here is the deal with gs you guys always say they have more mobility, but in the end gs roots me the most.
i have a warrior 80 and I main a rifle i'm never standing, i'm always moving unless i'm on my lazy break so I just stay there walking back, GW is not like others if you don't dodge or know how and when use your skills you will not win, and if you rage every single time you lose I guess games is not for you.
and that is on any game or you learn to play by the rules to win or you will not win complain about it will not solve it
I got a 80 warrior, and a few other higher leveled characters, where as I do also find the elementalist extremely squishy, I'm not really sure as to how a dual dagger, or atleast main hand dagger Elementalist is supposed to be viable, as the DPS isnt really enough at close range, where you'd see a warrior with a GS (pure dps and lots of mobility) just tearing through things, though I guess warriors might be a bit OP in that sense.
I really love the game and the combat, though some things do make me wonder.
Same for mesmers, and AoE, or fighting multiple enemies, can take quite a while solo xD
I play primarily a Dual Dagger Elementalist and when built correctly, I can handle pretty much any veteran mob in the game, solo. I also can take a fair amount of damage, with my measely 13,000hp pool and in full Power/Precision/Crit dmg gear. Why, because I'm built for it.
If you build yourself to deals tons of damage, without thought as to the damage you will take, then you are simply doing it wrong. So try my Dual Daggger Ele Spec. Feel free to go full berserkers gear with it too (though make sure you have about 400 healing power from jewels). You'll see just how ridiculous the Ele's survivability can be.
I solo'd a veteran Karka on my mesmer and won. I did not feel weak. Yes, it took time, and yes that bugger was capable of dropping me rather quickly if I let it... but I didn't. Could I do this on another profession right now? I doubt it... I don't know them well enough. They say the combat is easy to learn and difficult to master and there's truth in that. You can learn any of them and quickly become adequate. But once you really, and I mean really, get the flow down, master the dance, swap the weapons at need and use your special abilities (I loves me some clones!) to full effect then and only then will you realize that yes, you were weak.
There was mention of being in the thirties in WvW and getting rolled by a thief. Most likely the thief was an 80 and quite good at being a thief. You should realize that this is to be expected. You're at a noticable disadvantage in WvW not only due to gear but due to skills, and skill.
I disagree and I certainly don't think standing still makes me feel any different either.
I apologize for this off-topic statement but I can't help it. I am starting to think that it was GW2 that broke up with Elikal. I mean this sounds an awful lot like that person that can't let the one that dumped them go. in an effort to make you feel better, I will do what any good friend would do.
Hey everyone, did you know that MMO called GW2? It's a whore. No really, it messed around with a bunch of my friends over at MMORPG.
After readin the second page, I'm starting to think your on to something here.
No. The reality I must face is, that I am probably simple not good at games that require even the most remote sort of "reaction timing". I never was, and after 20 years of gaming I didnt get a TAD better at it. In Everquest reaction time didn't play any bigger role. But in "new RPGs" alas it does.
I never could solve "timed reaction puzzles" for instance either, even if my life would depend on it, there simply is a delay between eyes, brain and hands, and the moment my finger press the right button the situation has already changed.
That pretty much discounts any MMO for you. Even EQ1 now expects players to move. I suppose you could try Ragnarok Online. Dodging attacks is pretty standard MMO gameplay, the future isnt looking bright for games without movement either I am afraid. You might want to consider shifting your hobby to turn based RPGs.
I solo'd a veteran Karka on my mesmer and won. I did not feel weak. Yes, it took time, and yes that bugger was capable of dropping me rather quickly if I let it... but I didn't.
Yeah, anyone who thinks Mesmers are weak or squishy is delusional. Mesmers can solo champs easier than any other profession, as the clones are amazing at distracting enemy AI.
With a good shatter build you can destroy players and mobs in a few seconds.
This game is all about builds. If a class seems weak, you have probably put together a bad combination of skills / traits.
Even Necromancers who I have traditionally thought weak.... I went against a crazy Necro in PvP the other day who dropped me in seconds. Keep in mind the cheapo Warrior and Thief builds cant even touch my Mesmer. But this Necro was absolutely destroying everyone using an axe. Yet everyone associates Necros as being tanky yet harmless.
here is the deal with gs you guys always say they have more mobility, but in the end gs roots me the most.
i have a warrior 80 and I main a rifle i'm never standing, i'm always moving unless i'm on my lazy break so I just stay there walking back, GW is not like others if you don't dodge or know how and when use your skills you will not win, and if you rage every single time you lose I guess games is not for you.
and that is on any game or you learn to play by the rules to win or you will not win complain about it will not solve it
Greatsword only has one rooting skill o.O
Anyway I respect your playstyle if you use rifle and whatever other weapon you use, I use rifle too but I usually bring my greatsword to dish out some damage because quite frankly nothing else compares to the burst damage a GS can output. Just have to know when to get close and when to stay away.
Remember... all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
Originally posted by meddyck Agree with OP. On my elementalist when playing solo (happened a lot the last month because most middle level zones are deserted of players), I was basically forced to use 2 pets and a lot of kiting to kill same level mobs and complete events. Not exactly the playstyle I envisioned when I started the class. The game is designed for groups or better yet zergs of players taking on events and solo combat suffers as a result.
Water / earth specced Elementalist is as tanky as any other class. In fact, there isnt a single class in the game that cant spec decently for survival.
While I've seen my wife have issues with the squishiness of her ele, I've never had an issue with my necro. With the squishier classes, it seems to drastically help if you ensure your gear is rated more for Vitality/Toughness than anything else. What helped my wife was to make sure all of her armor and about half her accessories were rated for Vitality/Toughness and the rest spread with Power/Precision.
Also, move, move, move! You don't have to necessarily dodge every attack, (seeing how the dodge mechanic works, that would be impossible anyway) but you have to move frequently. It has taken both myself and my wife a while to incorporate moving often into our combat but it helps a lot. Even just strafing, so you don't feel as if you're constantly running away, helps a lot.
This is one area where GW2 is definitely NOT like most other MMOs.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Tbh, GW2 did a LOT of things good, but what it DIDNT do good is combat and classes. I never felt so WEAK in any other MMO before. When I am not lolcoptering around the mob like a frightened rabbit, I am DED DED DED. I hate that about GW2. The idea that you CAN evade attacks, which is per se good, transformed into you MUST evade every attack. It became another MUST from an idea that was good as OPTION. And so I spent my time running around like a scared rabbit and feeling very, very unheroic. That really nags me in GW2.
Just my 2ct about combat.
I guess you never played GW1. In both games every profession has a weakness (it is called balance). You need to understand that weakness in order to protect and overcome that weakness. That was the same in both games and it made for some interesting PvP - cripple a warrior and they can't DPS unless they have a bow. Switch your weapons - use dodge. There is no UBER profession in GW2 - I like that.
You don't have to evade every attack, you can't (there is an energy bar for that and it is above your HP meter) - http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/File:Skill_bar.jpg Need to watch that or you can't evade any more. ALso, you need to learn what the skill tells look like - example Ettins - they have a skill that knocks everything over (watch hammer twirl - it looks like that) and then the skill comes off. Evade before that happens. Or blind before that happens. Or just move sideways befor ethat happens.
You avoid in other games in PvP, now you just do it in PvE. Not that hard.
I agree with the OP - running around mobs to avoid attacks has become a must. Even on my warrior I have to do this. When I get tired of the circle jerk and go toe to toe with mobs I usually end up dead. This is really annoying when I am a level 25 in a level 15 zone. My two sons saw me playing and started laughing when I ran circles around every mob I fought. I thought this ironic becuase they do the same thing when they can in pvp in the mmos they play. Still, the annoying thing is that it has become a must tactic, something that I thought that GW2 would try and avoid.
I solo'd a veteran Karka on my mesmer and won. I did not feel weak. Yes, it took time, and yes that bugger was capable of dropping me rather quickly if I let it... but I didn't.
Yeah, anyone who thinks Mesmers are weak or squishy is delusional. Mesmers can solo champs easier than any other profession, as the clones are amazing at distracting enemy AI.
With a good shatter build you can destroy players and mobs in a few seconds.
This game is all about builds. If a class seems weak, you have probably put together a bad combination of skills / traits.
Even Necromancers who I have traditionally thought weak.... I went against a crazy Necro in PvP the other day who dropped me in seconds. Keep in mind the cheapo Warrior and Thief builds cant even touch my Mesmer. But this Necro was absolutely destroying everyone using an axe. Yet everyone associates Necros as being tanky yet harmless.
Being one of those who believes that mesmers are squishy do you have any suggestions on where I can find specific strategies that would show me how to be a more effective solo player? Thanks!
Originally posted by tordurbar I agree with the OP - running around mobs to avoid attacks has become a must. Even on my warrior I have to do this. When I get tired of the circle jerk and go toe to toe with mobs I usually end up dead. This is really annoying when I am a level 25 in a level 15 zone. My two sons saw me playing and started laughing when I ran circles around every mob I fought. I thought this ironic becuase they do the same thing when they can in pvp in the mmos they play. Still, the annoying thing is that it has become a must tactic, something that I thought that GW2 would try and avoid.
What they're avoid is the "must tactic" of having to have someone else care for you while you stand there and, in a most ridiculous fashion, take blow after blow from some massive whatever as you whittle away at his kneecaps or the like. Yes, you have to move. A lot. It's a more active style of combat than the more archaic MMOs feature. You're not intended to tank, period. Sure, you have skills etc. to survive a few blows, but to try and tank... fugeddaboutit.
And I love it.
My mesmer is as fully capable in practically any scenario as any other profession (maybe more so, but I feel pretty adept with is so far...) and that's how it should be. I shouldn't be standing there for combat. Stand and get hit, stand and do damage, stand and heal. Really... look at trinity based combat, that's all it is. Stand around and do your role. Maybe a gimmick makes you move on occassion, but as soon as you can you stop, stand, and go back to your rotation. No thanks, I've out-grown that now. I'm much more in control of my own state as well as an overseer of everyone else. I see people burning, toss them a null field. I get conditioned, well I'll simply swap those conditions for the enemy's boons, thankyouverymuch. Really... you're going to shoot those at me?! Here... right back at ya! By the way... send in the clones.
So yes, you have to move. You have to accept responsibility for yourself as well as help out others as you can. This is how it should be.
I solo'd a veteran Karka on my mesmer and won. I did not feel weak. Yes, it took time, and yes that bugger was capable of dropping me rather quickly if I let it... but I didn't.
Yeah, anyone who thinks Mesmers are weak or squishy is delusional. Mesmers can solo champs easier than any other profession, as the clones are amazing at distracting enemy AI.
With a good shatter build you can destroy players and mobs in a few seconds.
This game is all about builds. If a class seems weak, you have probably put together a bad combination of skills / traits.
Even Necromancers who I have traditionally thought weak.... I went against a crazy Necro in PvP the other day who dropped me in seconds. Keep in mind the cheapo Warrior and Thief builds cant even touch my Mesmer. But this Necro was absolutely destroying everyone using an axe. Yet everyone associates Necros as being tanky yet harmless.
Being one of those who believes that mesmers are squishy do you have any suggestions on where I can find specific strategies that would show me how to be a more effective solo player? Thanks!
Mesmers are very tough actually. The trick is using your clones as bombs, and I believe I used staff and torch + some other weapon (it's been a while). Someone else probably has more detailed advice (and maybe contradicting), but for me, once I got the hang of exploding clones and dodging (which is a timing thing), I rarely died. I don't play mesmer now, so if it's been patched since, I don't know. I am now invested in a necromancer human of all things because well I turn into a shadow and and that makes this retired shadow priest very happy.
To me there wasn't one single class that stood out for me from even beta, that made me go "OMG, that's my class!" I just settled for the warrior for easy pve, and a thief for pvp.
Perhaps that's what I could never really get into the game. Every class felt like a copy or a mix of a copy of 1 or more classes I'd played before in other games. Daoc, by far had the most interesting and exciting classes, so many you had a hard time choosing.
Originally posted by meddyck Agree with OP. On my elementalist when playing solo (happened a lot the last month because most middle level zones are deserted of players), I was basically forced to use 2 pets and a lot of kiting to kill same level mobs and complete events. Not exactly the playstyle I envisioned when I started the class. The game is designed for groups or better yet zergs of players taking on events and solo combat suffers as a result.
Water / earth specced Elementalist is as tanky as any other class. In fact, there isnt a single class in the game that cant spec decently for survival.
Sure I could do that if I wanted to play a tanky caster. Instead I want to play a glass cannon caster (fire/air), but in solo PvE the cannon part doesn't really work.
Originally posted by tordurbar I agree with the OP - running around mobs to avoid attacks has become a must. Even on my warrior I have to do this. When I get tired of the circle jerk and go toe to toe with mobs I usually end up dead. This is really annoying when I am a level 25 in a level 15 zone. My two sons saw me playing and started laughing when I ran circles around every mob I fought. I thought this ironic becuase they do the same thing when they can in pvp in the mmos they play. Still, the annoying thing is that it has become a must tactic, something that I thought that GW2 would try and avoid.
What they're avoid is the "must tactic" of having to have someone else care for you while you stand there and, in a most ridiculous fashion, take blow after blow from some massive whatever as you whittle away at his kneecaps or the like. Yes, you have to move. A lot. It's a more active style of combat than the more archaic MMOs feature. You're not intended to tank, period. Sure, you have skills etc. to survive a few blows, but to try and tank... fugeddaboutit.
And I love it.
My mesmer is as fully capable in practically any scenario as any other profession (maybe more so, but I feel pretty adept with is so far...) and that's how it should be. I shouldn't be standing there for combat. Stand and get hit, stand and do damage, stand and heal. Really... look at trinity based combat, that's all it is. Stand around and do your role. Maybe a gimmick makes you move on occassion, but as soon as you can you stop, stand, and go back to your rotation. No thanks, I've out-grown that now. I'm much more in control of my own state as well as an overseer of everyone else. I see people burning, toss them a null field. I get conditioned, well I'll simply swap those conditions for the enemy's boons, thankyouverymuch. Really... you're going to shoot those at me?! Here... right back at ya! By the way... send in the clones.
So yes, you have to move. You have to accept responsibility for yourself as well as help out others as you can. This is how it should be.
This. if anything, GW2 makes me very happy for these reasons. And I am the guy with the very slow reflexes. Just use the abilites you got and improvise. It's so fun getting it right. But I am that person I think whose only complaint about GW2 is that its acting/writing is bad and the loot mechanics are abysmal. Everything else is golden, imo.
Warrior and Vanguard are LESS squishy. But every other class BAM DED BAM DED AGAIN. Ok, mostly in WvW. But in PVE it's also that all classes beside Van and War are CIRCLE CIRCLE CIRCLE RUN RUN RUN around the mob. This feels so... HUMILIATING. I never saw Gandalf circle around some stupid rat or wolf!
I played mage classes and thief classes before. In other MMOs I never felt so vulnerable, if I take EQ2, WOW and LOTRO, which I played a longer time, relatively speaking. In these MMOs I could STAND in a place.
When I first heard the idea you can evade attacks, it sounded like a nice option. Little did I realize it would become a mandatory MUST EVADE. Yeah you can tell me 1000 times "YOUR DOING IT WRONG". You know I played plenty of MMOs. But I tell you I never ever felt so damn weak. Ok, I managed to get Warrior to 80 which was alright. But all other classes. No. Just no. And I don't like to play Vanguard, cause it's too much like Warrior. Minus weapons diversity.
Sigh. I really would love to play GW2 more. Despite shortcomings. But this goddamn squishiness and "circle around your enemy" feeling sooooo makes me feel sad and weak. I realize how I swap between my chars now every 20 minutes, thining, ok maybe NOW this class is better than I had in memory. But... nah. (
Alright, so I can only explain a thief to you well, because well 98% of my time in Guild Wars 2 has been spent with one. I have close to 4000 WvW kills, have played through half of the explorable modes, in full exotics, and on FOTM 11 (sadly can't find a group to go higher), so I think I have a good handle on the profession.
Thieves are entirely about mobility. A standing still thief is a dead thief. Personally, I love that. A stealthy slippery class, should have to avoid the giant attacks, or mitigate them in the same way. There are specs that do allow you to stand more still if thats what you prefer (an offhand pistol will provide an aoe reapplying blind field to enemies). If you are upset by this, I would not recommend playing a thief, a mesmer, or an elementalist. All 3 professions will require at least a decent competence at mobility, and you should like what you are doing.
LIke already mentioned, the only two classes that get by well without moving is a Guardian and in some cases a warrior. Personally I don't feel heroic at all taking a giant hammer to the face. But, if that's your thing than by all means use one of those two professions. I so much would prefer a class you have to play well to survive the harder areas. (Yes, even a thief can often stand and autoattack most non-vetran mobs in the world.) And guardians are completely different from warriors, that's not really an opinion at this point. The only similarity is tankiness, and the ability to support allies. That's about it.
Warrior and Vanguard are LESS squishy. But every other class BAM DED BAM DED AGAIN. Ok, mostly in WvW. But in PVE it's also that all classes beside Van and War are CIRCLE CIRCLE CIRCLE RUN RUN RUN around the mob. This feels so... HUMILIATING. I never saw Gandalf circle around some stupid rat or wolf!
Well, I can quite honestly say that I NEVER have to do what you describe above! Hell, I can quite honestly say I never even feel the need to Evade - I did originally have the skill bound to a mouse button for ease of access, but I never ended up having to use it. What on earth are you doing wrong I cannot even imagine, but you're doing SOMETHING wrong.
I have had zero trouble in combat with any of the classes. My Warrior and Ranger smash through PvE with ease, but every other class I've tried is quite capable of standing toe-to-toe in melee, if needs be, and with no actual reason to even contemplate using Evade or run around in circles.
Sooo. It seems like a lot of you are saying that you can build a tank... In doing so, you can pretty much ignore the dodge mechanic. Making a tank.. like... the trinity tank?
Did you see how Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli stayed in one spot and soaked all the hits from the troll? No? Do you remember what happened to the one member of the party that were out of stamina to dodge?:P
I solo'd a veteran Karka on my mesmer and won. I did not feel weak. Yes, it took time, and yes that bugger was capable of dropping me rather quickly if I let it... but I didn't.
Yeah, anyone who thinks Mesmers are weak or squishy is delusional. Mesmers can solo champs easier than any other profession, as the clones are amazing at distracting enemy AI.
With a good shatter build you can destroy players and mobs in a few seconds.
This game is all about builds. If a class seems weak, you have probably put together a bad combination of skills / traits.
Even Necromancers who I have traditionally thought weak.... I went against a crazy Necro in PvP the other day who dropped me in seconds. Keep in mind the cheapo Warrior and Thief builds cant even touch my Mesmer. But this Necro was absolutely destroying everyone using an axe. Yet everyone associates Necros as being tanky yet harmless.
Being one of those who believes that mesmers are squishy do you have any suggestions on where I can find specific strategies that would show me how to be a more effective solo player? Thanks!
A couple things that really help me personally...
1. Move. You're capable of avoiding most damage simply by moving. This is standard for any profession however, but it's critical to survival.
2. Clones. Live them. Love them. Your clones are not you, but the bad guys don't know that. Rather than use a utility to produce clones, however, I rely on weapon skills and traits for that. For example... you can trait to create a clone when you dodge. That is a beautiful thing.
3. Like in GW1, mesmers are skill adept at using the enemies actions against them. Confused? You shouldn't be... but they should. Confusion damages them when they attack you. (Shatter 2 for example.) Projectile using foes will tear themselves apart with a feedback bubble. The young karkas, for example, will drop in seconds. I use a greatsword mainly (with scepter/focus for swap). Start with GS4 to get a phantasm at it's location (and it's attention), then toss in GW2 for an added clone and more damage. Watch the karka... it'll go into it's tail-shooting pose. Pop a feedback at that time and watch it melt itself. Another thing is your heal... I like the heal that reflects projectiles for this exact reason. Maybe feedback is on cooldown, or maybe there's only a single shot or three you need to worry about. Instead of using a bubble you can heal yourself while they hurt themselves at the same time. (This works nicely in WvW... they can roll out of a bubble, but if they shoot while you're healing they'll feel it.
4. Try all the different weapons and combinations, and for longer than a few minutes. Go beyond your first impression. Maybe a focus feels like "yuck" initially, but try to work the skills into your combat. That Focus 4 skill that gives you the line you can speed up running through? Oh, that's a beauty of a skill there. You can not only give yourself a speed boost... you cripple enemies that run through it and, more importantly, if you hit 4 again before it fades you can pull enemies to it... either towards or away from you. For added fun, in WvW last night another mesmer and I were making it rain enemies that we were pulling off a cliff with it. Skills that make you giggle while using them are a must have imo.
Well, that's a start... big thing though is to keep at it. Learn the skills... they often have multiple effects and uses. Learn to live and love your clones and shatters... they're more powerful than people realize. (Shatter 4 - three seconds of invulnerability! I still don't use that enough! I wonder if that works on agony...) Good luck!
Mesmers are actually pretty weak in the early levels and have to take it slow and careful, warriors on the other hand there's no need to kite around, you can pretty much destroy everything up to level 40 even 5 levels above you.
Remember... all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
Originally posted by Praetalus Sooo. It seems like a lot of you are saying that you can build a tank... In doing so, you can pretty much ignore the dodge mechanic. Making a tank.. like... the trinity tank?
No - there are AoE skills that makes tanks go thud - dead. No class can just sit there and take damage.
Comments
here is the deal with gs you guys always say they have more mobility, but in the end gs roots me the most.
i have a warrior 80 and I main a rifle i'm never standing, i'm always moving unless i'm on my lazy break so I just stay there walking back, GW is not like others if you don't dodge or know how and when use your skills you will not win, and if you rage every single time you lose I guess games is not for you.
and that is on any game or you learn to play by the rules to win or you will not win complain about it will not solve it
I play primarily a Dual Dagger Elementalist and when built correctly, I can handle pretty much any veteran mob in the game, solo. I also can take a fair amount of damage, with my measely 13,000hp pool and in full Power/Precision/Crit dmg gear. Why, because I'm built for it.
If you build yourself to deals tons of damage, without thought as to the damage you will take, then you are simply doing it wrong. So try my Dual Daggger Ele Spec. Feel free to go full berserkers gear with it too (though make sure you have about 400 healing power from jewels). You'll see just how ridiculous the Ele's survivability can be.
I solo'd a veteran Karka on my mesmer and won. I did not feel weak. Yes, it took time, and yes that bugger was capable of dropping me rather quickly if I let it... but I didn't. Could I do this on another profession right now? I doubt it... I don't know them well enough. They say the combat is easy to learn and difficult to master and there's truth in that. You can learn any of them and quickly become adequate. But once you really, and I mean really, get the flow down, master the dance, swap the weapons at need and use your special abilities (I loves me some clones!) to full effect then and only then will you realize that yes, you were weak.
There was mention of being in the thirties in WvW and getting rolled by a thief. Most likely the thief was an 80 and quite good at being a thief. You should realize that this is to be expected. You're at a noticable disadvantage in WvW not only due to gear but due to skills, and skill.
Oderint, dum metuant.
That pretty much discounts any MMO for you. Even EQ1 now expects players to move. I suppose you could try Ragnarok Online. Dodging attacks is pretty standard MMO gameplay, the future isnt looking bright for games without movement either I am afraid. You might want to consider shifting your hobby to turn based RPGs.
Yeah, anyone who thinks Mesmers are weak or squishy is delusional. Mesmers can solo champs easier than any other profession, as the clones are amazing at distracting enemy AI.
With a good shatter build you can destroy players and mobs in a few seconds.
This game is all about builds. If a class seems weak, you have probably put together a bad combination of skills / traits.
Even Necromancers who I have traditionally thought weak.... I went against a crazy Necro in PvP the other day who dropped me in seconds. Keep in mind the cheapo Warrior and Thief builds cant even touch my Mesmer. But this Necro was absolutely destroying everyone using an axe. Yet everyone associates Necros as being tanky yet harmless.
Greatsword only has one rooting skill o.O
Anyway I respect your playstyle if you use rifle and whatever other weapon you use, I use rifle too but I usually bring my greatsword to dish out some damage because quite frankly nothing else compares to the burst damage a GS can output. Just have to know when to get close and when to stay away.
Remember... all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
Water / earth specced Elementalist is as tanky as any other class. In fact, there isnt a single class in the game that cant spec decently for survival.
While I've seen my wife have issues with the squishiness of her ele, I've never had an issue with my necro. With the squishier classes, it seems to drastically help if you ensure your gear is rated more for Vitality/Toughness than anything else. What helped my wife was to make sure all of her armor and about half her accessories were rated for Vitality/Toughness and the rest spread with Power/Precision.
Also, move, move, move! You don't have to necessarily dodge every attack, (seeing how the dodge mechanic works, that would be impossible anyway) but you have to move frequently. It has taken both myself and my wife a while to incorporate moving often into our combat but it helps a lot. Even just strafing, so you don't feel as if you're constantly running away, helps a lot.
This is one area where GW2 is definitely NOT like most other MMOs.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
I guess you never played GW1. In both games every profession has a weakness (it is called balance). You need to understand that weakness in order to protect and overcome that weakness. That was the same in both games and it made for some interesting PvP - cripple a warrior and they can't DPS unless they have a bow. Switch your weapons - use dodge. There is no UBER profession in GW2 - I like that.
You don't have to evade every attack, you can't (there is an energy bar for that and it is above your HP meter) - http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/File:Skill_bar.jpg Need to watch that or you can't evade any more. ALso, you need to learn what the skill tells look like - example Ettins - they have a skill that knocks everything over (watch hammer twirl - it looks like that) and then the skill comes off. Evade before that happens. Or blind before that happens. Or just move sideways befor ethat happens.
You avoid in other games in PvP, now you just do it in PvE. Not that hard.
Being one of those who believes that mesmers are squishy do you have any suggestions on where I can find specific strategies that would show me how to be a more effective solo player? Thanks!
What they're avoid is the "must tactic" of having to have someone else care for you while you stand there and, in a most ridiculous fashion, take blow after blow from some massive whatever as you whittle away at his kneecaps or the like. Yes, you have to move. A lot. It's a more active style of combat than the more archaic MMOs feature. You're not intended to tank, period. Sure, you have skills etc. to survive a few blows, but to try and tank... fugeddaboutit.
And I love it.
My mesmer is as fully capable in practically any scenario as any other profession (maybe more so, but I feel pretty adept with is so far...) and that's how it should be. I shouldn't be standing there for combat. Stand and get hit, stand and do damage, stand and heal. Really... look at trinity based combat, that's all it is. Stand around and do your role. Maybe a gimmick makes you move on occassion, but as soon as you can you stop, stand, and go back to your rotation. No thanks, I've out-grown that now. I'm much more in control of my own state as well as an overseer of everyone else. I see people burning, toss them a null field. I get conditioned, well I'll simply swap those conditions for the enemy's boons, thankyouverymuch. Really... you're going to shoot those at me?! Here... right back at ya! By the way... send in the clones.
So yes, you have to move. You have to accept responsibility for yourself as well as help out others as you can. This is how it should be.
Oderint, dum metuant.
Mesmers are very tough actually. The trick is using your clones as bombs, and I believe I used staff and torch + some other weapon (it's been a while). Someone else probably has more detailed advice (and maybe contradicting), but for me, once I got the hang of exploding clones and dodging (which is a timing thing), I rarely died. I don't play mesmer now, so if it's been patched since, I don't know. I am now invested in a necromancer human of all things because well I turn into a shadow and and that makes this retired shadow priest very happy.
To me there wasn't one single class that stood out for me from even beta, that made me go "OMG, that's my class!" I just settled for the warrior for easy pve, and a thief for pvp.
Perhaps that's what I could never really get into the game. Every class felt like a copy or a mix of a copy of 1 or more classes I'd played before in other games. Daoc, by far had the most interesting and exciting classes, so many you had a hard time choosing.
What happens when you log off your characters????.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQhfhnjYMk
Dark Age of Camelot
Yeah, of course, you can't rely on the random number generator to do the job for you...
But even in WoW and clones, if you play a squishy class, you can't just stand there and take hits, you will have to use crowd control and move.
Respect, walk
Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?
- PANTERA at HELLFEST 2023
Sure I could do that if I wanted to play a tanky caster. Instead I want to play a glass cannon caster (fire/air), but in solo PvE the cannon part doesn't really work.
DAOC Live (inactive): R11 Cleric R11 Druid R11 Minstrel R9 Eldritch R6 Sorc R6 Scout R6 Healer
This. if anything, GW2 makes me very happy for these reasons. And I am the guy with the very slow reflexes. Just use the abilites you got and improvise. It's so fun getting it right. But I am that person I think whose only complaint about GW2 is that its acting/writing is bad and the loot mechanics are abysmal. Everything else is golden, imo.
Alright, so I can only explain a thief to you well, because well 98% of my time in Guild Wars 2 has been spent with one. I have close to 4000 WvW kills, have played through half of the explorable modes, in full exotics, and on FOTM 11 (sadly can't find a group to go higher), so I think I have a good handle on the profession.
Thieves are entirely about mobility. A standing still thief is a dead thief. Personally, I love that. A stealthy slippery class, should have to avoid the giant attacks, or mitigate them in the same way. There are specs that do allow you to stand more still if thats what you prefer (an offhand pistol will provide an aoe reapplying blind field to enemies). If you are upset by this, I would not recommend playing a thief, a mesmer, or an elementalist. All 3 professions will require at least a decent competence at mobility, and you should like what you are doing.
LIke already mentioned, the only two classes that get by well without moving is a Guardian and in some cases a warrior. Personally I don't feel heroic at all taking a giant hammer to the face. But, if that's your thing than by all means use one of those two professions. I so much would prefer a class you have to play well to survive the harder areas. (Yes, even a thief can often stand and autoattack most non-vetran mobs in the world.) And guardians are completely different from warriors, that's not really an opinion at this point. The only similarity is tankiness, and the ability to support allies. That's about it.
My Guild Wars 2 Blog can be found here: Divinity's Reach
Well, I can quite honestly say that I NEVER have to do what you describe above!
Hell, I can quite honestly say I never even feel the need to Evade - I did originally have the skill bound to a mouse button for ease of access, but I never ended up having to use it. What on earth are you doing wrong I cannot even imagine, but you're doing SOMETHING wrong.
I have had zero trouble in combat with any of the classes. My Warrior and Ranger smash through PvE with ease, but every other class I've tried is quite capable of standing toe-to-toe in melee, if needs be, and with no actual reason to even contemplate using Evade or run around in circles.
A couple things that really help me personally...
1. Move. You're capable of avoiding most damage simply by moving. This is standard for any profession however, but it's critical to survival.
2. Clones. Live them. Love them. Your clones are not you, but the bad guys don't know that. Rather than use a utility to produce clones, however, I rely on weapon skills and traits for that. For example... you can trait to create a clone when you dodge. That is a beautiful thing.
3. Like in GW1, mesmers are skill adept at using the enemies actions against them. Confused? You shouldn't be... but they should. Confusion damages them when they attack you. (Shatter 2 for example.) Projectile using foes will tear themselves apart with a feedback bubble. The young karkas, for example, will drop in seconds. I use a greatsword mainly (with scepter/focus for swap). Start with GS4 to get a phantasm at it's location (and it's attention), then toss in GW2 for an added clone and more damage. Watch the karka... it'll go into it's tail-shooting pose. Pop a feedback at that time and watch it melt itself. Another thing is your heal... I like the heal that reflects projectiles for this exact reason. Maybe feedback is on cooldown, or maybe there's only a single shot or three you need to worry about. Instead of using a bubble you can heal yourself while they hurt themselves at the same time. (This works nicely in WvW... they can roll out of a bubble, but if they shoot while you're healing they'll feel it.
4. Try all the different weapons and combinations, and for longer than a few minutes. Go beyond your first impression. Maybe a focus feels like "yuck" initially, but try to work the skills into your combat. That Focus 4 skill that gives you the line you can speed up running through? Oh, that's a beauty of a skill there. You can not only give yourself a speed boost... you cripple enemies that run through it and, more importantly, if you hit 4 again before it fades you can pull enemies to it... either towards or away from you. For added fun, in WvW last night another mesmer and I were making it rain enemies that we were pulling off a cliff with it. Skills that make you giggle while using them are a must have imo.
Well, that's a start... big thing though is to keep at it. Learn the skills... they often have multiple effects and uses. Learn to live and love your clones and shatters... they're more powerful than people realize. (Shatter 4 - three seconds of invulnerability! I still don't use that enough! I wonder if that works on agony...) Good luck!
Oderint, dum metuant.
Remember... all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.
No - there are AoE skills that makes tanks go thud - dead. No class can just sit there and take damage.
Haters will hate - jeez - go out and smell a rose in RL - it is a bloody game. Who cares what others think.