I think you’ve missed some complexity, and are expecting something different from the game than you should. Most of your damage for pretty much any class and spec in this game comes from your “1”, and various side effects from this. Your 2-5 and 6-0 are situational uses… some of those situations ARE for more burst/damage, but still situational.
It seems you are TRYING to find a DPS rotation in a game specifically designed to NOT have these. The fun in the game comes from learning how to best use these abilities while staying alive. If you are looking for a DPS rotation, you are barking up the wrong tree.
Additionally, it also sounds like you just keep one weapon out at all times and try to go to town with that… this is not the way the game was intended to play either. The single biggest mistake I see players make is to sit with one weapon out for MINUTES at a time. NO NO NO NO NO NO. Swap. Often. It will add a layer of depth and complexity to the game you haven’t seen before; you have TWO sets of cooldowns you can use … why limit yourself to one?
I run GS + Sword/Sword with a power/precision/crit dmg shatter build on my mesmer, and it works great, even in dungeons. Sword/Sword actually offers GREAT survivability and solid damage when factoring in shatters.
My mesmer at level 80 can clear Orr MUCH faster and more easily than my ranger can; I routinely pull 3+ mobs on my mesmer and easily survive pulls of 5-6, where my ranger can die with only 3 mobs. Both are in full exotic gear. The difference in power even between level 79 and level 80 was VERY noticeable. I found mesmers are much more reliant on traits and gear than rangers.
My mesmer only really applies confusion as a condition running a 20/20/0/0/30 power/crit shatter build rocking sword/sword + GS. I really have no trouble with these. Both of my phantasms do massive damage to innanimate objects and my attacks + shatters also do a bunch. If you build yourself purely in the “legion” fashion relying on phantasms to do your damage without shattering, you have to expect some amount of weakness.
Seek The Fallen Dominion is looking for some more players! We’re a friendly guild comprised almost entirely of RL friends (along with a handful of friends from other games). We all are either working or in graduate school, so you won’t see anyone on 24/7 for days on end, but we fall somewhere between the hardcore and casual. We will never require you to be on, but when a bunch of us are online we always try to organize some kind of fun event, whether it be dungeon runs or WvW ninja tactics!
We’re always up for trying new things and taking on new challenges, and we want a few more people to join in on the fun! Whether you’re an achievement completionist, a WvW fanatic, a dungeon fiend, or a PvE lore fan, you’ll have a place in our guild. We haven’t done much sPvP yet, but we definitely plan to over the next few days (there’s just been so much other content to experience). All we ask is that you be an easygoing, mature player. We do not discriminate against people of any race or orientation, but we DO joke around a lot, so individuals with thin skin may be uncomfortable.
We have a mumble server and a few of us are quite active on IM while we are at work. If you have any questions please contact “Xyrm” via PM or in-game mail and I’ll get back to you ASAP!
(edited by Xyrm.5602)