Curse

AEnesidem · Apr 14, 2011, 10:13 PM // 22:13

hello guys,
I am new here on this forum. I started to play like 4 years ago or so but i was pretty bad at it. now I have searched a long time to find the profession i like the most. and Mesmer is really the coolest profession in my eyes, you know mind games, manipulation etc... i like the flavour of all that.
so i started seriously with my mesmer character and at first failed somewhat but then got more and more succes in PvE with builds as Panic and VoR (visions of regret). and now i wanted to take a shot at PvP cause i like it and because i got mesmer tomes from someone and it's less expensive to get them via tomes that to buy them (i'm at 1k per skill now).

so for those who want to skip the long, less important part:

my character is currently equipped with this:
descreet mask: armor 60, dom+1, prodigy's insignia
Kurzick attire: armor 60, survivor insignia, major rune of vigor
kurzick gloves: armor 60, prodigy's insignia, dom +1
kurzick hose armor 60, prodigy's insignia, inspiration +2
kurzick footwear armor 60, prodigy's insignia

weapons:
iliyana's staff (green)
HCT of spells 10%
HRT of spells 20%
health +30
energy +5
energy +10

and my attributes are at:
fastcasting: 8
domination: 13
inspiration: 11

and i have tried several builds: but here is my most succesfull(but still not good enough) a E-surge build.

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mind wrack: obvious dammage, but i can't seem to pull it off (or i don't notice)
empathy: against melee that often rushes directly to me
Energy surge: the obvious, dammage
energy burn: dammage but sometimes problems with the costs
ether feast: self heal i saw that i survived many situations thanks to this
drain enchantments: against onks and dervish mostly but allso against others and for self heal+ energy management.
signet of humility: to disable their elite skill which can really save me sometimes
rez sig

i know this is not optimal at all, i will replace the staff with 40/40 scepter/cane and focus item and the runes will allso be optimized. but i'm having the same problem with my PVP character which HAS all the required stuff.

the main problem sare that i allways end up with all the spells having to recharge. which leaves me quite harmless, often i can keep myself alive for some time by spamming ether feast and (if enchanted) drain enchantments.
second problem i have is that when i start with the mind wrack+e surge+e burn i not even remove half of their HP. and problem 3 probably the problem many will have is surival against melee.

so can you give me some suggestions for the build, maybe other builds, cause i have seen someone with a very good illusion build. and maybe suggestions on my playstyle .

anyways, i hope i didn't break any rules on the forum
and i hope my explanations weren't too long!

thanks in advance

Reverend Dr · Apr 14, 2011, 10:56 PM // 22:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by AEnesidem

the main problem sare that i allways end up with all the spells having to recharge. which leaves me quite harmless, often i can keep myself alive for some time by spamming ether feast and (if enchanted) drain enchantments.

second problem i have is that when i start with the mind wrack+e surge+e burn i not even remove half of their HP. and problem 3 probably the problem many will have is surival against melee.

Both of these are tied up in the same problem, the role of the class. The mesmer is not a heavy damage dealing class, indeed no caster in guild wars is a heavy damage dealing class (well maybe a couple post nightfall powercreep). The mesmer is disruption, denial, and punishing focused. Use this offensively against their backline or midline defenses, use it defensively against their caster support.

Ether Feast is garbage get rid of it. You are at the mercy of the rest of your team to give you support, if you ever need to use it, you've already lost.

E-Burn and Mind Wrack have started to see their way out of the meta, though they are both strong skills.

You really should have at least one interrupt. Most common are Power Drain, Cry of Frustration, or Leech Sig.

Diversion is a staple dom mesmer spell. It really should be in every dom mesmer build, if it is not you should know exactly why you are not bringing it.

*lemming* · Apr 14, 2011, 11:13 PM // 23:13

(I'm assuming that you're playing Random Arenas here. Correct me if I misread something.)

Dom mesmers are not particularly amazing in RA - they're not self-sufficient at all and they tend to be stronger using their skills over the course of an extended engagement, instead of the 30-second bloodbaths that most RA matches tend to be. Outside of that, their damage is indeed, as you described, kind of a one-shot thing.

I Jonas I · Apr 14, 2011, 11:18 PM // 23:18

I'm guessing that you are refering to RA with the majority of this posts? The big problem that mesmers have in RA is that they have basically no self defense. They're just 60AL casters that, when left unimpeded can do serious damage to a team. But people KNOW this, so they get on the mesmer and do everything they can to disrupt him, like knockdown him down, interrupt him and the like.

No build (minus like ineptitude or something) that you take can really change that. Like you can take return or shield bash or balanced stance or something to help increase your survivability, but that will only get you so far. You should concentrate on positioning and staying on your shield set to reduce the damage that you take, and try to keep your eyes on the field as much as you can.

AEnesidem · Apr 14, 2011, 11:21 PM // 23:21

i know they are not heavy dammage dealers but i expected to do a little more dammage then i do now. i re entered the arena this evening and did quite well probably because of the healers. bad dervs and assassins were broken like twigs by E surge.
and i didn't feel useless this time cause i each time targeted the opponent who was causing the biggest problems at that moment and each time they would turn their weapons on me (prob because i was ennoying them) and after a few second sthey would run away and i think because they had no energy anymore.

and what has taken the place of E-burn and mind wreck?

and last thing i didn't put deversion in it because i find it difficult to see when an opponent is going to use his key spells. same problem with perception as when they have no energy anymore . i don't have good perception i guess.
have you maybe got any up to date builds without mind wreck and e burn?
yes i was referring to RA because i'm mostly online during the day (in europe) and at that moment other arenas arent so full.

and allso how are migraine and power block builds working out?

Groth · Apr 14, 2011, 11:50 PM // 23:50

* If you are looking to stick with Esurge/Eburn (good reliable damage plus mitigation in the form of edenial on enemy monk) (force weapon swap to high energy sets etc) don't overlook interrupts in the quest for more damage... what i mean by this is rupting a Res Sig (especially disabling it) [ i am also assuming your talking about random arena ] is as or more important than killing the person using it. 1 person unable to res is better than two people one of which just rezed and may res someone else. I am gonna disagree with the reverend above, I think Ether Feast can be very useful, in that it triggers Mind Wrack and gives you a heal on a short recharge. I'd recommend taking a look at web of disruption and drain delusions for a double interrupt plus energy management or web of disruption and shatter delusions for double interrupt plus aoe damage.

I agree with Reverend about Diversion... nothing irritates players more than having one of their "fast recharge go-to skills" disabled for a very very long time

just be sure to hide behind a wall or obstacle if using it against another team with a rupt ranger or good rupting warrior.

As for Melee hate, if you want to keep melee locked down in opposing teams try Me/N with Signet of Midnight followed by Plague touch or plague sending for a low to no cost double (or more) blind. this also combines well with blackout, blind melee, blackout monk, PS/PT blind on another character

and its repeatable. just some ideas, Careful though... that signet is touch range so use at your own peril, like... SoM>EtherFeast>BlackoutMonk>Plague Send/touch>
Ether feast. Oh and watch the melee... if they use condition removal, use signet and wait for them to remove it then just reapply with touch. Just some Ideas :P I am also a fan of Arcane Conundrum followed by psychic instability careful of no knock down stances though :P

Edit: More melee hate: Go illusion magic, Signet of Illusions,>Empathy>Insidious Parasite>cover with shrinking armor. Reactivate SoI to cast whatever else... Me/N also has access to gaze of contempt to remove all enchants from a monk or dervish, but be sure you know what you're removing from the Derv lest you set off a bomb and kill whoever's next to them.

AndroBubbles · Apr 14, 2011, 11:53 PM // 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by AEnesidem

i know they are not heavy dammage dealers but i expected to do a little more dammage then i do now. i re entered the arena this evening and did quite well probably because of the healers. bad dervs and assassins were broken like twigs by E surge.
and i didn't feel useless this time cause i each time targeted the opponent who was causing the biggest problems at that moment and each time they would turn their weapons on me (prob because i was ennoying them) and after a few second sthey would run away and i think because they had no energy anymore.

and what has taken the place of E-burn and mind wreck?

and last thing i didn't put deversion in it because i find it difficult to see when an opponent is going to use his key spells. same problem with perception as when they have no energy anymore . i don't have good perception i guess.
have you maybe got any up to date builds without mind wreck and e burn?
yes i was referring to RA because i'm mostly online during the day (in europe) and at that moment other arenas arent so full.

and allso how are migraine and power block builds working out?

Migraine is more annoying than dangerous, even in the hands of a good player, but is easy to faceroll and use efficiently. Powerblock is very dangerous, but has a huge drawback if you can't use it effectively, due to cost and recharge. I still use the latter on occasion, but I really prefer psychic instability most of the time now. Low cost, decent recharge, and a brutal interrupt/knockdown even on non-spell skills, making it great for interrupting apply poison, as well as res control. If you knock down a mesmer with it, it gives you a free diversion cast on them since they won't be able to interrupt you back.

I've also taken to mantra of recovery again, now that shatter enchant and shatter hex are cheaper.

In terms of illusion magic, one of my favorites is crippling anguish. Easy to cover, long duration and decent cost.

Diversion is something you can almost use on recharge and still get use out of, but you'll really get the best effect when you learn how a player's build works. When facing a bsurge, count the recharge on the elite and try to time your cast with it. When trying to divert a monk, watch the enemy team for players with low health, or cast it when your team is attacking/spiking something for more chance of a kill. Diverting relies heavily on getting used to the rhythm of combat.

depeche · Apr 15, 2011, 06:53 AM // 06:53

6 years playing GW.

And after all that time i think the mesmer is probably the most challenging but also the most rewarding class.

Especially in PvP its a key role (GvG).
U need a 40/40 set for pvp, a high energy set and a shield set.
Your equiped runes are not optimal, change them.

For Random Arena's i have a few builds whch i swap around.
* the obvious E-surge build (Mind Wrack, E-Surge, Backfire, Diversion, Empathy, Power Drain, Drain Enchantment, Rez).
At sometime ur gonna get some melee-hate because ur the first target
for melee (if they have a brain).
Try the Ineptitude build then, consists of (at work so dont have full skills available, consists of Ineptitude, kitah''s burden, frustration (for the enemy casters and .. dont remember).
* The spear chuckler mesmer is sometimes nice too.

Have fun and try out some builds , even check out wiki and get some ideas and adjust them to your liking.

AEnesidem · Apr 15, 2011, 09:28 AM // 09:28

well to shut down rez sig i was looking at complicate so i can really shut it down for some time cause what i have no is that they just recast it instantly.

and yes i am replacing the runes etc... currently i am playing with a pvp character that has all the required things. but i can't buy green stuff right now cause i just completed my armor and other stuff...
which weapon set would be the best? for domination or fast casting

and allso can you guys giive me an idea of a psychic instability build, cause i found this one
http://www.gwpvx.com/Build:Me/A_FA_Psychic_Chaos
but it seems to be made forsome kurzick mission or guildbattles since it's all about area effect skills.

Coast · Apr 15, 2011, 09:31 AM // 09:31

40/40domination, i think collectors give them

AEnesidem · Apr 15, 2011, 10:02 AM // 10:02

yeah but green weapons give some other extras that collector's don't have?
or am i wrong? and is green just a more fancy version of those collectors

**Marty Silverblade** · Apr 15, 2011, 10:06 AM // 10:06

The colour of a weapon means nothing. White weapons are non-magical so forget about those. Other than that, blue, purple, gold, and green weapons are completely identical. Green items automatically come with max stats so they're more convenient, but collector weapons are maxed too and are more or less free.

Also, you'll probably want to remove your email address from your profile.

AEnesidem · Apr 15, 2011, 10:08 AM // 10:08

but i can't seem to find any wand with HSR 20% AND hct 20%
will i have to place a wrapping myself around it?

Ariena Najea · Apr 15, 2011, 10:59 AM // 10:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by AEnesidem

but i can't seem to find any wand with HSR 20% AND hct 20%
will i have to place a wrapping myself around it?

There are not any collector 20/20 wands, however, you can usually find inexpensive green items or get one from a weaponsmith. This is almost always cheaper than finding a r9 inscription wand and adding the mods yourself.

Coast · Apr 15, 2011, 12:56 PM // 12:56

buy deldrimor things from endgame eotn then, can get em at like 7-10k each

AEnesidem · Apr 15, 2011, 01:02 PM // 13:02

dont have eye of the north yet, it arrives in a week or 2 ... 3 maybe

Sk8tborderx · Apr 15, 2011, 06:06 PM // 18:06

Illusion is really strong in RA. Ineptitude, illusion of pain, frustration, rez sig. For the other 4 skills bring an interrupt or 2, an enchant removal, and whatever else you want.

wilson · Apr 19, 2011, 05:27 AM // 05:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by AEnesidem

dont have eye of the north yet, it arrives in a week or 2 ... 3 maybe

Telamon has always been my friend. Arguably you have to craft the weapons (5k + materials) but you pretty much get any 40/40 you will ever need (minus Fast Casting and Soul Reaping). He can be found in the Leviathan Pits, Jade Sea, Factions.

If you can't afford perfect gear right now, you'r far better off rolling a PvP toon.

Zu Tao · Apr 19, 2011, 07:16 PM // 19:16

Mesers are a very strong class in RA. Everyone will attack a meser first if they are smart so you must bring defense skills at least one block skill is a must imo unless you are a inept melee shutdown mes anyway.

E-surge is very strong in RA its pressure on the monks ability to heal. If the other members of your team are doing damage and you dont die in two seconds just keep draining the monk your team will win over time. A very good monk will give you are hard time but you will still be useful as E-surge and bad monks you will crush (95% of RA monks)

Div · Apr 19, 2011, 08:32 PM // 20:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by AEnesidem

my character is currently equipped with this:
descreet mask: armor 60, dom+1, prodigy's insignia
Kurzick attire: armor 60, survivor insignia, major rune of vigor
kurzick gloves: armor 60, prodigy's insignia, dom +1
kurzick hose armor 60, prodigy's insignia, inspiration +2
kurzick footwear armor 60, prodigy's insignia

and my attributes are at:
fastcasting: 8
domination: 13
inspiration: 11

I would start by doing the 15-attribute point quests. If you are Tyrian, they're in the desert and southern shiverpeaks. Also buy a fast casting+1 rune. If it's too expensive right now, the gold gained from doing the 15att quests should be enough to buy it.