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[Ashodin]

With regards to official forums, I imagine they feel that there is no need given that Guild Wars Guru does the job for them, and they use that forum already to communicate to fans.

Communicate to, but not take criticism from. They will hear criticism from the actual players themselves in-game or in videos (where sensible opinions happen) or just even listen to TotalBiscuit. The man knows his stuff.

If you watched the first time he got to play the game, he literally gushed about it - and this guy is hard to please!

 

[06nbarnhill]

WoW forums are mostly filled with bad information and complete nonsense. If you want any informative information about WoW you go to mmo-champion, arenajunkies or elitestjerks, It's been that way for a long, long time.

Community sites are generally run better than the official forums anyway.

I sorta agree and I do use those sites alot as well.

However, no matter what game it is one forum will be adopted as the community forum where the vast majority of people post and inevitably it will be filled with complete crap. This will happen whether or not the forum is run by the company itself. I simply would prefer that they have their own official forums because there are some things that community forums simply won't do, like have realm forums.


(One should note that I play MMO's mainly to find some sort of niche gameplay to fit into as well as endgame. For example in WoW I love doing old content like old 70 raids with only lvl 70's as well as pvp. I am hoping that GW2 has some sort of niche for me to fit in. I like to mix things up)

 

[Ashodin]

WoW is an alright game (though built on a foundation that was outdated before launch). From the way you commented on playing it for a long time and it being stale, it wasn't hard to deduce that you're having regrets about the time you invested into it, and I was being sarcastic anyways.

The forums though? Abysmal doesn't begin to describe it. You essentially have a seething mass of fanboys ravenously defending their class/faction/playstyle/etc., criticizing the others, treating the developers like they're idiots and basically shouting about how their little sphere of play isn't absolutely perfect.

The community should be inside the game, not at an anonymous, external forum.

And unless things have changed, the theory-crafting and useful resources were all separate from the WoW forums, places like Elitist Jerks or WoWhead. Any civil discussion at the official forums was almost immediately drowned out by unreasonable angry chatter.

On Topic: The Guru Forums are just as bad, if not worse, because the game isn't even out yet for people to base their arguments / discussions / etc. on. I'm not saying Guild Wars' community is some kind of well-mannered, sophisticated community either.

I'd say here is probably the most sensible and un-whining discussion you will get on GW2. Guru's forums are a bunch of whining old and nu-fans of the game discussing as you said, whining about things still up in the air.

Those with dissenting opinions are talked to in a reasonable matter, ie gunbo13 has come around much more from the discussions of GW1 vs GW2 to actually discussing and building character builds with us.

 

[Keasar]

No idea if this is good or not, but I kinda like being very defensive and annoying with stuns and whatnot.

 

[etiolate]

What is it that you ugys are constituting as bad in WoW and Guru forums?

 

[Trey]

Communicate to, but not take criticism from. They will hear criticism from the actual players themselves in-game or in videos (where sensible opinions happen) or just even listen to TotalBiscuit. The man knows his stuff.
If you watched the first time he got to play the game, he literally gushed about it - and this guy is hard to please!

Maybe about RPGs in general but certainly not about Guild Wars.

 

[Ferny]

I'd say here is probably the most sensible and un-whining discussion you will get on GW2. Guru's forums are a bunch of whining old and nu-fans of the game discussing as you said, whining about things still up in the air.

Those with dissenting opinions are talked to in a reasonable matter, ie gunbo13 has come around much more from the discussions of GW1 vs GW2 to actually discussing and building character builds with us.

I agree that this will be a more calmer discussion on GW2 rather than the crazy and fanboyish people you'll get over here.

 

[Pinko Marx]

I can't stop making builds in the skills calculator.

 

[Arken2121]

Not sure if this has been posted but Yogscast has their warrior video up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA6TPoWWdV0&list=UUH-_hzb2ILSCo9ftVSnrCIQ&index=1&feature=plcp

 

[etiolate]

Mesmer looks to be more of a class for WvW than for 5v5. His damage seems to be pretty weak but he is probably the best dazer in the game.

My main problem with the mesmer is the staff skill line. You can't make a serious PVP character based on random odds...

I'm worried people will just hide behind aoe, killing off clones before they get to them to daze.

I think the sword is another problem. The 1 skill is just sort of a boring melee attack. It's then got two skills which are alike and should be somehow combined into one skill. The staff has that same problem, with a lot of condition spamming skills to the point its a bit redundant. I agree on the randomness being an issue. I want to know what condition I am applying so that it fits the situation.

If it's more of a class for WvW then I think it has to do with teleportation and invisibility skills. It's an army mover in that way and a feigned army by leaving a bunch of clones somewhere while it scuffles off with the real army under the veil of invisibility.

 

[Omnicent]

My Warrior (PvE):



Traits:
Strength [ 10 ]: I gain access to doing some form of attack when ending a dodge roll.
I also gain "Slashing Power", which will increase the damage I do with my main choice of weapon.


Defense [ 10 ]: I put 10 points here to gain "Adrenal Health". I'm hoping that this trait along with my heal's passive and
positioning will cover a decent portion of my damage intake.
Since I will only be using "Arcing Slice" for oh-shit moments I will be receiving maximum benefits from this trait.


Tactics [ 30 ]: With my build I will have Fury and Might up 50% of the time. Choosing "Empowered" serves to enhance my damage further when they are acive.
The other two major traits enhance the 2 shouts I use.
Now not only can I buff and remove conditions from allies, they will also be healed.
With these traits they are on a 20sec CD which should be enough to keep people moving.


Discipline [ 20 ]: I pick up "Signet Mastery" since the heal I use is a signet and it drops 10seconds from the CD.
Now the big thing is "Heightened Focus" which increased critical hit rate for every full bar of Adrenaline.
I expect this to be pretty potent since a player has to decide to burn bar or keep the critical hit rates. I see this as either go spike or damage over time.
My build has support and I use critical hits to make up damage lost from power, so this is a must have for me.


Weapon: Great sword is my weapon of choice. It appears do deal decent damage and is mobile. Coming from Vindictus as a spear lann where either you position and dodge or die
Great sword looks to give me what I need. Using the dodge roll to evade, Whirling Attack to damage and move (evade if used correctly which shouldn't be to hard) and rush to close distance it is a nice fit for my play-style.


Skills [6-0]:
Healing: Healing Signet heals and has a passive HP regen. Stacked with my regen trait I should be good for survival.

Frenzy: Movment speed and critical hit rate buff. Good for closing distance, attacking faster and damage.

For Great Justice & Shake It Off: My go to shouts. Not only will they heal myself and allies (traits), but there are boons and condition removal which is always good to have around.

Battle Standard: Everyone else dead? Shouts ready to roar? Pop this and get everyone going again.


My aim for this build was to retain medium-high damage output via critical hits (can swap things to get even more crit if I don't need the conditional removal/heal shout) and still
be supportive in a group. Most of this is just theory-craft, but hopefully it works out. Any thoughts, opinions, things I should consider? I always look forward to getting input from others.

 

[Vinci]

Not sure if this has been posted but Yogscast has their warrior video up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA6TPoWWdV0&list=UUH-_hzb2ILSCo9ftVSnrCIQ&index=1&feature=plcp

Ordinarily I hate brutish melee classes, but DAMN....

*cries* How many slots is this game going to make me pay for?

 

[Valnen]

Not sure if this has been posted but Yogscast has their warrior video up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA6TPoWWdV0&list=UUH-_hzb2ILSCo9ftVSnrCIQ&index=1&feature=plcp

And my class has been decided. The warrior basically has the "action" combat system that's supposed to make Tera online so good. Or something very close to it, at least.

 

[Ashodin]

Man the videos make Warrior look boring. I KNOW it's interesting, but just watching is pretty less satisfying than probably actually playing it.

 

[KaoticBlaze]

Man the videos make Warrior look boring. I KNOW it's interesting, but just watching is pretty less satisfying than probably actually playing it.

i said the same thing, they look so boring in the videos. i guess its just one of those things you have to try for yourself and decide

 

[gunbo13]

Those with dissenting opinions are talked to in a reasonable matter, ie gunbo13 has come around much more from the discussions of GW1 vs GW2 to actually discussing and building character builds with us.

That's only because I ran out of things to complain about.

 

[SDBurton]

1.) You need a second weapon set, but that doesn't really make too much of a difference (though it would help to fill in some of the gaps you have, like a lack of a charge/teleport or ranged attack. The Greatsword would give you both, plus another Symbol to get regen on via Writ of the Merciful.

I would consider replacing Writ of Persistence (Honor line, Symbols last longer) and go with Purity of Voice; you're using "Hold the Line!" so you could be removing conditions while you're at it and your Symbols lasting longer may not be as much use (especially if people are highly mobile).

2.) You have 15 points in Zeal, which is nice for Power/Concentration but that last minor trait ("Zealous Courage") doesn't seem worth it when you're ignoring your Radiance and Virtue lines. Dropping Might when you're at 50% health doesn't seem to mesh well with your defender/healer concept. I would consider pulling 5 from Zeal and putting them in Virtue to reduce your virtue cooldowns by 5% (1 sec. off Justice, 3 sec. off Courage, 2 sec. off Resolve) and allow your Virtue of Resolve to last longer (more regen).

1.) Sorry about that, I was so focused on the Mace and Shield I forgot about my second weapon set. Originally I had "Merciful Intervention" for a teleport but I decided to switch that out for "Signet of Mercy".

2.) The reason I took "Zealous Courage" was because of the fact that I have "Writ of the Merciful" where all symbols give regeneration. But I see your point. Thanks for pointing out the issues in my build, I appreciate it.

Made the according changes to what you pointed out.

 

[Arken2121]

I think everyone here is doing a solid for those looking for help with their builds, even if they're not finalized. Attitude like that will bring victory in WvWvW and some awesome/memorable times with all else.

 

[Ashodin]

I think everyone here is doing a solid for those looking for help with their builds, even if they're not finalized. Attitude like that will bring victory in WvWvW and some awesome/memorable times with all else.

Plus it will help the GAF guild achieve solidarity and broship between all.

 

[gunbo13]

1.) Sorry about that, I was so focused on the Mace and Shield I forgot about my second weapon set. Originally I had "Merciful Intervention" for a teleport but I decided to switch that out for "Signet of Mercy".

2.) The reason I took "Zealous Courage" was because of the fact that I have "Writ of the Merciful" where all symbols give regeneration. But I see your point. Thanks for pointing out the issues in my build, I appreciate it.

Made the according changes to what you pointed out.

I'd take down valor 5 points and give it to radiance for actual precision stat. It will give you blind with justice on the 5th attack which meshes well with your support/tank build. CoP is also a lousy condition removal alone. You need virtue of resolve during that huge 60CD if you don't back other utility skills. That's why you put at least 10 points into virtues. You can then choose a major trait of remove 2 conditions on resolve (instead of 1) or remove a condition on justice. That would mean you would blind enemies, burn surroundings, and remove a condition on the 5th attack.

Not bad for a PvE/WvW attrition character. I would probably not max valor but it can have its benefits. Probably too defensive for PvP unless you are camping.

 

[Retro]

Originally I had "Merciful Intervention" for a teleport but I decided to switch that out for "Signet of Mercy".

Yeah, Signet of Mercy's activated ability looks to be a staple of all non-solo Guardian builds. Being able to just pop a Signet and rally a downed comrade (rather than hunch over them and pray you don't get swatted off) every 90 seconds is too good to pass up and the passive healing is just icing on the cake.

The reason I took "Zealous Courage" was because of the fact that I have "Writ of the Merciful" where all symbols give regeneration. But I see your point.

You're absolutely right, I completely glossed over the fact that it creates a Symbol of Courage. That's a lot more useful, really, but I'm not sure it's worth the 5 points still.

I'm still not sold on having Writ of Persistence though, especially if you decide to pass on Zealous Courage. It seems to me that Superior Aria or Purity of Voice would compliment your Shout better than having a slightly longer Symbol, unless we're talking substantially longer. Since it doesn't really say, I can't say one way or the other which way to go.

Thanks for pointing out the issues in my build, I appreciate it.

I didn't mean to come off as overly critical by the way, and in truth you were actually spotting a nice combo with Zealous Courage that I hadn't picked up on. I think the choice of a Greatsword will prove especially useful. The only thing you're missing is a Blind, but I think you'll be alright without it.

I'd take down valor 5 points and give it to radiance for actual precision stat. It will give you blind with justice every 5 attacks which meshes well with your support/tank build. CoP is also a lousy condition removal alone. You need virtue of resolve during that huge 60CD if you don't back other utility skills. That's why you put at least 10 points into virtues. You can then choose a major trait of remove 2 conditions on resolve (instead of 1) or remove a condition on justice. That would mean you would blind enemies, burn surroundings, and remove a condition every 5 attacks.

Not bad for a PvE/WvW attrition character. I would probably not max valor but it can have its benefits. Probably too defensive for PvP unless you are camping.

More good advice, and it gives him a blind. But unless I'm reading it wrong, Purifier's Justice only removes a condition when Justice is activated, right?

 

[Complex Shadow]

That's only because I ran out of things to complain about.

No such thing.

Also can't wait for beta. Any idea when the keys will roll out?

 

[Pinko Marx]

Do we know if its possible to do team match making in PvP?
I sure hope so.
Also I was thinking about how awesome it would be to have a DotA-like map in GW2. 2 bases on either end, 3 lanes, all that good stuff but transported into GW2. I don't think I'd play anything else.

 

[Ferny]

Plus it will help the GAF guild achieve solidarity and broship between all.

We're all one big family

 

[Proven]

Jeez, the amount of build discussion going on in here is insane. I started on multiple builds for Warrior and Mesmer myself until I realized I was essentially hyping myself up too much. There are still a number of unknown quantities when it comes to certain skills and traits, so I figure it's better for me to wait until closer to release instead of having my head filled with this nonstop for the next however many months.

You guys can keep going though. Might spark something for me.

I'm worried people will just hide behind aoe, killing off clones before they get to them to daze.

I think the sword is another problem. The 1 skill is just sort of a boring melee attack.

Watching a lot of the indepth videos these days, I'm much less worried about AoE. Cooldowns seem reasonable, movement is plentiful, and outside of Warrior/Guardian with their two handers, a lot of AoE skills are either single hit spreads or multi-hit but need to be channeled. We'll have to wait and see to some degree; this is what I meant by unknown quantities. A lot of the same issues came up for me trying to set up one or two Warrior builds.

As for the Sword's 1 skill, if you checked the wiki you'd see it was updated and that the last hit of its combo inflicts vulnerability. Combined with two cripple skills, and the fact that the Dueling trait line increases both Critical Hit chance and damage, it should show it has more of a purpose.

 

[Pinko Marx]

I've been looking at Mesmer and have decided the staff is its best weapon.

 

[gunbo13]

Yeah, Signet of Mercy's activated ability looks to be a staple of all non-solo Guardian builds. Being able to just pop a Signet and rally a downed comrade (rather than hunch over them and pray you don't get swatted off) every 90 seconds is too good to pass up and the passive healing is just icing on the cake.

I question if is worth it. Guardians can likely just pop shields and rez up a teammate. You lose the DPS but you gain a skill slot. I'd pack renewed focus instead. That would offset his low points in in virtues. Just don't play with people who die.

I'm still not sold on having Writ of Persistence though, especially if you decide to pass on Zealous Courage. It seems to me that Superior Aria or Purity of Voice would compliment your Shout better than having a slightly longer Symbol, unless we're talking substantially longer. Since it doesn't really say, I can't say one way or the other which way to go.

Yea, I'd rather use writ of merciful and spam symbol of faith on mace. Not sure about shout complements though with only 1 and a 45CD. Maybe if you use 2 (add retreat) and superior aria.

More good advice, and it gives him a blind. But unless I'm reading it wrong, Purifier's Justice only removes a condition when Justice is activated, right?

I edited since it sounded confusing. I meant every 5th attack when you activate the virtue. It's only a 20CD before willpower and use of renewed focus.

No such thing.

Very true but don't tempt me.

 

[K.Sabot]

My "Annoy the shit out of them and never die" build.

Still need to take the time to do traits.

 

[SDBurton]

I didn't mean to come off as overly critical by the way, and in truth you were actually spotting a nice combo with Zealous Courage that I hadn't picked up on. I think the choice of a Greatsword will prove especially useful. The only thing you're missing is a Blind, but I think you'll be alright without it.

You weren't coming off that way at all. I appreciate that you, Gunbo, and Arken among others are going through our builds and offering suggestions. That's what makes a good build, as well as a good guild.

 

[Vinci]

Jeez, the amount of build discussion going on in here is insane. I started on multiple builds for Warrior and Mesmer myself until I realized I was essentially hyping myself up too much. There are still a number of unknown quantities when it comes to certain skills and traits, so I figure it's better for me to wait until closer to release instead of having my head filled with this nonstop for the next however many months.

I'm in the same boat. I've played around with the tool, but I'm not prepared to devise any remotely serious builds until the game releases and more is known about how the various skills and traits work. Even beyond release, it's quite likely we'll see a burst of patches to nerf or buff various abilities within the first couple of months as ANet has more time to analyze victories in the PvP scenarios.

It is fun to play with the tool, though, so long as people don't take it too seriously as of yet.

 

[Pinko Marx]

First thing I'ma do when I'm able to in the game is jump into PvP and try my build out.

 

[gunbo13]

I'm in the same boat. I've played around with the tool, but I'm not prepared to devise any remotely serious builds until the game releases and more is known about how the various skills and traits work. Even beyond release, it's quite likely we'll see a burst of patches to nerf or buff various abilities within the first couple of months as ANet has more time to analyze victories in the PvP scenarios.

It is fun to play with the tool, though, so long as people don't take it too seriously as of yet.

Build theory will be put down soon until beta. The idea now is to familiarize mainly with how mechanics, traits, atts, and skills connect. By doing this you start to consider condition removal/application, healing, defense, buffs, movement, etc... The alternative for some might be putting +0 points into armor (not realizing how traits work) and having condition removal every 60s for 20 hours of play. :/

If you want to really hone in on a waste of time, it is team build theory. Which I'm guilty of because it is way more interesting then single character. That's because I'm learning that some gimmick type play-styles from GW1 exist in GW2 spread across teams. But it is too early to entertain that.

 

[Arken2121]

You weren't coming off that way at all. I appreciate that you, Gunbo, and Arken among others are going through our builds and offering suggestions. That's what makes a good build, as well as a good guild.

Agreed, this will help us all in the long run against other skilled guilds.

 

[Complex Shadow]

I've been looking at Mesmer and have decided the staff is its best weapon.

you can't really say that until youve played mesmer. not hatin or anything, but isn't the game suppose to be balanced so that all weapons at the "best" weapons.

 

[Arken2121]

First thing I'ma do when I'm able to in the game is jump into PvP and try my build out.

Lets hope they keep the traits relatively similar from beta to release but if they have to balance it, so it shall be! =)

 

[gunbo13]

you can't really say that until youve played mesmer. not hatin or anything, but isn't the game suppose to be balanced so that all weapons at the "best" weapons.

ANET can't even balance their checkbooks.

 

[Complex Shadow]

ANET can't even balance their checkbooks.

there we go. back to your old salty self.

 

[FutureZombie]

I see a lot of back-peddling with (I assume) WASD in videos from even the better players. In WoW, people said you were noob if you used WASD, but I used it a lot since I was a priest and I needed to click on people in party and raids to heal them. What do we know about the preferred method of movement in GW2? I like a combination of moving with WASD and the mouse, but I honestly like turning and back-peddling with WASD. If you turn with the mouse, it seems like you could miss a lot of melee abilities.

 

[Vinci]

I see a lot of back-peddling with (I assume) WASD in videos from even the better players. In WoW, people said you were noob if you used WASD, but I used it a lot since I was a priest and I needed to click on people in party and raids to heal them. What do we know about the preferred method of movement in GW2? I like a combination of moving with WASD and the mouse, but I honestly like turning and back-peddling with WASD. If you turn with the mouse, it seems like you could miss a lot of melee abilities.

Okay. Apologies upfront: What are you talking about? I've been playing PC games for 30 years and I haven't the foggiest idea what you're referencing with the whole 'backpedaling' thing. Do you mean turning via keys rather than mouse control, or something else?

 

[Wallach]

I see a lot of back-peddling with (I assume) WASD in videos from even the better players. In WoW, people said you were noob if you used WASD, but I used it a lot since I was a priest and I needed to click on people in party and raids to heal them. What do we know about the preferred method of movement in GW2? I like a combination of moving with WASD and the mouse, but I honestly like turning and back-peddling with WASD. If you turn with the mouse, it seems like you could miss a lot of melee abilities.

The players aren't really talking about the WASD keys specifically, so much as they are talking about backpeddling of any variety (because strafing can always face in the same direction without the movement penalty) and turning with the keyboard keys (because they are significantly slower than using the mouse to turn your camera).

It probably isn't going to be much different in GW2. I'm not sure how you could miss melee abilities because you are using the mouse to turn.

 

[Lumination]

I think he means that in WoW (and GW1), it was considered noobish to wasd to backpedal. You wanted to use mouse-move so you could kite, since backpedaling was slower.

 

[Vinci]

I think he means that in WoW (and GW1), it was considered noobish to wasd to backpedal. You wanted to use mouse-move so you could kite, since backpedaling was slower.

Oh. Okay, it's in reference to kiting. For the life of me, I was completely unsure what he was talking about. Anyway, I don't know. I think anyone making a hard-and-fast rule about it is probably trying too hard to be awesome.

 

[Arken2121]

I sort of understand what he's saying. It might be very difficult to try to mouse turn while trying to place down AoE's. This is something I think we're gonna have to experience first hand to have any real idea.

 

[Vinci]

I sort of understand what he's saying. It might be very difficult to try to mouse turn while trying to place down AoE's. This is something I think we're gonna have to experience first hand to have any real idea.

Here's the thing: I've played thousands of hours in a wide range of MMOs. Anyone making pronouncements of whether someone is a 'noob' or an 'elite awesome bro-dog' based on some arbitrary bullshit like how they choose to move is a fool. Like most questions involving any type of randomness and occasional chaos, the best answer is: 'It depends.'

How you move is largely situational, with one exception: I haven't found any reason for people to use keys to turn. That's one case where I can see some critiques being levied against the person doing it, so long as they're constructive in nature - as in, "I would recommend that you practice turning using the mouse, as it's significantly faster. It will really help you in the end."

But backpedaling? I can think of scenarios in which that's not a bad thing to do, even more scenarios when you consider the nature of combat in GW2. It's dynamic enough that it's hard to say that this or that are best practices.

 

[LunaticHigh]

Here's the thing: I've played thousands of hours in a wide range of MMOs. Anyone making pronouncements of whether someone is a 'noob' or an 'elite awesome bro-dog' based on some arbitrary bullshit like how they choose to move is a fool. Like most questions involving any type of randomness and occasional chaos, the best answer is: 'It depends.'

How you move is largely situational, with one exception: I haven't found any reason for people to use keys to turn. That's one case where I can see some critiques being levied against the person doing it, so long as they're constructive in nature - as in, "I would recommend that you practice turning using the mouse, as it's significantly faster. It will really help you in the end."

But backpedaling? I can think of scenarios in which that's not a bad thing to do, even more scenarios when you consider the nature of combat in GW2. It's dynamic enough that it's hard to say that this or that are best practices.

The reason backpedaling is considered noobish is that it is impossible to pvp as a back pedaler agaisnt someone who isn't. There's no way to maintain your attacks against someone who is maneuvering in such a way that you need to turn/move faster than back pedaling allows you to.

Movement is key in MMOs, and anything that hinders it is a negative. In GW2 looking at classes like warrior for instance, back pedaling while people are attacking you in melee range will certainly result in you losing the fight. Likewise, in terms of casters with aimed abilities, if you don't learn to cast while moving, specifically at an angle, i can see you getting severely hurt by other players.

Most importantly however is the thief. GW2 has a class which gains damage and benefits from attacking via the side or back, if you are not able to maneuver your character such that you are still using your abilities and not exposing yourself to damage you'll be destroyed in GW2 by thieves.


This all requires, of course, that moving backwards makes you move slower. If it does not, I can see it being fine in these cases since they wont be able to get ahead of you anyway.

 

[Ashodin]

So I just realized that Jira's Guardian image is now over 10 hours since he started to work on it :lol

 

[Einbroch]

I want to be every class.

 

[zulfate]

I want to be every class.

i want to be you!

but seriously its crazy how massive this game is! now i spend all day making builds while listening to the eye of the north soundtrack!

 

[Arken2121]

I want to be every class.

Me too 8(. They all work so differently to accomplish the same goals that it'll be exciting to make new alts.

 

[Ashodin]

Greatsword / Sword / Torch Mesmer - "Illusion Delusion"

http://gw2.luna-atra.fr/skills_tool/?lang=en&code=2aoq0191f2r2j1n70a0pu56l787a7g7i7j7l

It's a weird build.

I'll break it down - traits taken to build up illusions damage and when they die/shred cause confusion and conditions. Other traits taken to up damage from the Greatsword and Sword themselves, making you deadly in the process. Illusions stay up, you do insane damage.

Between Greatsword and Sword, you should be having about three illusions up at all times. If that doesn't happen, you have utility skills summoning Phantasms and Illusions.

Portal is the seal the deal skill - set it on top of a hill, jump down, throw out waves of illusions, use The Prestige to disappear, dive into your portal, slam on the 1 key while at range. They will either take massive damage from Illusions while you're on them and from you, and most likely will flail wildly wondering where the fuck you are.

Portal is going to be that skill that will piss a lot of people off. The build is a little crit heavy, between your Phantasms and yourself, and I took illusionary defense to boost the Mesmer's toughness while in direct combat - meaning, if they choose you over illusions, they chose wrong.

I also have signet of illusion health, as making them last longer as much as possible is what you need done.

I really, really like this build. And it's funny, I'm using the same weapons as my Guardian.

Mesmer and Guardian are my two classes I'm looking hard at. Mesmer if only because I want to prove to people that it can be confusing and make people go "fuck it all!" and Guardian because well.. PALADIN BROS

Damn, finding myself trying to make some sort of weird melee Elementalist build!