Guild Wars 2

I’d go for Energy plus either Battle or Fire. I use the same GS for my guardian for WvW, and energy sigils for frontline zerging are a must.

In WvW, it is acceptable for shatter builds to have anywhere from 1.8-2.5k toughness; it really comes down to personal preference and how aggressive you are with your positioning.

As outlined be others, IP is a great trait that provides extra (and reliable) survivability and more damage at melee range.

Power shatter builds excel at doing damage in melee range. You will see many mesmers use mirror blade (traited with illusionary elasticity) in melee range for burst from fast bounces and using mind wrack at the same time. Shatter mesmers typically do not shatter in staff, but use it as a defensive weapon to recover and build up clones.

If you’re looking for a build focused on ranged damage, shatter may not be the best option.

Mesmers rely heavily on their active defense in WvW to avoid damage. You really don’t want to give up IP for a sub-par trait.

Your armor choice/stat distribution is fine, although as you gain more experience in positioning and timing your cooldowns/dodges you may eventually want to switch to full berserker’s. Although traveler runes are more expensive, they are generally superior to speed runes for mesmers.

I’ve been using 0-6-0-2-6 IP and HM with GS/scepter-torch (yes scepter) for a power ranged build that I run with my WvW havoc guild.

Utilities are situational but I always have blink equipped. The others are MoP, stability mantra, portal, veil, or decoy.

This build delivers massive ranged damage with MoP/GS, but when I find the opportunity, I can do a shatter combo with mirror blade on a squishy ele or necro.

Only the “swap” part is a combo finisher now. This was intentionally changed in the Sept. feature pack when iLeap was changed to have the clone summon next to the target.

You should still be able to combo with your own fields. However, your field would need to be at the destination of your clone/swap. (I believe the swap part always functioned like this.)

Calypso.2578:

I duel a ton of thieves and I highly recommend the GS/Sword + torch (or pistol/focus) weapon set. Double range weapon set will get you killed extremely fast, even if you are a kite master.

Ditto this. Staff is a great weapon 1v1 against one thief. Against two or more it loses it’s effectiveness if thieves can time their gap closers apart.

Miku Lawrence.6329:

Guildmates have tried, quality sucks.

As in having a good enough bitrate (you need at least around 5 Mbps to be considered “HD”; Netflix video bitrates are around 7 Mbps to compare.) is too taxing for their systems? Or is there some other metric you’re talking about?

Have you tried using Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) for recording before? It’s completely free (both open source and $$$,) and doesn’t seem to have any max time limit for recording.

This is an honest question. I haven’t ever tried Fraps or any other recording programs before and I am wondering if I’m missing something.

My system is roughly:
i7 -4770k CPU
AMD r9-290x graphics
(so relatively high-end)

and I don’t notice any decrease from normal game fps unless I’m in a big WvW zerg battle (50v50+ ,) in which case my fps goes from around 25 fps to 18 when I start recording. Otherwise, the fps is not noticeable at all.

Fay.2357:

Not sure why you mentioned confusing enchantments. The major domination slot belongs to greatsword cooldowns, which absolutely does help to tag downed players.

I mentioned CE because it has no target cap; it’s for ultra-tryhard tagging because if used properly the entire zerg will get hit by it. I don’t consider it a decent trait otherwise.

I didn’t mention the GS trait because Illusions 15 essentially does the same thing.

Fay.2357:

Focus reflects doesn’t help tagging downed players…but it does help tagging players before they get downed, and that’s just as efficient.

If you reflect something but the player doesn’t go down does it matter for tagging? No.

If you aren’t able to tag a group of downed players in time before your zerg finishes them off does that matter? Yes, not all players that go down will have been hit by your reflected projectiles.

There will be some downed players that would have been hit by a reflect, but with GS/MoP it’s easy to get those tags if they’re not too many. In my experience, I have found IP generates more tags reliably than reflects.

Fay.2357:

adelaide.6213:

Fay.2357:

Having sword means IP is entirely unnecessary for close range tagging. Between MoP and sword cleaves you can tag any groups of players nearby or at range if you target properly.

IP makes tagging in melee very mindless. A dodge-roll shatter will cover most of your melee tagging needs in one fluid motion. A sword alone is not optimal because:

-You have to switch our of GS, so your ranged tagging capabilities will be reduced for the next 9 seconds.
- 3 target cap, 130 frontal range vs. 5+ targets 240+ full circle (ellipse?)

IP also allows you tag while charging your mantra. It’s night and day.

IP is once every 10 seconds though. It’s great at that moment, but throughout the duration of a fight where you’re moving and cleaving it produces less of an effect.

Once every 11.5 seconds and another independently once every 23 seconds. There’s no reason you can’t stagger the two out if your main goal is tagging.

The point is that it’s better than nothing. Your opportunity costs are focus reflect or confusing enchantments. Neither of which help you tag downed players, which is really what matters.

Ross Biddle.2367:

Ansau.7326:

To OP, if you’re a begginer, I’d suggest a mantra phantasm build 4/6/0/4/0 or 2/6/0/6/0. Both are really capable of tagging and also you can have good damage.
Shatter would be 2/6/0/0/6.

In any zerg build Triumphant Distortion should be taken, it gives you much more survivability and reliability with phantasms.

Ross Biddle.2367:

WTF?

Shatter = great for snipe/pick teams. He’s asking for tagging. And the two in inspiration is a waste. You should never be getting smashed with condi’s and even so, the zerg will clear them.

I beg to differ. Shatter is not only the build that grants you the best tagging, but also the one that is able to do the best damage. The problem is shatter is already a high-skill build, and in zergs it becomes much harder. That’s why very few people take shatters for zerguing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfL0myRvDGM

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPb4dM78bvY

For best damage I agree, for best tagging I disagree. Tagging isnt even about being effective for the good of the zerg, only… well tagging. You don’t even need full damage gear if all you’re looking for is tagging.

MoP is great, no questions there. A quick full shatter will allow for a wide tagging burst (not sustained tagging). Both come with the drawbacks of eating a lot of retal damage though and you can find yourself on the ground. Traited GS gives the best tagging, especially using your iZerker due to the fact it allows you to avoid the retal yourself.

I’m not seeing how a shatter build that uses GS has any less sustained tagging than any other build using GS.

Fay.2357:

Having sword means IP is entirely unnecessary for close range tagging. Between MoP and sword cleaves you can tag any groups of players nearby or at range if you target properly.

IP makes tagging in melee very mindless. A dodge-roll shatter will cover most of your melee tagging needs in one fluid motion. A sword alone is not optimal because:

-You have to switch our of GS, so your ranged tagging capabilities will be reduced for the next 9 seconds.
- 3 target cap, 130 frontal range vs. 5+ targets 240+ full circle (ellipse?)

IP also allows you tag while charging your mantra. It’s night and day.

Ross Biddle.2367:

Shatter = great for snipe/pick teams. He’s asking for tagging.

Shatter [IP] = Two reliable 240 radius PbAoe skills that can be used without clones. And a +1 second “pseudo-stability” for emergencies. It’s difficult to reliably hit multiple downed players around you with GS on the move.

Ross Biddle.2367:

And the two in inspiration is a waste. You should never be getting smashed with condi’s and even so, the zerg will clear them.

You’re being too idealistic. The condi clear works quite well with the 3x mantra heal. Let’s assume that 0/6/0/0/6 is the best template for tagging for the reasons:

- 3x Mantra of Pain is the best for tagging at range
- IP is the best for tagging at melee

Then where would you put the remaining two points?

Any build involving:

Gs – Sigil of Fire
0/6/0/2/6 – Harmonious mantras, IP, Mender’s purity
Mantra of Pain, Mantra heal

I’ve found for WvW a build mixing MtD/balthazar runes to work quite well.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAW7fl0npRtFqxMNcrNitBdyacCUPkjsySGghB-TVSHABVs/AG6AMS5XBXAgCV/BNNDC8QAA4IAElSQSBAz0I-w

Because of food buffs and giver’s weapons it can achieve 2 second burning on staff bounces. I opted for Vigorous shatters over the scepter trait because it stays in staff most of the time.

No one is running Vigorous Revelation (Vigor on shatter) over Malicious Sorcery (Scepter)?? Sure the extra condi damage is nice, but I tend to stick to staff most of the time with IE clones, and Vigor really helps keep your clone count high after shatters.

It benefits your group too.

I run a pretty gimmicky aoe Chill build in WvW using Grenth Runes. Great for large zergs and havocs with Blink + Chill from Grenth or Hydromancy Sigils.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAsdWl0npKtlqxMNcrNitxcyaWB1PV1UlMghB-TVyHwABOFAW0EAa/hfK9EqMQsegmKB9r+DgnAApAgZDA-w

Shouldn’t any build already tailored for Rampager’s work? You’d essentially get more condition damage but less sharper image bleeds.

Am I missing something here?

Have any Shatter WvW roamers tested out running with “Sigil of Cleansing” that was added back in September for general WvW roaming? (Remove 1 condition when you swap to this weapon while in combat.)

The standard 4/4/0/0/6 is notorious for not having any condition cleanses from just the traits, so many opt to use the mantra condi cleanse, or the less reliable/situational arcane thievery, rather than the more bursty mirror images.

I believe the best setup with the sigil is to put it on both weaponsets alongside Sigil of Energy (dodge on swap).

Obviously having this sigil alone isn’t going to save you from a well-played condi build, but for WvW roaming it greatly increases one’s quality of life absent any other reliable sources of condi cleanse. Personally, I really hate the long duration treb poison clouds or long duration AC/cannon bleeds that can allow enemies to catch up to me while i’m stuck in combat speed.

Really the question to use it boils down to whether you prefer an extra reliable condi cleanse over some might stacks (not many run Str runes in Wvw) or the extra burst from Air/Fire sigils. If you have been running cleanse mantra and the alternative runes listed above, consider testing out Sigil of cleansing with Mirror Images instead for more burst, but less condi removal.

The restorative mantras way.

http://dulfy.net/2014/07/01/gw2-dry-top-achievements-guide/#Quicksand_Survivor

Any chance for Mantra support mesmer PoV? Never thought it was a serious build in spvp.

I’d love to have the functionality of IP as default if only for QoL reasons. I wouldn’t mind if shatters 3 – 4 were to be scaled down per illusion (~3/4 second daze/invuln instead of 1s) and of course the other shatters and traits scaled down appropriately as well.

I get a little bit angry in WvW zergs running without IP when popping shatter4 does nothing.

If IP were default, the existing IP trait could just add another illusion on top of you. (So 5 illusions maximum for shatters).

If you feel you’re weak in a 5+ group fight as a shatter mesmer, you’re going to feel weaker as a phantasm mesmer because phantasms won’t be able to survive between attacks in larger fights.

Anyways:
-Holy kitten that condi removal. You don’t need that much, even if some of it is for your team. Null Field/iDisenchanter instead of MoR would be enough, while providing boon strip capability. However, I would personally recommend you take blink over MoR for personal mobility/survibility.

-Typically phantasm builds will try to get at least one -20% recharge trait. A -20% recharge trait effectively reads “Your phantasm skills will output roughly 25% more damage,” and it affects some of your other skills as well.

- Compounding Celerity is practically useless if you’re in a group that has swiftness. And if you’re not, you should be using traveler or pack runes.

My recommended changes:
http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQJARclknpUtlpxRNcrRiqxc2mKCddRqAKZHbD-TFCFABNp0DgHAwVKBfU9HBuAAOpMINdAts/ApAGVYE-w

You’re probably better off dropping Dueling5 and getting Chaotic interruption since you’ve traited chaos storm and focus pull.

As other posters mentioned, it’s best to avoid them.

-See bunker at a point
-Drop portal at their feet
- /wave and tell them “glhf”
-Go join teamfight

MSFone.3026:

adelaide.6213:

Scepter 3 actually does more power damage than blurred frenzy.

Can you please elaborate on how you reached this conclusion? I can’t see this from skill info. Is this more anecdotal experience or do you have test data to show this?

From the wiki:

Blurred Frenzy
Damage (8x): 808 (2.400)

Confusing Images
Damage (5x): 840 (2.500)

808 (2.400) < 840 (2.500)

Based on experience in-game I don’t believe these numbers are incorrect.

I’d encourage you to try scepter/pistol instead of staff if you’re looking for ranged burst. Also explore getting 25 inspiration for your missing condi cleanse while boosting phantasm damage. I’ve found pHaste to be the weakest of the phantasm damage traits overall.

Scepter 3 actually does more power damage than blurred frenzy. Also scepter is in general a great weapon vs thieves.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAraRl0npMt1oxENcrNyqxc2leCdbV6NyOAA-TJBHwAp2fAwpAYwTAoZZAA

I didn’t see enough MoP recharging to justify taking Restorative Mantras. Regardless, taking ether feast over mantra heal with two mantra traits (and mender’s purity) confuses me.

if you succesfully reflect projectiles while in stealth through mirror, traited curtain, or feedback you become revealed.

more mesmers have been running reflects to counter rangers since the patch.

I wouldn’t imagine commanding on a mesmer without 3x mantra of concentration. Leave the Null fields/Feedbacks to other mesmers; Veil is fine because you hopefully know when to drop it best.

This might sound a bit radical, but I’ve been running mantra heal with only mender’s purity (no HM, running a tight build) and I’ve found that it’s good enough to deal with condi users, and not really compromising against power builds. It took a while to get used to though, and the aoe MoD buff really helps a lot with locking down your opponents while you recharge your heal.

Have you guys that have been running shatter builds w/ staff in zergs been swapping out Illusionary Invigoration with Illusionary Elasticity recently (since the IE buff/fix)?

If they upped the phantasm duration to at least 5 seconds and maybe have it interact with masterful reflection perhaps it could be competitive for a GM trait.

I don’t see condi IE to be as competitive in pvp as a condi engi or necro due to lack of control. IE requires you to be in close range to really stack up the condi’s and staff does not really have any hard lockdown like fear or stun. Compare this to necro’s who can unload their condi payload while you are chain-feared.

The main philosophy of of power PU is to have good uptime on the buffs it provides while waiting for the optimal opportunity to burst. This sometimes means saving your phantasms for when the rest of your burst abilities are up us well.

In contrast, condi PU uses stealth to stay alive while the enemy kill themselves on your clones through Debilitating Dissipation.

You’re not aiming for very high uptime in stealth in a power PU build; just enough to get some boons rolling and waiting for phantasm cd’s for burst when you come out. And, when things go wrong, have one or two ways to run away or reset.

Torch is more defensive and pistol is more offensive and has a stun to interrupt heals or other important skills. Many consider the phantasm on torch to be buggy and the pistol phantasm is far superior and synergizes well with Sharper Images (bleed on illusion crit.)

rabidsmiles.5926:

I am in the process of making up an armor set for the Triple Trouble Wurm for condi damage as doing condi is my absolute favorite part of that fight. Yay for being able to touch the husks! The set might get used for wvw/pvp though I am not really heavily into those at the moment.

Anyway, I know the bare bones set needs to be either full rabid or a mix of rabid/dire but I am stuck on runes. Krait runes seem awesome but undead runes give both condi damage and toughness. Rune of Balth help out the fire ticking and then there’s the Rune of Nightmare that come on a set from the dungeon (meaning I don’t have to buy runes). Rune of Torment are out of the question as they are too expensive for just a spare set of armor I will use for the Wurm.

So, if anyone has any ideas for a rune set for a condi set of armor that aren’t massively expensive?

Rabid with balthazar’s I believe are the best bet and cheap as well.

If you have spare WvW badges you can buy the Rabid set cheaper than the TP for some components.

WARNING: You cannot salvage badge gear to retrieve runes. But balthazar runes are cheap anyway so this doesn’t really matter.

If you can splurge consider picking up a Giver’s staff for 20% condi duration.

EoLtheCroW.9176:

adelaide.6213:

PU indeed is a very good setup for general WvW’ing. Veil is the only real “requirement” in zergs and just so happens to be fit well with PU.

any nice PU build bro ?

I prefer power-PU. There are many existing threads about it. But, to get started this template should work nicely:

4: Empowered Illusions – Cleansing Conflagrations
4: Far-Reaching Manipulations – Deceptive Evasion
6: Debilitating Dissipation – Bountiful Interruption – PU
0:
0:

Gear: Berserker’s
Runes: Traveler’s
Weapons: Sword/Torch + Greatsword or Staff
Utilities/Heal: Ether Feast, Decoy, Veil, Blink, Mass Invis

Some power PU builds that don’t run Torch (instead using pistol) swap out Cleansing Conflagrations for Mender’s Purity.

Kelthien.8593:

adelaide,
are you having more luck with incorporating shatters into your build rather than focusing purely on mantras? I’ve had such terrible luck with shatter-oriented builds in organized, large-group wvw that I usually avoid them unless specifically told by a commander to stay in backline defense.

I definitely like your healing suggestion! I’ll have to try it out. The mantra healing is pretty strong, and maybe focusing on MoP rather than healing, MoP, and MoD on the same char will make me feel less like I’m in mantra recharge mode all the time.

I run the shatter line because:
*IMO illusionist’s celerity deserves to be a GM trait
*IE is very good now
*Shatter3 w/ IP is good for stopping dagger thieves that stone you.
*Shatter4 w/ IP allows you to cross lines/statics without having to dodge first, helping you not get split-off when you do not have stability.
*Shatter1/2 is very good for PbAoe tagging.
*Even if you are not built for burst, Shatter1/2 still provides decent damage with IP

6 : Wrack/Halting – Halting/GsMastery/BoonStrip – CS/PB
2: Fury/blinkRange
0:
0:
6: Wrack – IE – IP

bold = preferred

Goal of the build is for point-blank very low cooldown IE mirror blade shatter. Blink mid-mirror blade surprises most people; can also be combo’ed with stealth (see Vashfury’s videos)

PU indeed is a very good setup for general WvW’ing. Veil is the only real “requirement” in zergs and just so happens to be fit well with PU.

Korusef.3714:

I will be testing 0/(1,10,11)/0/(4,10)/(1,7) Mantra zerg WvW build this weekend GS/Sw+F.

I’ve played with a similar trait set-up for a couple of nights. In the end I swapped harmonious mantras for Illusionary Persona for the extra invul. My weapons were sword/focus + Staff.

My utilities are veil, blink, mantra of pain, and of course the mantra heal. Veil and blink are very mandatory in WvW zergs.

IMO restorative mantras is better without HM if you’re running mantra of pain, and restorative mantras is really only worth using if you have MoP; HM essentially reduces the heal efficacy of MoP.

I mostly played with an all-ranger party. IP shatters with IE staff clone bounces were very effective in pressuring out backline gankers. I had my rangers call target on me so they knew where the Time Warp was going to be dropped to Legolas down the enemy commander/squishies. I used a very support healing power setup with Dwayna Runes (Aoe regen on heal, 10s cd; heal mantra arguably is the best heal for on-heal runes) to keep my bow-buddies alive through chip damage and shootouts.

Edit: Posted build

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAsdWl0npYtloxMNUrNitxcyaiB1Ld0UlMghB-TlRNwAA0EUT53b1fYqHorSQB7PQKAYWDA-w

I’ll try out runes of altruism (aoe fury and might on heal like Dwayna) sometime later

When using this build, cycle through Mantra of Pain as often as possible, even if it means firing your mantra charges into nothing. I start fights with all mantras charged.

I made a condi-hybrid build for zergs/havoc teams a while ago using mantra-balthazar runes. It also has stability for your party as well as pbAoe IP shatter. It’s a bit unconventional but I felt that the combination of 3-charge stability mantra as well as IP-distortion gave me lots of survivability (if you stick close to your tag you tend to take less damage than spread out, although you probably already realize this by now.)

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/Shatter-Hybrid-WvW-Zerg-Build-YoloBomber/first#post4137670

I’ve recorded a bit more footage of the build since my first post; PM me if you’re interested in viewing it.

Also, Balthazar runes are very cheap, and I believe rabid armor is among the cheapest for crafted armor you can find on the TP.

IIRC power lock only increases interrupted skills by 5 seconds (So 10 seconds total, not 15.) I suggested CS because the rng stun locks down your target, making it easier for any teammates to burst down your target. Power block seems more like a tempo trait in small-scale fights (which you state your build is for.) Power blocks is also nearly useless against thieves.

Also, stun-breaks do indeed remove daze.

Shinoobi.1259:

Copy pasta my build from another thread since it’s more relative here.

When roaming with a small group, I find being a blanket daze mesmer is so much more useful when roaming than any other build. Daze is completely overpowered to me, and the lockdown with a mesmer(asuran especially with blanket Technobabble) is terrific. I use Moa because it removes a target from the fight long enough for your party to lock down a called target covered with blanket dazes to ensure a kill especially if you follow the moa up with some fears.

I use mantra of recovery for the 0 cast time condi removals which often save me from immobilize set ups. I use sword main hand when roaming for i leap. Not for the immobilize or even the activate, but because it spawns a clone close enough to them often enough to get a quick diversion proc. It helps set up shatter combos without having the clones on dodge trait.

This build is all about setting up kills for your party, but it’s pretty effective at 1v1 too. Scepter/ Pistol is better than Staff to me simply for the on demand and consistant daze/ stun. It adds another melee ranged parry which is important for all thieves you’ll fight. I keep a staff in pocket too, but staff is mostly for chaos armor stacking and the RNG daze proc or standing in Chaos Storm against thieves. Removing boons with your shatters really helps to mitigate stability or protection nonsense and set up your party’s burst more effectively to help finish someone while you have someone else moa’d.

Change MoD for Arcane Thievery if you need to(mostly against Condi Thieves so you can swap their immob stacking and gtfo). You can switch MoD to pretty much anything you need as it’s not very crucial, but it is very nice with this build for the extra burst on interrupts, immobilize, lock outs. But sometimes decoy for better shatters or blink for better mobility can be optimized choices.

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?fhQQRAra8cl0np0tNqxGNMrNipBZ6XEjccqqQ6A0ghC-TVSDwAzU/J/+Di0cAV5XlTCAATQKUCO4BBI5IAEAABgduzje0jmUAjNMC-w

It stacks might pretty well with runes of traveller/ sigil of battle/ and interrupt might. So with full sigil of bloodlust, wvw bloodlust, guard stacks and might, you can be at around a comfortable 2800-2900 power with decent crit damage and tankiness. All the might stacking gives you decent condi damage as well which makes scepter not too terrible.

- Wouldn’t confounding suggestions (25% daze duration) be better than power lock in this build?

- IMO, pack runes are better in a gank squad than traveler’s. Traveler’s are meant for solo roaming.

- This build seems pretty vulnerable to enemy gank teams overall, especially when you don’t have staff/blink equipped. You don’t have the deceptive evasion + distortion that a shatter mesmer has, nor the perma protection of a PU mesmer. I don’t see how you can live against continued pressure if the enemy gank squad decides to focus on you.

- Why Centaur instead of Pack runes?
- 3rd point in Domination seems awkward. Either drop it to pick up Illusionary elasticty for GS, or take a point from somewhere to get Shattered Conc or GS mastery.
- Seems a waste to run -40% sword cd and not run OH sword for the phantasm. You may want to consider getting -40% cd on the Duelist instead (you still would have -20% cd on leap.)

Finally:

SINCE WHEN DID THE FACING REQUIREMENT GET REMOVED FROM AT. WTF????

I took a different approach when crafting a lockdown-perplexity build. I made it into a phantasm-hybrid by taking 12 second Duelists with phantasmal haste, rationalizing that they wouldn’t want to hit my illusions with confusion stacks on.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/professions/mesmer/WvW-Hybrid-Perplexity-Mesmer-Build/first#post3969555

Fay.2357:

adelaide.6213:

Fay.2357:

The fastest way to level up right now is crown pavilion gold runs.

Get yourself geared out for your level with a greatsword and sword/focus and full power stats. Get into a gold run instance, and run it. You’ll receive large amounts of exp every time, as well as being able to buy level up tomes with the large amounts of festival tickets you get.

Don’t open the gold reward chests. What you can do is put the gold reward chests on a level 80 character, and that way you’ll actually get level 80 loot for leveling up a low level character.

You should open the chests/bags on a lvl 57(ish) character. Salvaging items at that level will get you linen/platinum/hard wood that are worth more than silk/mithril/elder wood. Occasional rares only TP for 15-20 silver each; but on average, you should make a bit more on opening a non-80 because of the mats salvaged from blues/greens. You obtain the same non-salvageable mats regardless of character level with the exception of bloodstone dust.

Hm, that’s interesting. Opening on a 57ish also eliminates the potential for high value exotic weapons/armor, and the potentially very valuable superior sigils/runes that come with them.

Actually, now that you mention it, you can indeed still get 80 exotics from bags that dropped from “80 monsters.” I believe the only difference in loot is the absence of bloodstone dust and all greens/blues/yellows become the level of the opening character.

Fay.2357:

The fastest way to level up right now is crown pavilion gold runs.

Get yourself geared out for your level with a greatsword and sword/focus and full power stats. Get into a gold run instance, and run it. You’ll receive large amounts of exp every time, as well as being able to buy level up tomes with the large amounts of festival tickets you get.

Don’t open the gold reward chests. What you can do is put the gold reward chests on a level 80 character, and that way you’ll actually get level 80 loot for leveling up a low level character.

You should open the chests/bags on a lvl 57(ish) character. Salvaging items at that level will get you linen/platinum/hard wood that are worth more than silk/mithril/elder wood. Occasional rares only TP for 15-20 silver each; but on average, you should make a bit more on opening a non-80 because of the mats salvaged from blues/greens. You obtain the same non-salvageable mats regardless of character level with the exception of bloodstone dust.

I normally play glassy-shatter on a periphery team, so after the season was over I began to experiment with some builds for running with larger groups that may be less coordinated. I have found that this one works very well with both militia zergs and havoc teams:

Build:

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?fhAQNAW8dl0npYtVpxMNUrNyqxcqlQdWrlWpvI7AA-T1yHwABOIAT2fQoyAxaEmrEcwFAYpSP36A8qJwv6PAeCAkCAmpRA-w

Gameplay Video:

Details:

0/6/0/2/6 – Harmonious Mantras, IP, and Mender’s purity. Healing Mantra, Veil, Stability Mantra, and Blink as utilities. 1500 power, 900 condi, 1600 toughness, 19k health with only food.

I use Staff/Sword + Focus (Torch could work as well) and a mix of Knight’s Armor and Celestial trinkets giving me about 1.6k toughness. I use Balthazar runes and a hybrid setup to synergize with the healing mantra. Energy Sigils provide DE clones and I use Hydromancy on the sword set for a little extra damage/chill.

This build focuses on delivering mobile damage from shatters/weaponswaps/balthazar runes with the ability to stick to a commander through a push. The stability mantra along with IP-Distortion and Blink allow a mesmer to push along with, or reposition to his/her commander in large-scale zerg fights. Additionally, the utility of the stability mantra and veil is shared with the rest of the group.

As mentioned, the healing mantra goes very well with Balthazar runes because the charges are instant. Furthermore, the incremental nature of the mantra allows a skilled and mindful mesmer to play around his/her 50% health threshold for Illusionary Invigoration. Mender’s Purity and Harmonious Mantras allow the practice of running other foods besides condi duration reducing ones.