Welcome to the Mesmer guide in Guild Wars 2! Whether you've just chosen this mesmerizing profession or are seeking guidance to enhance your skills, this comprehensive guide will provide you with the knowledge you need. We'll delve into the core specialization of the Mesmer and touch on the elite specializations: chronomancer, mirage, and virtuoso. So, let's embark on a mesmerizing journey together!

 

• Profession Mechanic
• Traitlines
• Weapons
• Utility Skills
• Playstyle
• Levelling Tips
• Gear Choices
• The Chronomancer
• The Mirage
• The Virtuoso

 

↖ Profession Mechanic

The Mesmer has a unique professional mechanic centered around shatter abilities. These abilities include Mind Wrack (direct strike damage or on-hit damage), Cry of Frustration (condition damage over time), Diversion (dazes the target), and Distortion (temporary invulnerability). Shatter skills have enhanced effects based on the number of illusions shattered, which are created by the Mesmer through weapons, utility skills, and traits. Clones are weaker copies of the Mesmer that auto attack nearby enemies, while phantasms perform special attacks tied to weapon skills. Shattering skills destroys all active clones, increasing damage, duration of daze, or invulnerability based on the number shattered.

 

↖ Traitlines

The Mesmer has five traitlines: Domination, Dueling, Chaos, Inspiration, and Illusions.

• Domination focuses on interrupting enemies and applying vulnerability.
• Duelling emphasizes dodging, critical strikes, and damage improvement.
• Chaos is defensive, providing regeneration and boons to yourself while applying conditions to enemies.
• Inspiration is oriented around supporting allies and granting defensive boons.
• Illusions greatly improve shadow abilities, increasing damage and condition application.

The mesmer's traitlines offer a variety of options, with a focus on condition damage and confusion applications.

 

↖ Weapons

The Mesmer has a range of interesting weapons with unique playstyles.

• The greatsword is a ranged weapon that deals with AoE damage and crowd control.
• The staff is more defensive, allowing the Mesmer to escape and apply conditions.
• The main-hand scepter is defensive-oriented but can also apply conditions and summon clones quickly.
• The sword is a melee weapon focused on deceptive and evasive combat.
• The offhand focus improves speed, slows enemies, and damages multiple targets.
• The pistol excels at disabling enemies and dealing high single-target damage.
• The sword/torch combination provides a balance of damage and utility.

Regardless of the weapon choice, the Mesmer can adapt to various situations.

 

↖ Utility Skills

Mesmer utility skills offer diverse options for engaging enemies.

• Illusion skills summon clones with additional effects such as stealth, blocking, or boon removal.
• Glamour skills create powerful effects on the ground, reflecting projectiles, providing stealth, or creating portals for allies.
• Manipulation skills offer defensive options like sending conditions to enemies or teleporting.
• Mantras have multiple charges and can support allies while controlling enemies.
• Deception and control are key aspects of the mesmer's playstyle.

 

↖ Playstyle

As a Mesmer, your primary focus is on manipulating and overwhelming your enemies using illusions. You have the ability to quickly inflict conditions on your foes and stun them while their health gradually diminishes.

 

It's crucial to understand when to use your shatters, as they delete your clones but leave you vulnerable to counter-attacks. Mastering the timing of your shatters is key to maximizing your effectiveness. Remember that you have a variety of escape tools at your disposal, so use them liberally to stay one step ahead of your enemies.

 

↖ Levelling Tips

While levelling your mesmer to level 80, there are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. First, invest heavily in illusion skills and trait lines. This will ensure that you have a sufficient number of clones and enhance their effectiveness in dealing with various challenges during your levelling journey.
2. Secondly, remember that your shadow skills have their effects near you, so you don't always need to place your illusions on your primary target to have an impact. As long as you're close, you can still unleash your abilities.
3. Lastly, confusion is a potent condition, particularly against enemies who rely heavily on their skills. Confusion inflicts damage over time, with significantly higher damage when your target utilizes their skills.

 

↖ Gear Choices

The mesmer's diverse playstyle allows them to fulfill various roles in endgame content. However, they tend to lean towards condition damage due to their ability to inflict torment, confusion, and other conditions. Viper gear is a popular choice, providing condition damage, expertise, and precision. Alternatively, the grieving stat line is another viable option for high power damage. The Mesmer can also be effective with berserker's or marauder's gear sets. If you prefer a more balanced approach, celestial gear is always a safe and versatile choice.

 

↖ The Chronomancer

The chronomancer is the elite specialization for the Mesmer introduced in the Heart of Thorns expansion.

• Chronomancers can manipulate time, enhancing their shatter skills with additional effects. 
• Mind Rack becomes Split Second, dealing initial shatter damage and then following up with strike damage after a short delay. 
• Cry of Frustration becomes Rewinder, confusing enemies and recharging the skill for each clone shattered. 
• Time Sync replaces Diversion, dazing enemies and applying the slow condition. 
• Distortion remains unique to the chronomancer. Chronomancers also gain access to good abilities, which provide area-of-effect offensive and defensive effects. 

Additionally, they wield a shield, allowing them to block attacks and stun enemies.

 

↖ The Mirage

The mirage is the elite specialization for the Mesmer introduced in the Path of Fire expansion.

• Mirages forgo extra shatter effects in favour of increased elusiveness. Their dodge roll becomes Mirage Cloak, evading all attacks while allowing the Mirage to continue using skills. 
• Mirage Cloak also unlocks ambush skills, which have additional effects and damage while still evading attacks. The mirage gains access to deception skills, which focus on movement and shadow stepping. 
• Mirage mirrors appear where deception skills are used, granting Mirage Cloak without consuming endurance. The main-hand axe is a powerful weapon for the mirage, inflicting heavy conditions on enemies.

 

↖ The Virtuoso

The virtuoso is the elite specialization for the Mesmer introduced at the End of Dragons expansion. The virtuoso replaces the clone system with mind blades, which float above the virtuoso and serve as an ammo system for shatters. Shatter skills become more ranged-oriented. Blade Song Harmony replaces Mind Rack, throwing stocked blades at the target and dealing immediate damage. Blade Song Sorrow replaces Cry of Frustration, firing all stocked blades and inflicting conditions on enemies.

 

Blade Song Dissonance replaces Diversion, combining blades into a single large sword that dazes targets. Blade Song Distortion replaces Distortion, consuming stocked blades to grant vulnerability. Virtuosos also gain access to the new shatter skill called Blade Turn Requiem, which blocks attacks while dealing damage to nearby enemies. They also wield a dagger as their main hand, gaining new blade stacks with skill usage.

 

Conclusion:

Overall, the Mesmer is an incredibly diverse class adept at controlling, confusing, and decimating enemies. They excel at both melee and ranged combat, leaving their foes bewildered and overwhelmed. If you're interested in learning more about the necromancer, another powerful class in Guild Wars 2, feel free to click on the provided link.