Guild Wars 2

Just as a general go to, if you look at the stickied threads in this forum you’ll find loads of guides etc with videos that you can learn a ton from.

My eyes. My beautiful, beautiful eyes. Yes, main and off. If you go into battle with just main or just off it’s a huge quality of life nerf. You give up your depth perception trait which is just a hindrance.

Don’t really care about the rewards but would love to throw fuel on the fire…

If these were PvE rewards they’d be hot fixed in a day if not an hour. WvW?… YeahNo.

:D

Reverence.6915:

Ross Biddle.2367:

Reverence.6915:

Hobbitz.5831:

I remember back in the day when BG used to rip on SoR for cheering about bags when they were losing and cheering about ppt when they were winning.

Funny when the shoe is on the other foot……

We ripped on them for going on about “the fights” (and still would, if they were still in T1 – at least I would). Everyone’s cheered about bags since the inception of WvW, since that’s really the only real source of income if you’re a WvW only player.

TC = / = SoR

..and you got beat dun good.

… we weren’t talking about TC…

Also, if you feel good about winning a 2v1, the kitten centre is to your left

Winnings winning. You were outplayed. Play to win. Don’t be a scrub.

Reverence.6915:

Hobbitz.5831:

I remember back in the day when BG used to rip on SoR for cheering about bags when they were losing and cheering about ppt when they were winning.

Funny when the shoe is on the other foot……

We ripped on them for going on about “the fights” (and still would, if they were still in T1 – at least I would). Everyone’s cheered about bags since the inception of WvW, since that’s really the only real source of income if you’re a WvW only player.

TC = / = SoR

..and you got beat dun good.

Cuddlepie.8109:

<shrug> As a long term PvPer, from UO pre-Trammel on, I approve of the 2v1.

31+ hours of reset against JQ + TC in EB.

219 major engagements won, 16 lost (most to TC). Thousands of bags.

31+ hours of reset against JQ + TC in EB.

219 major engagements won, 16 lost (most to TC). Thousands of bags.

Millions upon MILLIONS of BG tears by the end of it all, and counting.

#TheOneThingWe’llNeverForgetAboutSeason2

Could be runes of the flock.
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_Rune_of_the_Flock

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Hunter%27s_Call

were they norn?
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Call_Owl

Corax.7381:

Have faith, OP. Mesmers destroy Warriors more easily than any other class.

Take my example. There I was in Skyhammer, right? And I have an Axe/Shield + Longbow spec, so I can do burning damage and then smack you around a bit. Well, I go up to Point B and there’s this Mesmer, with his 3 clones, just chillin there AFK-like. Well, he wasn’t AFK, he was like a praying mantis waiting for the kill. And boy, he beat me good. I got some hits on him, but it was all BAM SMASH SCHIIING KAPOW, clones exploding, Torment, Confusion, other WTF-condis, and he even went Invulnerable for a bit. I was dead in, like, 15 seconds.

So, just keep experimenting.

Yes. Take drugs like this guy.

Nilkemia.8507:

Don’t bother with WvW or PvP unless you want badges or reward track loot. Not worth it otherwise.

I’m not sure what’s left at this point since GW2 PvE is a steaming pile of kttens.

Ever see a scepter bolt miss? Because they do, all the time, and are easily voidable. You’d end up with no clone, no cripple, and nothing to swap to.

It’d be a huge quality of life debuff.

RedCobra.7693:

Wyrden.4713:

Ross Biddle.2367:

RedCobra.7693:

It seems that most people who see this skill give up after a few secs of testing, however for those that carried on realised a few awesome facts

1) very short cooldown – after reduction you have it to 16secs
2) after being hit with a projectile the remaining channel time turns to blocks
3) when blocking it counts as stability
4) you can proc the block yourself with friendly projectiles (winds of chaos/iGreatsword)
5) after absorbing the first projectile it reflects projectiles
6)sometimes the skill can be used for its original purpose, here are a few
-against a d/p thief block black powder shot start block and avoid backstab
-pistol mesmer yeah you get stunned but you get the stun back a dodge and mimic will sort this out
-lich necro/zerk DS the projectile absorb allows you to absorkitteneflect the next and fire it back effectively doing a double shot allowing you to do around 5-8k damage

the original use has few useful applications however this skill comes with a high skill cap, get used to using your GS#2 or your staff #1 and you can have a very good 16sec CD 4sec block

edit: 0.o when did the duration increase lmao okay 20 sec block when reduced, still thats very good

Red C

3) It doesnt count as stability. You’ll still get interrupted by running through a static field, for example. Or hit by anything that’s unblockable (ranger knockback, thief daze).

and its hard to get it proc against meele thiefs, and there r rly tons of thiefs

meh, its the closest none crippling stabilty we get, and its short cooldown, if youre picking on it because of this then thats a bit petty tbh, i dont see anyone complaining about the warrior shield block and thats exactly the same, when do you ever see those get interrupted,

besides everyones getting the wrong idea, people keep pointing out the issues with the main use, what im saying is that its main use isnt its main use and with a little L2P (fact: get good with the self projectile block) and its a very powerful skill to have. and last time i checked the ranger knock back wasnt unblockable, thats if youre talking about the longbow one

Mimic is great. I love Mimic. Its just that there’s only 3 util slots and after decoy, blink, and condi removal (I like arcane thievery), there’s no room left.

Go Hybrid, power and condition. Covers everything
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/The-Holy-Hell-Build-2-0/first#post3977712

Ummm, I want to make comment but to be fair I’d really need to see a full build. Do one up and you’ll get way more input

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/

RedCobra.7693:

It seems that most people who see this skill give up after a few secs of testing, however for those that carried on realised a few awesome facts

1) very short cooldown – after reduction you have it to 16secs
2) after being hit with a projectile the remaining channel time turns to blocks
3) when blocking it counts as stability
4) you can proc the block yourself with friendly projectiles (winds of chaos/iGreatsword)
5) after absorbing the first projectile it reflects projectiles
6)sometimes the skill can be used for its original purpose, here are a few
-against a d/p thief block black powder shot start block and avoid backstab
-pistol mesmer yeah you get stunned but you get the stun back a dodge and mimic will sort this out
-lich necro/zerk DS the projectile absorb allows you to absorkitteneflect the next and fire it back effectively doing a double shot allowing you to do around 5-8k damage

the original use has few useful applications however this skill comes with a high skill cap, get used to using your GS#2 or your staff #1 and you can have a very good 16sec CD 4sec block

edit: 0.o when did the duration increase lmao okay 20 sec block when reduced, still thats very good

Red C

3) It doesnt count as stability. You’ll still get interrupted by running through a static field, for example. Or hit by anything that’s unblockable (ranger knockback, thief daze).

One day the King will work on his vocabulary and diction to he can properly pull off playing the part.

Good times.

blitzkrieg.2451:

Confusion is fine the way it is

Do you have any idea how broken this would make perplexity pu condi mesmers in wvw? lol

Remove perplexity runes. Problem solved.

I’ve always pretty much WvW full time since launch but I ran this Fractal 10 one day with a full group of dead weight morons with useless builds and what I had to imagine was underpowered gear. We couldnt pass one of the maps.

Speed runs may be ridiculous, but go ahead and tell group/class/build comp doesnt matter at all. I dare you.

I’m guessing you’re sincere but man, does this read like a troll thread.

KcB.6890:

Holy crap I didn’t know it was possible to make the game look that bad. Please upgrade computer asap for all of our sakes.

It allows people to play on the kittentiest, older, laptops etc.

maha.7902:

Well I guess you do nothing then.

ANet wanted specific roles for classes; your role is portals, veils, projectile reflection, condition cleansing, boon stripping, quickness, pulls and ranged pressure in WvW. Just because you dislike that doesn’t mean the game is broken in any way.

8 out of 8 of your role specific examples won’t or can’t ensure a tag for a bag.

Let’s see,

First utility slot: Decoy
Second Utility slot: Blink
Third Utility slot: some form of condi removal

…where is this signit supposed to go again?

Windwalker.7421:

I can see how posting the guys email..

It’s public access.

Fhaeris.9237:

Thanks pyro, your sacrifice won’t be forgotten.

Yeah it will. Good on him for quitting.

Windwalker.7421:

Gotta second that. Like woah!

Now how about that IE fix we were promised, can we get that kinda fast response on finally fixing that? ;-)

Turns out you have to PM a dev directly, and get banned for it. So Martyrdom might get you 1 bug fixed. Then again, maybe not.

Trouble.3859:

Jaken.6801:

i recently made a list of content that has stayed.
It is quite a lot.
Most of it is of course polishing and QOL stuff, but hey. they changed the feeling of the game significantly in my opinion.
(Starting from the queens jubilee, till now)
(Excuse the weird formating, i just copy and pasted it from my document)

General Changes
- Magic find changes (accountbound stat now) and its new mechanics
- Critical damage change into ferocity
- New combat visuals, like damage markers and AoE signs for worldbosses
- Introduction of ascended armors and weapons
- Upgrade to the ascended and legendary rarities, like acountbound and stat switching
- New crafting levels with new recipes
- Complete revamp of sigils and runes
- looking for group tool
- Lot`s of UI changes, like in PvP, WvW etc…
- Trait and Tooltips now show exact numbers
- The Megaserver system
- Repair and retrait costs removed
- There is now a wardrobe in game

PvE
- Tequattle is now a Hardcore Boss
o He drops unique items and themed ascended weapons and armor
- New Hardcore Worldboss “Tripple Trouble”
o A three headed Worm, which needs around 150 coordinated player
o Has its own unique mechanics and rewards (hardest boss in game right now)
- Worldbosses got a reward overhaul as well as a timer to make them more challenging
- There is a new path in the Twilight Arbor Dungeon, themed around the living story season 1 for lvl 80 characters
o Twilight Arbor got unique skin drops
- Fractals got an upgrade
o Three new Fractals
Molten Alliance
Aetherblades
Thaumanova Reactor
o Two new Boss Fractals
Molten Berserker
Mai Trin
o Bosses appear after every run
o Fractallvl is now accountwide
o Starting at lvl 31 you get punished with an handicap called Mistlock
o Rework of Agony
o Reward reworked
- The Living Story Season 1 has concluded, leaving in its wake:
o The destruction of Lions Arch
All LA unique facilities have been moved to vigil keep
o Kessex Hills got redesigned after they introduced the tower of nightmares, which was a giant construction in the lake
o There are new events in the world, based on remnants of the living story
o New items were introduced
Watchwork sprockets
Poison pollen

WvW
- The Borderlands got a complete overhaul and a new “Bloodlust” mechanic
o There is now less water on the map, but some nice ruins and objectives to capture
- The rewards got updated to reflect changes in the game
- The WvW UI got a drastic overhaul, offering real time data
- The obsidian sanctum is now a separate zone you can log into.
o It got expanded to cater to the Guild vs Guild people
o You have the ability to party up with other servers people to finish the puzzle
- A new Map was introduced called “Edge of the Mists”
o It is always available, even if all other WvW maps are full
o It resets every two hours
o Has unique objectives
o Teammembers are based on the color they represent in WvW right now and not on server
o WvW rank is now acountbound

PvP
- Glory and armor rewards have been removed in favour of a new system
- Costs for Ranks have been adjusted
- A Complete new rewardsystem which allows for gold and items of PvE
- New Arenatype: Duell

Classes
- A lot of balancing
- A new Healskill for every class
- The Traitsystem got a complete overhaul
o Every class got 5 new grandmaster traits
o Some traits get only unlocked after you explored the world in PvE
- Critical Damage has been removed and got exchanged for a new stat: “Ferocity”

Gemstore
- A few UI Improvements
- New Hairtypes in the stylingkit
- You can now buy unlimited finisher to punish your enemies
- New Booster
- New Armors in the shop

Nope, nothing permanently changed to the game… just these minor things…

Is that even content ? That is nothing… it’s been 2 years, not 6 months… 2 years and this is all they could do ? Looking at other games you can see that in 2 years they’ve released one or even two expansions, not bug fixes, not UI and map improvements but real expansions that keep people interested…. You know an mmo needs people to actually “work”, people need to be interested in the game in order to stay, content keeps players interested… so no real content = less interest = less money for the game company. You really think that by supporting this stupid (in my opinion) policy that Anet has adopted you’re really helping the game ? If no one complains then nothing changes. I’m not saying that GW2 is a bad game, but I am saying that it needs real, permanent content to stay alive…

This guy’s trouble. I don’t think he’ll be satisfied unless Anet introduces Pandas.

Pull 1 guy off a cliff.

Pull 2 guys off a cliff in a single void.

Pull 3 guys off a cliff in a single void.

Pull 4 guys off a cliff in a single void.

Pull 5 guys off a cliff in a single void.

That should keep you busy for a while.

Sure. I’d never need to take the manipulation range trait ever again because for an extra 300 range, it’s not just not necessary, it’s not worth it. Then we could all run phantasmal fury or blade training.

Wut about them poor thieves and their initiative based system, chill es the bane of their existence.

I use both. But if I was building from scratch and had to choose, blink range.

Here you go
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/The-Holy-Hell-Build-2-0/first#post3977712

That’s my standard, solid, go to build.

I’ve been running sword/focus, scepter/torch with CI instead of PU lately though. Assaulting with condi’s, then switching to sword/focus and Stacking 7s of imob with an iwarden and blurred frenzy on the target.

The Primary.6371:

Ross Biddle.2367:

Malakin.2809:

Are there any videos of The Zergmower in action?

I suffer the same problem as pyro with fps, but regardless I went and made some clips anyway. Ive had great engagements, and terrible engagements. These are somewhere in between those spectrums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVF3JkKX4fY

Have to get that fps issue fixed.

So many solutions, so little cash.

KingZmaN.6473:

Ross Biddle.2367:

As you stated, you don’t feel the need to justify yourself to dirty filthy human beings like Pyro, but this made me remember that the burden of proof lays on the claim maker. So while you might not feel moved by any particular person in this thread, it is a fair and reasonable general request for their to be evidence (such as a gameplay vid) to support your claims, wouldn’t you agree?

Also there’s plenty of statements being thrown around, but I have a question for you. Using your build, what do you do, or should a user do in the scenario where you get stunned/stun locked?

First, the only social obligation to prove anything is coming from peers in the social medium, and, no where else.

Second, replied to “what do you do when stunned” based conversation topic issued by Pyro on the first page, since you felt the need to ask a similar question, I suggest you go back to the first page and look for my answer.

So I want back and read and what I took away from your response was “Hope it plays out the way I’ve described otherwise I’m toast.”

Mesmers dont get much stability. We’re also not tanky and can’t sustain a constant beating. Instead Mesmers have been given stun breaks, stealth, and blinks to survive. Your build kind of reminds me of a lonbow ranger. Stand at max distance firing at distracted enemies to wear them down with sustained damage. Rangers never do it but, if engaged, turn and run until target breaks off then continue assault.

I’d hate to be targeted with your build.

Malakin.2809:

Are there any videos of The Zergmower in action?

I suffer the same problem as pyro with fps, but regardless I went and made some clips anyway. Ive had great engagements, and terrible engagements. These are somewhere in between those spectrums.

Everybody can win though. The axiom explains it all quite well: If you can’t beat em, join em.

Eucalyptus.9784:

Hmm… I wanna try something like this then maybe, which is basically the build posted on your first post with a slight modification in weapon/1-2 traits…

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNArfWl0npVtlpxPNcrNSphY6fHndynXJZgDA-TVyCABAcEAwR9njPFApoJop9HyS5HFPAA90DMmSQRBpRA-w

I really don’t know how I’m going to get used to not having Clones on Dodge though, haha.

How’s that look?

For a dedicated Mesmer player, switching from general mesmer play to zerging is a huge change, and here’s why. Mesmer IS a dueling class, and we’re right at home kiting. As a Mesmer we’re rarely in the thick of it except for some sort of tactical strike before blinking to safety. For zerg play, if you think about those who’re most at home during it it’s your warriors and guardians. But really they’re no more “safe” than anybody else solidly wading into the thick of danger. What makes the melee train zerg tactic so good is the combined efforts of the whole. While as a typical mesmer you’re going to be relying wholy on your clones, stealths, and shatters to maintain yourself, in a zerg you’ve got to give those up and instead rely on your commander for direction, allies for damage mitigation (aoe cap + boon support), group condi cleanse, and rallying heals. It’s very foreign to mesmer, but very doable under the build.

As you stated, you don’t feel the need to justify yourself to dirty filthy human beings like Pyro, but this made me remember that the burden of proof lays on the claim maker. So while you might not feel moved by any particular person in this thread, it is a fair and reasonable general request for their to be evidence (such as a gameplay vid) to support your claims, wouldn’t you agree?

Also there’s plenty of statements being thrown around, but I have a question for you. Using your build, what do you do, or should a user do in the scenario where you get stunned/stun locked?

a t s e.9614:

The mesmer is “balanced” for being strong in 1v1 and weak in group play. I don’t see how you can buff the strongest 1v1 class without making it completely broken .

Thieves also suck in wvw zergs , nobody has ever asked for buffs.

What forums have you been reading?

A t s e… as per usual….

Eucalyptus.9784:

Pyro. You’ve been replying to a lot of my threads about trying to find a build I like, and someone mentioned this one as a good Condition Damage WvW one. I read through it, and while I didn’t really understand it at first… after sitting here reading and researching, this sounds like an AMAZINGLY fun build. However, I also really like a Suicide Clone style build… so I decided to try and merge them.

Here’s what I came up with:

http://tinyurl.com/k48y7ag

It’s got the same premise, with the added bonus that you can play in the middle of the Zerg (after Mimic is on CD) and spread AOE Bleeds/Vuln/Confusion with clone spam tactics. I know the clone generation isn’t as quick as a “spam” build, due to no reduced cooldowns, but with Scepters auto attack, Dodge clones and the staffs generally low CD on Phase Retreat anyways… I think it sounds viable.

Any thoughts? Does the build still work in similar fashion? What’s the general “rotation” when WvW’ing?

Cheers. I like fresh builds I’ve never played the style of.

You’ll lose the tagging ability of glamors, not to mention the damage the reflects from feedback dishes out.

One thing I HATE about mesmer is our kitten poor ability to tag. Even playing the zergmower and the like, when I compare it to an ele I’m ready to hurl the game into the sun. A well placed glamor can at least tag the enemy zerg, and on the whole will dish out more damage than what you’re wanting to do.

KingZmaN.6473:

Hey Ross Biddle,

I understand where you’re coming from, Mantras don’t have any real “gimicky overpowered nigh unavoidable damage” compared to what’s found in other classes, but on that note, I hope ANET continues to balance the other classes so all classes are stripped from overpowered mechanics that are nigh impossible to avoid.

Maybe then, mantras won’t seem so bad.

After all, if a game company starts giving all classes “gimicky overpowered nigh unavoidable damage” mechanics rather than create a balance between all their classes, then the game the game company is behind is doomed for failure in terms of PvP.

I’m not sure what these “gimicky overpowered nigh unavoidable damage” classes or builds are. I’ve been playing mesmer since release, and while I recognize there are burst classes, builds, and combo’s out there, I can’t say I’ve ever allowed myself to be subject to them. In effect, you can build to withstand them, and build to counter them. Which, in my reasoning, means they’re not gimmicky at all.

MY point about mantras being bad mechanically was that they function poorly for general play. The very design of them is counter intuitive to the structure of the human brain, especially in the incredibly aggressive, hostile, fast gameplay of GW2 PvP. This has been discussed many’a time on the forums, and probably just as much off the forums between peers. Mantras are terrible, and in fact, outside of a few “gimicky” instances (condi cleanse heal spam, balth rune burn procs, centaur rune swiftness- to name a few example) have no place in a competitive game.

Pyro’s aside, mantras are just a horrible mechanic, and should be deleted from the game and replaced with something more productive (one, maybe two mantras (heal being one of them) on your bar isnt to bad, but more than that….)

I like Norn, so I chose Norn.

What do you like?

tyhanon.6587:

Ross Biddle.2367:

Offhand shield.

shields are already offhand

Yes. Thankyou. I mean, if the point was to suggest my statement was somehow a mistake and therefor redundant, yours wins Internets most redundant post of the year award.

What kind of warrior are you having problems with? Which weapon sets do they run?

Sure.

Mesmers have their own unique style, bring two versions of shield.

Two handed shield,

Offhand shield.

Could just be build.

If I get condi bombed running traited torch i do a swap to sword/torch, torch 4 for stealth, cast iMage, then AT from the security of stealth. Your opponent doesn’t usually dodge during this time because he’s not on the defensive, and the casting of iMage is a good blind cleanse (if torch 4 or casting of 5 didnt clear it) if you’re blinded which would otherwise stop your AT.

In general situations just make sure to face your target and cast away. Doing so from stealth is always a much better option than not.

All this said, yes, it needs some quality of life improvements. Devs brought it up a while back.

..you end up quoting Sirlin so much you start to believe you are him.

..you go to a professions subform you never otherwise visit, let alone play…

#mesmer4life

Mimic, Dire commander/zerg build, guardian runes, block/burn block/burn block/burn block/burn block/burn block/burn block/burn block/burn block/burn block/burn .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lVF3JkKX4fY#t=98

Good in roaming too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPtiMQTo6YM

The beauty is in the traited short CD. 4s reflect/block on a 20s cd.

Neurophen.9738:

Ross Biddle.2367:

Arcane thievery means your enemies can take the might stacking runes for you, and you can use something else.

Mmm that’s an interesting thought. I wish the CD on it was a tad lower

I’ll run the numbers on Citadel later.

Once you have the stacks and do the burst, you don’t really need a second casting of it :p