Random thoughts and questions to be considered in a balance update

[Flow.2947]

Hi I'm making the post from a wvw 20ppl+ perspective, but it doesn't mean other areas aren't affected. It is my main class 4000h+ , but some things are a bit strange for me. Mesmer is always in this weird place in every expansion.  It always has this certain core skill skills that ppl want from the beginning of the game. But this skills don't fit the play style of the specializations. 

Because of glamours and illusion of life Mesmer is stuck in the support role although it has nothing passively supporting this play stile.

Domination
I need boonrips to get interrupts or do more damage in a very short time frame, but I can't do boon strip and value interrupts at the same time.

Dueling
Am I condi? am I power? why does a passive ability only effect one skill F2? Dodge mirror... isn't mirror actually a healing skill and manipulation? why doesn't it heal or contribute with manipulation trait?

Inspiration
Why does every mantra have aoe but our healing mantra does not? Isn't Power Cleanse a mantra, why doesn't it heal when mastered? I would like to see a healer option for Mesmer, but why isn't Illusionary Inspiration the passive addition to ether signet it is very low healing anyway especially in wvw? 

Chaos
Why do we have to choose between 2 staff traids, can't it be "Chaos Armor grants protection when cast" and the rest stays the same so you can use combo fields 

Illusions
How awesome would it be if Persistence of Memory was reversed to give your phantasm the buffs you have. I mean what can you get from your phantasm anyway fury, quickness and if you are lucky aegis. I don't understand the radius indicator on phantasmal force do I need to be in the radius of 360 to provide my phantasm +% or am i sharing the might? Why do we have 2 different types of reflect mirror and reflect? 

Chrono 

Has really good wells, but since we have a passive moving cleanser (scrapper) the wells are outclassed by  its core utilities (illusion, null field, veil). It has a very strong synergy with the core class mastery line. but you'll never get to the 15% + anyway

Can you explain to me the difference between Time Warp and Well of Action and why i should use time warp?

Mirage 

Would have the potential to strip soo many boons, but you can't run it in WvW because you are not able go to your mirrors and if you do it's only a 180 range.

If the mirror had the ability: When an enemy walks into the mirror, they trigger Dune Cloak.  Or when you evade an attack you cast dune Cloak 1s cd. Maybe 1/4 s daze on jaunt and no confusion?

Virtuoso

Could be a dmg dealer, but if your ult does less dmg with a longer cooldown than a well of suffering,  or vindicator sword 5 why would you want to use it? Would be a target lock an option like ranger longbow 2 or projectile finishes? Dagger as a weapon has soo much potential, but is hindered by projectile blocks and there is nothing else. Virtuoso is a beast that takes ppl off guard, but that's about it.  

If blade renewal would be pulsing 3 times it would be perfect for illusion trait line. (but that wouldn't be selfisch or is it too strong for aegis spam as well as chaos Auspicius Anguish).

Why does it say on Blade rain a large area when it is the same area like the others wouldn't large be 360?

Virtuoso has the potential to synergies so well with other classes contribution in range spikes together with scrappers, aegis from guardian, spiking together with one wolf pack....

It needs a good lvl of coordination but i have to admit, playing it over a longer period of time the results are not so good.

 

 

 

[viquing.8254]

Dagger doing only damage is the main issue about this like most of we said during betas.

No CC no mobility no 0.5 sec evade or other mind skill is what make it bad in PvP and WvW context.

I pretty much agree about what you said, the main issue is that it's unlikly to change, looking at glamour for example.

Edited April 10, 2022 by viquing.8254

[Senqu.8054]

Great post. In special the Support and Chrono Part, but also with a view on the whole conundrum called mesmer, is something I really relate to and dislike about how the devs implemented it.
 

Basically every support skill, beside the weapon 5 skills, is bound to utility-skill slots. The other skills are always bound to enable the class mechanic and need to follow the rule: 1 auto attack, 1 clone, 1 phantasm. Only 1 skill remains here as additional possible utility skill but also needs to add port OR stealth OR invul OR something similar to close the gap in sustain. (Dagger is the best example why this is crucial) PLUS the weapon set also has to provide at least 1 real AOE damage skill not bound to phantasms or clones to not be another weapon set that is fully useless in team fights. 

 

How is a class, falling under such limitations, not supposed to fail in the long run if basically every mesmer ESpec is obligated to provide the points mentioned above to first baby-sit-band-aid mechanical stuff before being able to fulfill the actual role it is supposed to do. There is basically no room for a balanced amount of certain skills without overloading them with effects. 

 

Wells try to close 3 gaps at once:  AOE, Boon Support and group heal skills but fail on so many levels, it’s not even remotely acceptable anymore. Other ESpec Utility skills have the same problem on mesmer as soon as they just provide only one of the 3 things. Virtuosos whole weapon kit is just there to generate blades to use F-skills and now utility skills have to Band aid missing AOE skills and missing sustain. But let’s be serious, taking a utility skill just for AOE damage while your whole kit consist of only damage skills? Has anyone of the developers ever played anything else beside in a public OW or public WvW Zerg?

 

Also to mention the fact that implementing another batch of utility skills to fix the missing AOE, boon and heal aspect on mesmer just deletes any possibility for synergy’s between the ESpec and core mesmer. You will never switch portal, veil, null field or feedback for 2 seconds of alacrity or quickness locked behind a delay. (Even without the delay it’s very questionable to take Chrono-Wells tbh.) (Glamour skills could do what wells do in a 100 times better way with just a GM trait tbh) Heal mantra could already add a healing aspect to mesmer but somehow it is the only mantra without AOE and they deleted the mantra trait to heal -> bing bang boom wells are the only source of group heal now. I have no words for this anymore beside: „???????”
 

It’s always because the already existing skills could do the EXACT same thing but are, because of a not understandable reason, made this underwhelming or clunky again to justify the already bad implemented ESpecs skills.
 

Mesmer needs  certain aspects on its weapon skills and not utility skills but this is not easily possible with the current mechanical limitation. And before anyone is thinking I hate clones or the Mesmer class mechanic or something: No! I just think that there can be more then only a clone based mesmer as well as with Mirage there could be a heavily clone focused mesmer. Best example I can think of such differentiation is scourge. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by Senqu.8054

[katte nici.9483]

Interesting thoughts.

[Tseison.4659]

2 hours ago, Senqu.8054 said:

Mesmer needs  certain aspects on its weapon skills and not utility skills but this is not easily possible with the current mechanical limitation. And before anyone is thinking I hate clones or the Mesmer class mechanic or something: No! I just think that there can be more then only a clone based mesmer as well as with Mirage there could be a heavily clone focused mesmer. Best example I can think of such differentiation is scourge. 

I personally think our main mechanic should have just been “Psionics” or some form of “Reality warping” and then the elite specs can be different branches of what Mesmers are capable of. I still would’ve rather summoning clones/deceptions/illusions etc… to just be in one elite spec which I still think the Mirage line is a perfect theme for that. At the end of the day, what we have is what we have to deal with; but I still think everything shouldn’t have been tied to clones especially given Mesmers are literally capable of doing anything.