Mesmer PvE | Dungeon Sword/Focus, Greatsword | Damage Furby's multitasking mesmer (20/20/0/30/0)
Table of Contents
Summary
This build works well for guild missions, dungeons, map exploration and well...really anything outside of sPvP.
The new "meta" build can be found here: Dat Link
The linked build is just a quick guide I made to show the trait loadout for a min/max phantasm build, as soon as I see someone else make a guide for it I will happily link it here.
UPDATE: I am currently running a hybrid build that does a lot of different things. Take a look at it here - The SPRAM build
The linked build is definitely not for everyone but it is more versatile and has more damage than this does. I am also updating the gear to this build.
I. Weapons and Skills
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- 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
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- SwapSwap locations with your clone. Immobilize nearby foes.Immobilized: 2 sCombo Finisher: LeapRange: 600
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- Into the VoidDestroy your Temporal Curtain, pulling your target into it.
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Weapon and Skill Details
Sword/Focus is too powerful to pass up. The phantasm takes practice to use but when you get the timing down it does incredible damage to an area of targets. The sword itself provides and extra evade and a leap to get into combat quickly. The focus is traited to reflect giving the build incredible dungeon support.
Greatsword is a must when you have to be ranged. The phantasm provides and AoE cripple and the 3 skill strips pesky boons like regen and retaliation.
Ether feast is the preferred heal for PvE as clone production is high and can be times to provide a much larger heal than can be achieved with mirror...although that is a decent second option.
Blink breaks stun and can get you out of danger faster than any other skill the mesmer has (aside from staff 2).
Feedback is too good to pass up.
Null field is run as a self/group condition removal and an enemy boon stripper. This is what I usually swap out depending on the encounter or if I need to port someone.
II. Traits
Domination
Dueling
Chaos
Inspiration
Trait Details
The traits are focused around high burst phantasm damage and low cooldowns. The inspiration line can change from time to time but this is my setup 95% of the time.
Inspiration:
Glamour Mastery - Lower cooldown on feedback and null field (yes please!)
Mendor's Purity - Remove a condition on heal (yes please!)
Warden's Feedback - Makes temporal curtain and iWarden reflect projectiles...absolutely amazing.
III. Stat Specifics & Effects
Primary Stats
- Health 19102 (+3180)
- Vitality 1234 (+318)
- Armor 2182 (+346)
- Toughness 1262 (+346)
- Attack 2877 (+1019)
- Power 1935 (+1019)
- Critical Hit 51% (+51%)
- Precision 1850 (+934)
Secondary Stats
- Agony Resistance 45 (+45)
- Condition Duration 20% (+20%)
- Critical Damage 62% (+62%)
- Damage 942 (+0%)
- Defense 920 (+0)
- Experience from Kills 20% (+20%)
- Ferocity 937 (+937)
- Healing Power 300 (+300)
- Swiftness Duration 30% (+30%)
Boons
Conditions
Control
Fields & Finishers
IV. Food, Armor, Trinkets & Upgrade Items
Food Nourishment
66% chance to steal life on critical.
Precision: 70
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- 66% chance to steal life on critical.
- Precision: 70
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Utility Nourishment
Gain precision equal to 6% of your toughness
Gain precision equal to 4% of your vitality
Experience from Kills: 10%
- (30min)
- Gain precision equal to 6% of your toughness
- Gain precision equal to 4% of your vitality
- Experience from Kills: 10%
Armor & Runes
- Defense: 73
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 73
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 314
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 133
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 194
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
- Defense: 133
- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
Armor Stat Totals
- Defense 920
- Ferocity 175
- Swiftness Duration 30%
Rune Bonuses
Superior Rune of the Air- Ferocity: 25
- Swiftness Duration: 10%
- Ferocity: 50
- When you use a heal skill, you gain swiftness for 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 10 seconds)
- Ferocity: 100
- +20% Swiftness Duration; 50% chance when struck to hit the foe with a lightning strike. (Cooldown: 20 seconds)
Accessories & Jewels
- Precision: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Precision: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Precision: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Precision: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Precision: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
- Precision: 5
- Agony Resistance: 5
Accessory Totals
- Power:579
- Precision:319
- Ferocity:392
- Agony Resistance:45
- Vitality:18
- Toughness:346
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
Superior Sigil of PerceptionGain +10 Precision each time you kill a foe. (Max 25 stacks; ends on down.)
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 Fire50% chance to cause flame blast on critical hit causing AoE damage. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 5s)
- 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 Air50% chance to cause a lightning strike on a critical hit. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 3 seconds)
Water Weapon II
Sigil of Superior Air50% chance to cause a lightning strike on a critical hit. (This effect cannot trigger more than once every 3 seconds)
Upgrade Item Details
So...many people swear by going full zerk on a mes, but I like putting the air runes in and mixing in some toughness/vitality into the trinkets for a little defense.
The runes are lovely as they allow you to get perma-swiftness which is great for doing dailies, mapping, or just running around dungeons. This is just personal preference.
As far as toughness in the trinkets, I played with full zerk before and got tired of going "splat" when conditions required me to take a hit or 2. Of course you can play perfectly and never get hit, but I am human and like to account for error and I also like to be able to run into the heat to pick up a downed ally.
The toughness is personal preference as well but I would highly recommend it.
EDIT - I switched to full zerker trinkets shortly after writing this with fire and accuracy in the sword/focus and perception in the greatsword (sigils). Unfortunately I can't change the gear choices above for some reason.
UPDATE - Since first posting this, I have switched to a full set of superior runes of the traveler. It is indeed an expensive upgrade but totally worth it in my opinion. With the new signet heal released on December 10th, you would get more use out of leaving it inactive and keeping clones/phantasms up. Of course there are situations where other heals would be better (anything where you can't reliably keep illusions up) but it is a pretty nifty new skill they added.
V. Basic Gameplay
Gameplay for this build is very fast and active with a high amount of mobility.
The sword allows you to close gaps quickly and immobilize right after casting iWarden to add a blurred frenzy for burst damage. The focus and feedback can be used in sequence to provide excellent projectile protection.
Greatsword is obviously ranged but can also be used to knock enemies off downed allies or defend objectives.
Main Skill Rotation
Rotation varies depending on the encounter and what cooldowns you have available. Mostly though, you want to maximize phantasm uptime...if you are fighting ranged, you can swap to s/f, drop a warden, leap in, blurred frenzy, and blink out to swap back to GS. That is just one example. The profession is EXTREMELY mobile and just takes a lot of intuitive feeling to get used to.
In other words, play around with it and see what you can pull off.
I prefer Veil instead of Null Field as Stealth is much more important imo. And I'm also full berserk. As I find mesmer to have a very good set of defensive skills. (Blink, Feedback, Focus Reflect, Sword Evasion, Sword Swap)
1. I tend to go with Shattered Conditions instead of Mender's Purity; you get much more condition removal (Wrack alone matches Mender's, and you have the other three shatters too), and it's team-wide too, just at the expense of having to shatter for it - which is not a problem with Deceptive Evasion.
2. Phantasmal Fury instead of Blade Training, more damage if you can keep a few phantasms up; goes great with Empowered Illusions and Phantasmal Strength.
3. I generally like Medic's Feedback over Glamor Mastery when I'm not running solo - feedback on res with a 10-second CD is *amazing* and has prevented countless downs/wipes in dungeons and fractals.
The reason to ad 10 in chaos is to reduce cooldown for blink, cause this utility is really great life-saver, especially if you run with berserker gears. Also, if it comes to WvWvW or Guild jumping puzzle sometimes it is needed to have back-up for falling damage. For this case i replace "Master or Manipulation" with "Descent into madness".
Literally you don't lose much with removing 10 in domination, because most your damage is coming from phantasms and direct dmg from GS isn't that huge. Also you have a bit bigger cooldown for GS skills, but if you run a bit without it, you will realise that it is not a big deal, because GS skill 5 not needed to have low CD on PvE, you lose skill 4 CD, but once you managed to summon 2 phantasms(warden and berserker) it is not important - you want to keep them up, and their life-time is still bigger than untraited cooldown. Skills 2 & 3 on GS are also situational. And you don't lose CD on autoattack.
As a replacement you get some toughness/boon duration from traits, with still very good dps. So with your build you just can replace one your knight rings with berserker ring and get absolutely same stats with a bit wider choice to swap utilities as per encounter.
You can always have swiftness up, and +15% bleeding duration goes very well with sharper images trait, adding 1 more second of bleed from to the enemies.
Also, I personally don't like deceptive evasion in PvE that much. It could look cool, but sometimes this trait could be such burden, especially when you need to run through/skip trash mobs (like Arah or TA). Or if you want to pull champions to the group (like in HotW p2 or SE p1 etc.) The clones on dodge could sometimes draw too much agro to group, causing unnecessary fights. So in duelling line I normally use "Phantasmal fury" and "Blade training" and it gives insane damage to me and my phantasms.