Mirage Specialization Updates for the Path of Fire Launch

[Levetty.1279]

I didn't expect a complete redesign, even though it really needs it, but this doesn't even fix the parts of Mirage that could be fixed with simple number tweaks. 10% or 16% increase damage to attacks that do no damage isn't changing anything. Makes ambushes weaker when everybody including non mesmers were saying they were weak. Traits that would be considered weak before the Pre HoT trait system rework haven't been touched. No cast time decreases. Hell they have removed the one source of non vigor endurance regen it gave in a spec that revolves around throwing your dodges away to attack.

[FaboBabo.3581]

@FJSAMA.2867 said:Blur its not distortion..Bf gives Blur.Trait doesnt proc....

Pls.. We are in 2017....

mb , am kind of a new player...

[FaboBabo.3581]

Well overall the changes are good to start with, but i still feel like mirrage is going to have a lack. As Condi u lack Might, as well as a lot of other usefull boons like quickness (mirrage/duelling/illu). I suggest giving Nomad's endurance ; shatter skills grant vigour (4 sek) and might 3*(10 sek), Speed of Sand ; Superspeed 1 sec, quickness 2(3?) sec.Mirage Mantle is completly useless, but other changes are pretty fine. Looking forward to play it.

[Durzlla.6295]

@Robert Gee.9246 said:

@Riko.1309 said:The new GM looks great and these changes make me even more excited for Friday, thanks Robert !

Distorted Desert is Master tier. ;)

Oh my god, that's way better than I thought!! I assumed it was dune cloak!!

So does this mean with AoE distortion skills via inspiration could our clones be given distortion and thus gain ambush skills that way without taking Infinite Horizon?

[Medatius.6092]

An alright start to make Mirage better, but there's work to be done still. So far it seems like those rather careful changes won't really move Mirage in a much better position, but I reckon there will be some more adjustments in the future.It still seems a little gimmicky and doesn't really offer anything that other classes/specs don't offer. That said, I enjoyed the fast paced style of play regardless of how useful it really is or could be.

Regarding some changes though:

• "Ambush skills now attempt to interrupt your current action rather than queuing. (Note that certain types of skills, such as healing skills, cannot be interrupted in this way.)"If this means we aren't able to use Mirage Cloack whilst stomping or using a skill with cast time, then this change pretty much ruins Mirage to an extent, because it was one of the few things that made it good and fun to play

• The damage tweaks are probably still too weak to have an actual impact

• The utility changes go in the right directionI still feel like Sand through Glass should offer some condition removal or something else to improve the skillIllusionary Ambush should be on an even lower cooldown to give other weapons than axe the possibility to change targets more frequently

• "Jaunt: Increased range from 400 to 450."This though .... let me just quote some tooltips from the wiki

VaultDamage: 908 (2.25)?Number of Targets: 5Radius: 180Evade: ½sCombo Finisher: LeapRange: 600(easily usable three times in a row and then again and again once you got some initiative back, also have a look at the damage and the fact that it evades, oh and the range ...)

JauntDamage: 266 (1.0)?Confusion (5s): 113 Damage On Skill Use, 330 DamageConditions Removed: 1Maximum Count: 3Count Recharge: 20sRadius: 180Combo Finisher: LeapRange: 450(and this is supposed to be the elite skill .. hm.....)

what I'm trying to say is, a range of 600 is definitely not too much to ask for

• Traits changes are okay, but not good enough quite yet
• "Distorted Desert: This trait causes all illusions shattered by Distortion to become Mirage Mirrors for 15 seconds. Additionally it allows allows ambush skills to be used whenever you grant yourself Distortion."Bit of a shame, I liked the randomness of the old version of this trait, would have liked to see a buffed version of that rather a new trait, but I guess Distorted Desert is more usable

So all in all not bad, but not really game changing unfortunately, we'll see how things develope once the expansion has been released for a while

[atlashugged.7642]

@Durzlla.6295 said:

So does this mean with AoE distortion skills via inspiration could our clones be given distortion and thus gain ambush skills that way without taking Infinite Horizon?

I do not think so. The trait, as written, only gives you ambush skills when you give you the distortion buff. So your clones wouldn't come into it, as written. But maybe they weren't be precise with their language, and the trait actually does something like what you think.

[Abelisk.4527]

@zealex.9410 said:I think reducing the dmg of the scepter ambush is unfair considering how easy it is to dodge it. Also the more it gets nerfed the more likely it is it wont be useful in pve but i dought that since its a free action when you dodge an aoe or something. Still id love high dmg on the amvbush skills, would make the overall feel more impactful.

Also does the cahnge to gs ambush firing all 3 beams now means in 1 target scenarios u will hit him with all beams now?

Ambushes weren't nerfed. I don't know anyone who runs Scepter in a power build, lul.

@Medatius.6092 said:

• "Ambush skills now attempt to interrupt your current action rather than queuing. (Note that certain types of skills, such as healing skills, cannot be interrupted in this way.)"If this means we aren't able to use Mirage Cloack whilst stomping or using a skill with cast time, then this change pretty much ruins Mirage to an extent, because it was one of the few things that made it good and fun to play

All this means is ambush skills have priority over other skills. Stomping/rezzing, and skill casting while cloaked still works. It's even addressed in PoF.

"Well, it mostly amounts to the same thing, but it uses less movement and frees up the arms to cast more spells. Besides, rolling around in the desert just gets sand in your clothes."

[Skuzz.6580]

@atlashugged.7642 said:

@Durzlla.6295 said:

So does this mean with AoE distortion skills via inspiration could our clones be given distortion and thus gain ambush skills that way without taking Infinite Horizon?

I do not think so. The trait, as written, only gives you ambush skills when you give you the distortion buff. So your clones wouldn't come into it, as written. But maybe they weren't be precise with their language, and the trait actually does something like what you think.

Since it gives Distortion to yourself on Shatter, You get an Ambush (your clones that got shattered are already gone for them to be able to ambush). But there being 3 Mirage Mirrors means if you resummon 2-3 clones fast after shattering (tier 1:Self-Deception change helps with that) and with Infinite Horizons you will have a lot of ambushes!! Or alternatively, if you go for Dune Cloak (probably the better pure DPS option) then you have a lot of ammo for that.

[Knox.8962]

@musu.9205 said:

for pve , mirage dmg doesnt look good at all .small dps increase over chaos line for sure . but it will still be lowest tier and useless for many bosses.

Mirage is a significant DPS upgrade in PvE over current condi mesmer. Axe is way more powerful than scepter.

[novas.1845]

I didn't think they'd listen to the feedback as I'm so used to devs not doing so until about a month or two after launch in other MMOs so I was just going to go necro until things seemed to balance out because I wasn't sure where mirage would fall. I mostly do open world pve so I couldn't really test that during the demos and I couldn't play the stress tests.

I'm glad to see they made some QoL changes and I might actually end up working on my mesmer now first. Decisions!! I'm so glad axe got some buffs because I had a lot of fun with it when testing! :D Can't wait for tomorrow!

[Carighan.6758]

@GWMO.4785 said:The skill applies confusion and torment. Both not that great in pve. It did not specify that the changes are pvp/wvw only either... so why the damage nerf?

Well, Confusion and Torment are both strictly better than Bleeding, so... they are actually pretty great in PvE. Mind you, that was a rather recent change, 4-5 weeks ago I think.

[FaboBabo.3581]

False oasis could need an even lower CD so it can synergize more with on heal acitvation runes. Therefore maybe do more pulses with leass healing on each tick but same overall. 16 sec CD 8 Pulses, 800 Heal , pulsing vigour every 2 seconds for 2 seconds (mirror still spawns after 3 seconds). If we dont get flat endurance regeneration from traits we can afford havin a lot of mirrors avaible through utilitys and smart plays.

[Ojimaru.8970]

@OriOri.8724 said:0 - (Was originally lower in the list, but I changed my mind and decided it was top priority). Mirage itself has no vigor outside of shattering, and does not enhance vigor's endurance regen capabilities. Considering that a very large part of its theme revolves around mirage cloak, which comes from dodging and mirrors, we really should have an enhanced vigor as a minor trait. At the very least as a major trait somewhere.

Hi, like your post, but just have to point out that we also have Critical Infusion in the Dueling line, and False Oasis.

@OriOri.8724 said:4 - While I won't complain about lowering base CDs on the utility skills (and general improvements), simply lowering CDs is not always the answer. Specifically, Sand Through Glass. Now a 25sec stunbreak, fantastic! However, this was a great opportunity to change the evade to a mirage cloak for internal synergy within the spec itself. And you missed this. Not to mention, evading backwards, only to dart back in if you want the mirror for the cloak? That's too easy of counterplay for the other player, they just have to lay some pressure over the mirror and you cannot get to it without burning a defensive utility or dodge, which would more or less defeat the purpose of obtaining mirage cloak. It just doesn't feel good to evade backwards, and then have to leap back in more or less immediately in order to get access to cloak. Please just add cloak to the skill itself, even if you remove the mirror component.

Hm, I think the scenario you just described actually sells the skill. If the opponents are focusing on the Mirror, they aren't focusing on you, thus relieving pressure for you to do other things, which may or may not involve picking up the Mirror.

[Ghin.1653]

@Robert Gee.9246 said:

• Mirage Retreat: Removed endurance gain. This skill now leaves behind a clone at your previous location. This skill now breaks enemy targeting.

Did you mean Sand through Glass?

I see nothing labeled Mirage Retreat nor finding it on wiki

[FaboBabo.3581]

@Ghin.1653 said:

@Robert Gee.9246 said:

• Mirage Retreat: Removed endurance gain. This skill now leaves behind a clone at your previous location. This skill now breaks enemy targeting.

Did you mean Sand through Glass?

I see nothing labeled Mirage Retreat nor finding it on wiki

second part oft mirage advance

[Abelisk.4527]

Mirage Retreat is the follow up skill to Mirage Advance.

[Cyninja.2954]

Lots and lots of QoL improvements. This will bring Mirage a long way closer to feel fluent and coherent in its design.

Personally this puts the spec for me in a state where I look forward to playing it and do think it will be good fun. Since I'm not that hung up on Mirage being top tier in any game mode but rather have it be fun first and foremost, this brings the spec a lot closer to what I had hoped for.

I'm sure the details and balance changes can wait a couple of weeks post PoF launch once all new elite specs are in and tested thoroughly for all 3 games modes.

A good day for mesmers I'd say.

[Ojimaru.8970]

@Xyonon.3987 said:

@Ojimaru.8970 said:Even at baseline, I don't see how Infinite Horizon would benefit PVE Condi DPS. In the current Condi Mesmer build, nearly half the build's damage comes from Bleeds generated by Phantasmal Duelists, and I don't see that changing with the Mirage.

Why would you keep the current cMes build with a completly new mechanic / trait line? You barely gain anything by replacing Chaos with Mirage except for the Ambush. Mirage dps could work with Chaos/Illu/Mirage, axe or scepter with torch and staff. Main damage will then be confusion and torment with a gameplay consisting of ambush/shatter/reproduce, repeat.

I'm sorry you misunderstood my post. I never said I wouldn't modify the build to incorporate the Mirage, actually quite the opposite. Mirage gives more than Ambush, it gives the option to use a melee condition damage weapon with cleave, three extra teleports, Dune Cloak to cap our Condition Duration (well, 99% rounded up.), and being able to maintain DPS throughout many boss mechanics with Mirage Cloak. However, what won't change will be our reliance on Phantasmal Duelists and the Bleeds three can pump out at a consistent rate.

I, too, have been theorycrafting an ambush/shatter build, but I really can't see a world where you would leave behind Dueling. Losing traits like Critical Infusion, Duelists Discipline, Master Fencer, and Deceptive Evasion is a little too big an ask, especially when you're only replacing it with a more defensive line like Chaos. Illusion, Jaunt (with Self-Deception), and Mirage Cloak (with Deceptive Evasion) is probably going to be the combo for clone generation, whereby the first Illusion can be generated as a Phantasm or through Lingering Thoughts.

[Allarius.5670]

Regarding the self interrupt on Ambush, this should allow improved response so if you hit the skill after gaining Mirage Cloak you no longer need to wait for your current skill to end, unless it is a heal. Gaining Mirage Cloak should not auto trigger the ambush and interrupt skills without manually activating the ambush first, meaning there should be no reason to worry.

[Ansau.7326]

@Skuzz.6580 said:

@Ansau.7326 said:Mirage was, by far, the worst elite ever developed. Such amount of changes should not be welcomed, it was mandatory for anet to do them. Anything less than what we got would mean a disappointment for consumers on how anet delivered content.Now Mirage is in a better spot, but there're still many things to fix and improve. Again, if anet thinks these changes are enough, they are wrong. Further changes are required.

It doesn't matter how many changes are required, if anet needs to spend a month fully dedicated to fix a thing, it's their duty to do so.And our duty is to ask them to keep improving until Mirage is a solid specialization worth to buy the expansion.

Personally, I havent bought PoF expansion yet, solely based on how disappointed I was with Mirage, and I won't buy it until I see Mirage is worth to be played.

I have to disagree with this.. if you mean that Mesmers were the most vocal about the shortcomings of their Elite Spec then yes, that is correct. But I looked over various Specialisation forums (as I play multiple myself) and there were a lot of debates on all of them. To give a simple example of my other favorite class: Ranger, that forum was loaded with complaints about the Soulbeast interaction with pet swaps, and how a lot of skills just don't work in beastmode, some new skills are bugged, very uninteresting traits all over the new Elite spec, an even more inferior weapon then Mirage's Axe. And this is the same for basically all Elite specs. I think Deadeye, Scourge and Engineers were overall the most 'happy', the rest were just all disappointing.

If you then look at the amount of attention they put on each, you'll notice that Mirage got by far the most attention, while as an Elite spec I think Mirage was still better than others on the list.Just be pleased about the attention you guys got is what i'm trying to say.

There are two big differences you're missing.Mirage is the only new elite that doesn't bring a new style to its profession. It is a deceptive based elite added to an already deceptive profession. Anet designed this elite based on lore, not on mechanics. Mesmers are, in this aspect, in disadvantage compared to the rest of classes.Mirage has several, not just one or two, issues with the design of core aspects of the elite or issues with its new things. Soulbeasts has interaction with pets and skills not working while in beastmode, Holosmith has no core weapon interaction with overheat. But Mirage... pretty much everything from it need fixes: useless Mirrors mechanic, useless Ambush skills, underwhelming Deceptive skills, no phantasm interaction with Mirage Cloak, underwhelming new weapon, little interaction with base mesmer mechanic (shatters)...

Again, if you have 1 issue, you need 1 fix. If you have 10 issues, you need 10 fixes. Only when in both cases the same relative amount of issues are fixed the same attention is put on both. Don't make the mistake to think just because the second sees 8 fixes it means there is more attention put on it.It only means they are doing now the work that should have been done before.

[Ryouzanpaku.1273]

I am very happy AN is (based on sheer amount of the changes) actually listening to the player base.Although I do not thing changes done will be enough - but will wait with judgement after I actually play Mirage.What I see as the good thing - changes done are showing Mirage is supposed to be THE dps spec for Mesmer - so if it will be under performing as many are predicting we can expect another changes.What is bad - we cannot expect any changes to the core Mesmer playstyle/issues.

[Curunen.8729]

@Cyninja.2954 said:Lots and lots of QoL improvements. This will bring Mirage a long way closer to feel fluent and coherent in its design.

Personally this puts the spec for me in a state where I look forward to playing it and do think it will be good fun. Since I'm not that hung up on Mirage being top tier in any game mode but rather have it be fun first and foremost, this brings the spec a lot closer to what I had hoped for.

I'm sure the details and balance changes can wait a couple of weeks post PoF launch once all new elite specs are in and tested thoroughly for all 3 games modes.

A good day for mesmers I'd say.

Yeah this is how I feel.

I think the 1s duration of mirage cloak is a huge game changing difference and will significantly increase evade uptime - especially in wvw where you can build for perma vigour and use food and things like sigil of energy still give back 50% endurance.

[messiah.1908]

@Durzlla.6295 said:

@Robert Gee.9246 said:

@Riko.1309 said:The new GM looks great and these changes make me even more excited for Friday, thanks Robert !

Distorted Desert is Master tier. ;)

Oh my god, that's way better than I thought!! I assumed it was dune cloak!!

So does this mean with AoE distortion skills via inspiration could our clones be given distortion and thus gain ambush skills that way without taking Infinite Horizon?

inspiring distortion is 1 sec and when use F4 you shatter all your illusion so they wont use mirage cloak. protected phantasm give distortion to phantasm and not clones and phantasm dont have mirage cloak . so no i guess but good thinking

[keyokku.5412]

Thank you for these changes! I'm happy some of these things will justify using Mirage a bit more, it feels a bit more worthwhile and interesting. I won't say it's particularly amazing, but what is amazing is the evasion build I was aiming to try has just been made even more worth it with distortion granting ambush and distortion shatters giving more mirage cloak through mirrors. YES. However, I don't like that scepter ambush nerf, why did it need shadowstep removed?

[Daharahj.1325]

I was already having a lot of success with Demo Mirage, with these changes it's going to be even more powerful.

Some of the changes were aimed primarily at PvE (particularly the axe changes), but with mirrors lasting longer, decreased CDs across the board, and functionality improvements on clone ambush I'm feeling very positive about this spec. Distorted Desert looks very powerful on paper, we'll see how it performs in practice.

It's a shame they kept Sands Through Glass and Renewing Oasis the same, they both seem very weak at the moment; Hopefully they'll keep an eye on it and bring it up a notch if it doesn't perform very well. Or if they're as bad as I think they're going to be, rework them entirely.

I didn't get the chance to try out power mirage during the short demo period, so I can't speak for its strength, but if you're against a condi mirage, you better bring a lot of condi removal.