mesmer or dervish...

So I use to play both Prophecies and Factions back in the day and have recently decided that ff11 is just too much work to keep up with so I've decided to start playing GW again for it's not-so-demanding nature... With that said, I plan on picking up NF but have a question. I would like to try out a profession that I have not rolled before... There are 3 classes I've never played as Mesmer, Dervish, and Paragon. Now I know I don't want to play as a buffer, so the paragon is out of the picture, so I'm curious to know which class is sought after more (both in PvE and PvP). Do more people usually want a mesmer in their party or a dervish? Is one just a better profession in general? I mean, I'm basically just looking for some general knowledge regarding the two classes; I've done some reading up on both and while I get the main idea of both, I would just like to know the opinions of some people who are playing the game and not what I read off a website or out of a guide. T

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds to this.

mesmers are handy, but alot of upkeep. people who understand the mesmer role usually find them very useful, but there are less who understand their role and alot of them get stuck looking for groups. Personally, I think they're cool and nothing gives ya that warm fuzzy feeling like interrupting powerful foes like swatting flies.

That said, Dervs can do anything. They're just that awesome. You're in demand because people know that if you're packin' some good skills, you'll probably pull everyone's butt out of the fire. They're versatile. You can make something with insane amounts of health regen and still use ANY weapon you want. You can be a major emergency healer (300hp of healing with the push of a button and immunity to conditions). And now in PvE avatars can be kept up constantly.

So...yeah...I'm having fun with both, but there's definitely a huge difference.

I play both and am having a good time playing both. It just depends on the mood I'm in which one I play.

Mesmers are misunderstood when it comes to PvE. They can be very useful in skilled hands and can really cause an enemy party a lot of trouble. It's my favorite profession, but sadly, too many people can't grasp the value a Mesmer can add to their party. They are very much appreciated in PvP circles, from what I understand.

I'm also having fun with my Dervish. They're more of an "In your face" kind of character and really do have many nice skills to help any party succeed.

Since you get two new slots when adding Nightfall to your account, why not make one of each?

Dervishes are -weird-. As mentioned, they can do lots of things; they're a hybrid class, and this seems to be COMPLETELY at odds with standard Guild Wars ethic and its primary/secondary profession combinations. I've just run through Nightfall with one, alternating between melee and an Avatar of Lyssa/Ranger build, and it has been.. interesting, to say the least.

Mesmer: Caster, through and through, though it has a some different options as to what, exactly, it casts.

Dervish: Typically an enchantment-heavy melee (which can cause problems if you take it through later Prophecies domains), but all of its skills provide interesting synergies with other secondaries so you can do basically whatever you feel like.

So.. as far as PVE, you're either going to see "GLFM (group looking for members)" or "GLF (thing)", and (thing) is more likely to be (tank or melee) rather than mesmer. As always, a good guild will alleviate 99% of the no-group problem. The one thing mesmer has going for it is very clear identity. I've had serious issues trying to "get" my dervish and where he fits in.

Honestly, my first suggestion is to check over at gw.gamewikis.org and check our the Armor section; what looks coolest to you? =p Go with that first and see if it fits.

It's very much a matter of taste.
If you like playing Sin or Warrior, you probably like Dervish.
If you like support players like monks more, Mesmer.
A while ago I mentioned mesmer to a new player in our guild (who was playing several weeks then) and I don't think he ever used his old characters after that.

Looking at pick up groups, both have disadvantages.
There are a lot of dervishes out there, making it harder to get in a group.
Mesmers are often misunderstood and have some (perceived) 'issues' with PvE (mesmers lack AoE damage, which owns PvE).

Having said that, I have only played monk and mesmer lately and my dervish has not been used for several weeks.
But then, I didn't like the Warrior role (I liked sin, but ony because they are great at taking out one single enemy fast).

Big thing about Dervs
They all look the same

It's 'cuz all our armor comes from one campaign. I wish there was some benefit to going to Drox, but it's mostly just for fun. But then you can always be creative with it. I mix armor sets for parts I like. Maybe we'll have something new in the expansion.

Thank you to everyone who replied, your guys' post really helped a lot. The big thing for me is I just came from FF11 (as stated) and I was a white mage, so I'm very accustomed to playing the support role so the Mesmer definitely seems enticing, but at the same time the Dervish would be a good change of pace. I think I'll take the advice of Kook and play both and just figure out which one I like more from my time with each character. Thanks again everyone, really appreciate the quick responses.