Curse

Edge Martinez · May 15, 2005, 11:50 AM // 11:50

Ok, I am a level 19 Monk/Mesmer and For the last few weeks I've loved this game. Now I'm starting to hate it and Mechwarrior 4 is looking really good again. To try and like it again I'll post here and hopefully get some help.

For the last couple days the only thing I've been trying to do is beat my mirror self at augury rock. By now everyone knows it's not your mirror, but some big badass with a bow and axe doing 76 damage per hit while you do 14 or so. The best monk weapon I've found to date is a 10-17 rod running off divine favor.

Anyhow, I've tried buffing my smiting ability and going at him with max smiting and average healing. I've tried max healing and average smiting. I've tried illusions primary and have tried to make his spellcasting work against him. Nothing seems to work.

If Guild Wars is like Magic the card game, this guy is running a stacked deck to my starter set. After the first day I was still planning ways to get him. After two days it just gets annoying and repetitive. I like challenges and even did most missions minus one henchman to increase my odds at goodies and make it tough, but this is ludicrous. Have any monk/mesmers beaten this guy? If so, would you please share your strategy?

Mr T Bone · May 15, 2005, 12:53 PM // 12:53

put all ur attributes in illusion and domination
skills
empathy
backfire
distortion
5 crappest spells u hav (healing are ok)

keep distortion up at all times (hav enuf illusion to only cost 1 energy)
cast empathy on him
then when hes down to 3/4 hp cast backfire on him
keep casting empathy and backfire when available till he dies

shudnt need to use ne healing spells with distortion, never cast spells when u hav backfire casted on u by him and never attack him at all

He will kill himself this way

PrimeHealer · May 15, 2005, 02:49 PM // 14:49

yes, use empathy and backfire, oh and infuse health works but you dont use it he will and that drops his health down, dont put any heals in your lineup and then just smite him, he will die in no time. I am a monk mesmer and this worked for me. hope it helps good luck

Terek · May 16, 2005, 12:07 AM // 00:07

Chaos Storm works nicely as well - when you see him casting it on you, just move a bit and you won't care. You can cast it on him though and actually do some damage while he sits in it.

Zelc · May 16, 2005, 12:20 AM // 00:20

I beat him with this:

9 Illusion
10 Domination
10 Smiting

Backfire
Smite
Bane Signet
Banish
Conjure Phantasm
3 other spells (I used Phantom Pain and Empathy, my third skill wasn't very optimal).

Right off the bat, cast Backfire on him. Follow it up with Conjure Phantasm, Banish, Smite, and Bane Signet. It takes about 12 seconds to kill him, which is nice since you'll probably want refund points to respec back into your old config (you get 100 xp each time you kill your clone).

Edge Martinez · May 16, 2005, 01:59 AM // 01:59

Thanks for the help people. I will be trying these all out tonight in order. Maybe these combos will work since whenever I've tried to use my mesmer skills against him, he kept tossing them back at me. Again, thank you.

EDIT: It worked! The Backfire, Chaos Storm, Empathy trick worked. Also I had to run from this dude and hightail it behind a wall and up the rampart. Barely is a good word too, because what ended up happening was hit arrow killed me as Chaos Storm killed him. Still, they gave it to me. Even did it in under a minute. Thank you all so very much.

Daikini · May 16, 2005, 07:18 AM // 07:18

I'm a mo/me like you and I had a devil of a time beating my mirror. Finally I found a way to do it. It only took a few skills. I loaded my guy with a bunch of hexes that hurts the person if they do anything. These were skills I was hoping he would cast on me. I also brought along backfire and empathy. If you skip the cut scene and then tab you should be able to get off at least backfire before he gets it on you. Many times I managed to get backfire and empathy on him before he put backfire on me. I then ran in circles and watched him die. I had to reapply backfire once (after the one on me had worn off) but that was all I had to do. 2 skills, 3 casts, mirror dead in 30 seconds.

Also: dont bring anything that he can use to heal himself or do dmg to you. Smiting prayers are too risky in my opinion.

Becca Bellows · May 16, 2005, 03:23 PM // 15:23

Load up Empathy and 7 other useless skills/Signets.

Cast Empathy ASAP on the mirror.

Spam "Strafe Left / Strafe Right" as fast as your two fingers can manage.

Dodge all/most of the mirror's arrows, re-casting Empathy once.

Win. Laugh.

Congratulations, Ascended one!

- Becca Bellows, Ascended Mesmer/Monk

adam.skinner · May 17, 2005, 02:01 AM // 02:01

Praise God, I just beat the mirror using the advise on this thread as an Mo/Me.

Here was my lineup, the guy destroyed himself in no time:

Banish, Chaos Storm, Empathy, Backfire, Life Attunement, Infuse Health, Fragility, Blessed Aura.

I just walked in and hit him with Backfire & Banish and he killed himself.

Edge Martinez · May 17, 2005, 05:15 AM // 05:15

Congrats bro. The advice people gave here was invaluable to me. What's more, I'm now a more effective monk/mesmer because of these tactics and did quite well in the arena.

Keesa · May 28, 2005, 09:45 AM // 09:45

To reiterate... it can be done even by non-leetz0r players. I took Backfire, Empathy, Healing Breeze, Judge's Insight, Divine Favor, and I forget what else--anything that could be cast that neither did damage nor healed. The goal was to have enough skills on my bar to keep the mirror casting, so that Backfire would hit and those pesky arrows wouldn't, giving me time to heal myself with Breeze or re-cast Empathy/Backfire.

Skip the cut scene, immediately toss Backfire (and Empathy if you can before your mirror does), strafe your little feet off, and toss Healing Breeze when your mirror stops shooting at you (and after Backfire wears off). Once your Empathy timer cools down, toss it again... and you should be ascending within a matter of moments.

It took me a while to figure out that I really did have to strafe pretty quickly to make up for timing deficiencies on my part.

Indolo · May 29, 2005, 01:21 AM // 01:21

Fighting the mirror with Mo/Me is probably one of the easiest mirror battles. You just gotta think about what the mirror is gonna do and stack your skill deck against it.

I took empathy and backfire for doing damage. Everything else was useless enchantments for it to cast on itself (for backfire and for distracting it). I didn't even have to rush on the initial backfire at the start because it started on the enchantments first. I didn't attack at all; just kept up the empathy and backfire as best I could, trying to time backfire so it would be when the mirror would start casting again. The only thing I would've done differently is remembered to bring a skill for removing enchantments to get it to cast them more often or when I wanted it to.

Dodging arrows is easy with a little practice. Stand way back and strafe left or right AFTER the arrow is shot. You don't have to move constantly; in fact it's easier to dodge when you're not.

Don't bring your healing spells. And all classes should remember that their skill bar doesn't have to be full when fighting the mirror (though some strategies are aided by adding useless skills). For some classes, it's easiest to let the mirror kill itself.

Exion · May 29, 2005, 03:56 PM // 15:56

Backfire turns the mirrior into a joke,I was laughing at how easy it was.

Ming Ming Chopper · May 30, 2005, 12:07 PM // 12:07

thx for this thread...

funbun · May 30, 2005, 12:19 PM // 12:19

I used:
12 Divine Favor
11 Smite
8 Healing

Balthazar's Spirit (energy and adrenaline)
Breeze
Retribution (33% dmg return when enemy attacks)
Bane Signet (no energy cost)
Divine Boon (extra heal)

This build I beat mirror in 35 seconds flat.

Good job. I think the best thing about the Mirror Test is that it forces you to rethink your character. Instead of being just a HEAL-BOT you have to start killing. You have to learn to smite. Good job!

Feels good to Ascend doesn't it?