Guild Wars 2 Mesmer Profession Overview | GW2PC
| Guild Wars 2 Mesmer Profession Quick Summary | ||
| Skill Type | - Illusion: Clones, Phantasms |  |
| Special Abilities | - Shattering skills: Mind Wrack, Cry of Frustration, Diversion, Reflection Mantra skills |
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| Traits | - Domination, Dueling, Chaos, Inspiration, Illusions | |
| Armor Type | - Light | |
| Weapons | - Main-Hand: Sword, Scepter - Off-Hand: Sword, Pistol, Focus, Torch - Two-Handed: Staff, Greatsword - Aquatic: Harpoon, Trident |
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| Limitations | - Can only sustain up to three illusions (clones or phantasms) at any given time - Illusions will disappear once the Mesmer is dead - Shattering abilities will destroy all illusions upon casting - High learning curve because of skill and positioning combinations |
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| Benefits | All Mesmer weapons have access to an illusion skill ensuring a constant clone or phantasm companion | |
| Creation Options | Mesmers will be asked to choose a signature mask. | |
Mesmer Backround
The Guild Wars 2 Mesmer has evolved from Guild Wars to become a master in visual deception and mental destruction. Mesmers summon multiple illusions that deal damage and debilitating conditions to enemies. Mesmers can then shatter these same illusions to inflict even greater damage and more serious status effects, or even grant boons to allies.
The constant summoning and shattering of illusions can make even the most focused enemies lose their bearing on the battlefield, and Mesmers take advantage by unleashing magical energy attacks. This profession is attuned to players who like to keep their foes confused and impaired with multiple debuffs.
Weapon Skills
There are 10 possible weapon sets for the Mesmer from a selection of 2 main hand, 4 off hand and 2 two hand weapons. When fighting underwater, they also have access to two additional weapon sets.
| Slot | Weapons | Description | No. of Skills |
| Main-Hand | Sword | Close range slashes with illusion leaps | 3 |
| Scepter | Long-range and channel bolts | 3 | |
| Off-Hand | Sword | Blocks attacks, summons striking phantasms | 2 |
| Pistol | Summons phantasms that deal damage and inflict conditions | 2 | |
| Focus | Cuts mobility of enemies, summons missile ward phantasms | 2 | |
| Torch | Inflicts blind and confusion to enemies | 2 | |
| Two-Handed | Great Sword | Long-range beams, knockbacks and summons slashing phantasms | 5 |
| Staff | Long-range attacks that inflict conditions to enemies and boons to allies | 5 | |
| Aquatic | Harpoon | Manipulates the underwater currents to pull, push, evade and damage foes | 5 |
| Trident | Inflicts mass attacks and conditions vs. underwater foes | 5 |
Illusions
A Guild Wars 2 Mesmer can create illusion clones and phantasms when activating their weapon skills.
These do not have a lot of HP and can be dispelled after a few attacks. But enemies will not be able to tell a clone from the real Mesmer, making them effective as diversions.
These have higher HP than illusion clones but have an ethereal look that sets them apart from the real Mesmer. They are a more persistent nuisance to foes with their special weapon attacks that often apply a status condition.
Shattering Skills
Mesmers have access to their special profession skills known as Shatterings, which lets them destroy all illusions — both clones and phantasms — to detonate large area damage and effects.
| Shatter Skill | Recharge | Description |
| Mind Wrack | 10 seconds | Shatters illusions to deal damage to nearby enemies |
| Cry of Frustration | 25 seconds | Shatters illusions to inflict the Confusion condition to nearby enemies |
| Diversion | 35 seconds | Shatters illusions to inflict the Stun condition to nearby enemies |
| Reflection | 45 seconds | Shatters illusions to grant you missile reflection shield for each shatter |
Mantra Skills
Aside from Shattering skills, Mesmers also have exclusive access to Mantra skills. A mantra skill is placed in a skill slot and needs to be activated with an extended cast time. A successful cast replaces the mantra skill with an instant cast spell that can be used when needed. Mantra skills are best prepared outside of battle, but they can also be recharged during a fight.
Traits
Like all other classes, a Guild Wars 2 Mesmer has access to five trait lines. These are unlocked starting level 11 and each new level grants a Mesmer with one trait point to spend in any of these trait lines.
Each point spent on a trait line raises either a base or profession-specific attribute, and an offensive or support attribute. Spending five points on each trait line also unlocks a minor trait (at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 trait points invested) and a major trait slot (at 10, 20, 30 trait points invested) which can be equipped with your choice from a pool of major traits.
| Trait Line | Attribute Bonus | |||
| Base | Profession-Specific | Offense | Support | |
| Domination | + Power | + Expertise | ||
| Dueling | + Precision | + Prowess | ||
| Chaos | + Toughness | + Concentration | ||
| Inspiration | + Vitality | + Compassion | ||
| Illusions | + Guile | + Malice | ||
Trait Points, Minor Traits and Major Trait Slots
How to Fight as a Mesmer (GW2PC Discussion/Speculation – Subject To Change)
Based on what we’ve seen so far in the beta previews and official, here are some suggested playstyles and team roles for a Guild Wars 2 Mesmer.
In PvE, Mesmers seem to be an easy leveling choice because of their access to multiple clones and phantasms. An illusion may only contribute a small stream of damage, but over time and when a Mesmer brings out all three illusions at once, the combined assault can end the fight quickly. Mob packs are also easier to deal with since a Mesmer can summon illusions to act as a temporary tank while finishing off enemies one by one.
Each Mesmer weapon can deal one to three specific debuffs, so they can be asked to switch to the most effective one – whether it’s a Greatsword daze or a Scepter blind effect – based on the foe at hand. Mesmers may also focus on showering buffs, but these will be more of an added bonus when focusing on using debuff attacks via the Staff weapon, for example.
Whether in PvE or PvP, the Mesmer can feasibly execute a burst barrage of spells that can finish off an escaping or near-dead enemy. Mesmers can open with a stun debuff, call on clones and phantasms to ramp up the damage on top of their normal weapon attacks, then unload charged Mantra skills and Shattering skills as finishers.
The Mesmer shines as a control fighter, preventing enemies from achieving objectives or keeping them bottlenecked in a specific location. While a Mesmer is not as potent in rolling out pure damage, it is a profession with plenty of self survival skills (clones, knockbacks, leaps, short invisibility) and team support skills (buffs and ally-only portals). These help keep the enemy preoccupied while reinforcements make their way. In the hands of a skilled player, we see Mesmers locking down opponents, especially those who cannot push past their tricks, for a long time.
Guild Wars 1 Vs 2 Differences
A Guild Wars 2 Mesmer has evolved/changed in the following ways from the original Guild Wars:
• Heavy reliance on illusions
• Less reactive disruption, more proactive debuffs
• Potential for burst with charged mantra skills and
• Instantaneous movement (teleportation)
Closing Thoughts
Overall, the Guild Wars 2 Mesmer Profession is one of the more complex professions in the game due to the situational utility of their weapon debuffs and illusion attacks. Players who wish to unlock their full disruptive potential will need to analyze an enemy quickly and decide which control tactic to employ – summon clone bait, create a phantasm and make it a 2-vs-1 fight, rain down a torrent of debuffs, or unload all cooldowns?
Guild Wars 2 Professions
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