anyone have a really tanky WvW build for mesmer? Good dps/really tanky?

Dont really care if it's condi or power... but i need a really tanky build. I like to be on the front line and there are so many skill choices with mes i cant decide what spec to play.

I know the roamer builds can burst people down in 1 second.. (single targets) but im looking for something good for zergs that can stand alone but yet isnt full support for zergs... if that exists..

I have been playing necro and just cant seem to find that balance im wanting..

Is soilders gear any good or do you have to go full zerk to make it work? Is there a viable dire option?

Does it have any good AoE for groups?

Need wep and armor stats included please..

Thank you !

What's "tanky" or "viable" is a matter of perspective. I run a heavy mirage bruiser and another mesmer can still nearly instantly kill me if they catch me by surprise and some attacks just hits insanely hard (meteor showers for 8k that you dont even see until 3 have already hit your face is fun fun). That's just how WvW is. Frontline like in facetank frontline isnt really possible on the mesmer on anything outside a boon share minstrel build, which is incredibly boring because all you can do is just follow the commander. It really depends on how you define "frontline" too - I am generally far ahead of zergs inside the enemy backlines when I play, lol.

I am running this: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhEQNArfRnELDVLjlpBGpBMMjlZjqMAutk5sHyhfzv+3//H-jFDEQBaRpSXUC6PVFIq+gHcKAAwDAATqFIFlUJ4IAEFlBTSFG7s/Q4gBghQEAjIiIcjIiIiICpAoSZE-w

One can argue all day long whether its good or bad but it works for me trust me I've tried lots of different variants. Its a decent enough all-rounder with high toughness (hence why I call it a bruiser) that is designed to survive outnumbered and against groups while still being good enough to go 1v1 against pretty much anything. I use the same build roaming, small scaling and zerg flanking. It's considerably tougher than a marauder mirage while zerging and I can still go 1v1 vs the same marauder mirages and win.

In regards to condi tank builds made for a similar purpose, I would not recommend them. Now, I know some will instantly react and blurt out "OMG condi mirages are the most OP thing ever!" but I disagree. They are one trick ponies against bad players without condi cleanse. Against good people with condi cleanse, they fall pretty flat. The staff is also an incredibly slow weapon. A power mesmer will literally kill people before the condi mesmer has even engaged them. Basicly, the more people you engage, the worse the condi mesmer become (sort of an issue going up against zergs).

@trueanimus.4085 said:but im looking for something good for zergs that can stand alone but yet isnt full support for zergs... if that exists..

Short answer: what you're looking for doesn't exist.

Long answer: mesmer, in all forms, is completely incapable of outputting aoe damage in any meaningful form in a group fight environment. The only viable group role for mesmer is full support. You can roam as a burster or maybe try to get picks on the edges, but if you try to frontline like a warrior or guardian or scourge you'll be nothing but a waste of squad space.

You won't have good DPS if tanky, it's basically mutually exclusive. For WvW , mesmers are a support class.

Some people feel that mirage is broken, but that's not a zerg build.

@Infusion.7149 said:You won't have good DPS if tanky, it's basically mutually exclusive. For WvW , mesmers are a support class.

True for PvE raids, not so much for WvW. But granted it really depends on your primary targets. A tanky build will have problems to punch through for example a minstrel firebrand in full bunker rotation or warriors, but its enough to smack around hybrids and glass in the backlines. With the tanky build above, I can still burst careless low hp classes in seconds.

Mesmers are most definetly not just support, they only happen to be good at it in zerging. Unfortunetly it requires organized zerging, pugging is problematic when you arent even given boons to share.

@Dawdler.8521 said:Unfortunetly it requires organized zerging, pugging is problematic when you arent even given boons to share.

Any sort of support is less effective without a comped group, but support Chrono is completely self-sufficient in terms of boon production. You provide all the boons needed to share.

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Dawdler.8521 said:Unfortunetly it requires

organized

zerging, pugging is problematic when you arent even given boons to share.

I find the fact that you can produce 25 might stacks, thus enabling you to roll defensive gear and still net high damage to be the cherry on the cake. Sharing it with your group is just added bonus.

I almost never run with a zerg, but I play a very tanky build in wvw. http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhQQRArc7fnsnBFMjtpBmpBMMjlXDDNAkTOCmrghTNxf/FATgA-jFyCQB4Z/hCq+zxOIAA4BAURlfoUJY90PQhzAApAqSnG-w

The build editor shows the scepter block being 6.5 second cooldown, but it's actually below 5 seconds - this is the reason for keeping it in the main-hand with both weapon sets. It's likely that you would want to replace Illusionary Ambush with something else if you're doing a lot of zerg fights because it might randomly put you in a really bad spot.

Have fun!

Okay... here is a silly question... Would a tank mesmer do good with pow/vit/toughness gear (soilders)

Since they are power based, i would keep the damage but be able to run shatter and do direct dps. right?

@Arlette.9684 said:

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Dawdler.8521 said:Unfortunetly it requires

organized

zerging, pugging is problematic when you arent even given boons to share.

I'm assuming you're talking about roaming builds, because that's not how it works in groups. Mesmer does zero damage. It's also not particularly great at sharing might, generally not more than 8 or so stacks. It's excellent at producing stability, resistance if specced, Regen, vigor, fury, protection, and swiftness.

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Arlette.9684 said:

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Dawdler.8521 said:Unfortunetly it requires

organized

zerging, pugging is problematic when you arent even given boons to share.

Naturally I see things through my own prism. I do admit when it comes ro PvE I am at a loss.

@Arlette.9684 said:

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Arlette.9684 said:

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Dawdler.8521 said:Unfortunetly it requires

organized

zerging, pugging is problematic when you arent even given boons to share.

This is WvW, not PvE. This whole discussion has been about mesmer in group WvW...

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Arlette.9684 said:

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Arlette.9684 said:

@Pyroatheist.9031 said:

@Dawdler.8521 said:Unfortunetly it requires

organized

zerging, pugging is problematic when you arent even given boons to share.

Would you have me update the title of the thread?

Oh wait, it's not even my thread. NVM! I need to lay off the Dewars.

@Pyroatheist.9031 NVM I understand your point. The worst is when you have to pick up the pieces of your drunken ramblings and put them into context. I was defo behind on the reading and understanding part.

@"trueanimus.4085" said:Okay... here is a silly question... Would a tank mesmer do good with pow/vit/toughness gear (soilders)

Since they are power based, i would keep the damage but be able to run shatter and do direct dps. right?

You do damage regardless... The question is how effective and how much. "Keeping" the damage without any base for comparison means nothing.

To me, the answer when you want to consider tanking is one of diminishing returns. You want toughness and vitality sure, but you dont need that much, things will hurt you plenty enough anyway. Going hybrid yields better result if you want a build that is supposed to be flexible and do anything (kind of obvious).

It's not perfect by any means, but I've pretty efficiently ran a power-tank Chrono for a while.Mind you, this was pre-PoF so I can't guarantee it's just as efficient now, but I came across this thread by happenstance and I figured I might as well share some.Just from consideration, I think the same issue will still plague it that it did back then: You still need a reliable party (squad subgroup).http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQNAseWncfCtfilpBGoBEgiFij6sBugPruS/0Q1MASgFC-jlCEQBDUVF+pWBAOEBORJmb0nAv9HQ4TAgLKB1iyDAeCACAgAcz2sNvZghO0hO0hO06zf+zf+zf+zfO0hWKgMnpB-wA lot of it's damage comes from the Draining Sigil when you interrupt and a lot of it's sustain comes from keeping up Protection by means of Chaos Armor etc. Can also easily replace the Well of Calamity for any other Well, can also replace the Signet for another Well if you wanted to...I had fun with it, but before I fully got into it, the guild I made it for disbanded so I never ended up playing it over a longer period of time. That said, this build was made for a zergbusting guild and it was able to easily keep up the pace.Only downside was that back then I'd pull constant focus because noone ran frontline Mesmers so they assumed I would be squishy. Eventually even a build this tanky gets worn down by constant focus.