new to game: is distortion really good for a mesmer?

i've been looking at some mesmer/assassin builds for a while and noticed that some have a skill called "distortion".

Distortion (Illusion Magic) 10/ 0 / 5
For 5 seconds, you have 75% chance to evade attacks. Whenever you evade an attack this way, you lose 4-1 energy or distortion ends.

i see that it helps you evade attacks but is there more to it? why is evading really good?

please reply and explain.

thanks.

Mesmers have really weak armor, and as such warriors generally go after them before other characters, and since mesmers can shut down entire teams they are sometimes the #1 target, evading attacks means you have a good chance not to take 50 dmg every time from a beefy warrior

Is Distortion good?

Definitely. Three energy is definitely worth that fifty-to-hundred-and-ten damage that your monk will have to heal. Obviously, watch for adrenaline buildups of the guy you're Distorting, and kite.

Doesn't make much sense, does it.

well, if you indeed lost the energy when someone hit you..you can always gain the lost energy by for example, energy tap..keke

Or Spirit of Failure. Pure evil...

If you build for Illusion, Dist comes cheap. Even if you build Domi you can easily knock it down to 2. This way or the other, Dist is always on my skill bar (unless I'm playing someone elses build for GvG/HoH or whatever and they don't provide for it). Why I was saying in another thread I can't wait for the new mesmer armor, so I can mix and match and get high armor stats. Mesmers need a break from adrenal and elemental spike.

Quote: Originally Posted by input

I even run Distortion on my WoH monk. :<

Distortion was better, they had to nerf it, but even then its a skill you should ALWAYs take if you have the attributes to hand. Why is it so kick ass? Well, you cut dmg from warriors by over three quarters, as they find it impossible to build up adrenline on you. Secondly interupt rangers will hate you. I faced a team in gvg. They all had distortion, and we couldnt touch them

As for nrg issues, try using distortion and spirit of failure. They attack you, you lose nrg, they miss, which is pretty much all the time, you gain about 4 nrg. You can pretty much spam distortion that way.

Quote: Originally Posted by input

o used it alot when i had my E/Me, with dual attunement the Elemental skills dont cost that much, and with a High energy pole you can use Distortion like all the time xD also as a War player i can say that that skills is piss annoying.. =/ If you go for a easy kill and then the dude slap on Distortion then it takes over 4 times as long to kill him -.-

~Shadow

<3 distortion

Quote: Originally Posted by art_

Quote: Originally Posted by input Distortion (Illusion Magic) 10/ 0 / 5
For 5 seconds, you have 75% chance to evade attacks. Whenever you evade an attack this way, you lose 4-1 energy or distortion ends.

i see that it helps you evade attacks but is there more to it? why is evading really good? In my view, Distortion, really, is not a great skill... but, it is the main skill that mesmers have for self/defense from warriors and rangers.

It is not great since at 8 illusion you lose 2 energy for each attack evaded, thus you run easely out of energy. You may use Distortion plus Spirit of Failure, Spirit of Failure gives you back 4 energy; this way you are using two slots of your bar and this way you may keep bussy a not prepared warrior.

So, unless you are going to use Illusion Magic, I think that, for some purpose, like starting playing a domination mesmer, it may help to put those 8 points on Earth Magic and use Armor of Earth, a more simple way of playing if you have the back up of a monk. Well, Armor of Earth is an enchantment which may be dispelled.

But, Distortion does not protect you "necessarily", as there are also warrior's attacks which cause damage on being evaded, say Griffon's Sweep; attacks which can not be evaded, say Irresitible Blow; and attacks which affect moving targets, so that as you wish to run away, may be because you do not want to keep losing energy with Distortion, you may be knocked down because moving.

Am I right? At least a bit

Meh.. 8 illusion is nothing. Mesmers almost always have excess of skill points. Inspiration works only to a point (if I'm using E-tap I barely ever pump it above 8); Fastcast has diminishing returns making it less and less reasonable to pump it up above say 8-10 (too many skill points for too little a benefit); and Domination is barely ever worthwhile above 14 (the point at which the most frequently used Domi skills reach their cap).

In fact, I was just running a build the other day that had:
15 domi (e-denial)
8 inspa (tap)
8 illusion (dist)
8 fast cast
8 tactics (100health heal sig)

So... really... 8 points in Illusion is not a big deal for a Mes. And nrg drain isn't too much if you have some form of nrg management.

As for Dist not evading everything well doh... if it did they might as well make it an elite.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hella Good [...] Inspiration works only to a point (if I'm using E-tap I barely ever pump it above 8
[...]Domination is barely ever worthwhile above 14 (the point at which the most frequently used Domi skills reach their cap).

In fact, I was just running a build the other day that had:
15 domi (e-denial)
8 inspa (tap)
8 illusion (dist)
8 fast cast
8 tactics (100health heal sig)

So... really... 8 points in Illusion is not a big deal for a Mes. And nrg drain isn't too much if you have some form of nrg management. I like to have 16 domination + 1 domination magic 20% chance in Off-Hand.
This gives for Energy Surge, and Energy Burn, a chance to reach -11 energy, and 88 damage and Signet of Weariness -11 energy.

When I put 8 in Illussion Magic I use Distortion and wish to use Phantom Pain too (with Shutter Delusions).

If I try to use Ether Lord, I wish to have 12 in Inspiration, for Ether Lord +3 and -3. And with 16 in Dom. I can not have 8 in Illusion.

In my view, mesmers' need one more protection or healing skill within Inspiration Magic.

Well, that is what I was thinking.

Well, it really depends on what build you are running... spending all those skill points for a 20% chance that one of you skills will drain 1 more nrg seems a bit unreasonable to me, but it's cool, it's your game- you choose how to play it. I don't use EL on a Surge denial build, and that's what I was actually referring to, I use EL mostly on Panic denial builds. When I run Panic denial I do, in fact, pump up my Domi to 16 and my Inspi to 13. But I also don't use Dist with Panic, I prefer to MoI Sig of Humility and Weariness. So... Again, it depends on your play style, I don't have a problem with 8 Illusion.

Quote: Originally Posted by mariano I like to have 16 domination + 1 domination magic 20% chance in Off-Hand.
This gives for Energy Surge, and Energy Burn, a chance to reach -11 energy, and 88 damage and Signet of Weariness -11 energy. Is 1 more energy on each of these skills worth 20 attribute points? Especially since 80% of the time it will be the exact same effect?

Quote: Originally Posted by mariano When I put 8 in Illussion Magic I use Distortion and wish to use Phantom Pain too (with Shutter Delusions). Ok I don't see what this has to do with distortion being a "bad" or "subpar" skill.

Quote: Originally Posted by Elurian Is 1 more energy on each of these skills worth 20 attribute points? Especially since 80% of the time it will be the exact same effect? I was trying to explain that putting 16 in Domination does make a change in some energy denial skills if used together with a pertinent Off-Hand.

In my view, the question, may be, is: either I put 14 points in domination or if I put 16 points in domination then I take a 20% chance of 17 with an Off-Hand.

How much chance do I have to trigger at 17 domination. If I have 5 domination skills in my bar which I cast in a row, I have a 100% chance to trigger at 17 domination one of them.



Quote: Originally Posted by Elurian Ok I don't see what this has to do with distortion being a "bad" or "subpar" skill. Distortion is a main way of self protection that a mesmer has, were Distortion an Inspiration Magic skill I would think that it is great.

Quote: Originally Posted by Elurian You use ether lord? I do not use Ether Lord, because I do not know a good build to make it fit.

Quote: Originally Posted by mariano