Curunen.8729

This isn't optimal, but a lot of fun - GS + Axe/Focus, Dom/Duel/Mirage, Infinite Horizon, full zerker (or whatever you want to min max for power), sigil of stamina and energy on GS, cleansing and energy on Axe/Focus. Permanent laser disco ambush fest, group with focus 4 into big shatters. Axe/Focus because it looks classy. Don't use for open world bosses - better to swap to staff condi tbh. This is just casual many enemies in open world.

Certainly, though your tone appeared dismissive to alternatives. I prefer to make the player position correctly to setup the warden rather than ground target at range, and if necessary address core mobility to scaffold. I don't enjoy excessive ground targeting in this game (why I particularly don't like necro among other things) and would rather not introduce another source when there are other possibilities. The healing synergises with Focus trait being in Inspiration, while on damage encourages synergy with focus 4 to pull enemies into it. Aegis is symbolic of the artwork and gives a minor defensive benefit. Resolution/Protection give a reason to stay in the bubble - edit, I realise previously I said initial effect, but it could be a pulsing 1s from the warden only when in the bubble with eg 180 range. Melee cleave vs flying axes is a toss up - the rng axes are laughably bad on anything more than a single target, but having a ranged attack is useful when spawning on the player to act as a defensive phantasm. Hence the mixed suggestion of melee cleave with some ranged component but only on the current targeted enemy. But this is not set in stone. Also for what it's worth I didn't put a confused face on your post, and support the general sentiment of this thread.

Then pick one or two of those features. No logical reason to introduce unnecessary ground targeting when there are many ways it can be made functional spawning on the player. That's sound enough logic for me. Bottom line - this is purely subjective.

For iWarden I'd like to see it more representative of it's artwork, eg: - player cast animation like shield block (arm swiping inwards) - immediate gain 1s aegis - spawn phantasm directly in front of player - phantasm gives intial aoe pulse of 2s resolution and protection (5 allies, 240 radius) - phantasm reverted to melee cleave, no change to duration - phantasm heals allies in radius, relative to damage dealt (encourage to pull targets into the cleave to deal more damage and get more healing) - if in range, phantasm will also throw axes to player's current target only which deal less damage than the cleave I'm not a fan of too much ground targeting, especially with focus 4 already having that, so here it would be about positioning yourself to use iWarden and having predictable function from there.

Wish they would just remove alacrity and unnerf deception cooldowns, dodge etc. Sod this role nonsense that ruined stuff in the first place - I thought mirage was meant to be a mesmer/thief evasive damage dealer, not a boon support which it got forced into (on one weapon at that) - presumably to make space for making virtuoso another damage spec instead of something else...

I'd love to use Astralaria footfalls with Sunrise, instead of the pale blue bird poo.

I don't see why after removing boons from clone ambushes to the player - encouraging the player to cast and land their attack, that it was decided to go backwards and spread it onto clones again (making more inconvenient for multiple weaker targets) and now nerfing that too. Clones should scale up the players own ambush by the number of them that also ambush, with the clone attacks themselves being mostly visual red herrings. Wonder how many circles this will go round and round in before some kind of conclusion is reached...

Not sure if this got fixed but last time I played I recall Illusionary Ambush with trident putting the player too far away from the target for the ambush to land. I don't know when that started happening but it was a minor annoyance if I remember right.

lol, so the joke goes on. 😅 Glad to be busy irl and only read patch notes.

iMage needed 25 seconds for years, I'm very glad that's finally been done. But yes, Warden needs an overhaul as the rng axe throwing is useless. And Curtain could do with projectile destruction standard (so both 4 and 5 have a symmetry with the reflect upgrade in the trait). And Swordsman is really awful compared to old style thrust. The player attack is too slow and close range also.

The ambushes are very good - prefer enemies that can kill you quickly but also be killed quickly. Better than bullet sponges as most of pve is. The map isn't that interesting to me - appreciate the work in the structure but I don't think will be coming back after we move on. Filter should have been a mastery, and key system is a bit annoying. Meta end boss is really dull. Complete contrast to ambushes. I like where the story may be going and nice to hear the PC voice take a different turn. Overall ok, hope the next part gets better.

Jaunt is all the fun in its non-nerfed form (unlike wvw...) Sand through Glass is a personal favourite and makes up for no directional dodge. IA is overkill in pve unless for fun - sure it's great to have but it's so easy to get endless mirage cloak that I prefer feedback with staff/axe (for pistol phantasm, and other leaps/finishers). Blink is too useful everywhere to fit anything else. Mirage Advance has a nice animation but not the most useful thing. And crystal sands is... ok, but I'm never short of cloak, and prefer sand through glass. False oasis is solid enough.

This is by far my biggest issue with balance changes over the years. Sure experimentation is good, but not when it takes another 6, 12, 24, 72 months to go back and forth. The amount of changes for the sake of changes and apparently directionless, cyclic balancing is quite demoralising, especially when things make absolutely no sense thematically or for gameplay. Can't say more than you've already put in the OP.

The only thing I'm not keen on with a perma speed buff is aesthetic - it's nice to have a variation fast and slow, whereas I find the perma 25% looks weird. But certainly speed of sand should be part of mirage cloak as well - this makes room for IH in the GM minor slot. Similarly with blurred frenzy - I still find it weird with the faster animation, maybe due to asura, like scepter ambush just looks like they've drunk a ton of coffee.

Now that vindicator has 2, I can't even make that argument so there is little reason mirage should still be skill split to 1 dodge in different game modes. And the gimmick of desert distortion + signet of illusions should be changed. I'm apprehensive how bad new shatters would be such that it may be safer to say don't change anything, but I would rather get rid of this interaction to allow for: - 2nd dodge return - deception cooldown unnerfing (jaunt - 20s/charge, IA - 30s, StG 25s, MA - return target break and give evade frame like axe3) - IH grandmaster minor trait (create new major and balance all mirage around clone ambushes). Those three things are my top requested changes for functionality and fun - then address damage output, boons etc on that foundation. And regarding mirrors, I still like them - but deception cooldowns ie jaunt need to be there to support, and a replacement GM major trait for IH (now minor) could be a mirror enhancement.

@Waffles.5632Yes that's exactly it. Actually you're right I've noticed it now even without the aurene legendary equipped - though never seem to have had this before, or maybe so rarely that it passed me by. But I can't recall on any weapon set on mirage the way it's happening now. Maybe something in a recent patch has made it trigger more often? It's odd, I can go for several minutes with nothing, then all of a sudden massive screen blinding butterflies! @Moradorin.6217I have the camera all the way out with max fov on an asura, which makes it even more of a shock when it goes off! 😄

Not sure if this has been a bug since last year but recently equipped the aurene focus, and noticed running around on mirage in pve that occasionally when clones die, the usual visual effect is much bigger (edit - not sure if it varies, i've had some that like a flashbang on screen if near to the player, and some less so if further away). It's actually quite annoying and painful with the sudden flash over a large part of the screen. I've been trying to narrow down what is going on, and the only thing that I can come up with is the aurene death animation is having some odd interplay with clones - but instead of the aurene death visual, they do their normal death disintegration but on steroids. Doesn't happen all the time, only occasionally. Edit - if it isn't to do with the weapon, then something must have made it trigger more often in a recent patch. Does anyone else get this? I don't think it's a driver issue as everything else is fine. Edit - and of course sods law on writing this it's quite unpredictable to replicate. Best to use DE and go through a group of enemies, should happen eventually. Edit 2 - edited title in light of info from Waffles below.

The thing that bothers me most is how often going round in circles with what appear to be either changes for the sake of changes, or unclear direction, or flip flopping back and forth between ideas. And then stuff that really needs the work is done with the most surface level patch job (distortion on virtuoso...) because quite frankly pointless stuff is prioritised (well of senility name change for example). I mean we're here going yay decoy and mirror images get cool down reduction, but how much work is it to reduce these numbers that should have been done years ago? I have no idea what the end goal is (saying that as a process not a finite state).

Previous chaos vortex alacrity/might distribution to clones totally shafted last functional cele mirage in wvw (alacrity only saving grace since deception cooldown destruction, one dodge, axe cooldown). Now blink losing cooldown reduction on MoM, together with one dodge... Thanks for giving a clear bottom line, at least now I know to only farm aurene legendaries and fashion wars - whatever else, the art is still enjoyable. Oh and would it have taken all of 5 seconds to reduce torch phantasm cooldown to 25s? There is zero reason it should be on 30s. Why does it take 1 year to do these small things, or is there a limited number of changes that you can make each patch? Edit - of course no need to mention power mirage because that's simply dead outside of gs ambush spam tagging in a zerg.

Unless I'm missing something, I really hate how they skipped over blink for a cooldown reduction in wvw when deleting master of manipulation cooldown... Decoy and Mirror Images cooldown reduction - about time.

I don't think too many care anymore. Keeping an eye on patch notes but as long as they don't wreck stuff further and I can enjoy the visuals/fashion then that's fine.

I would do many things to be able to install custom sound effects. Quite a few I'd love to export and play around with to be more pleasing on the ear. Things like that would have to apply on your character only, to avoid unfair competitive advantage.

@AshkyLicious.4729 @Varis.5467 I agree with both of you and think it's wrong to assume anyone who doesn't post videos or win pvp world tournaments doesn't know how to play, or have an understanding of how mesmer could be designed. I believe there are many people who have done great play eg in wvw but will never be known. And certainly not to belittle over disagreement. I really do want to hope that Anet will one day do a great job with mesmer. Though seeing surface level solutions like distortion put on virtuoso doesn't inspire much confidence of deeper changes in the future. Most patches appear to have a very limited word count under mesmer, and for restoring 2 dodges I'd hope to see a bunch of other changes as well.

Just feel it worth noting that regardless of how apharma comes across, they have made numerous positive contributions in the past on both forums for mesmer, whether or not always in agreement. But I think we're all in the same boat that mesmer in general requires better handling, whether or not it ever happens. Part of me does agree that Anet need to be careful because I certainly want to stay out of the radar from the community hate brigade. So much got wrecked before the loss of the second dodge, and should also be looked at. Alacrity sadly doesn't help because everything has to take that into account now - eg it's a small step from lowering deception cooldowns to creating a new "degenerate" build. I'm sad at the loss of CI immobilise which used to be really fun as a niche trait but got deleted due to mirage. Nevermind things like vigour etc. If, as I expect, dodge stays coupled to ambush (more radical changes would as discussed in the past be ambushes as F skills), and the ability to dodge whenever remains, more needs to be looked at to scaffold endurance restoration. For me things like Elusive Mind being such a mundane temporary fix also need addressing. Sure have condi cleanse somewhere in the line, but for goodness sake make the GM interesting. I still believe IH should be the GM minor trait and there should be a thorough ambush pass balancing the whole spec around this first. Then give three majors that each have good reason for use.

Throwing in 2penny, for whatever it's worth. But you know the next patch will likely be bare minimum again. Probably waste a line reverting the Chaos Vortex change, If they don't have the time/resources to dedicate I'd prefer to be fully aware than spare any thought for it.