Is there place to use Mesmer without Chrono/Mirage still?

I'm not exactly a 'new' player. But am coming back after finding a friend to play with after about 2 years of not playing this game. I'm someone who is absolutely in love with Mesmer. Everything about it comes easy to me as I love the strategy behind the mechanics it has. I'm still only nearing about lv45, but I was wondering as someone who is still going to be learning Dungeons, Raids, etc and loves PvE, I was wondering if I could ever have a party without being a Chrono? Eventually, once I learn the game more I will most definitely be a Support Chrono, but right now as I'm learning I don't really want to have everything 'expected' out of a PvE Mesmer (mostly cause all I see in talk about is Mesmer can't function now without its elite specs). Is this true? I don't want to be shoved into a support role, as I'm learning how to do these things in game, and constantly wiping my team. I'd rather stick to the Core Mesmer and be all-out DPS for a while so it's just slightly more forgiving for me in the sake of understanding the more high level content once I reach it. I don't have PoF so I only have access to the HoT specs, so Mirage is out of the option for me at current.

Ok, let me lay a couple things out for you cause it seems as though you've gotten some incorrect impressions.

In PvE, here are the following roles for mesmer:

Chrono: Primary tank + boon support, boon support, full power dps class

Depending on spec for chrono, you can either be a dps class, a tanky support, or just a support. Which you should choose varies on what content you're doing and what your group composition looks like.

Mirage: Condition dps

Pretty much the only way to play mirage in PvE is as a condition dps setup. It does, however, do this very well.

Base mesmer: No.

Base mesmer is not viable. If you run base mesmer in any sort of group content, you'll probably get kicked, and for good reason.

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

In PvE, here are the following roles for mesmer:

Chrono: Primary tank + boon support, boon support, full power dps class

Depending on spec for chrono, you can either be a dps class, a tanky support, or just a support. Which you should choose varies on what content you're doing and what your group composition looks like.

Awesome, I had no clue Chrono had some DPS talent features~ At least with that I can still learn about my wells and junk in game (over just paper and theorybuilding) and not also be compromising a team both trying to tank/supp AND learn. Thank you so much!

@Phantasmagoria.2918 said:I'd rather stick to the Core Mesmer and be all-out DPS for a while so it's just slightly more forgiving for me in the sake of understanding the more high level content once I reach it. <

If you check out the top rated Chrono Power DPS build you will see that its very similar to base power DPS. Sword/Sword/Focus, but takes advantage of Chrono traits and Gravity Well.

@Phantasmagoria.2918 said:

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

In PvE, here are the following roles for mesmer:

Chrono: Primary tank + boon support, boon support, full power dps class

Depending on spec for chrono, you can either be a dps class, a tanky support, or just a support. Which you should choose varies on what content you're doing and what your group composition looks like.

You have to understand that you still keep 2 core traitlines and exchange the 3rd for chrono. In chronomancer traits there is an option that your phantasms will atack twice. And since around 20 percent of damage comes from phantasms (minimum) its 20% dps increse which on its own is more then that 3rd line can provide

@p> @Pyroatheist.9031 said:

Ok, let me lay a couple things out for you cause it seems as though you've gotten some incorrect impressions.

In PvE, here are the following roles for mesmer:

Chrono: Primary tank + boon support, boon support, full power dps class

Depending on spec for chrono, you can either be a dps class, a tanky support, or just a support. Which you should choose varies on what content you're doing and what your group composition looks like.

Mirage: Condition dps

Pretty much the only way to play mirage in PvE is as a condition dps setup. It does, however, do this very well.

Base mesmer: No.

Base mesmer is not viable. If you run base mesmer in any sort of group content, you'll probably get kicked, and for good reason.

I fail to see why any class should be categorically rejected.

Because of some of ANET's decision making, I continue to play base Mesmer, pve and PvP.

It will not be at all surprising if Mirage is nerfed to less than vanilla power levels in the near future.

yes there's room for vanilla Mesmer, but you're at a serious disadvantage going in.

@Ithilwen.1529 said:@p> @Pyroatheist.9031 said:

Ok, let me lay a couple things out for you cause it seems as though you've gotten some incorrect impressions.

In PvE, here are the following roles for mesmer:

Chrono: Primary tank + boon support, boon support, full power dps class

Depending on spec for chrono, you can either be a dps class, a tanky support, or just a support. Which you should choose varies on what content you're doing and what your group composition looks like.

Mirage: Condition dps

Pretty much the only way to play mirage in PvE is as a condition dps setup. It does, however, do this very well.

Base mesmer: No.

Base mesmer is not viable. If you run base mesmer in any sort of group content, you'll probably get kicked, and for good reason.

So to clarify, it's not that base mesmer is incapable of completing content in the same way that you can also complete every raid with only green items equipped. The issue is that it's simply worse with no upside compared to mirage or Chrono. There's no good reason to use base mesmer other than if you particularly want a more challenging experience.

From a group perspective, someone using base mesmer is basically handicapping themselves by not using Chrono or mirage, and that brings overall group strength down. Due to that, people will reasonably choose to kick players using base mesmer.

Don't really get people's obsession with a core profession when all an elite spec does is add an additional layer of mechanics onto it.