Curse

KonekoNyaa · May 22, 2005, 08:46 AM // 08:46

How does this look the mesmer community out there? I recently became set on playing a mesmer primary because of the lack of them. I have a R/Me already and love it, but now I'm starting fresh and considering Elementalist secondary for this build...

Domination -> 10
Inspiration -> 9
Fast Casting -> 7
Fire -> 10

That right there is my main problem. I went the standard 11/10/10 with my old character and it worked out great. Problem is all 3 of those attributes need to be high and I couldn't live without Fast Casting. Anyways, here are my skills...

Backfire (Domination) Description: For the next 10 seconds, whenever target enemy casts a spell, that enemy takes 35/119/147 damage.
Energy Burn (Domination) Description: Target enemy loses 4/9/11 energy and takes 8 damage for each point of energy lost.
Power Leak (Domination) Description: If target enemy is casting a spell, the spell is interrupted and the enemy loses 10/22/26 energy.
Mind Wrack (Domination) Description: For the next 20 seconds, if target enemy's energy is zero, that enemy suffers 15/75/95 damage and Mind Wrack ends.
Channeling (Inspiration) Description: For the next 8/46/59 seconds, each time you cast a spell you steal 1 energy from each nearby enemy.
Ether Feast (Inspiration) Description: Target enemy loses 5 energy. You are healed 8/24/30 for each point of energy lost.
Spirit Shackles (Inspiration) Description: For the next 8/24/30 seconds, target enemy loses 5 energy whenever he/she attacks.
Mind Burn (Fire + ELITE) Description: Target foe takes 15/51/63 fire damage. If you have more energy than target foe, that foe takes an additional 15/51/63 fire damage and is set on fire for 1/6/8 seconds. This spell causes exhaustion.

What do all the mesmer gurus think?

Edit -> Hehe, wrong skill name.

Digital Limit · May 22, 2005, 09:19 AM // 09:19

Like the build - Mesmers are teh hawtness.

Mercury Angel · May 22, 2005, 09:51 AM // 09:51

Never seen it in that format before, the effects of skills posted at what they'd be for 0/12/16.

Anyway, not sure as to why Mind Burn. Mind Surge is an elite that'd cause a decent amount of damage that ignores defence, is AoE, and isn't quite as conditional as Mind Burn, and wouldn't require points in Fire (boosting the effectiveness of all of your other domination skills as well, if you invest more into domination, or not, if you choose to put the points elsewhere, such as illusion for degeneration, if it's degeneration you want.), and it also aids in the energy control aspect. The most spammable skills you have take 5 seconds recharge, and one of them takes 3 seconds to cast, although I'd imagine it's the Mind Wrack that you'll be spamming as much as possible on to your target.

I'm no mesmer guru, although it is the character I play 50% of the time (the other 50% divided into about 33% monk, 17% other), and I love elementalists also, but I'm really not sure what I'm missing about Mind Burn that makes it an integral part to this build.

At 10 Fire magic, you get 45 fire damage, and another 45 fire damage IF your target has less energy than you. Since you're not an elementalist (primary for Energy Storage), and you just cast a spell, I'd say it's a toss-up as to whether you get your effect or not.

If you shifted to 14 domination through use of runes and inherent headgear bonus, you could deal 80 damage with Energy Surge to the target, all nearby targets, and cause a loss of 10 energy to your target (although, with all the energy control you'll be doing, they may not have that much to lose >.>).

I'm not really seeing the purpose to channeling in here. With few skills to discourage the unwanted advances of warriors (and their pelvic thrust dance moves

), and the shortest recharge times being 5 seconds, with a 3 second casting time on one of said skills, even if you were close by, I doubt it'd help much, but who knows, perhaps the energy you get from it will aid just enough to get by.

Anyway, it's kind of late, and I might be missing key aspects to your build due to drowsiness, so take what I say with a grain of salt, not that you shouldn't anyway.

KonekoNyaa · May 23, 2005, 08:28 PM // 20:28

Mind Burn does 100 damage if I have more mana then the enemy, which I will... easily. As soon as Mind Wrack is triggered I cast Mind Burn. Wow... how obvious. On top of the quick 100 damage, it also sets the foe on fire. Fire and poison and the two best forms of health degeneration.

jstreed · May 23, 2005, 09:09 PM // 21:09

I'm a primary mesmer. (Yeehaw for mesmers). Anyways, nice build. I like the idea. My second mesmer is a Me/E and this looks like a great mind-f*$k build, I like it.

Red Locust · May 23, 2005, 11:00 PM // 23:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by KonekoNyaa

How does this look the mesmer community out there? I recently became set on playing a mesmer primary because of the lack of them. I have a R/Me already and love it, but now I'm starting fresh and considering Elementalist secondary for this build...

Domination -> 10
Inspiration -> 9
Fast Casting -> 7
Fire -> 10

That right there is my main problem. I went the standard 11/10/10 with my old character and it worked out great. Problem is all 3 of those attributes need to be high and I couldn't live without Fast Casting. Anyways, here are my skills...

Backfire (Domination) Description: For the next 10 seconds, whenever target enemy casts a spell, that enemy takes 35/119/147 damage.
Energy Burn (Domination) Description: Target enemy loses 4/9/11 energy and takes 8 damage for each point of energy lost.
Power Leak (Domination) Description: If target enemy is casting a spell, the spell is interrupted and the enemy loses 10/22/26 energy.
Mind Wrack (Domination) Description: For the next 20 seconds, if target enemy's energy is zero, that enemy suffers 15/75/95 damage and Mind Wrack ends.
Channeling (Inspiration) Description: For the next 8/46/59 seconds, each time you cast a spell you steal 1 energy from each nearby enemy.
Ether Feast (Inspiration) Description: Target enemy loses 5 energy. You are healed 8/24/30 for each point of energy lost.
Spirit Shackles (Inspiration) Description: For the next 8/24/30 seconds, target enemy loses 5 energy whenever he/she attacks.
Mind Burn (Fire + ELITE) Description: Target foe takes 15/51/63 fire damage. If you have more energy than target foe, that foe takes an additional 15/51/63 fire damage and is set on fire for 1/6/8 seconds. This spell causes exhaustion.

What do all the mesmer gurus think?

Edit -> Hehe, wrong skill name.

If you're looking to cause damage to casters, that build isn't the best suited for it. I've tried a mind wrack build with my mesmer before, and it doesn't work too well. For starters, most people stop attacking with spirit shackles on. People also rarely get down to 0 energy naturally, so although you can spam mind wrack, its your other energy draining skills that need to be cast often, and most of those skills have long regen times. Channeling by itself is not enough to bring the caster down to 0 energy, plus, most casters don't stick too close to a mesmer. Mind burn will work, but it would also work with any type of energy drain build.

In the end, you end up not doing as much damage as you would with, say, interrupts or DoTs.

Curlyfry · May 23, 2005, 11:59 PM // 23:59

Hey, im a lvl 20 Me/W, and im pretty much an illusionary warrior. I love the build, but i happen to be a main target of PvP battles, and im terrible at healing myself, all i use is ether feast. Anyways, about the build, it seems great for PvE with a good team, but soloing and PvP it looks terrible, you cannot hande yourself alone. MESMERS RULE!

KonekoNyaa · May 24, 2005, 02:43 AM // 02:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Locust

If you're looking to cause damage to casters, that build isn't the best suited for it. I've tried a mind wrack build with my mesmer before, and it doesn't work too well. For starters, most people stop attacking with spirit shackles on. People also rarely get down to 0 energy naturally, so although you can spam mind wrack, its your other energy draining skills that need to be cast often, and most of those skills have long regen times. Channeling by itself is not enough to bring the caster down to 0 energy, plus, most casters don't stick too close to a mesmer. Mind burn will work, but it would also work with any type of energy drain build.

In the end, you end up not doing as much damage as you would with, say, interrupts or DoTs.

Actually, I was gearing this more towards warriors. Hence the Spirit Shackles and Channeling that you questioned. I still feel that this build would be able to handle Casters, but it might not be able to kill them.

KonekoNyaa · May 24, 2005, 04:33 AM // 04:33

If you don't think a skill fits into my build. Like Channeling, please offer a suggestion in its place.

Mercury Angel · May 24, 2005, 04:53 AM // 04:53

So I'm guessing the Mind Burn is a toss on of spike damage when they're already weakened? In which case they'd have no energy to prevent the added effects, which by the same token would mean skills that damage through causing energy loss would be useless to you. Ok, makes sense enough.
Warriors won't need energy to use Healing Signet though, and if you've already used Mind Burn, it's going to be difficult to fit something in within 2 seconds (minus the time it takes to notice and react to the skill) to take advantage of the x2 damaging time period. However, if you do catch them, it'd bound to hurt quite a bit.
And you've got channeling to force a warrior, who already has slow energy regeneration, to lose the last few energy they cling on to by spamming whatever spells you can, and regardless of what they are, they result in energy loss, without having to wait for a 20 second recycle period (which many of the direct energy loss skills have).

Well, [I'm] thinking clearer, give feedback on how it's worked out, I'd like to hear. ^^

As for burning, I'm aware of it's potency, and I prefer using Immolate + Conjure Flame on my elementalist, and dropping flare altogether, because of that. It's just that as a mesmer, it's none too hard to inflict that much degeneration over a long time period staying within the mesmer branches alone without the exhaustion or the conditional effect. (On the single target you focus on for a while, you'll be sure to trigger it. But after you're done with that person, and your party could use some focus fire on another target, you may or may not have the energy to gain the full effect against the next target when you need it). However, if it works, it works, and 2 effects in a single skill is sometimes a godsend in an already limited space bar.

[Edit: If this is an anti-warrior build, have you looked at Panic? AoE energy degeneration of 2, and a backfire-esque effects addressing the use of signet rings. 2 energy pips is all a warrior has to begin with, and with Panic on, they won't be getting anymore energy. It discourages the use of Healing Signet in part, although depending on whether the x2 damage will trigger or not, it might not matter much. The skill remains within the domination branch, adds to the build pretty unconditionally, and can get you started on your next target as well, by being an AoE effect.]

Yukito Kunisaki · May 24, 2005, 04:54 AM // 04:54

Ether Lord in place of Channeling.

Want to keep that enemy's energy down? This is one way to do it. But I'm not to sure with those stats. Just do it the moment your energy hits 5 because well... It's sure to rip warriors a new one lol. 2 pips energy degen can be fatal to those with 4 degen by default cause u pretty much reduce them to warrior status whereas you're sitting on a massive 6 regen.

^_^

KonekoNyaa · May 24, 2005, 05:54 AM // 05:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yukito Kunisaki

Ether Lord in place of Channeling.

Want to keep that enemy's energy down? This is one way to do it. But I'm not to sure with those stats. Just do it the moment your energy hits 5 because well... It's sure to rip warriors a new one lol. 2 pips energy degen can be fatal to those with 4 degen by default cause u pretty much reduce them to warrior status whereas you're sitting on a massive 6 regen.

^_^

OMG! I forgot to add that skill. I was planning on it actually. Yeah, definitely replacing Channeling with Ether Lord.

KonekoNyaa · May 24, 2005, 05:57 AM // 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercury Angel

So I'm guessing the Mind Burn is a toss on of spike damage when they're already weakened? In which case they'd have no energy to prevent the added effects, which by the same token would mean skills that damage through causing energy loss would be useless to you. Ok, makes sense enough.
Warriors won't need energy to use Healing Signet though, and if you've already used Mind Burn, it's going to be difficult to fit something in within 2 seconds (minus the time it takes to notice and react to the skill) to take advantage of the x2 damaging time period. However, if you do catch them, it'd bound to hurt quite a bit.
And you've got channeling to force a warrior, who already has slow energy regeneration, to lose the last few energy they cling on to by spamming whatever spells you can, and regardless of what they are, they result in energy loss, without having to wait for a 20 second recycle period (which many of the direct energy loss skills have).

Well, [I'm] thinking clearer, give feedback on how it's worked out, I'd like to hear. ^^

As for burning, I'm aware of it's potency, and I prefer using Immolate + Conjure Flame on my elementalist, and dropping flare altogether, because of that. It's just that as a mesmer, it's none too hard to inflict that much degeneration over a long time period staying within the mesmer branches alone without the exhaustion or the conditional effect. (On the single target you focus on for a while, you'll be sure to trigger it. But after you're done with that person, and your party could use some focus fire on another target, you may or may not have the energy to gain the full effect against the next target when you need it). However, if it works, it works, and 2 effects in a single skill is sometimes a godsend in an already limited space bar.

[Edit: If this is an anti-warrior build, have you looked at Panic? AoE energy degeneration of 2, and a backfire-esque effects addressing the use of signet rings. 2 energy pips is all a warrior has to begin with, and with Panic on, they won't be getting anymore energy. It discourages the use of Healing Signet in part, although depending on whether the x2 damage will trigger or not, it might not matter much. The skill remains within the domination branch, adds to the build pretty unconditionally, and can get you started on your next target as well, by being an AoE effect.]

Your statements are very contridictory. You claim that I will be able to completely manage my opponent's enegry and by forcing them to have zero energy all the time they won't be able to do anything and I don't need damage skills. Yet later you say Mind Wrack and Mind Burn aren't going to assist me much because it is a gamble depending on my opponent's energy.

As for Panic, that is an elite skill and would force me to get rid of Mind Burn.