Mesmer Skill Availability

As soon as I jump into a 4v4 random conflict, the first thing I do is look for casters. An elementalist? That's -1 player on their side. Or, at least -1/2 of a player. I can stop the first couple spells they dish out, which are almost always their big AOEs. Monks? No problem, anything more than a healing breeze and Orison of healing isn't going to reach any of their teammates. Necros? Like BUDDAH.

...Rangers? Eeh...Maybe they have a secondary I can block...Warriors? I'm dead. Kaput. No chance.

Mesmers have a few skills that can limit the abilities of warriors and rangers. The problem is that in the early levels, none of these crucial skills are available. I have 2 spells that stop casting and a whole host of energy-killers that can completely disable a caster...But against melee? Empathy maybe...And I have a skill that raises my armor against them for a while. That's about it. I can damage them a little bit, or I can help myself run from them...otherwise, I can't do anything.

I know that eventually I'll be able to do just fine against them, but right now, with Lyons Arch still on the horizon, I am a defenseless, helpless puppy at the hooves of a bull when I'm facing a warrior or ranger. I wouldn't mind so much if I always had casters to pick on in enemy groups, but lately, seeing a primary caster in random PvP is cause for celebration. It seems as though casters no longer bother. It has become more and more common to see groups with 3-4 warrior primaries, or 3-4 ranger primaries. What does that mean for me? It means that it's basically a 3v4, since I can do extremely little.

Give us SOMETHING to fight melee with at the beginning. Anything. Just one skill? Please? I'd like to PvP and not pray for an enemy caster. End the domination of physical attacks early on, and let Mesmers stand a chance.

Dont forget imagined burden, to escape a warrior, a mesmer will have to create distance between the two of them, try finding skills that do that.

Once again, that only leaves me the option to run. Besides, what if I'm not being attacked by a warrior? What if someone else is? What I SHOULD be able to do is blind them, or stop their next attack, etc. Unfortunately, the skills that do that sort of thing don't appear until later in the game.

I think that is by design. Certain classes have a definite advantage against others in PvP situations. This makes the selection of players for your party an important decision. Mesmers dont do well against warriors, but they excel against elementalists & monks (have I ever mentionned how much I hate those bloody mesmers?). Necros have an advantage against warriors, but are somewhat weak against mesmers (at least, that is my observation...)

I'm only level 9. Although to be fair I am a mesmer/warrior. Empathy/conjure phantasm and then continual signet of healing and ether feasts. The point here is that I WANT them to hit me as much as they can. If they're a warrior monk...then maybe I'll throw a backfire or something in there as well.

Its ok I guess...but I wouldn't try it unless you had no other options. Usually you'd be more helpful just spamming your hexes at everything in sight.

You make a good point, Myth. Still, it'd be really nice if I could get one of my anti-warrior skills earlier. Guess I'll just have to hang tight until then.