E/Me Basics (Echo nuking, etc.)

I think the E/Me combination is a very popular one , and as a E/Me myself, I would like to hear some builds and strategies. Feel free to contribute and discuss any ideas you want.

(We don't want people who post just to say how stupid they think nuking is; honestly we do not care)

Well, I am also a E/Me, and I have participated as a:

Echo Nuker
Ether Prodigy Mesmer (rarely, since in PvE people are idiots)
Geomancer
Utility

Usually these three, but sometimes there's an odd role I'd do.

The main reason to play an echo nuker is for the skill Meteor Shower, and rightfully so if you ask me. As an damage-dealing Ele, there simply is nothing you could be doing with your time that is as effective as casting as many Meteor Showers as you can.

So the principle of an echo nuker is certainly good, but here's the problem I see with echo nukers:
Sure, you can fire off two Meteor Showers in a row using Archane Echo, but then you're stuck waiting 60 seconds until you can cast another one. Not very effective if you ask me.
Trust me, there is a better way.

How does a 10 second recharge time for Meteor Shower sound to you? That's right, 10 seconds.
You launch Meteor Shower (5 second cast), then 10 seconds later you launch another, then 10 seconds later you launch another, then 10 seconds later you launch another, etc.
We're talking perpetual Meteor Showers here; as many as your energy with allow (Fire Attunement helps).

How is this possible you ask?
Simple: Glyph of Renewal
Glyph of Renewal makes the next spell you cast recharge immediately (0 second recharge). What makes Glyph of Renewal so great is its 15 second recast time.
So you cast Glyph of Renewal, then Meteor Shower (which takes 5 seconds cast), then 10 seconds later you repeat the process. So in essence, Glyph of Renewal turns Meteor Shower into a 10 second recharge skill.
Of course, if the situation calls for it, you can still launch 2 Meteor Showers in a row just like with Archane Echo. But now you have more flexibility that allows you to keep the Meteor Showers coming non-stop. All you have to do is wait 10 seconds between casts.
Not only that, but you can also use Glyph of Renewal with Fire Attunement prior to a battle. That way, if your Fire Attunement gets stripped, you can just put it back up immediately without having to wait for the 60 second recharge.

In summary: Renewal nukers > echo nukers

Here's a sample build for you:
Fire Attunement
Glyph of Renewal {E}
Meteor Shower
Rodgort's Invocation
Incendiary Bonds
Fireball
A self-heal (Healing Breeze, Troll Unguent, Aura of Restoration, etc.)
Rez

Disclaimer: This post obviously assumes the author is talking about PvE.

Quote:

If you're really casting a Meteor Shower every 16 seconds, at a net cost of 23 energy, plus one Fire Attunement every minute at a net cost of 7, I'm not sure how many other expensive spells you need.

But I guess you can't keep up the Meteor Showers forever, because of exhaustion ...

By the way, if we leave knockdown out of it, Fireballs are slightly more efficient at damage-per-unit-of-energy than Renewaled Meteor Showers (assuming Fire Attunement is up), or a lot more so if there's any scatter or simply the ideal target point moves while the meteors are falling.

So you're spending the elite slot basically just to get a lot of mass knockdown. If it's really damage you want to maximize, use an energy management elite instead.

EDIT: I must confess that getting off 12 Fireballs in 64 seconds isn't very practical. You'll do more than 6 with the right wand/artifact set, but that'll get you up to 8 or so, not 12. But throw in a Meteor Shower and a couple of Meteors and you're up to 13 or so Fireball-equivalents already, for slightly less energy and slightly less exhaustion, and you still have the elite slot open to get you a LOT more energy.

I still stick to "Ether Prodigy FTW". Since I usually play support roles.

By the way, my basic build for high-end PUGs is Double Glyph:

Glyph of Energy (E)
Glyph of Lesser Energy
Rodgort's Invocation
Meteor Shower
Incendiary Bonds
Fireball
Heal Party (or an interrupt skill, or Mend Ailment ...)
Rez Sig

But I have a phobia about enchantment stripping that some in this forum have suggested is misplaced; it's possible that Dual Attunements would be better.

Don't worry; I have that phobia too.

lol i think all eles have that phobia

Is there anything out there besides the classic echo build or the double glyph build?

Also, I was wondering if there's any way to incorporate more mesmer skills than just the echo spells into a build.

what are the strengths of the mesmer line? energy denial, degen, interrupts and energy management yes? now which of those do you think might possibly be of most use to a elementalist?

Quote: