Mobs have no recast times and unlimited energy?

I have been watching closly to the spells that mobs have been using against me ever since I started using Disrupting shot with my Ranger. After so many mobs, you start to see that the they are chain casting spells that would normally cost a player played character to go out of energy very quickly. For example, Charr Hunters use Ignite Arrows and Penetrating Attack very quickly, and they use it over and over again. So I started thinking about Mesmer energy drain skills. Is it worth it to try and make a Charr Shamen, or any monk like healer, to run out of energy? Or can someone confirm if Im wrong? Just something I would like to know so I don't try and steal energy for no effect.

Unless something has changed they, with a few exceptions, they obey the same rules that we do. You can test this with a skill that gives you feedback on how much energy a mob has Energy Tap or Energy Drain will give you an indication of how much energy you were able to steal. You another skill to get the mob down in energy, Spirit Shackles, Energy Burn, Ether Feast etc.

I see where you are coming from, but those Charr may not be the best examples - with enough expertise anyone can keep ignite arrows active and throw penetrating shots around like rice after a wedding.

The Mergoyles have got a nice (for them, it's pretty annoying for me) combo. Spirit Shackles and Mind Wrack. If the Wind Wrack 'goes off', then you know the target has 0 energy. It shouldn't take too long, because each attack will cost them energy due to Spirit Shackles (I think 5, but maybe that can be different due to attribute level?).

It's well patterned and the AI is actually pretty good. The mobs don't appear to have much more energy than I do. I'd guess, for example, that rockshot devourers in crystal desert have 10 marks, 10 expert, and 10 wilderness just based on their casting tendencies. I've taken them on 1v1 before and they wait until I start a skill before popping off an interrupting or concussion shot, just like I would do to them. They can't beat a fast casting skill/spell though.

Mobs are also effected by spells just like players are. The seige worms from the Dunes of Despair mission are a great example. They have a pile of hitpoints and a ton of armor level, and they cast something I think it's called worm seige. Basically when I see that spell starting to flicker in, I hit concussion shot and it instantly shuts it down. They aren't able to cast it again until after concussion shot wears off (16 seconds or so for me.) Concussion shot is listed as a cost of 25 energy. With 10 skill in expertise, I believe the total cost of it to me is something like 16 energy, or roughly 50% of my energy bar, which is completely recouped before I have to shoot again.

Power shot = 10 energy, but for me it's 6 energy. With 3 pips of energy regen, I regen that almost completely before I'm even able to shoot it again.

I think mobs are very similar to players with most regards, although I think they might have a few more hitpoints than a player. It's refreshing not to have tank-mages like you'd find in Everquest, that have endless supplies of mana, can tank like they have double your armor class, and can slash you 3x harder than you can slash it. I always hated that about Everquest.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up, guys. Expertise totally slipped my mind.

I love how the enimes use the same system as us. It really lets you know that the game isn't all damage. I hear people yelling and screaming at rockshots because they use distracting shot, especialy rangers because it's the ULTIMATE counter to troll ungent. WHY then don't these rangers try it for themselfs? See a hyrdra casting meteor? Distracting shot it. He can't use it again till it recharces (15 secs i think) Troll unagent? Hit that. 10 secs plus and extra 10 because it's a skill. 20 secconds seems like forever when you're only heal is disabled. Same goes for almost any Ele nuke. they have large recharge times so having them distracted is a MAJOR pain in the arse. So what if the skil does next to no damage? It's the damge it can prevent that's key.

Another way to be sure is to cast a spell like Energy burn, which burns X energy for 8 damage a pop. While it normally burns 9 energy and does 72, if I do some nifty energy-draining skills beforehand, it might only do 16 or 24.