Mesmer PvE | Dungeon Sword/Focus, Greatsword | Damage High DPS Mesmer
Table of Contents
Summary
The goal of this Mesmer is to protect the team from crucial projectiles from bosses while increasing the DPS through the use of time warp and providing moderate to high DPS through the use of phantasms.
This build did not change due to the December 10th Skill update. See notes at bottom for reasoning.
I. Weapons and Skills
-
- Mind Gash½Gash your foe to make them vulnerable.Damage: 202Vulnerability: 5 sRange: 130
- Mind Spike½Stab your foe and rip a boon off of them. This skill does an additional 50% damage to targets with no boons.Damage: 280Range: 130
-
- 0Fury: 10 s
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- SwapSwap locations with your clone. Immobilize nearby foes.Immobilized: 2 sCombo Finisher: LeapRange: 600
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- Into the VoidDestroy your Temporal Curtain, pulling your target into it.
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- 0Fury: 10 s
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- 0Fury: 10 s
-
- 0Fury: 10 s
Weapon and Skill Details
Sword/Focus combo is the bread and butter of this build. While the weapon combination is more risky then a ranged set it provides considerably more damage and utility.
- Sword auto attack removes boons (3rd attack in chain) and cleaves.
- Sword 2 provides a useful 2 second evasion (which has to be timed appropriately to ensure survival when melee-ing bosses).
- Sword 3 is a leap finisher which can be used to stack retal. from guardians, the second part of the chain is an immobilizing attack.
- Focus 4 is useful for a variety of reasons. Firstly it can be used as a pull to gather foes, remember the casting range is 900, but the pull is only about ~600. Secondly it can be used as a reflective barrier. While this sometimes fails (depends on the arch of the attack) it is useful for fractals like grawl or harpy. Third, it is a light combo field which is handing for stacking retal or curing conditions with protectiles or whirling finishers. Lastly it can be used as a party wide speed boost.
- Finally, the focus phantasm. This phantasm hits the hardest (12,000-16,000 damage/per clone) provided the target does not move or target the phantasm. Another added benefit is that while this phantasm is attacking it blocks all projectiles. It should be noted that if the target moves this phantasm will not follow and is best destroyed used F1 (mind wrack).
Greatsword This should only be used for bosses that have quick melee attacks that are difficult to read or dodge (ie Arcdiviner [Cliffside] or Charr Shaman [Unclassified]. To achieve max DPS stay at 1200 range.
Pistol This should only be used for solo target bosses that move around the map (ie Mossman, Archdivier, Shaman Boss, etc..) otherwise use focus for the utility and greater DPS.
Utilities: Like any dungeon or team event the utilities that you bring change. If you are unsure of what utilities you need it's probably a safe bet to take feedback for projectile defense or ethereal combo field, null field for condi removal and combo field and blink a "get out of jail free card". This should be used when bosses target you (blink 900 range away to get some distance) or a stun breaker.
Specific Fractals:
- Snowblind - Mantra of Concentration - grants stabby and stun breaker
- Grawl (When saving the people on the cliff) - dazes foes to stop them from moving
- Swamp (Mossman) - Decoy - grants 3s of stealth
II. Traits
Domination
Dueling
Chaos
Inspiration
Trait Details
Domination: |Traits - Three and Ten| The majority of a Mesmer's damage is from the phantasms so increasing the phantasms damage by 15% allows the Mesmer to hit about 1500-1700 more damage/clone which is significant. Secondly trait X allows to cast the phantasm 4 seconds earlier, thus increasing the damage again. This also allows to cast GS2 more often for boon removal.
Dueling: |Traits - Two and Four|The reason for fury on phantasms is again to increase the amount of damage they do. Trait four simply allows you to use skills 2/3 more which is very useful. Another choice for this slot is to have clones on dodge. This allows you to use your shattering skills (F1 - F4) more. Although the damage from these skills are noticeable they are not enough to make a considerable difference in the overall DPS. The most damage comes from mind wrack (1500-2500 damage x 3) but using this effect once every 15 seconds is minimal considering skill 2 can hit up to 8000 and can be used 9.5 seconds.
Inspiration:|Traits: One, Two Eight| I typically use trait 1, feedback bubble on rez, because many attacks in fractals are projectiles which allows me to stay safe for a quick rez of an ally. This also becomes an offensive trait in fractals like grawl, unclassified, cliffside, snowblind, swamp, dredge (seeing a pattern here) because it reflects the damage back. This feedback bubbles now lasts 7 seconds and has a 10s cooldown which means it can be used very frequently (I sometimes "fake rez" an ally just to get the bubble then break the rez and do it again in 10 seconds). This is more valuble then glamour skills lasting longer because the 1 second increase in feedback is minimal compared to the more frequent use of the bubble on rez. Trait 8 allows the focus 4 to reflect skills which can be used as a second (last resort) reflective wall.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 18922 (+3000)
- Vitality 1216 (+300)
- Armor 1836 (+0)
- Toughness 916 (+0)
- Attack 3584 (+1726)
- Power 2642 (+1726)
- Critical Hit 68% (+68%)
- Precision 2201 (+1285)
Secondary Stats
- Agony Resistance 45 (+45)
- Condition Duration 20% (+20%)
- Critical Damage 87% (+87%)
- Damage 942 (+0%)
- Defense 920 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 1305 (+1305)
- Healing Power 300 (+300)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
Stat and Effect Details
This build provides little in terms of party buffs but null field, feeback and time warp are all ethereal fields. Focus 4 is a light field, focus 5 is a whirling finisher and sword 3 is a leap finisher.
If longer boon duration are ever needed (dolphins path in Aquatic) signet of inspiration can be used to double everyone (minus yourself) boons.
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
Precision: 100
Ferocity: 70
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Precision: 100
- Ferocity: 70
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
- (1hr)
- +10% damage vs dredge
- -10% damage from dredge
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 73
- Power: 60
- Precision: 43
- Ferocity: 43
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 73
- Power: 45
- Precision: 32
- Ferocity: 32
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 314
- Power: 134
- Precision: 96
- Ferocity: 96
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 133
- Power: 45
- Precision: 32
- Ferocity: 32
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 194
- Power: 90
- Precision: 64
- Ferocity: 64
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
- Defense: 133
- Power: 45
- Precision: 32
- Ferocity: 32
- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 920
- Power 594
- Ferocity 399
- Precision 299
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Scholar- Power: 25
- Ferocity: 35
- Power: 50
- Ferocity: 65
- Power: 100
- +10% damage while health is above 90%.
Accessories & Jewels
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
Accessory Totals
- Power:692
- Precision:466
- Ferocity:466
- Agony Resistance:45
Weapon Set Sigils
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 832-883
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Weapon Set I
Sigil of Superior BloodlustYou gain +10 power each time you kill a foe. (max 25 stacks and ends on down or weapon change)
Sigil of Superior Accuracy+7% crit chance.
- Weapon Strength: 995-1100
- Power: 239
- Precision: 171
- Ferocity: 171
- Weapon Strength: 0-0
Weapon Set II
Sigil of Superior BloodlustYou gain +10 power each time you kill a foe. (max 25 stacks and ends on down or weapon change)
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
- Weapon Strength: 905-1000
- Power: 120
- Precision: 85
- Ferocity: 85
Water Weapon I
Sigil of Superior Fire50% chance to cause flame blast on critical hit causing AoE damage. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)
Water Weapon II
Sigil of Superior BloodlustYou gain +10 power each time you kill a foe. (max 25 stacks and ends on down or weapon change)
Upgrade Item Details
Full zerker gear is best (or now assassin's armor with opal orbs). Special bonuses like (6) on the scholar runes do not apply to clones therefore lower their DPS. If you want to increase the damage from these summons you must use orbs (ruby or opal).
Currently I am running assassin's armor with zerker weapons/trinkets which allows my crit chance to hover around 70% and 115% crit damage (with discipline) without fury and ~3800-4200 with some might, <15 stacks.
I stack bloodlust with GS and sword because I am constantly switch between the weapons and don't want to miss the stacks.
The food listed above is a generic food that works well with the build. It increases the crit chance by a couple percent as well as crit damage by 10% which is both passes onto the phantasms's damage.
One thing that works well for me in grawl fractal is to use a Ghost Pepper popper which has a 40% chance of chill on crit. Due to the three pulses of the GS auto attack and the high crit chance of this build it means that the mesmer has the ability to keep up a long range chill on the grawl boss which gives the team more time to take down the stacks on his bubble and posistion themselves to protect them from the elemental attacks.
V. Basic Gameplay
Mesmer's have multiple ways of avoiding damage from heavy hitting foes, even when they are on their face with a sword. There are few bosses that you are not able to melee, it just requires practice and being able to dodge the right attack or stick behind the foe to ensure you are not targeted. Melee as much as possible, if you are targeted or get low on health blink out of combat and get to 1200 range. This allows you the max distance to effectively kite, while still ensuring you are an asset to the team with moderate DPS from GS.
Main Skill Rotation
The only important underwater combat that occurs in GW2 is the UW fractal. For this the team should be stacking on the statues to allow you and the warriors to drop their unique skills. Vortex should be used to ball the krait, follow by your UW phantasm, then spear 2. If you use it correctly (against the statue where you dont move) it stacks the damages and when combined with the warriors can wipe out the krait in under 10 seconds.
VI. December 10 Update
There are no changes to this build due to the December 10th skill update because there are no justifications to make a change. The only trait that is reasonably useful in PvE is the 20% recharge time on illusion in the illusion line that is now a master trait. To get this trait you would need to take 15 points out of various lines and drop in the last line. With the current build the only way to do that is to remove points from Domination or Inspiration. This in turn removes the 20% cooldown on the weapons specific phantasms which nets almost nothing while removing important secondary traits.
TL;DR: The December 10 patch does not affect this build, the changes introduced are not more useful then current traits.
Comments
@ 12:51 PM, Fri November 15 2013
Reply @ 10:48 AM, Sat November 30 2013
Reply