Curse

cr00mz · Sep 20, 2007, 02:19 PM // 14:19

i started a mesmer 2 days ago or so, and am level 9 in piken square so far its going ok i guess. But i've gotten into fights with abit more then 3 people/monsters, mainly the chars in the breach. i'm having trouble with groups of 5. i havent bought any skills only the ones i've unlocked
empathy/backfire/energy burn/shatter delusions/chaos storm/ether feast/energy tap/ressurection
7dom 4(or 5) fast cast 2 insp.

Usually the first tihing i do is backfire the caster, empthy any of the phsyical damage dealers (axe/sword chars or the hunters) , energy burn a third one and chaos storm a forth one, while my henchies focus a fifth one. And use shatter delusions here and there. i'm getting low on mana now and all of them charge the healer and soon she goes down and the rest come "tumbling after" any tips on what to do?

Pick Me · Sep 20, 2007, 05:17 PM // 17:17

Kill char healers first.
kill warriors next
kill necros or mesmers afterwards
kill rangers last

When I started my Mesmer in Tyria, she had no problems throughout most of the Prophecies campaign.

Pulling is a good idea, if you can. My suggestion is to concentrate on one enemy at a time, don't spread the firepower around.

I rarely have even medium Fast Casting, only if I use skills in that attribute do I have high FC. Concentrate on Domination or Illusion (health degen works quickly against weak foes).

SeraCombi · Sep 20, 2007, 05:29 PM // 17:29

Pick Me gives good advice

i'd also say push as many leftover points as possible into inspiration for ether feast and energy tap. they are strong health and energy generators

cr00mz · Sep 20, 2007, 05:50 PM // 17:50

thanks for the tip will have to try that

Goldleader · Sep 20, 2007, 05:56 PM // 17:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by cr00mz

i started a mesmer 2 days ago or so, and am level 9 in piken square so far its going ok i guess. But i've gotten into fights with abit more then 3 people/monsters, mainly the chars in the breach. i'm having trouble with groups of 5. i havent bought any skills only the ones i've unlocked
empathy/backfire/energy burn/shatter delusions/chaos storm/ether feast/energy tap/ressurection
7dom 4(or 5) fast cast 2 insp.

Usually the first tihing i do is backfire the caster, empthy any of the phsyical damage dealers (axe/sword chars or the hunters) , energy burn a third one and chaos storm a forth one, while my henchies focus a fifth one.

To be honest, you have the right idea. My first recommendation goes with the previous poster...always focus your attention on the healer 1st. Playing a mesmer means that you can shutdown and own anyone, depending on your build. I always target the healer first, and then the eles second. Why? Because my mesmer can kill those 2 groups MUCH faster than it can warriors or rangers. The quicker I cut down on the opposing groups numbers, the easier the fight is. Backfire is expensive for a new player @15 energy. You might struggle for a few more levels until you get more energy from leveling/gear. However, backfire will probably become a staple of your mesmer's diet.

Conjure Phantasm was a major skill in my builds early on, until I progressed further in the game and could grab some of the better skills. I'd ditch chaos storm, it's good for situational fights, but too expensive for everyday use. Don't worry about area effect damage, just skills that will allow you to kill monks and casters.

Njaiguni Blaze · Sep 20, 2007, 05:56 PM // 17:56

Nice allround Domination build:
Empathy, Cry of Pain (or Energy Burn), Backfire, Shatter Enchantment, Auspicious Incantation, Guilt, Mantra of Recovery, Resurrection Chant.

This build allows you to cast spells almost constantly. Cry of Pain is a great AoE. (especially if you maxed out SS points like me

)

If you don't have (access to) Factions, you can replace AI with Energy Tap or Power Drain.

Painbringer · Sep 20, 2007, 06:33 PM // 18:33

Glyph of Lesser Energy is available to you at a trainer if you chose a Elementalist as your secondary. Use it, if you can if not no biggie. Use Chaos Strom defensively (unless the enemy is in a tight group or cornered by the environment then use it offensively) You can even run into the spells dmg range as some cover from melee if you have to. It will cause the enemy to run away giving you a little more time.

cr00mz · Sep 20, 2007, 06:44 PM // 18:44

nice tips guys and by the way i'm using the hourglass staff so i have about 45 energy, i assume i will get later on 55 mana with that staff (40 +15[?]), maybe then will it be easier to manage the spells and stuff

Njaiguni Blaze · Sep 20, 2007, 08:36 PM // 20:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by cr00mz

nice tips guys and by the way i'm using the hourglass staff so i have about 45 energy, i assume i will get later on 55 mana with that staff (40 +15[?]), maybe then will it be easier to manage the spells and stuff

No, you always start a character with maxed out energy.

cr00mz · Sep 20, 2007, 09:07 PM // 21:07

unless you play some wicked gw, my mesmer is level 9 prophecies char with only 30 mana, i'm pretty sure:
casters 40 mana 4 regen
warriors 20 mana 2 regen
derv/range 25 mana 3 regen
assa 25 mana 4 regen

Dean Harper · Sep 20, 2007, 09:19 PM // 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pick Me

Kill char healers first.
kill warriors next
kill necros or mesmers afterwards
kill rangers last

When I started my Mesmer in Tyria, she had no problems throughout most of the Prophecies campaign.

Pulling is a good idea, if you can. My suggestion is to concentrate on one enemy at a time, don't spread the firepower around.

I rarely have even medium Fast Casting, only if I use skills in that attribute do I have high FC. Concentrate on Domination or Illusion (health degen works quickly against weak foes).

Actually, the best strategy as a mesmer is to spread your hexes around as much as possible. i.e: backfire on monk, empathy on a war, backfire on another caster/empathy on a ranger, and if you go Dom and Illusion, the degen is a great bonus in the early part of the game.

You really should buy some skills:

Drain Enchantment
Shatter Enchantment
Cry of Frustration
Diversion(not really used in pve, but AWESOME for pvp)
Blackout (same as above)
Power Leak
Power Spike
Shame
Wastrel's Worry
Inspired Hex
Leech Signet
Power Drain
Spirit of Failure
Arcane Echo
Epidemic

Now, those are just the prophecies/core skills, there are many others from Nightfall and Factions and EotN that will help tremendously as well.

Dean Harper · Sep 20, 2007, 09:21 PM // 21:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by cr00mz

unless you play some wicked gw, my mesmer is level 9 prophecies char with only 30 mana, i'm pretty sure:
casters 40 mana 4 regen
warriors 20 mana 2 regen
derv/range 25 mana 3 regen
assa 25 mana 4 regen

casters have 30 ENERGY, not mana, this isnt WoW

P A L P H R A M O N D · Sep 20, 2007, 09:25 PM // 21:25

Your energy will be fine eventually, with better gear, insignias, etc. You have a good build for so early in the game, just keep at it! Also, depending on your secondary, you can make things easier. When I started my Prophecies mesmer 2 years ago, I went necro secondary, since life steal skills early in the game, and even minions, make for a good plan. Good luck!

Toutatis · Sep 20, 2007, 10:07 PM // 22:07

Firstly, don't buy just any skills you come across at the skill trainers. As you're in Prophecies, you'll find that you're given most of the skills you need as and when you need them as quest rewards. There are only a few skills that need to be bought, and this list tells you which skills need to be bought and where you can get them.

A major boon against the Charr in the ruins of Ascalon is Mantra of Flame. The Charr elementalists and rangers both deal fire damage, and the mantra will both keep you alive longer and help feed you some energy in the process (though some of the Charr melee mobs use Wild Blow which can remove the mantra from you prematurely).

Another note on skill selection that I would suggest would be to drop Chaos Storm - the damage on it is absolutely pathetic, and its only real use is for energy denial. Save it for when you come up against enemies that use spells with longer cast times (3-6 seconds), so you can drain the energy out of them while they stand still to cast.

About attribute points: Try to spread them evenly between fast casting, inspiration and your chosen mainline (domination or illusion). You've probably noticed that some of the more powerful mesmer spells in your arsenal right now have cast times between 2 and 3 seconds. This is a trend that won't change, and a decent rank in fast casting is going to be almost mandatory later on for casting those 2-3 second spells at the precise time that they're needed. A decent rank in inspiration will be needed to help you generate enough energy for you to keep casting. And the investments in domination/illusion should be self-explanatory

Some general tactics that help immensely in that area:

Throw Empathy onto one of the melee Charr and immediately change target to one of the Charr healers, making sure to call your new target so that the henchies change targets with you. The melee Charr will take damage from Empathy (and if it uses Frenzy, the Empathy damage will be doubled), while the Charr healers will focus on the melee Charr and not themselves - which means you can slap Backfire on them and they won't be targeting themselves when they cast their heals. They'll go down pretty quickly, and in the meantime the Empathy you cast earlier has softened up one of the other Charr for easier killing.

Njaiguni Blaze · Sep 21, 2007, 04:56 AM // 04:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by cr00mz

unless you play some wicked gw, my mesmer is level 9 prophecies char with only 30 mana, i'm pretty sure:
casters 40 mana 4 regen
warriors 20 mana 2 regen
derv/range 25 mana 3 regen
assa 25 mana 4 regen

Every profession has 2 Energy Regeneration, the extra (2) regen is gained through armor. And every profession has 20 energy, again, the extra energy is gained through armor. Which is:
Warrior +0
Ranger, Assassin and Dervish +5
Casters and Paragon, +10

So him/her having 45 energy is correct, because the staff provides 15 energy.

Pick Me · Sep 21, 2007, 02:31 PM // 14:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean Harper

Actually, the best strategy as a mesmer is to spread your hexes around as much as possible. i.e: backfire on monk, empathy on a war, backfire on another caster/empathy on a ranger, and if you go Dom and Illusion, the degen is a great bonus in the early part of the game.

You really should buy some skills:

Drain Enchantment
Shatter Enchantment
Cry of Frustration
Diversion(not really used in pve, but AWESOME for pvp)
Blackout (same as above)
Power Leak
Power Spike
Shame
Wastrel's Worry
Inspired Hex
Leech Signet
Power Drain
Spirit of Failure
Arcane Echo
Epidemic

Now, those are just the prophecies/core skills, there are many others from Nightfall and Factions and EotN that will help tremendously as well.

I will disagree with you to a certain extent. I think Inspired Hex, Leech Signet, Power Drain, Spirit of Failure, Power Spike, Blackout, and Shatter Enchantment are free skills (complete a quest and gain a skill).

Spreading hexes around in the later parts of the game, I'll agree with, but in the earlier portions, where you are at your most squishiness, I'd rather concentrate my firepower on one enemy at a time.

Cry of Frustration and arcane echo are never free (as far as I know, AE maybe free in NF from a hero trainer, but I'm not 100% sure). Buy them at your first opportunity as they are awesome skills.

cr00mz · Sep 21, 2007, 05:18 PM // 17:18

about fast casting, should i max it or keep it low like strength?

Pick Me · Sep 21, 2007, 05:30 PM // 17:30

In the PvE part of the game, Fast Casting isn't necessary.

However, if you use skills in FC, then yes, pump that attribute out.

Kattar · Sep 21, 2007, 05:34 PM // 17:34

10 fc is what I normally run, then pour everything else into dom. As a general stategy, ctrl+spacebar is definitely your friend.

Toutatis · Sep 21, 2007, 05:40 PM // 17:40

Here's one way to look at Fast Casting...

First, invest in it alongside your other attributes and play for a while. Then, take all the points out of Fast Casting and try playing again.

I guarantee you will want those ranks of Fast Casting back. The passive casting speed benefit is more than enough reason to make at least some investment in it. Also, the first Mesmer elite skill you come across in the game (if you play normally and don't skip any areas) is Mantra of Recovery - linked to Fast Casting. Granted, there aren't many skills linked to Fast Casting (8 in total, 4 of which are elite), but the usefulness of a primary attribute is not linked to the number of skills linked to it (take Soul Reaping as another example - I've never met a necro that hasn't invested in that, even though it has fewer skills linked to it than Fast Casting).

My Mesmer runs through PvE with 11 ranks of Fast Casting (10+1), and rarely makes use of any Fast Casting skills. Being able to cast spells in just over half the stated time is a TREMENDOUS advantage.