Mirage and it's axe is severely lacking in performance in some ways

While being a movement based condi melee weapon is all well and good, it performs quite well in PvE environments due to mobs being generally to stupid which is common for basically every spec. However in PvP there are various snafu's that can quite readily ruin some weapons viability, one of which is quite common, that being ability's which move you in order to function. For years Mesmer sword 3 has been notoriously weird in performance at times with how the clone behaved to get near foes on cast in order to swap and lock enemy's such as when you cast sword 3 and said clone is way off the mark or doesn't immediately jump at the target like they are intended too.

A fairly similar yet more detrimental issue is marring the Mirage's performance. For starters Ambush skill on the sword [Mirage Thrust] has 2 glaring problems, 1: a latency to trigger when prompted and 2: a considerable issue with enemy tracking often leading to weird leaps that don't land right or worse do but strangely doesn't connect to strike enemy's even if they are not dodging or blocking the attack thus daze function in either case is thoroughly wasted. This is further made worse when paired with Mirage mirror's as it can cause strange behavior with your movement such as getting you stuck or making you drift before a skill responds to utilize the sword ambush to leap at foes when you've passed through more then 1 mirror in a short time.

The mirage axe share similar problems in that Axe 3 [Axes of Symmetry] even when in range behaves somewhat erratic based on terrain and distance to a target which can lead to you blinking only a few pixels then swinging at nothing, blinking further away from the target or somehow failing to connect when it does manage to properly move you before you leap at the target for the strike. Axe 2 [Lingering Thoughts] however does appear to function as intended however in PvP it's function is shallow unless the other player isn't moving much. The range to which the clones generated by this skill need in order to spawn is very likely to miss and the travel speed and distance of the skill itself is rather lack luster or effective for the same reasons. The axes Ambush skill [imaginary axes] has a debilitating issue in that if you are in motion, have a target it can and has for me often failed to function the skill. In that you dodge press 1 and the skill fails to trigger because you weren't directly facing your target or were passing through it. Meanwhile skill one's 1st and 2nd swing [Lacerating chop] and [Ethereal chop] suffer from both a low base damage and duration on it's bleeds making it very reliant on a non-moving target to do any real damage.

Sorry for the post size but I like to be thorough and I've been enjoying mirage everywhere other then pvp as it's short comings and malfunctions have been hindering it in ways that kind of pigeon-holds what it can do or use to very limited options

Mirage axe is basically a death blossom thief without the evade frame on its core DPS skill. Axe 2 also seems bugged and has a hideous delay on activation, and that death blossom twirl animation screws you over bad by making you vulnerable for so long while animation locked.

In every way, a condi daredevil with lotus training is flat out better. The daredevil lotus training dodge does more damage than any of the pathetic mirage ambushes, and the daredevil actually has endurance refill and an additional endurance bar to make use of dodging offensively.

Daredevil is an effective implementation of an offensive dodge mechanic. Mirage is an abject failure next to it.

I really liked the idea of Mirage when it was first announced and I was excited even tho I had some doubts. When they buffed axe in the patch before expansion launch I was very happy and when the expac launched I quickly grabbed my axe and started roaming the Desert. Even tho I noticed some bugs I didnt mind a lot cause, well it was pve. Everything is easy in pve unless you are a Deadeye. Plus the core mechanism of Mesmer (illusions etc) makes pve very easy for us. After I finished the story, the map completion etc. I started playing pvp and wvw and that's when the problems started.

I quickly noticed that the bugs that I didn't mind in pve were very annoying in pvp and wvw. No decend player will be fooled from illusions and no decent player will just stay immobile in order you to trigger the axe2 illusions or the axe ambush skill. When I was using the axe3 many times I found myself targeting a different player than the one I wanted.

Yes Mirage has some mobility cause of the deception skills but at what cost? Mobility is not good if you still take tons of damage from other classes and mobility is no good if you don't do damage. The only build that does damage is the one everyone uses on benchmarks. But benchmarks don't apply to the whole game. Plus in order to do that much dmg you have to save all of your phantasms so they can stack. Something that it's simply not doable in pvp/wvw cause not only they would die from huge aoe dmg but they also make your shatters useless, Because why would you shatter if you suppose to stack them? Plus if you notice while everyone plays condi Mirage in benchmarks, most of the people play power in pvp/wvw.

In conclusion, I'm really dissapointed from Mirage and myself. Myself, cause I wasted so many gold to craft Vipers before launch and now power Mirage is the only viable option. From Mirage, cause as you play him you realize he has no place in the game. No group will let you do fractals or raids with them, and the only thing he was suppose to do (single target dmg) is being done way better from other classes. And the pick up mechanism (mirrors) is something the community already hated for so long with staff Rev and Guardian's aiges. It feels like anet liked the idea of a Nomad etc and then designed the class around it without any specific goal.

I have used Axe since PoF launch in PvP with minimal issues.

Axe 3 is easily alleviated by Jaunting onto your enemy so it hits. You could also do something like Axe 3 + Illusionary Ambush + Jaunt for an easy landing. Blink works too though Jaunt is more efficient.

Axe 2 rarely fails for me. I was in a duel server and whenever I used Axe 2 I'd often spawn clones (if people were around). I notice in Ranked games that Axe 2 often lands and the clones spawns often as well. With Self-Deception the illusion count can easily add up to 3, allowing for strong shatters and such.

Sword ambush would be better if you threw your sword forward and shadowstepped to the sword's landing spot (similar to Thief's SB 5). If the sword ambush hits your target you shadowstep to the target and daze it (and damage it of course). At its current state the leap does indeed seldom fail which is quite annoying.

At its current state Mirage is a worthy decapper and +1, and a better duelist than D/P thief.

axe 2 casts after server ping, so its delayed. Axe 3 is bugged at 550 + units range. This + sword main Hand on main weapon set , is the reaosn im not wearing axe right now.

"In every way, a condi daredevil with lotus training is flat out better. The daredevil lotus training dodge does more damage than any of the pathetic mirage ambushes, and the daredevil actually has endurance refill and an additional endurance bar to make use of dodging offensively."

u cant compare those too , Ambush's + lotus Training. Ambush is way more situational ; Do an interrupt with sword ambush, draining sigil , peservance sigil + chaotic interruption, and suddenly those "weak" - Ambush is the most broken sh't ever. False oasis and illusionary Ambush exist and are usable. Distorted dester is usable.

Dont get me wrong. Mirage needs EXTENSIVE work, but it's not garbage, it's actually good. I can kill spellbreakers 1v1 constantly in WvW, same with scourges.

Mirage needs :-bugfixes-more intrait syngery (riddle + IH not synergizing is frustrating)-less underwhelming traits : 1,5 sec Protection every 10 Seconds - ???-A Shatter Trait which pushes the Condi Shatter Variant over Chrono Condi Shatter in DAMAGE, not in support/ability to land (aka superspeed on shatter, alacrity); for example bleed and vigor on shatters, instead vigor only.-Increased Confusion Damage Trait ; example ; Dune Cloak; Gaining Mirage cloak deals damage arround u and inflicts Confusion. Confusion deals more Damage. ( instead of bleeding+duration)

Btw i play interruption Mirage exclusiv - without pistol, but sword is enough for me + Staff sometimes. Sword Ambush is the BEST thing mirage has. Im reaaaaally sad that sword isn't a hybrid weapon, cause im playing hybrid, and overall the mesmer feels very hybrid right now.

I'd like 2 stacks of bleeding on the last sword auto chain only, not on the usual attacks.3 Torment in addition to immobilize on Sword 3. If u have 3 illusions, swap place with a random illusion and deal the same effect arround u.Sword ambush 3 Bleeding , 1 Torment or something like this. I know hyper OP, but a man can dream right ?

If they fixed the sluggishness of Axe 2 then the weapon would be in a decent spot. It wouldn't be anything amazing mind you, but it would be decent at least. That and fix the remaining issues with Axe 3. I've mostly had problems in PvE with it now, but it will still sometimes teleport my character to a location where I can't actually attack the enemy (this is most notable and easily reproducible in the heart outside Amnoon where you open the tents and kill the creatures inside. About 33% of the time my character would be teleported around the side of the tent, and is then blocked from killing the enemy. Haven't encountered this in PvP yet, but I know it can happen when obstructions are in the way, so it will happen eventually).

Well, the reason why Mirage suffers in PVP atm is because both of the broken classes like Spellbreaker and Scourge counters them directly.One just spam Shades and all your illusions are dead in no time, another just spam full counter and kill off your illusions in one hit, and you have no control over your illusions for them to stop attacking.

@Harry Foud.1935 said:I really liked the idea of Mirage when it was first announced and I was excited even tho I had some doubts. When they buffed axe in the patch before expansion launch I was very happy and when the expac launched I quickly grabbed my axe and started roaming the Desert. Even tho I noticed some bugs I didnt mind a lot cause, well it was pve. Everything is easy in pve unless you are a Deadeye. Plus the core mechanism of Mesmer (illusions etc) makes pve very easy for us. After I finished the story, the map completion etc. I started playing pvp and wvw and that's when the problems started.

I quickly noticed that the bugs that I didn't mind in pve were very annoying in pvp and wvw. No decend player will be fooled from illusions and no decent player will just stay immobile in order you to trigger the axe2 illusions or the axe ambush skill. When I was using the axe3 many times I found myself targeting a different player than the one I wanted.

Yes Mirage has some mobility cause of the deception skills but at what cost? Mobility is not good if you still take tons of damage from other classes and mobility is no good if you don't do damage. The only build that does damage is the one everyone uses on benchmarks. But benchmarks don't apply to the whole game. Plus in order to do that much dmg you have to save all of your phantasms so they can stack. Something that it's simply not doable in pvp/wvw cause not only they would die from huge aoe dmg but they also make your shatters useless, Because why would you shatter if you suppose to stack them? Plus if you notice while everyone plays condi Mirage in benchmarks, most of the people play power in pvp/wvw.

In conclusion, I'm really dissapointed from Mirage and myself. Myself, cause I wasted so many gold to craft Vipers before launch and now power Mirage is the only viable option. From Mirage, cause as you play him you realize he has no place in the game. No group will let you do fractals or raids with them, and the only thing he was suppose to do (single target dmg) is being done way better from other classes. And the pick up mechanism (mirrors) is something the community already hated for so long with staff Rev and Guardian's aiges. It feels like anet liked the idea of a Nomad etc and then designed the class around it without any specific goal.

Deadeye is easy in PVE if you built right .Stop using raid build for every PVE encounter. It's ok to give up some damage for things like life leech in PVE.Also DON'T use Rifle

The only class suffers in PVE is Weaver.

The sword ambush isnt connecting its like you never used skill 3 (illusionary leap) in 5 years, if melee I was hoping for something that would land me near the target more reliably with a less failrate and we ended up with axe. Now the leap is almost as bad but atleast all the damage lands in one heartseeker animation rather than standing there for a 3 second blurred frenzy. I've been using axe > sword due to this on power builds playing axe like a heartseeker weapon.

I make sure I'm really close but even them moving a little bit causes fails.

Not sure if it's optimal in any way but I do scepter and staff in PVP. Running around with an axe just seems like I'd be axeing to get killed.