive Evasion is “bad” for phantasm builds.
- Empowering Mantras doesn’t work on phantasms (need to test this again)

That pretty much leaves (I), (II), and (IV) in a grandmaster slot … Well, if I find a satisfying solution I’ll post it, but for now I use DE since I’m collecting staff kills and I used EMantras when I used GS.

But for the first two slots I can recommend either FarReaching Manipulations (I), simply for blink or BladeTraining for the sword. Since I already have 60~75% crit, I don’t think phantasm fury will change much. Maybe I’ll think differently one day. And the mantra CD trait is important for your healing mantra.

And as Valarauka said, the grandmasterslot from inspiration is the perfect place for focus trait.

@Valarauka
Mantras’ AoE abilities were not in the “rumored leaked patchnotes”, but in an official statement in this forum for the Oct 16th changes. At least for CleanMantra and StabilityMantra.

^
as I said, they run to their current target and explode there.
(for F1 ~ F3 at least)

If you transmute white stats on an exotic piece, you get white stats with exotic appearance.
But, why would you do something like this ?

1. As said, there are barely any usefull test areas. You need to visit heart of the mist golems for condition or crit testing
2. + 40% condition duration & + 15% burning duration = + 55% burning duration. Rembmer that it’s capped at + 100% and the tooltips might not display the real duration, especially the combo burning.
3. Longbow burst is a ground DoT, not a condition.
4. The game barely rounds anything. condition- and boon duration are rounded in the tooltips, but apply with “any” fractions.
   Fractions of conditions are a difficult case. Assuming you apply 2 stacks of burning without any “conditionless state”, 2x 3.5s burning = 7s burning = 7 ticks. So fractions may add up to full numbers. Additionally if there’re other tick-based effects on the target, a 3.5s burning may tick three times and may tick 4 times. So they are not lost either way.
5. Never fully trust tooltips. Read the wiki and test it yourself if necessary/ if you doubt them.
6. As explained above and in #4, burning stacks in duration. 3s burning + 4.2s burning + 1.5s burning = 8.7s burning. The white frame will be updated each new infliction.
7. If you manage to keep burning up at ~100% of the time, you don’t need to increase the duration (for burning at least). Then focus on condition damage.
   Additionally, if multiple sources cause burning (or other duration stacking conditions/ boons) on the same entity (target), the higher one ticks first. So if you party with someone with 100% burning uptime and with more condition damage than yourself, your burnings will never hurt the targets.
8. As I’ve understood, the floaters will be different any show their source (e.g. red fire numbers for burning). We’ll have to wait.
9. As said before, try to change your UI size if necessary.

Always or only when they were stealthed for a short time ?

that happens when someone activates them and doesn’t defend them.
→ the event will fail.

They’re not limited to crafting. You can get them from champs, JPs (?) and FotM as well.

They will run to their current target and explode there (right now).
I don’t see your problem.

@Carighan

1. Already in the list.
2. I’ll add it as ‘discussable’, but I never thought of it as “underpowered” kitten many players complain about it to be overpowered.
3. I forgot about it. It has great synergy with Restorative Mantra’s, but I didn’t “accept” Mimic for the same reason. While I do think the skill itsself is weak, but still not underpowered. I clearly see its damage when fighting single mobs. But I’ll add it as ‘discussable’.
4. Already in the list.
5. I thought some mesmers use it, but I’ll add it for now.

Xyonon.3987:

You guys should check something: If anyone of you got a necro, I beleve he has a Skill that applies just tons of bleeds. If you use this on an enemy, does the life bar vanish smooth or little by little? If first one is the case, then the tics are just a visual effect and the damage goes properly. If it goes (lack of english but i hope you know what i mean >.<) little by little (?) piece by piece (?) then every tic does damage and it’s not just visual.

Well, the visual things can be bypassed. Like the bleeding floaters when you stack 10+ bleedings. You don’t see them tick once a second but all the time. The client could smooth the life bar.

It could proof a tick-based system, but not proof the opposite. (proof of the devil)

Photoloss.4817:

[…]
The most reasonable explanation would be a central condition timer on each entity, activated as early as upon first entering combat, which ticks in 1-second intervals. If true leftover duration fractions would represent the probability of ticking an additional time, which would make short pulsing durations extremely unreliable but not entirely wasted.

let’s leave the details on your new thread.

Again, thanks for testing. But in this thread the + 10% boon duration were discussed, which is not (yet) in that thread. Most likely the tick counter will also affect regeneration, but that meany you need conditions on yourself to get more regeneration ticks.

Photoloss.4817:

@OP can we add scepter autoattack 1+2 to the list or is that accepted as being a roundabout recharge time on phase 3 clone generation?

Also, it might be a good idea to clearly split off mode-specific issues, for example Confusion is worthless in PvE period. As are interrupt-focused builds as anything actually worth interrupting has Defiant stacks. Meanwhile illusions are worthless in ZvZ except for Clone Death traits.

Scepter #1 is weak, but not underpowered.
But I’ll add interrupt builds/ traits for boss fights.

Xaylin.1860:

As I said: Getting 35% boon duration is important for 3s boons if you can’t reapply them. This might be no concern for Aegis because you will be hit anyway. But you should think about it when using Regeneration or Protection.

That’s why my Guardian uses 4 Giver’s armors. But well personal thing.

Elidath.5679:

Xaylin.1860:

You might take Mimic for melee block or ranged reflect. But in this area it can be replaced by many other traits and skills.

Just a reminder: mimic combo reaaally well with retaliatory shield. 4s of block gets you a lot of retaliation that no other mesmer block can rival.

That makes the trait pretty strong, not mimic itsself. And I already removed the trait.

Alissah.9281:

Veil is actually more than 2 seconds of stealth on a huge cooldown!

You can jump in the veil to reapply stealth, 4seconds.

With prismatic understanding you get 6 seconds.

Veil has infinite uses during the duration. You can potentially stealth a zerg of 5000 people (assuming you dont crash and manage to activate veil)

Assuming you get PU, 3s stealth has uses, but 2s is a waste. I always thought that stealth doesn’t add duration, so I didn’t know the “walking through twice”. But walking through twice costs you at least 1 second, so you’re at a lengthend casttime and “only” 5s stealth with PU.

So you think the skill is acceptable (or just a bit weak) and not horribly underpowered?

Thanks alot for your tests, photoloss. This at least answers the basic concept of ticking conditions. Out of the two (three) theories, your short tests “proofed” that the second is implemented. The floating numbers of bleeds are just there to confuse us.

Theory:
Once a ticking-based condition (boon?) is applied, a general tick counter starts on the respective entity (player, npc, mob). Every second (maybe half-second for torment, but I think it’s still second) that tick counter checks for active conditions and the applies their tick-based effect.

Result:
Assuming you continuously attack (randomized tick start), any fraction is turned into a random tick with the probability of the fraction. 4.2s burn turns into 4.2 burn ticks (4 garantueed + 1 tick at 20% probability). So any fractions are viable.

Result2:
Assuming you test regeneration in a laboratory (no real environment), all fractions will be cut, because there’s no other tick-based boon. So testing regeneration needs to be done with conditions (assuming they share the counter).

Unsolved questions:

• What happens if you duration-stack fractions?
• Do different sources get different tick counters on the same entity?
• What happens when two different sources duration-stack fractions?
• Do boons and conditions share the same tick counter?

@Signet of Midnight
The exact mechanics of fractions of seconds for pulsing consitions/ boons have yet to be found out (for players). And duration stacking conditions/ boons just extend this issue.

I’ve even read that a 3.6s bleed ticks four times – always. This disregards both current theories and creates a fourth. (Ignoring duration stacking)

1. 3.x second bleed = 3s bleed
2. general 1s tick counter on the first tick-based boon/ condition checking for current boons/ conditions.
3. fractions will be rounded to the nearest full second

and for duration stacking tick-based effects, there’re even more possibilities. If 3.9s of regeneration equals 3s regeneration, will 2x 3.9s = 2x 3s (6s) regeneration, 2x 3.9s = 7.8s (7s) regeneration or 2x 3.9s = 2x 4s (8s)? What happens when you stack from different sources ?
How does regenerating mist (engineer’s tool belt with healing sentry) cause two stacks of regeneration?

But to generalize it for boon duration:
The only tick-based boon is regeneration. Is it worth to get a utility skill for that?

Radiant Armors + Stealth/ Phantasm glow = what you see.

Known, but minor issue.

Well, the only MF items I had were FotM Rings (and those were accbound to begin with, since I never used them). I never liked leeching off my party.

Yes, they said they’d turn the items accbound. Technically speaking they did exactly what it means. Never said to “unsoulbound” it, just to make all bound to the account (if they weren’t already).
Yes, it was a poor choice of wording, probably meant to mislead players.

@Xaylin
As I said in the OP. I want to filter out “completely” unused traits and skills. While weapon skills and minor traits are the exceptions, I accept “any” reasoning to change the list. Because if you say, that you use the trait or know others that do, it’s not “completely unused” anymore.

So even when commenting your reasonings, I still removed the traits (and added ConEnch).

Yet, I still don’t completely agree with the 10% boon duration of signet of midnight. Sure, it increases your boon duration, but you don’t it for the 10%, you use it because nothign else fits, right? Choosing the “most favorable of the worst” is not “free of choice” in my opinion. And instead of 3.9s boons, they’ll become 4.2s boons. You could also use foods, giver’s armor or runes.
You need two Superior Runes to get + 15% boon duration, but
you need 5 Superior runes (or 9 Orbs) to get 183 (or 180) Condition damage.
I think the signet deservers at least 17.5% boon duration (round it to 20%).

Vengeful Images seems to be a PvP trait. I’ll flag it as such. They really need to triple its damage in PvE and it might actually do something in PvE.

[ Edit ]
I updated the list according to comments.

But I’d also like to say, that you shouldn’t mix “useless” and “underpowered”. Some skills/ traits may be useless, but I also wanted to list underpowered ones.
Personally I think that 2s stealth at 90s CD is horribly underpowered. But as I understand the posters here, it’s still acceptable …

@Xaylin
yeah, adept traits were meant to be weaker than master’s or grandmaster’s. But this is a list of traits “never” been used by any build. I don’t know, if the devs implemented a tool for them to analyze the traits globally to see how often they are used, so this thread is meant to point them out.

The three weapon skills and the minor traits are forced, so they are an exception. But for all other skills/ traits, you have the ability to choose them or not.

To comment your … comments:

• So you use the signet of midnight to have your PU boons last 10% longer ? 3.3s instead of 3s ? Don’t you think it deserves at least + 17% ?
• I always thought that 3s protection every 15s is pretty much useless.
• Vengeful Images (and again a forced one …) was nice before, when phants refreshed their retal. But by one of the later patches it only works for 5 seconds. Barely anyone attacks them in that interval. I’ll keep it open for now, but also keep it in mind.
• Vigorous Relevations has a nice conecpt and is probably not suited in this list (indeed), but comparing it to any other inspiration adept trait, do you think anyone uses it?
• Confusing Enchantments … well, I thought some mesmers use it.

Editing list now …

@selan
well, mantras are in inspiration and dueling. The only exception is grandmaster domination. That’s a very peculiar trait and build (due to placement). I wouldn’t mind moving it into dueling But that’d help my healing mantra (and stability), but it’d destroy my MoP healing.

@jportell
ok, removed it.

@Xyonon
You don’t need to comment my current list. Better tell us which (of the remaining ones) you think are not underpowered.

Is pMage actually been used ? Not as “well, I gotta summon a phantasms and have the torch for Prestige”, but as “the phantasm might be worth to get the torch”.
Mimic generally is nice, but the current implementation is just weak. Same with Veil.

I use the signet of midnight for exploring, but 10% boon duration is still too weak (there’s just no other skill for exploring, except blink). I also use it for the blind effect at jade maw.

Signet of inspiration’s passive is just bad. Far from effective or reliable. You only get this for its active effect, which is not the point of signets.

keenlam.4753:

Advent, i’m with you about the Elite. Who wouldn’t kill for an elite like this

Well, to sum the video up: A shield that makes you invulnerable to projectiles.

Compared to feedback: A shield that makes you invulnerable to projectiles and makes them attack their owners instead.

Well, the daily is the daily and works nice for the TS’ issue. But it appears once a week and is over once the 10 ress’ are filled.

The 1k ress’ are nice, but you’ll meet them sooner or later anyways. In the first month “combat healer” was a respectable title (I aquired it earlier than most), but right now it’s the title anyone gets anyways.

I’d generally say to rework reviving. It needs a mechanic everyone rushes to revive instead of continuing to sttack the boss to get better drops. Not sure if it needs an EXP increase (most likely not) or money or karma or long lasting buffs or even chance on rare drops, but they need to change it to make others want to res you. (at least downed state)

But a “proper check” might slow down the whole game (server) just for the SoS (guardian staff) and the TC (Mesmer focus) to stack.

I already suggested 1/2 workarounds for those skills, but it’s a minor issue.

Unbound items with MF stats became accountbound, regardless of afterwardly (?) chosen stats.

Soulbound items with MF stats stayed soulbound. (as intended but misunderstood at first)

Does it completely freeze or only for a few seconds?

If only for a few seconds, it’s “normal” and for every race/ profession, but especially long for engineers. They not only unlock a single skill, but always two (Belt) and sometimes even 7 (Flamethrower, Belt, 5 FT skills).

Not sure why it freezes, but yeah.

reserved … (15 char)

Current list of underpowered skills:

• Mind Stab
• Chaos Armor * useless in PvE
• Phantasmal Mage

• Mimic
• Veil * to be discussed
• Mantra of Pain * to be discussed
• Signet of Midnight (passive) * to be discussed
• Signet of Inspiration (passive)
• Moa Morph * to be discussed

Current list of underpowered traits:

• Wastrel’s Punishment (Domination 25)
• Rending Shatter (Domination IV) * anyone uses this?
• Confusing Enchantments (Domination VIII) * to be discussed

• Protected Mantras (Dueling VI)

• Chaotic Revival (Chaos I)
• Retaliatory Demise (Chaos VI)

• Vengeful Images (Inspiration 5) * useless in PvE
• Restorative Illusions (Inspiration XII)

• Masterful Reflection (Illusion IV) * anyone uses this?
• Dazzling Glamours (Illusion VIII)
• Blinding Befuddlement (Illusion IX)

Special list:

• Interrupt builds on defiant mobs

How this works:
I started with the full list of skills/ traits and crossed out (removed) all those I think which were actively used by Mesmers for PvE/ PvP/ WvW.

Of course, it started by myself and I use my build and not everyone’s. So please name a skill/ trait to be crossed out or added to the lists with a small explanation and I’ll edit the post accordingly.

^
The “secondary” function of mirror is nice, but the HP healed could get a little buff.

What I see in the “duration stacking boons” is a possible fix to temporal curtain’s (and symbol of swiftness’) stacking. I don’t know the current implementation, but with the limit of 5 stacks, it could be fixed.
Instead of TC to grant 1 stack of 12s swiftness, they could make it stack 5x 2.4s of swiftness. Once you ran through, you couldn’t get swiftness from another source for 2.4s, but well … After that, it’d work.

@TS
I understand your frustration, but

If you don’t like it, use another heal.
Once I got used to HealingMantra, I never went back to EtherFeast. And there, I have only 0.4 * HealP. (Well, two charges).
And Mirror only has 0.33 * HealP.

Mirror should get buffed a bit and the should make HealP to generally to more.

The current version is fine, but

• Add an internal CD for the runeset
• Increase duration for PvE by 100%

• MH Pistol/ Throwing Axe (second ranged/ mid-ranged MH)
• MH Mace/ Axe/ Dagger (second melee)
  or Hammer (second melee)
  or illusionary melee weapon (like summoned ones/ kits, but with a separate mechanic)
• MH Focus (pure support/ de-support/ heal weapon)
• Elite Phantasm
• 1/2 new utility phantasms

@Advent
So your elite is like Ele’s water staff #4 ? AoE chill ?

Same as with ascended trinkets.

^
It’s most likely implemented as Restorative Mantras, but a new priorization level has been added

1. Yourself
2. Party
3. players
4. npcs and minions

As everywhere …

You just need alot money to make another lot money

@Rogue
No, the warden’s behaviour is definitly bugged.

Either:
The warden’s following range should match with the wardens actual range (only follow between/ before attacks ofc).
Or:
The warden does not follow (not even around corners). It is a groundtargeted spell.

Currently it’s pointless against moving target AND pointless as defensive supporter.

Well, the leaked patchnotes show such a behaviour to the cleansening mantra. Not just yourself, but you also remove two conditions from up to 5 allies (yourself + 4).

Personally, I think it’s too strong. I previously suggested such supportive features to mantras before. Unlockable with traits or always active would’t matter. But giving all mantra 100% AoE effects is too strong. I’d agree with Cleansening Mantra to remove a single conditions on 5 allies and an additional condition from yourself. For stability mantra I’d like to see 2s AoE stability + 2s selfstability (+ stunbreak) with a 4s (/5s ?) recharge. Granting 2s stability is just not enough for anything and giving your allies a single second … well. Mantra of Pain could also get an AoE effect, like “100% dmg to target, 50% damage to up to 4 foes” without making it overpowered (I think). No clue howto AoE-ize the daze mantra or how to make healing mantra AoE, usefull and not overpowered.

I assume they’re testing supportive mantra abilities with this patch (if the leaks are true). If they work out, we might see them on future patches for other mantras as well.

I still think it’s useless to stack crtDmg without stacking prec.

But well; as someone (you?) asked one day ago:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Prefix#Triple_attribute

Originally you were rewarded with a new “personal reward level” once you completed a FotM run (all four shards of an even lvl FotM run). But you didn’t get anything if your PRL was higher than the one you just ran.

Then they implemented a feature, which rewarded you with Karma when you didn’t get a +1 PRL.

Ofc this only comes when you’ve slain JadeMaw (and w/o getting +1 PRL).

As Khisanth said
+

Remember that “Puzzle Discoverer” means to find JPs, not to solve them. So if you look at the daily achievement right before you finish the puzzle will not update the bar, because it did so when you “found” it.

You get the additional reward chest when:

• completing any even level of FotM after beating jade maw

Those chests are separated by every ten levels. You can get each of those chests once per day (per character); meaning:

• The additional rewarded chest is different for [2~8], [10~18], [20~28], [30~38] …

The additional chest you get after beating jade maw is:

• Floor( Min( Entered_level; Personal_Reward_Level ) /10) *10

Meaning:

• EL10; PRL10 —> lvl10 chest
• EL26; PRL30 —> lvl20 chest
• EL18; PRL12 —> lvl10 chest
• EL28; PRL12 —> lvl10 chest

mercury ranique.2170:

Wrathfull spirit is also nice to uphold a boon, everytime your aegis is removed you get 3 seconds of retaliation, giving you more time to get a replacement boon up.

So now since there’s no “dragging the party for personal rewards by equips” anymore, the new trend will be “dragging the party down for personal rewards by builds” ?

Alissah.9281:

Nretep.2564:

^
conditional MF isn’t shown in the hero panel

Thats strange, i thought it was broken and i was wasting money with this instead if the bar :’(.

Does the bonus Mf actually apply?

Does any MF actually apply?

Empowering Mantras unfortunately doesn’t work with Phant builds …

Mantra burst builds (30/30/x) are not meant for open world. Recharging the mantras will only harm with multiple opponents. It’s a pvp build.

You don’t have MF gear anymore. You have “choose stats” gear now.

You recieved a mail which gave you 5 essence of luck (legendary) on the first character you logged in. Be sure to consume them.

^
conditional MF isn’t shown in the hero panel

I don’t really get what you’re asking for.

You want guild members to get the rewards without participating in the events?

If yes, better join a guild which does the missions multiple times a week.

I got the achievement when I bought the purse.

The stick is not a bought item, so it shouldn’t count towards the 7.

There are no new ascended trinkets. Only those with MF have been removed (exc celestial).

Especially with burning and poison the matter is negligible.

For duration stacking conditions, the higher one is priorized. So is your burning deals more damage than any of your party’s and you manage a 100% burning uptime, none of your party will be able to inflict any burning damage (except attacking before you attack).
So for a party, the higher damage is always the one that counts.

Rather than posting a picture of you holding a asc weapon, show the weaponsmith dialogue.
And it being carrigon makes it even more sounds like a dropped version.

@Marduh
You seem to have something misunderstood. They didn’t replace the prefix of explorer’s into assassin’s. Explorer’s has been removed from droplist and craftlist and turned into “choose your stats”.

The meaning of
All existing crafting recipes that produced items with Explorer’s stats now produce Assassin’s stats (Precision, Power, Critical Damage).
is, that the crafting recipes have been replaces. They removed the ability of crafting explorer’s and gave you the ability of craftin assassin’s. They didn’t swap the prefixes.