Welcome to the mesmerizing world of Guild Wars 2, where illusion and deception reign supreme! As a Mesmer, you possess the uncanny ability to manipulate reality, confuse your enemies, and turn the tide of battle in your favour. Prepare to delve into a realm of mesmerizing illusions, intricate strategies, and awe-inspiring powers. In this guide, we will unravel the secrets of the Mesmer profession, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to become a formidable force on the battlefield.

• Profession Mechanic
• Traitlines
• Weapons
• Utility Skills
• Playstyle
• Levelling Tips
• Endgame and Stats
• Elite Specializations

↖ Profession Mechanic

The Mesmer has a unique profession mechanic called Shatter Abilities. These abilities are Mind Wrack (dealing direct strike damage or on-hit damage), Cry of Frustration (inflicting condition damage over time), Diversion (dazing the target, interrupting their abilities), and Distortion (granting temporary invulnerability). The effectiveness of these shatter skills is enhanced by the number of illusions shattered. 

Mesmers create clones and phantasms using weapons, utility skills, and traits. Clones are weaker copies that auto-attack enemies, while phantasms perform special attacks tied to weapon skills before reverting to clones. You can have a maximum of three clones and an unlimited number of phantasms. Shattering skills destroy active clones, dealing more damage, prolonging dazes, or extending invulnerability based on the number of clones shattered. The shatter effects occur near the clones, and the Mesmer also casts the shatter at their location.

↖ Traitlines

The Mesmer has five traitlines: Domination, Dueling, Chaos, Inspiration, and Illusions. Domination focuses on interrupting enemies, applying vulnerability (increased damage taken) and stunning or dazing foes. Duelling enhances dodging, critical strikes, and both strike and condition damage.

Chaos offers defensive capabilities such as regeneration (healing over time), boon and condition manipulation. Inspiration is support-oriented, providing defensive boons for allies. Illusions significantly improve shatter abilities, allowing you to deal more damage and apply more conditions.

↖ Weapons

The Mesmer profession offers a diverse array of weapons, each enabling unique playstyles and tactics. Here is a list of notable weapons for the Mesmer:

• Greatsword: This standout weapon allows you to unleash a devastating energy beam from a considerable range. It excels at dealing area-of-effect damage, making it effective for crowd control.
• Staff: The Staff is a defensively oriented weapon that provides several advantages. It offers escape options, protective abilities, and the ability to apply conditions on foes.
• Scepter (main hand): The Scepter is a medium-range weapon that combines defensive capabilities with strong condition application. Additionally, it allows you to summon clones, enhancing your strategic options.
• Sword: If you prefer a melee-focused playstyle, the Sword is an excellent choice. It specializes in deceptive and evasive combat, enabling you to outmaneuver opponents effectively.
• Offhand Focus: This offhand weapon enhances your speed while simultaneously damaging and slowing down enemies. It provides a versatile toolkit for controlling the battlefield.
• Pistol: The Pistol is a swift and precise weapon that excels at disabling enemies and inflicting significant damage to a single target. It is particularly useful for quickly dispatching individual foes.
• Torch: With the Torch in hand, you gain control-oriented elements such as blinding effects, burning damage, and the ability to enter stealth. It empowers you to manipulate the battlefield and confound your adversaries.

These weapons offer a range of strategic options and playstyles, allowing you to adapt your approach to various combat situations as a Mesmer. Experiment with different combinations to find the ones that suit your preferred style of play.

↖ Utility Skills

Mesmers possess a diverse range of utility skills that provide various approaches to combat. These skills are classified into five categories: Illusion, Glamor, Manipulation, Mantra, and Signets. Each category offers unique benefits and effects. Here is an overview of these utility skill categories:

• Illusion Skills: Illusion skills allow Mesmers to summon illusions at will, providing additional effects such as stealth, blocking enemy attacks, or removing boons from foes.
• Glamour Skills: Glamour skills create potent effects on the ground near your cursor. These effects include reflecting projectiles back at enemies or creating portals for allies to teleport through.
• Manipulation Skills: Manipulation skills focus on defensive maneuvers, enabling Mesmers to send debilitating conditions to enemies, teleport over long distances, or temporarily revive fallen allies.
• Mantra Skills: Mantras possess multiple charges, with the final charge typically being the most powerful. These skills primarily support Mesmers and offer control over enemies.
• Signet Skills: Signets grant passive effects while equipped, bolstering the Mesmer's abilities. Additionally, they provide powerful active abilities that can be activated on demand. However, using the active ability triggers a cooldown for the passive effect until the skill recharges.

By leveraging these utility skills, Mesmers can adapt to different combat scenarios and employ a wide range of strategies to overcome their adversaries.

↖ Playstyle

The focus of a good Mesmer is to manipulate, distract, and overwhelm enemies. By utilizing illusions to tank enemies, Mesmers can quickly inflict conditions and stun and daze opponents while gradually depleting their health bars. Learning when to use shatter skills is crucial because shattering clones leaves you vulnerable to counter-attacks, especially against stronger enemies. Mastering the timing of shatters allows you to maximize their effects while quickly summoning new clones to distract and tank enemies. As a Mesmer, you possess numerous escape mechanisms and self-preservation tools, so don't hesitate to use them liberally when under pressure.

↖ Levelling Tips

While levelling your Mesmer to level 80, focus heavily on illusion skills and traitlines. This ensures that you have an ample supply of clones and strengthens them to handle any situation you encounter. Remember that shatter skills have their effects near you, so you don't always need illusions on your kill target to have an impact. Confusion is a great condition, dealing damage over time, especially when enemies use their skills. Please take advantage of confusion to punish foes who rely heavily on their weapons or utility skills.

↖ Endgame and Stats

The Mesmer can fulfill various roles in endgame content due to its versatile playstyle. However, Mesmers tend to excel in condition damage and confusion application. Consider using the Viper, Carrion, or Grieving stat sets to maximize your condition damage potential. On the other hand, if you prefer a more straightforward approach, Berserker's or Marauder's stat sets work well for high damage output. If you need clarification, the Celestial stat set offers a balanced mix of offensive and defensive capabilities.

↖ Elite Specializations

The Mesmer has three elite specializations: Chronomancer, Mirage, and Virtuoso. The Chronomancer, from the Heart of Thorns expansion, manipulates time, altering shatter skills and gaining access to unique abilities like Continuum Split. The Mirage, from the Path of Fire expansion, enhances the Mesmer's elusiveness with Mirage Cloak and focuses on deceptions and ambush skills. The Virtuoso, from the End of Dragons expansion, replaces clones with Mind Blades and gains access to psionic skills, providing ranged damage options.

Conclusion:

The Mesmer is an incredibly diverse caster, adept at controlling, confusing, and decimating enemies. Its ability to maneuver in and around combat makes it a captivating profession to play. Whether you prefer debilitating conditions or high burst damage, the Mesmer can cater to your desired playstyle. Experiment with different weapons, utility skills, and traitlines to find the build that suits you best. Enjoy your journey as a Mesmer and leave your foes wondering what just hit them!