Open World Mesmer/Chrono recommendations?

[Luthan.5236]

Hi. I'm actually pretty new to mesmer. Well ... I played engineer for most of the time in this game. My main char. Now I have all other core professions on level 80 and some exotic gear and some build I mangaged to make that worked okay-ish on the core game.

 

Recently with the new achievements for the old seasons ... I planned to start one of those other chars and play them more seriously. For season 2 my mesmer worked fine without putting too much thought into it. Now I am doing HoT (then soon S3 which starts with the new achievements). HoT though I got killed fast when trying Chrono. (Which I want to play in HoT and S3 first before moving to Mirage since Chrono got released with HoT it seems.)

 

Any good builds/recommendations? I had the duelist stuff and 1-h sword when I played core in open world PvE. I think I read that some people recommended other stuff and going for boons and stuff and not using duelist but using the slot for other stuff that might work better. (For survivability. While still getting dps from boons and stuff.)

 

Of course I would like to try the shield for Chrono. And using maybe quickness from traits. Or the alacrity and those traits that give alacrity + slow or so ... if possible

 

How are the conditions? Saw the scepter has torment I think? And condition stuff afaik is said to be more durable. (Since those gear/stat combinatoins also offer 1 defensive thing usually as compared to berserker that usees power, crit change and crit damage while condition only needs condi damage + duration.) Would condition Chrono be viable? (I actually would like to try it.) Or should I try focusing on finding a dps build that might work for me?

 

Probably going to play something "own" in the and - as I usually do. Or modified versions of other stuff. But some input and recommendations still would be welcome - to get some ideas.

[Kondor.2904]

Imo there's no point building chrono for survivability, you will be much more efficient on condi mirage if you want to have decent survivability/damage ratio. Going sustained power is a weird kink. 

I'd go for the most dps options on power chrono, if it's solo open world, you'd want to make sure you can self supply the most vital things, like might, fury, vulnerability and preferably quickness too (conveniently, illusions exists for those purposes, and other things are basically built-in too, including boon strips). You also want to make sure you are very close to crit cap, so you can have reliable damage. I personally wouldn't pick StM or the alacrity trait for solo play, cuz I see no point in it, just yeet everything with chronophantasma, you will have a chance to roleplay support in more organised instanced fights. pChrono is generally a very diverse build with lots of built-in tools and even ranged capabilities that you can use to boost your survivability. 

As for condi builds, condi chrono is mainly confusion focused and, thus, very niche build, so it will be really slacking in general open world. If you want to play condi, just take any condi mirage, be it staff/staff or regular axe/x. Or if you are really always solo, you can take both staff and axe, cuz you can boost axe's damage with boons from staff, which you otherwise lack. If you want to skyrocket your sustain, pick tormenting runes and enjoy being essentially immortal.

Edited June 25, 2021 by Kondor.2904

[Wahlao.1069]

Check out Lord Hizen's staff mirage build:

http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PigAYZlRwkYVMEmJWyP+PNA-zRJYkRFfZkZKESFo3BIc9wbpKfL-e

 

The youtube link:

 

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

There's always WoodenPotatoes Overworld Chronomancer:  

 

 

Personally I run a modified version of the raid build that uses the greatsword instead of a focus.  

[TheAgedGnome.7520]

I'd recommend Mirage.

 

This is my Plaguedoctor/Trailblazer Mirage for open world:

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/topic/95748-seraphplaguedoctor-mirage-for-fun/?do=findComment&comment=1388703

 

Power Mirage is also satisfying, but glassier -

Dueling/Inspiration for more sustain: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PihAEZlVwUYbMImJWyTrPNA-zRRYBKmKQM4yIwSIiMwk5oaGA-e

 

Dueling/Domination for more damage: http://en.gw2skills.net/editor/?PihAEZlVwUYbMImJOyK5PNA-zRRYBKmKQM4yIwSIiMwk5oaGA-e

 

 

 

[TheAgedGnome.7520]

Here is a fairly recent chrono open world build video:

 

[Luthan.5236]

Hey, thanks for the recommendations.

Tried a bit myself yesterday ... and without the trait that applies slow.

 

But the last recommendation from TheAgedGnome for Chrone - seems pretty nice. I usually do not try to copy stuff exactly from such premade builds. But since I pretty much have no real experience at mesmer at all ... I probably will try that one exactly as described.

 

It never would have occured to me that that phantasmal defender would work so well with the trait that applies slow. (Didn't really read the description exactly. And I am not too used to the "taunt" thing cause I played mainly engineer.) Makes sense to combine this and use the Chronophantasma trait.

 

That build also had a lot of other stuff that I used previously when I played only core. (Greatsword - though I only used it as secondary weapon set. But the range should be good for survival. And the signets and I already had used the defender.)

 

Keeping the mirage stuff in mind for when I start with PoF. (In 6 weeks or so. Now slowly doing S3 weekly for the new achievements and HoT - and playing a bit Chrono here.)

Edited June 27, 2021 by Luthan.5236

[Kondor.2904]

9 hours ago, Luthan.5236 said:

It never would have occured to me that that phantasmal defender would work so well with the trait that applies slow. (Didn't really read the description exactly. And I am not too used to the "taunt" thing cause I played mainly engineer.) Makes sense to combine this and use the Chronophantasma trait.

 

I don't know if the guy actually checked his own video or the boon bar of the golem, but phantasmal defender has been bugged for a very long time, and it does not trigger Delayed Reactions, so you won't get any slow/DT synergy from it.

The utility is still pog for open world tho, because a) it helps you solo most breakbars in no time without sacrificing any clones for your opener b) again helps with the cc after the opener reset if the mob didn't die from the first burst c) actually spikes like a truck if it blocks enough hits

Also a small note for the Danger Time variation. It won't probably matter for open world, because you will likely trigger Delayed Reactions a lot by pulling/cc'ing mobs anyway and most fights will be short enough to get a lot of value from DT. But do note that for Danger Time to be better than Improved Alacrity, your slow uptime should be around 30%. Again, it shouldn't matter much for open world, since you pull mobs a lot and at meta events people usually spam Electromagical Pulse. But if you notice that generally your fights take long enough or you feel like you don't apply slow often enough, you might wanna consider taking Improved Alacrity. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by Kondor.2904

[Luthan.5236]

Thanks for pointing this out, Kondor.
Tried the build yesterday. Almost exactly as mentioned in the vid. (Not the cheap version - except the food where I use normal and not ascended one.)

I'd say I'm fine - Auric Basin I got trashed first - few days ago with my random build - by some Hylek. I think they are the most annoying mobs (good burst damage) and since HoT is actually considered one of the harder part of the games ...

 

being able to kill a group of some Hylke and those mounted mobs in Auric Basin near first WP - where 1 or 2 vets were included  (got downed a bit but then back up from rallying) as basically someone with only minor experience in Mesmer at all ... this seems okay for me now.

 

I don't even remember my enginer ha ha. Played it a lot and HoT I played 1-2 years ago . Beginning 2020 I think. And I think I struggled in HoT a bit as well. Until I got used to the mobs and how to react to them with my class and build.

[HappyHubris.1096]

I've tried a bunch of open world builds.

 

Staff Condi is probably the easiest, but god it's boring.

 

Axe/Torch/Pistol Condi is more fun than staff, but it lacks good "survival" buttons that make you feel like you're actively blocking damage with your efforts.  You'll also feel less "punchy" if playing with power build allies.

 

My favorite open world Mesmer build is Chrono Sword/Sword/Shield using Marauder's gear and the following setup:

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PiEBwyx7W6WaNdA-e

(Evasive mirror vs fencer's finesse is situational.)

 

With this build, I can kill HoT champs and camps of Veterans.  (My benchmarks for open world survival are the groups of veteran frogs up by the waypoint in Northwest Auric Basin and the Troll Hero Point Champ in Western Tangled Depths.  I can beat these fights reliably without downtime.)  I really enjoy the playstyle, as it relies on you actively deploying crowd control, blocks, and invulnerability to survive instead of just beating your head against content.

Against champs I keep up 3 clones and deploy my phantasms to do heavy damage, while weaving in sword 2, sword 4, Phantasmal Defender, Gravity Well, Shield 4, and Shield 5 to block damage or CC as needed. I shatter my clones only when I know I can replace them quickly (e.g. when Mirror Images is up) to keep multiple targets up and soak damage.
 

You can also swap in greatsword and kite if you want the absolute easiest experience, but I find that getting in there and dicing enemies is way more fun.

 

This build might not feel strong if you're new to Mesmer and button mashing, but once you know when to deploy your blocks it's insanely powerful.  As a bonus actively blocking teaches a skill-set that is useful in fractals and raids.

Edited June 28, 2021 by HappyHubris.1096

[DKRathalos.9625]

On 6/25/2021 at 6:40 PM, Kondor.2904 said:

As for condi builds, condi chrono is mainly confusion focused and, thus, very niche build, so it will be really slacking in general open world. If you want to play condi, just take any condi mirage, be it staff/staff or regular axe/x. Or if you are really always solo, you can take both staff and axe, cuz you can boost axe's damage with boons from staff, which you otherwise lack. If you want to skyrocket your sustain, pick tormenting runes and enjoy being essentially immortal.

For Condi Mirage vs Condi Chrono, how is the fun factor in term of playstyle?
Also is the DPS output between both spec for condi?

[TheAgedGnome.7520]

4 minutes ago, DKRathalos.9625 said:

For Condi Mirage vs Condi Chrono, how is the fun factor in term of playstyle?
Also is the DPS output between both spec for condi?

 

To plug my own build again...fun is why I like the Plaguedoctor staff condi Mirage. There is no staff-swapping with just auto-attacking; instead, its a single staff and relies heavily on actively using the multiple Mirrors, multiple Chaos Storms, and multiple Chaos Auras. So, placement, timing, and positioning is engaging, yet the sturdiness of the build means that its very forgiving at the same time, so you don't get worn out trying not to make a single mistake. 

[Kondor.2904]

2 hours ago, DKRathalos.9625 said:

For Condi Mirage vs Condi Chrono, how is the fun factor in term of playstyle?
Also is the DPS output between both spec for condi?

Condi chrono generally has a more simple rotation than axe mirage, for example, although gets a bit tricky with confusion burst timings. But I personally enjoy mirage fluidity and rotation more (which is really more of a skill priority rather than strict rotational sequence), especially with recent changes to chaos traitline where you can also benefit from combo fields and adapt your playstyle to certain scenarios where you want to pump more confusion. (But that’s only applicable to some really specific instanced encounters).

Dps-wise mirage will be infinitely more efficient than cchrono for everything aside from literally couple raid encounters (since it focuses solely on confusion application). Although even there it actually recently started slacking due to newly awakened infamous staff mirage and potential axe mirage variations.

So if you wanna play condi mesmer, for 99% of PvE you will be better off choosing mirage not only because of much better damage, but also because of much better in-built survivability and possible defensive boost from tormenting runes (mirage has around 4 times more torment stacks on average than cchrono).

Edited June 28, 2021 by Kondor.2904

[Puck.3697]

On 6/25/2021 at 11:32 AM, Luthan.5236 said:

Hi. I'm actually pretty new to mesmer. Well ... I played engineer for most of the time in this game. My main char. Now I have all other core professions on level 80 and some exotic gear and some build I mangaged to make that worked okay-ish on the core game.

 

Recently with the new achievements for the old seasons ... I planned to start one of those other chars and play them more seriously. For season 2 my mesmer worked fine without putting too much thought into it. Now I am doing HoT (then soon S3 which starts with the new achievements). HoT though I got killed fast when trying Chrono. (Which I want to play in HoT and S3 first before moving to Mirage since Chrono got released with HoT it seems.)

 

Any good builds/recommendations? I had the duelist stuff and 1-h sword when I played core in open world PvE. I think I read that some people recommended other stuff and going for boons and stuff and not using duelist but using the slot for other stuff that might work better. (For survivability. While still getting dps from boons and stuff.)

 

Of course I would like to try the shield for Chrono. And using maybe quickness from traits. Or the alacrity and those traits that give alacrity + slow or so ... if possible

 

How are the conditions? Saw the scepter has torment I think? And condition stuff afaik is said to be more durable. (Since those gear/stat combinatoins also offer 1 defensive thing usually as compared to berserker that usees power, crit change and crit damage while condition only needs condi damage + duration.) Would condition Chrono be viable? (I actually would like to try it.) Or should I try focusing on finding a dps build that might work for me?

 

Probably going to play something "own" in the and - as I usually do. Or modified versions of other stuff. But some input and recommendations still would be welcome - to get some ideas.

 

Vallun did a good build for all content for mesmer, split surge build. If you use this with marauder gear it does pretty kitten well in PvE content. 

 

Staff Condi mesmer in trailblazer is another good choice also.

Edited July 8, 2021 by Daddy.8125

[Luthan.5236]

Yeah thanks. I might check that build out as well. Now I have tried the one that someone recommended above (Chrono with Chronophantasma) and I was surprised: Could solo a lot of champ hero points in Auric Basin. (With 1 other person most other harder stuff was possible - except Balthazar. And most of the time there were enough other people to join without even having to ask in map chat.)

 

Keeping this build for HoT + s3 and when s4 weekly return to s4 events are starting ... trying a mirage build. Did not expect that I'd get used to that recommended chrono build that fast.