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Axe or Scepter? Open world PVE


aaron.7850

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I am using a condi mirage staff mesmer, but I am wondering what secondary weapons should I use to compliment my staff.

Scepter has range which helps because I wont have to reposition when I switch from staff, but I hear its a herrible weapon.

Should I go with axes? If so, what advantage does axe offer me against scepter?

This is for open world pve, I am working towards completing all the maps and story missions from the expansions.

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axe over scepter in pve any day, there is several reasons.1 scepter auto is single target2 scepter 2 has to be triggered by enemies, cant be triggered at will3 scepter doesnt have any aoe ( scept 3 doesnt count )Axe deals more damage, has mobility, aoe and is more fun to use, axe all day every day baybe

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I have a few issues with scepter:

  • single target auto (compared with staff)
  • axe has better cleave
  • the block can be wasted with mirage if evading over it. It can be wasted altogether due to how slow some pve npcs attack...
  • the ambush animation looks ridiculous, like your character is high on coffee
  • the sound effect with female asura is INCREDIBLY annoying, and it happens on every third auto, and every ambush. My ears hurt when playing with it.

Actually that female asura scream bothers me in a few places - Blurred Frenzy, trident ambush, scepter third auto and ambush, low quality character model default ambush replacement sound effect... it puts me off using a number of weapons. It literally needs to be "toned down" (well not in pitch, but in duration and volume), it's so long and loud.

I remember a long time ago Blurred Frenzy used to be silent most of the time on female asura (IIRC on the odd occasion there was this scream), then since sometime after HoT it's that long ear aching scream every time...

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It would be much better if you play only with scepter as a MH weapon, because your ambush attacks deals most of the damage, so it's important to refill endurance (by swaping weapons /sigil of energy). I wouldn't recommend staff as a condi weapon. Axe does more dps in raw power damage on condi build/eq. Axe/Pistol or torch has literally more dps skills, when staff is: weak AA + very slow ambush attack, teleport + clone (no damage), 2 illusions /single target (low damage), chaos armor (no damage), chaos storm (weak CC, weak condi source).Axe: AA + fast ambush (3 + 2 attacks per clone = torment burst), dps skill + clone, teleport and dmg (high power damage + confusion).Torch: aoe burning (2x) + stealth, aoe burning + illusion (aoe burning and daze)Pistol: Sigle target bleeding burst, strong CCScepter: AA (generate 1 clone at third hit) + fast bursty ambush (torment), block + clone, confusion burst.

So... scepter/pistol and scepter/torch for ranged combat is perfect. You can spam ambush all the time, just put a sigil of energy in your weapon and swap them below 50% endurance. Honestly staff has no uses in PvE. It's just bad. There are better options. It's not a support weapon, it's not good for condi, terrible on power.

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@Yoci.2481 said:I don't even know what staff is supposed to do. You can get a bit of protection if you trait for it, that's it.

You can self stack 25 might and a load of boons really easily in open world pve with Infinite Horizon and Deceptive Evasion.

Problem is the right stat set doesn't exist yet to make the most of this. Some variant of Condi/x/concentration/y would be interesting, eg with precision, power or expertise.

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@"Yoci.2481" said:PvE doesn't count.

This thread's title is "open world pve"...

But in terms of pvp/wvw - phase retreat is still one of the single best skills on entire mesmer as it has been since release, and carries the entire weapon.

IH clone ambushes are still good, for "aoe" condi application and some boon build up depending on positioning.

Staff 4 has become a little more useful given the scaling down of the game, but it is still rng on the initial proc which makes it unreliable for eg, clutch weakness. Ideally it could proc all three conditions on the initial cast instead of just a random one - usually one stack of confusion which is useless.On the other hand 5 has become a reliable daze, but so-so after the first tick aside from aegis, unless on downed/stationary for poison etc.

iWarlock, as with a number of other phantasms is pretty weak at the moment and could do with a buff.And outside of Mirage, staff auto sadly is mediocre.

So it certainly could do with some improvement.

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@Yoci.2481 said:I don't even know what staff is supposed to do. You can get a bit of protection if you trait for it, that's it.

It's very useful against Champions because you can stay at range and keep farting out clones for it to target. The DPS isn't great, but it's a safe way to slowly burn down what should be a group fight, even if you're full glass - that's how I solo HoT champs on my full vipers Mirage.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Scepter is better used for a shatterer build rather than a condi one imo, while axe is perfect for condi. Sure, it's melee but it has gap closers while staff has a blink to get away from stuff. Axe 3 also breaks targeting so it forces a npc enemy to target your illusion(s) instead. Axe 2 is an evade on a short cooldown. Staff paired with axe is my favourite combo, since they cover for what the other is lacking.

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Here is the thing: condition damage is very weak in open world pve. Simply because you can't burst with condi, especially condis like confusion or torment which are very unreliable vs random open world mobs. The damage ticks too slowly.

  1. You want to oneshot things in open world as fast as possible.
  2. You want to tag as many mobs as possible.

What is the solution ? Not playing condi at all. However here is the answer: Play POWER MIRAGE with greatsword, and maybe sword/focus on the other hand. It is one of the strongest things to play in open world among any classes. Yes the guides on internet say "mirage is condi" but this is for raid bosses, don't bother with that. In open world GO POWER, stop torturing yourself. Everytime I see those condi mirages in random squads in open world it makes me cry :cold_sweat:

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