Skill or trait you want to see updated the most?

I'm curious as to what everyone thinks is the most pressing issue with mesmer. Can be something you want nerfed, something you want buffed, something you want completely redesigned. Please just keep it to a single trait or skill, if you want to discuss the shatter/illusion mechanic as a whole please take that to its own thread.

Edit Cause I'm dumb. If you want to pick an entire skill category you can do that as well

Remove Inspiring Distortion. See how non Mesmer raiders suddenly feel about Mesmer nerfs if they do that.

Apart form that I have an entire list and I'm not sure I can point to one as the most pressing issue. On core Mesmer I guess remove furious interruption and replace it with Imagined burden then make a new GM that gives a stacking damage% increase when using a shatter, or even better put that at master tier so we can take both that and Mental Anguish but even then a lot of CDs need to be looked at.

For Mirage combine Speed of Sand into Mirage cloak. I'm still not really sure if Infinite Horizons or just a new minor trait should takes its place.

From a biased personal perspective I just want IH as a minor trait for all mirage builds.

Sure not the most pressing issue that needs fixing but I can't help but be subjective with this.

Take away the stupid tiered damage on Greatsword 1. It doesn't hit that hard at max range anyway.

Just one trait?

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Protected_Phantasms

This. It's probably one of the worst traits in this game, essentially a waste of a trait slot. Especially when it competes with Restorative Illusions.It needs to be replaced with something different.There are more traits/skills I'd like redesigned but you've asked for one, so here it is.

Phantasms and all phantasm skills.

They need to be removed entirely from the core of mesmer.

1) Boring and lazy PvE playstyle of summon and auto.2) Single target mostly and die when the target dies or disappears.3) Gives the opponent far more control over your damage than you have a lot of the time.4) Clones, illusions, phantasms? Which is what and what affects what? New players generally get confused by the terminology especially with traits.5) They act as a barrier to using the class mechanic of shattering in many PvE areas but in PvP areas are not much more than shatter fodder creating a very polarising mechanic that is far too difficult to balance.

If that is deemed not in the spirit of the thread I’ll go with Elusive Mind for obvious reasons.

I'd like for Illusion of Life to be a proper ress and not a 15 second stall till you fall down again.

In terms of skills, I think the shatter skills need a major rework so we can actually make use of them because right now in PvE I don't even have them bound to anything.

I just want the "bug" that was "sooo horrible" back.

@apharma.3741 said:Phantasms and all phantasm skills.

They need to be removed entirely from the core of mesmer.

1) Boring and lazy PvE playstyle of summon and auto.2) Single target mostly and die when the target dies or disappears.3) Gives the opponent far more control over your damage than you have a lot of the time.4) Clones, illusions, phantasms? Which is what and what affects what? New players generally get confused by the terminology especially with traits.5) They act as a barrier to using the class mechanic of shattering in many PvE areas but in PvP areas are not much more than shatter fodder creating a very polarising mechanic that is far too difficult to balance.

If that is deemed not in the spirit of the thread I’ll go with Elusive Mind for obvious reasons.

Also this because I didn't realize OP said skills as well.

@Levetty.1279 said:

@apharma.3741 said:Phantasms and all phantasm skills.

They need to be removed entirely from the core of mesmer.

1) Boring and lazy PvE playstyle of summon and auto.2) Single target mostly and die when the target dies or disappears.3) Gives the opponent far more control over your damage than you have a lot of the time.4) Clones, illusions, phantasms? Which is what and what affects what? New players generally get confused by the terminology especially with traits.5) They act as a barrier to using the class mechanic of shattering in many PvE areas but in PvP areas are not much more than shatter fodder creating a very polarising mechanic that is far too difficult to balance.

If that is deemed not in the spirit of the thread I’ll go with Elusive Mind for obvious reasons.

Do you think it would make a difference if phantasms were limited to an elite spec? Let's say for example that taking chrono changed your basic illusions into more powerful phantasms that persisted through the target's death and weren't destroyed by the shatter skills? Of course in exchange we would probably have to lose a lot of utility chrono currently has but I personally wouldn't mind that.

Veil. I just feel that the cooldown should be 50s and have it’s stealth increased to 3s.

Edit: Chose Veil only because when I’m in WvW and it’s required a lot, atleast when I’m the only Mesmer in squad.

I think the biggest problem with the class is the anti-synergy caused by phantasms. They just have terrible synergy with other mesmer skills, yet we're forced to carry them on every weapon! Not only that, but does anyone really consider phantasm builds compelling gameplay? In my opinion, it's time ANet addressed this.

I suggest removing phantasms from the illusion count so that they no longer conflict with clones, shatters, or ambush. To balance this, we add a finite duration to phantasms, so they become short-term damage boosts or perform utility functions rather than becoming the centerpiece of our damage output in sustained damage scenarios.

This would require a trait rework, among other things. So I don't expect it to happen. But I really think phantasms are a huge part of what is wrong with this class design.

If you want my suggestions for what they can fix in the short term? Re-evaluating the ridiculous axe ambush nerf they put in a few days ago would be a good place to start.

Arcane Thievery!

It’s one of closes to a GW1 type of skill we have. Just make it more reliable, instead of requiring both you and your target to be not moving and facing each other. Just a little more forgiving and maybe reduce the cooldown a bit.

@AliamRationem.5172 said:I think the biggest problem with the class is the anti-synergy caused by phantasms. They just have terrible synergy with other mesmer skills, yet we're forced to carry them on every weapon! Not only that, but does anyone really consider phantasm builds compelling gameplay? In my opinion, it's time ANet addressed this.

I suggest removing phantasms from the illusion count so that they no longer conflict with clones, shatters, or ambush. To balance this, we add a finite duration to phantasms, so they become short-term damage boosts or perform utility functions rather than becoming the centerpiece of our damage output in sustained damage scenarios.

This would require a trait rework, among other things. So I don't expect it to happen. But I really think phantasms are a huge part of what is wrong with this class design.

If you want my suggestions for what they can fix in the short term? Re-evaluating the ridiculous axe ambush nerf they put in a few days ago would be a good place to start.

I generally dislike playing pet classes in MMOs for a lot of the reasons you mention. I just never find them to be terribly compelling and usually end up getting bored. The whole reason mesmer was the first class I started in GW2 was because it didn't look anything like a traditional pet class. Phantasms were more like flashy DoTs, and the shatter mechanic sounded unique. I've been disappointed since returning that the most effective mesmer builds are now just summoning three phantasms as fast as possible and basically acting like a traditional pet class.

I guess I should have explained my reasoning behind my specific request. I wanted to stay away from reworks for the illusion/shatter mechanic because at this point I 100% doubt that ANet will ever go through and redo that. But for individual traits/skills that stick out like a sore thumb, its significantly more likely for Anet to redo one of those. Or even an entire skill category like they did with guard spirit weapons, and to a lesser extent mantras. But I really can't see them ever re-doing our class mechanic, as that would necessitate almost completely redoing the class.

That said, I do agree that its probably what needs the most work. I do like the other suggestions I've seen in this thread so far though!

@OriOri.8724 said:I guess I should have explained my reasoning behind my specific request. I wanted to stay away from reworks for the illusion/shatter mechanic because at this point I 100% doubt that ANet will ever go through and redo that.

i honestly like how this immediately broke out into the core mesmer mechanic being literal hot flaming garbage, even if it did diverge from the original point

i understood your original post, but i could't help but agree with all the commenters, regardless of how far they took the post

it really screams the problems of the mesmer situation

the underlying issue is, mesmer is just a mess

it brings out the worst in people, you try to ask for one simple trait or skill change, but there's literally so many sub-par skills and traits for mesmer that go ignored, it's baffling, nobody can select "just one" (cept that Protected Phantasms comment, which i still wholeheartedly agree with)

look at well of precognition, they smiters' booned that thing like they did to smiter's boon in the original guild wars, and they just don't care to fix it

you try to ask for one change, and nobody can focus because we all know for a fact that one change won't fix the trash that we're stuck with right now

-sigh-it's soda pressing that the balance team seemingly does nothing but attack target golems in spvp to test out their "balance updates"

for a comment to the actual original post:mine would, of course, be Well of Precognition

that update triggered me in ways that "tumblrina pizzagirl's can't even"

they butchered that thing beyond ANY form of comprehensible logic, just because they don't feel like taking time to think about balancing things

(i realize how broken it was thanks no need to tell me about it i zerg stomped masses in WvW with my boonshare quickness stomp frontline cleaving mesmer, but the point is how useless it is now, not about how broken it was before)

it's absolutely disgusting and downright appalling that they don't seem to care at all about this game's well being outside of milking the gemstoreattempt to come at me with a "different teams focus on different parts of the game" argument if you want to

take a look at well of precognition, and tell me the "different teams" are even attempting to try in their respective fields, or as an above comment said, Protected Phantasms

the thought put into this game's well being just isn't there, and it's disgraceful

@Alpha.1308 said:

@OriOri.8724 said:I guess I should have explained my reasoning behind my specific request. I wanted to stay away from reworks for the illusion/shatter mechanic because at this point I 100% doubt that ANet will ever go through and redo that.

You could say the class is now a mess-mer,

I’ll see myself out now.

P.s. I agree there’s a lot of candidates for needs improvement or even just needs to work like arcane thievery.

@SlimChance.6593 said:Arcane Thievery!

It’s one of closes to a GW1 type of skill we have. Just make it more reliable, instead of requiring both you and your target to be not moving and facing each other. Just a little more forgiving and maybe reduce the cooldown a bit.

I personally feel the cooldown for Arcane Thievery is fine where it’s at. The only problem I’m having with it is how it’s never connecting or stealing boons from the enemy even when I’m in range and they aren’t buffed with aegis or evading... I hope they fix that as it happens a lot when I’m in WvW.

I want Signet of Inspiration changed/removed.

Too much of this game relies on a mechanic only a single class provides (boon copy, at least in this rather importer form). I don't think it'd be a health mechanic to have readily available, rather I'd remove it.

Or, even better, make it so that it works like this:

• Recipients get all boons the Mesmer has at the full duration the Mesmer has them right now.
• All other boons are removed before that application.

In other words, the Mesmer doesn't add her buffs to yours, she replaced yours with hers.

I'm new at Mesmer pvp but have fallen in-love with the class.

Not sure if this will carry any weight since I'm too new but I do find the scepter to be a bit clunky on Mesmer.

It's funny coz scepter is super fast, insta-cast high dps on Elementalist FA build. On Mesmer, it's the exact opposite.

I'd like to see Restorative Mantras made to trigger on mantra use instead of mantra charge. Might make a healing build possible.

@Fjaeldmark.9043 said:I'd like to see Restorative Mantras made to trigger on mantra use instead of mantra charge. Might make a healing build possible.

Seriously this, as it stands it's essentially a trap option.

@Alpha.1308 said:

@OriOri.8724 said:I guess I should have explained my reasoning behind my specific request. I wanted to stay away from reworks for the illusion/shatter mechanic because at this point I 100% doubt that ANet will ever go through and redo that.

That's a lot more negative than I'd like to go, but I really can't disagree. All of these thoughts have been on my mind with the release of PoF and the gutting of axe clone mirage. I never liked mesmer before, despite really liking the class concept. It's the anti-synergy, the poor damage, and of course the phantasms that kill the gameplay for me.

Then mirage comes along and I have everything I want: A fast, mobile, high-damage melee-heavy class that looks and feels amazing while actually performing the pure damage role at a high level of performance WITHOUT PHANTASMS (Yay! It's a miracle!)! That lasted for a glorious few weeks where I switched my main to mirage - which for me means going on a spending spree of gems and gold as I try out different looks and builds to arrive at what I want - only to have the rug pulled out from under me with the nerfing of the centerpiece of my build into irrelevancy! I haven't felt like logging in much since then, even though I hear the new story is fantastic.

In any event, it's hard for me to look at this class and pick individual skills that are problematic. First, because I'm only approaching a month playing the class, but also because there is simply nothing the developers can do to make this class appealing to me if the gameplay is going to involve maintaining phantasms. It's that simple. Please fix clone ambush mirage and rethink phantasms ASAP, ANet! We're counting on you!

@OriOri.8724 said:I guess I should have explained my reasoning behind my specific request. I wanted to stay away from reworks for the illusion/shatter mechanic because at this point I 100% doubt that ANet will ever go through and redo that. But for individual traits/skills that stick out like a sore thumb, its significantly more likely for Anet to redo one of those. Or even an entire skill category like they did with guard spirit weapons, and to a lesser extent mantras. But I really can't see them ever re-doing our class mechanic, as that would necessitate almost completely redoing the class.

That said, I do agree that its probably what needs the most work. I do like the other suggestions I've seen in this thread so far though!

The thing about class balancing in any mmorpg is that it's very rare to be able to change a single skill without it having a huge knock-on effect with either the rest of the class skills or the entire game. When it comes to Mesmer, changing a single isolated skill or trait isn't going to make enough of a difference.