Welcome to our Guild Wars 2 Mesmer Guide For New Players. Where you've been captivated by the Mesmer's ability to create illusions, confuse enemies, and manipulate time. If you're new to the Mesmer profession and feeling a bit bewildered, don't worry. This guide is here to help you navigate the Mesmer's unique mechanics, abilities, specializations, and all the basics you need to know to get your adventure started.

 

• Profession Mechanic
• Pros & Cons
• TraitLines
• Weapons
• Utility Skills & Playstyle
• Quick Leveling Tips
• Options
• Elite Specializations
• Recommended Build

 

 

↖ Profession Mechanic

The Mesmer has a distinctive profession mechanic centered around their shatter abilities:

• Mind Wrack: Deals direct strike damage or on-hit damage to enemies.
• Cry of Frustration: Inflicts condition damage over time.
• Diversion: Dazes the target, interrupting their abilities temporarily.
• Distortion: Grants temporary invulnerability for a short duration.

 

These shatter skills have enhanced effects based on the number of illusions shattered, and the Mesmer creates clones and phantasms to aid in combat. Clones are weaker copies of the Mesmer that auto-attack nearby enemies, while phantasms are tied to weapon skills and perform special attacks.

 

The mesmer can have a maximum of three clones at once, but there's no limit to the number of phantasms. However, both clones and phantasms have a limited duration. Shattering illusions deal more damage, cause longer dazes, or extend invulnerability based on the number of clones shattered. These shatter effects occur near the clones, but the mesmer also casts the shatter at their location.

 

↖ Pros & Cons

Like all professions, it has its own set of pros and cons. Here, let's take a look at the main advantages and disadvantages of Mesmer:

 

Pros	Cons
Versatile: Can adapt to multiple roles. Illusions: Deceptive and confusing in combat. Burst Damage: Capable of quick enemy takedowns. Mobility: Agile movement across the battlefield. Reflect/Block: Protects allies with these abilities. Stealth: Can go invisible briefly. Condition Removal: Cleanses harmful conditions.	Complexity: Steeper learning curve. Squishy: Lower health and armor. Limited Healing: Not primary healers. Resource Management: Unique resource requires skill. Skill-Dependent: Performance varies with player skill. Group Utility: Effectiveness varies with builds.

 

↖ TraitLines

The Mesmer has five traitlines, Here's a brief overview of each:

• Domination: Focuses on interrupting enemies, stunning or dazing them, and applying vulnerability.
• Dueling: Emphasizes dodging, critical strikes, and improved strike and condition damage.
• Chaos: Offers defensive options, including regeneration, boon application, and condition removal.
• Inspiration: Supports allies by granting defensive boons and enhancing support capabilities.
• Illusions: Improves shatter abilities, increasing damage and condition application.

 

↖ Weapons

The Mesmer has a range of weapons to choose from, each with its own playstyle:

• Greatsword: Offers long-range attacks, massive AoE damage, and crowd control.
• Staff: Provides defensive options, escapes, and condition application.
• Scepter (main hand): Medium-ranged, defensive weapon with condition application and clone summoning.
• Sword: Melee-oriented weapon with deceptive and evasive abilities.
• Focus (offhand): Enhances speed, applies slows to enemies, and damages multiple foes.
• Pistol (offhand): Disables enemies and deals quick, significant damage to single targets.
• Torch (offhand): Adds blinding, control, burning, and stealth.

 

↖ Utility Skills & Playstyle

Mesmer utility skills are divided into categories: Illusion, Glamor, Manipulation, Mantra, and Signets. Each category offers unique effects, such as creating illusions, reflecting projectiles, or providing support to allies.

 

Mesmers excel in causing chaos on the battlefield. Their ability to summon illusions makes it challenging for enemies to identify the real mesmer. With strong defensive capabilities and elusive movements, Mesmers are formidable in both PvE and PvP. They can function as damage dealers with supportive capabilities, and their phantasms and movement skills give them an edge in various situations.

 

In PvP, core Mesmers are still a strong choice, thanks to their powerful single-target damage and elusive kit. Enemies will need help determining who to target while being constantly disoriented.

 

↖ Quick Leveling Tips

As you level your mesmer to 80, consider the following tips:

• Invest in illusion skills and trait lines to create and strengthen your illusions for versatility.
• Remember that shatter effects occur near you, not just on your target, so you don't always need illusions on your main target.
• Confusion is a potent condition, especially against enemies that frequently use skills.

 

↖ Options

Mesmers can excel in various roles in end-game content. Condition damage and confusion are strong suits, making stat sets like Viper's, Carrion, or Grieving favorable choices. However, the Mesmer can also deliver significant direct damage, making Berserker's and Marauder's sets viable. Celestial stats are a versatile option for those who want a balanced approach.

 

↖ Elite Specializations

The Mesmer offers three elite specializations:

• Chronomancer (Heart of Thorns): Manipulates time, enhances shatter skills, and gains access to wells and a shield.
• Mirage (Path of Fire): Becomes an elusive duelist, replacing dodge with Mirage Cloak and using deception skills to create Mirage Mirrors for additional evasion.
• Virtuoso (End of Dragons): Abandons clones in favour of Mind Blades, gains new shatter abilities, and utilizes psionic skills.

 

↖ Recommended Build

For leveling, consider a build that incorporates a Greatsword with double Swords. This combination provides excellent range through the Greatsword and strong defenses through the Swords. As your mesmer gains strength, you can transition to a staff paired with a scepter and focus, emphasizing condition damage and control to handle multiple enemies effectively. Of course, you can also check out the Mesmer Builds to see more builds.

 

Conclusion:

In total, The Mesmer is a versatile and complex profession that excels at controlling, confusing, and decimating foes. With practice and the right build, you can master the art of illusion and become a mesmerizing force on the battlefield. Enjoy your journey through Tyria and the Mesmer's captivating playstyle!