Mesmer Profession Round-up by octopusx

[Bella]

Great post by octopusx over here at mmosite that pulls together a ton of information about the mesmer profession all in one neat little package.

For those that prefer to read it without opening a new window, here you go:

Introduction:
Mesmers are maestros of mirage. They weave mental magic that confounds, controls, or evokes emotion in their enemies. With a wave of the hand, they can shatter their own illusions to produce even greater special effects. The mesmer doesn't have the brute power of the warrior, or the ranged devastation of the ranger. Instead, the mesmer weaves a web of interlaced illusions, conditions, and phantasmal sources of damage. Through skillful play, mesmers combine these pieces into a deadly puzzle to be solved by their foes, while also helping their allies. Just when you think you've figured out what the mesmer is doing, illusions begin to shatter, clones start to fade away, and you realize you've been swinging at empty air all along. It's hard to keep your eye on the real mesmer.

Traits:

The mesmer has the following trait lines: Domination, Dueling, Chaos, Inspiration, and Illusions.

Weapons:

Two-handed
Greatsword — used as a ranged weapon
Staff — focuses on giving conditions to foes and boons to allies
Main-hand
Scepter — causes blind or confusion at range
Sword — focuses on melee-range attacks and character movement
Off-hand
Focus — offers offensive and defensive illusions
Pistol — offers thief-like dps and multi-target conditions
Sword
Torch — gives user short invisiblity or confuses target
Aquatic
Harpoon — focuses on damage and manipulation of position
Trident — damages and applies various conditions and boons

There are ten possible weapon sets for this profession and two while underwater. The mesmer can switch between two weapon sets while in combat.

Armor:

The mesmer is a scholar profession, and thus wears light armor.





Skills:

Skill types unique to Mesmer:

Illusions — physical representations of the caster. Most require a target, and are dispelled by being attacked. Up to three illusions can be maintained. There are two types of illusions:
Clones — have the caster's appearance and name. Clones are attributed with low health, low damage and their own behavior.
Phantasms — have the caster's appearance with a purple glow, but don't have the caster's name. They have their own weapons that range in different appearances and behaviors. Phantasms are attributed with higher health and higher damage than clones.
Mantras — consist of two skills, similar to sequence skills. The first skill, which has a long cast time (around 3 seconds), is replaced by the second skill which has no cast time and can be cast during channeled spells. Multiple mantras can be prepared.

Thank you so much, octopusx for combining all this profession-related info into one easy-to-read article!

Bella