Making the most out of Mirage

[SoulGuardian.6203]

I really like mirage, and when used properly can be an awesome class in every mode... really good, errr, as long as you don't get over crowded or crippled, or ran over by an angry stampede of WvW zerg.

 

The evasion on this class is really frustrating, for our trouble.

I have revolved my entire skill set on this class around evasion, since... well, it hasn't any.

 

1. Phase Retreat

2. Illusionary Wave

3. Illusionary Ambush

4. Portal Entre

5. Jaunt

6. Distortion 

7. Dodge

 

That is a whopping 7 skills I need to use in order to keep my Mirage from being KOed.

 

That's almost as many as attack skills.

 

ANet, my dear devs.

Have you tried playing Mirage in Silverwastes, HoT, WvW... even PoF?

That's where Mirage comes from, It doesn't last 30 seconds against Mordrem, Balthazar Forces, and WvW zergs?

 

I'm saying this with all the respect in the world, and mannerisms possible to all the hard work it takes to come up with something different and unique for each class and their Respective Elite Specs.

 

The Mirage's Dodge is not the way though.

 

Here are some quick, from the top of my head, ideas that might work, and I beg for your consideration.

 

 

● Imaginary Axes

Replaced with:

Cloak and Dagger.

Gain stealth when you use dodge or gain distortion in any other way.

Summon a clone behind target that will attack with a dagger, inflicting vulnerable. 

 

● Distortion.

Teleport away from foe after execution an attack while in distortion. 

 

● Illusionary Ambush.

Teleport away from target.

You gain stealth, and summon 3 clones around target.

 

● Jaunt.

After using Jaunt, it becomes Boreal Illusions.

Teleport back to initial location.

Inflict Confusion and Daze; and gain distortion. 

 

● Riddle of the Sand now applies Blind instead of confusion.

 

 

These are just some of the top of my head.

I truly think that this class still has a lot of potential, and could be a really fun class to play, if only that dodge wasn't such a hard break on its movement.

Literally it's like being constantly crippled.

ES are supposed to make a class better, not worse.

As it stands now, it's just a different veil and mask over core mesmer.

 

Thanks for you time, and please really consider my ideas.

Edited September 2, 2022 by SoulGuardian.6203

[vanfrano.1325]

I don't mean to sound rude or brag at all, I'm not even good with the action side of GW2 but I mainly play Mirage and I don't have that much trouble, I'm wearing full viper in pve and I'm pretty much dodging all the time. The more you dodge, the longer you survive, the more damage you do. It took a while to click when I came back to the game but once it clicked and I understood my build and skills I had no issues.

Mobs in Path of Fire are overwhelming and the aggro range is ridiculous, I'm not sure this is a Mirage issue except for the fact that our damage takes a while to build up if you're playing condi.

Mirage in WvW on the other hand... yeah, one dodge when the whole spec relies on it for damage and defense is terrible.

Edited September 5, 2022 by vanfrano.1325
typo

[SoulGuardian.6203]

The issue is if I feel just like playing Mirage, There are all of those things I've mentioned, among other things... I can't. 

I'll have to switch to another class.

For instance, in Silverwastes, you have constant immobilise, Cripple from mordrem.

Then you get attacked by those underground roots, while trying to avoid vines slush, trolls swarms and the spinning attacks from the other plant monsters.... not to mention the Thrashers that launch at you.

 

You very quickly get overwhelmed with attacks from all angles and find very hard to survive.

Mirage was made not taking into consideration that kind of foe.

 

The Icebrood are also very hard to fight without a decent dodge.

 

Don't get me wrong, the mechanics are actually fun.

As I said, once you get used to it, it's really good.

But let's be realistic. 

Teleportation can only get you so far.

Dodging in this class is a problem. 

Unless you're playing with a lot of other people, you don't get too far on a Mirage.

 

In WvW, when a zerg comes at you, while your team double dodges away and then disappear, you are left behind to be stomped on by the zerg.

You simply just cannot evade fast enough. 

 

Then, there's the F skills, which for starters have the exact same icons as core.

They should be based in causing more illusions and give you distortion, which is what the class is about.

 

On a sidenote: I should have suggested more distortion rather than stealth.

 

I don't want to spend more time in a battle than necessary, spending most of the time "dodging" and teleporting, when you can easy do that in half the time with any other class.

 

Do you know of any runes that work perfectly with Mirage?

Something that will extend the distortion time or gain distortion?

 

I'll look into it in TP or wiki.

But if you know, I'll really appreciate it.

 

I'm using runes of divinity at the moment.

Most of my gear have random stats, from celestial to Berserker.

 

I know there's a sigil that refills endurance.

Might use that too.

Edited September 2, 2022 by SoulGuardian.6203

[vanfrano.1325]

I agree that you very quickly get overwhelmed depending on the mobs around you and each expansion is different regarding aggro range, mob density, etc.. which makes it harder to grasp. Personally I absolutely hate the mobs and aggro range in Path of Fire and avoid playing these zones on my Mirage because of it. In Heart of Thorns as long as you play aggressively you will be ok most of the time.

The amount (and duration) of CC in pve is a bit over the top anyway.

I started with open world builds found on Metabattle and then changed them a little to suit my playstyle.

I'm sure the "pro" Mirages around the forum will be able to help more than me.

 

[SoulGuardian.6203]

Ok. thank you.

By the way.

There are staff/staff builds, but when I try equipping two staffs, the other one just recharges skills as if you haven't switch weapons.

 

Know why?

 

Edit: F4 Distortion isn't actually applying distortion. 

The enhance attack isn't working.

Edited September 2, 2022 by SoulGuardian.6203

[draxynnic.3719]

29 minutes ago, SoulGuardian.6203 said:

Ok. thank you.

By the way.

There are staff/staff builds, but when I try equipping two staffs, the other one just recharges skills as if you haven't switch weapons.

 

Know why?

If you swap between the same weapon, it doesn't change the skill recharge - if the skill is on recharge it is still on recharge even if it's a different example of the same class of weapon.

The reason you see things like staff/staff builds, however, is to trigger on-swap effects. For mirage, this is Sigil of Energy. This way, every time you swap gives you another dodge. Which means more ambush attacks, and more alacrity, which speeds up all of your skill recharges.

Personally, my experience has been that the dodge mechanic doesn't feel like a handicap for mirage per se in PvE. It's the same evade frames, the same movement as long as you're running forward, and if you really need to cover ground you have Jaunt. If you run energy sigils on both sets and swap regularly, you can almost be spending more time dodging than not (adventurer runes can give you even more, but I'm not sure they're worth it). If that isn't working for you, though, the other elites probably do have more 'stay alive' abilities.

[SoulGuardian.6203]

Know why F4 is no longer enhancing attacks?

Was it nerfed?

 

I have one of each.

I have all 3 ES.

I enjoy all of them. I don't wanna have 2 chronos or 2 virts.

It would just make it redundant. 

Just want a way for my Mirage to have more survivability. 

 

I had to find ways in WvW to get away from zergs and keep up with my team.

It's not fun when you get caught more often than not.

Humans are not AI. They will pursue you and they will kill you.

 

[draxynnic.3719]

I don't think F4 ever enhanced attacks? Distortion and Mirage Cloak are different effects, even if they look similar. If you have the right trait (master top, IIRC) it will create mirage mirrors for you to pick up, but that's all.

That trait might be a good choice if you are looking for more survivability, along with the trait that gives you regen when you dodge. You could consider taking Chaos to add additional benefits to having Regeneration if you aren't already, and/or Inspiration with a signet build to get some extra healing and condition cleanse along with extra Distortion through Blurred Inscriptions.

I should note, though, that I'm thinking in terms of PvE here. I haven't taken mirage into competitive modes since the one-dodge nerf.

PS If you are thinking in terms of competitive and Getting Out Of Dodge When Needed, though, I'm really surprised you don't seem to have Blink on your list.

Edited September 2, 2022 by draxynnic.3719

[SoulGuardian.6203]

Blink would take closer to foes, when I'm trying to get away. 

Do you think I enjoy getting my character killed?

😂

All joking apart.

I use action camera with quick cast.

It wouldn't do me any good.

 

I use Mass invisibility and Decoy in WvW.

That's I've got so far to try keep up with the team and get awsy if necessary.

Edited September 2, 2022 by SoulGuardian.6203

[Tseison.4659]

Heyyy @SoulGuardian.6203!!

So regarding your post and the troubles you're having with survivability, I'm gonna try to help with covering both PvE and WvW since those are the two modes I'm in frequently. Before I get into those, the ideas you had regarding adding some stealth to some skills screams Thief to me. Not sure if that's a profession you'd consider playing as that class seems to have more to what you're looking for. Additionally, the added Distortion would be too powerful and you already get enough "Distortion'esc" via Mirage Cloak from False Oasis, Crystal Sands and if traited, Desert Distortion.

So in regards to PvE, depending on the zone, some enemies might be difficult than others but they all will usually follow the same pattern when attacking players. If you're finding yourself tagging too much enemies at once, maybe try tagging one at a time until you're better at adapting and anticipating their attacks so you get better at dodging. Yeah it might sound a bit tedious to say because it might make questing or whatever you do in PvE longer, but it's a good learning process. Attached is my PvE Condition Build I use in PvE. I have Staff for the Phase Retreat and then depending on the situation, I'll swap out Crystal Sands for Blink if I need. 

As you can see as well in the build, I run Sigils of Energy and Rune of the Adventurer which is more than enough to help you survive as you'll always have energy available to dodge/mirage cloak yourself. If you're more into playing Mirage as a Power spec, you can swap the gear for either berserkers if you're comfortable and confident in your survival skills, if not, you can always opt for a mix of Marauders and Berserkers.

In regards to WvW, I highly don't recommend bringing Mirage in there, however, everyone can play however they want and with whatever spec they want. But to avoid that frustration in getting crippled, caught or run over by a boon blob, I would suggest either Core, Chrono or Virtuoso. I've been running Virtuoso a lot lately to help with boon shredding via Shattered Concentration since boon removal comes in handy when a part of a small group or zerg and up against the enemy team(s) as this removes a total of 5 boons when fully blade stocked. I also switch between that build and Chrono though and will usually support via Feedback or Portals.

Hopefully this helps but yeah as a Mirage, you do have a variety of methods to disengage/engage with and in PvE it just takes practice. In WvW, yeah as I said, might want to stay off that spec atleast in that mode. I did mail you sigils of energy and rune of the adventurer if you needed them as I had extras.

 

Take care!✌️

Edited September 2, 2022 by Tseison.4659

[SoulGuardian.6203]

Thank you so much @Tseison.4659

Really appreciate it.

I shall use them.

 

It does take a lot of practice with Mirage.

But it is a lot of fun.

 

I'll just have to avoid WvW I suppose, as you said.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with this, and the mail.

👍

[Tseison.4659]

38 minutes ago, SoulGuardian.6203 said:

Thank you so much @Tseison.4659

Really appreciate it.

I shall use them.

 

It does take a lot of practice with Mirage.

But it is a lot of fun.

 

I'll just have to avoid WvW I suppose, as you said.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with this, and the mail.

👍

You’re welcome!

I mean, WvW is fun and I especially love the smaller fights as opposed to the usual and utterly bland boon blob fights. But yeah, I usually prefer other specs as opposed to Mirage and I tend to see a few Mirage get easily picked off, either that be to bad positioning, the lack of dodge available, bad luck or unexpectedly getting run over by a boon blob lol! 😂

See you there though if you end up showing up in WvW! 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Tseison.4659

[otto.5684]

OP, in PvE mirage is extremely survivable, using axe. Using staff, you are nearly untouchable. It really is an issue of experience. 

[Shena Fu.5792]

Instead of more "dodges", try more CC and defiance breaks. I prefer Pistol off-hand for this reason.

 

Mirage is top-notch in PVE. But utterly useless in WVW. You have 0% chance in WVW. 1-Dodge is the stupidest game design decision in the history of video games.

[draxynnic.3719]

21 hours ago, SoulGuardian.6203 said:

Blink would take closer to foes, when I'm trying to get away. 

Do you think I enjoy getting my character killed?

😂

All joking apart.

I use action camera with quick cast.

It wouldn't do me any good.

 

I use Mass invisibility and Decoy in WvW.

That's I've got so far to try keep up with the team and get awsy if necessary.

Ah. You might want to consider turning off action camera when using mesmer. Blink is pretty much stapled to competitive bars, and more common than you might think on bars for solo play, for good reason. There are things action cam is definitely good for, but making good use of ground target-teleports is not one of them.

[Avion Blade.4869]

I'm going to upload a thread with a video on another way to play Mirage, in about half a day you will be able to see it. Let me know what you think about it when it is uploaded! Still processing atm as of 7:15 PM PST 9/3/2022.

 

For now I will say this, our profession isn't design to linger in open field or corridors or withstand a mob (for super long); it actually peaks in its performance in areas of elevation, verticality [in other words, ledges, stairs, teleportable places]. We actually can peak in a 1v2 and 1v3 kiting. 1v4+ we are just fighting to survive. So with what we got let us just make do with it.

For me, I upscale the number of teleports and take full advantage of it. I trained watching animations and react to avoiding the damages from them, it is doable up to a 1v3 with a good environment. Making escape routes is done by juking the opponent with there-and-back playstyles. 

The video coming soon gives you build that buys you time to analyze the opponent's rotation and punch through a gap with some good damage, or to bunker just enough for allies to come and help. For me, it is a satisfying WvW Build.

Roam Session Example:
 

Feel free to see the other videos listed in the series playlist for your convenience! Another player posted their PvE build below, I posted a WvW Build for your interest.

Edited September 6, 2022 by Avion Blade.4869

[Waffles.5632]

Video is a bit old, but this is still one of the strongest open world builds in the game atm. Even stronger if you go staff/staff instead of Staff/Axe+Pistol like I do. I have solo'd every HoT champ, easy, the clones almost always take care of aggro, it's pretty hilarious.

 

Videos of build in action :

 

 

 

 

I have more too but don't want to spam.

This build can do strikes and fracs as well, though as always, for CM fracs/strikes you want to opt for going into vipers gear instead of celestial. You also don't need torment runes, though they significantly help. There are cheaper alternatives but I forget the names atm.  The only weakness is seriously, you will get bored after awhile because when you get your timing down, nothing will hit you.

Edit : The biggest nerf was when they changed torment runes to give regen instead of healing on torment application, but that doesn't effect Mirage really because again, perfect play with Mirage involves never getting hit, and it's rather easy to do so given all the mobility and evasive tools Mirage and Core Mesmer get access too. So the build still functions the exact same, you're evading, spamming ambushes, especially staff ambushes before axe ambushes, and just doing whatever needs to be done in the given moment. No real rotation, just get that might and alac out and then start going to town on axe/pistol, or if running double staff, keep spamming more might and alac. You can shatter whenever because you generate so many clones it doesn't matter.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Waffles.5632

[taara.3217]

On 9/2/2022 at 2:06 PM, SoulGuardian.6203 said:

Have you tried playing Mirage in Silverwastes, HoT, WvW... even PoF?

 Mirage has no any problems with all kinds of OW activities. Moreover, to my mind it's the most versatile choice to this kind of content.

Edited September 8, 2022 by taara.3217

[Mell.4873]

On 9/4/2022 at 2:14 PM, Avion Blade.4869 said:

The video coming soon gives you build that buys you time to analyze the opponent's rotation and punch through a gap with some good damage, or to bunker just enough for allies to come and help. For me, it is a satisfying WvW Build.

Roam Session Example:
 

 

Meh no one here cares they sit on the Mesmer forum complaining about the class they don't even play in that particular gamemode.

[LeoXander.2798]

i have open world build mirage using only greatsword. use sigil of energy and stamina. i use clone generation trait from dodge and heal signet. its amazingly fun. the more clones you create, the more heals you get.