Curse

Gigashadow · Aug 25, 2006, 06:10 PM // 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by XvArchonvX

I find that Illusion is often the best for PvE with exception of a few missions. I do run a similar build to this except I bring Energy Drain as elite and Clumsiness instead of Conjure Nightmare. Energy Tap also is very handy if you plan on spamming degen on multiple members quickly. You can only do a maximum of -10 degen to an enemy. Any more than that will only counter any health regen that target may have.

Domination mesmers are often very handy against strong caster bosses, but won't always be the most well suited for every mission.

Yes clumsiness also works well, I use that sometimes, and it does have the advantage that you can use it effectively on someone who has -9 degen on them already.

To respond to the other poster: Yes Conjure Nightmare has the problem that it's horribly energy inefficient, and I'll fully admit it's not that great a spell. However, I will point out that clumsiness is not much better on that front; 9.6:1 energy:damage ratio for nightmare vs 9.7:1 for clumsiness.

I'm not a big fan of Energy Tap because it doesn't return a whole lot (net +7e every 25s), and the reset is very long. Sometimes I take Power Drain, which can make boring PvE runs a little more exciting, and provide adequate fuel for spamming more Conjure nightmares or Clumsinesses.

stocker25 · Aug 26, 2006, 12:33 AM // 00:33

Lately ie been henching some missions around lower levels and been working on the build ill be using. Right now its:

16 dom
9 fast cast
10 inspiration

empathy
backfire
drain enchant
cry of frustration
energy gaining interrupt
damage dealing interupt
cap sig
res sig

at start of battle i cast empathy and backfire then switch to an off target spellcaster. If he has an enchant i drain it then i interrupt wat i can. Im getting most of the 2 second casts and some 1 seconds. If this target dies i empathy and backfire someone else and rinse and repeat.

Does this sound like what you think i should be oing? Also what elite would fit in best. I was thinking the stance that makes ur skills recharge quick.

I might try some illusion builds when i get more experience but i feel that ele's should use ele skills and mesmers shud use mesmer skills.

Terra Xin · Aug 26, 2006, 04:11 AM // 04:11

My usual builds do well without an elite, so you would only concern yourself with taking one if you know the area well, so the elite that you would take would suit that place...

The most popular elites are Energy Surge, Expel Hexes, Energy Drain, Echo, and Ineptitude. For a build like this, I sometimes take Echo used with Backfire or Empathy so I can switch targets more quickly.

Claudia Starlight · Aug 26, 2006, 01:11 PM // 13:11

I guess what this all means is that mesmers can be anything but a tank (?) :P

So just fiddle around with builds or search em or whatever... and find the one that you're most comfortable with!

Martian · Aug 27, 2006, 08:03 PM // 20:03

I normally use a domination, empathy-Backfire-Etap centric build, but when i play with my friend who is a fire nuker, i find that he kills everything before my hexes take effect, so i switched to a mass degen illusion Build, with Phantasm, Phantom pain, accumulated pain and images of remorse at the centre. I realised that i could suck the life out of a level 24 Gnasher in 10 seconds flat, provided he didnt have any corpses to snack on.
So that is now my fav build

ShadowbaneX · Aug 28, 2006, 07:23 PM // 19:23

as I just posted in another thread, I view my pve character as interrupt/battle medic.

Fast Cast 15 11+3+1
Domination 11 10+1
Inspiration 11 10+a
Healing 1

Backfire
Power Leak
Power Block [E]
Power Drain
Power Spike
Cry of Frustration
Complicate
Res Chant

Main goal is to backfire other mesmers or monks, things with really fast cast times and then go to town on the rits or eles...and with Complicate and Cry of Frustration I can even mess with the tanks, particularly their healing sig. If someone happens to die, I've got a 4 second res chant that will get them back on their feet in record time and will allow the monks to focus on keeping other players alive rather than worring about the dead guy. Actually whenever I mention this before we go into a mission most monks are pretty happy about it. "I don't have to worry about resing anyone? Cool." Ele's are the sheer power users, but Mesmer's are the casters with style and skill.

Themis · Aug 28, 2006, 09:45 PM // 21:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hollerith

Everywhere I've been, DD = direct damage. Mesmers can be effective DD's as well. Fast casting a Meteor Storm is fantastic crowd control. Even Clumsiness and Ineptitude can be considered a DD (albeit conditional). Hell, I even play a smite Me/Mo when I get bored.

Mesmers are great damage dealers, not certain why Themis says they should never play that role. It's always nice to have some utility, but in pve, the best defense is a fast offense.

Well, i meant Mesmer with Mesmer skills, if you prefer

Now, if you plan to fill your skillbar with El spells, well best is being an Elementalist, imo

And i dind't suggest you play defense at all. You simply play off-target and damage ennemy warriors/asn/and-so-on : not exactly defense. Simply not immediately noticeable. Your teammates don't know what you've done, but you know you've done lots of work.

The use of Ineptitude and Clumsiness as you state (your example is perfect) is exactly what a Mesmer should do in PvE. But, you see, your team will not notice it. Your team will rather notice the Meteor storm, hehe

Turbo Wombat · Aug 29, 2006, 07:42 AM // 07:42

As you play, I'd recommend switching it up a bit between Domination and Illusion a bit, just so you can get a good feel for both. By this point I've more or less settled on punishments and interrupts in the domination line being my favorite. Right now, my PvE build looks something like this:

Fast Casting: 6+1
Domination: 12+3+1
Inspiration: 11+1

Power Spike
Overload
Empathy
Backfire
Complicate/Shatter Enchantment/Shatter Hex (depending on where you are)
Energy Drain/Mantra of Recall
Ether Feast
Resurrection Chant

It's primarily an anti-caster build, but it cuts through things pretty quick. I typically throw empathy on backline archers while picking out which of the casters needs to die. Backfire+Overload (146+74=220 dmg in about 1/4 of a second) makes for a great spike vs. the AI since they cast right through it without hesitation. If I see something casting a spell that's going to cause me or some team mate problems, I power spike it and keep an eye out for it to come around again. Shatter Hex can be great to use on your warrior since (in theory) they should have a nice mass of enemies around them, and the 126 damage to everything in the area plus the hex removal can be well worth the 15 energy in some situations.

All-in-all a mesmer is there to stop enemies from being the full potential threat that they can be. Whether you do that by hex/enchant removal, interrupts, punishments, snares, degen, or energy denial is all up to you. You most likely won't get the full credit you receive, but teams with a good mesmer are able to get through many situations much more easily. Just look for the little phrases from your party members that go something like "Holy ----! We're killing these bosses in like two seconds!" and know that your work is appreciated, even if they don't always realize that it's you.