The Faction Mesmer Elite Skills Stink

Quote: Originally Posted by Xasew

Quote: Originally Posted by Hella Good

I have made my arguments about PD clear in the very 1st post I posted. I also clearly doubt any of the people arguing that PD is a somehow inferior elite have actually used it. For my part, I don't speak about things I have never tried.

And I don't need Migraine to interrupt. For those who have to make a skill cast 2 secs versus 1 to interrupt it, by all means do stick to Migraine. For me, Stolen Speed works perfectly well for reasons I have made clear in another thread and posted a link- again- in my very 1st post.

Piece of advice: If you can't use it, don't use it, but don't rant about how horrible it is, because obviously there is people who CAN use it.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hella Good

Quote: Originally Posted by Theos

As always my solution to just about everything is powerblock; always has and almost always will. A blackout at range; a super powerful blackout. This skill you have to cast multiple times; in the end costs you more energy, has a higher chance of letting a spell through (2 sec recharge) and has a larger miss factor (SB being cast on the target before you can interrupt everything) so it feels awkward.

Avarre has made the point that PB does not do skills; I counter with the point that distracting does, disables for longer, costs less, does not disable the rest of the bar, and is most importantly not an elite. Hell this even does damage; albeit little it is some.

I personally don't like this skill; its not that I can't use it correctly; that I can. However other spells or other skills make it a inferior skill to use. Distracting does what this does but better, powerblock is still the "best" interrupt in the game practically killing the target upon completion. This skill has no "value" and no place in a competitive build.

And, in my personal opinion, Power Block is mediocre. Go figure. I like to have my flexibility and versatility. The whole spell-only interrupt thing is totally foreign to me. I don't want to see any troll unguents, healing sigs, etc. I need to be able to interrupt everything. But then that's just me- I like to be able to do more than just wand once I'm done with the spellcasters.

And the whole comparison with Distracting Shot totally evades my logic.

Quote: Originally Posted by Theos

I have been using psychic distraction massively in aspenwood. It is ok, but in the end the selfblackout hurts to much. It woud have been a tad better if it would have added x seconds to the recharge time in stead of disabling for x secs. Or make it a blackout on the opponent as well or a disable from all the skills from the same line. The disadvantage of not being able to use any other skills is a real kick in the nuts for any mesmer... (you can't use that shatter hex, that inspire hex, that...)

Not to mention that i'm doubing that it even works correctly seeing as i have seen people use the same skill right after i interrupted them with it.

Quote: Originally Posted by Themis

Quote: Originally Posted by Hella Good

Quote: Originally Posted by Eaimirth Etaivella

lol. Whoever said that PD and the other new elites aren't bad but they aren't to peoples taste is totally right. They can't make new elites that are perfect for everyone and that everyone will love and spam.
Anet Conversation.
Steve - 'Lets make a new mesmer elite that interrupts any skill, costs only 5 energy and recharges instantly. It also disables all that foes skills for 20 seconds'.
Andy- 'Steve, your a muppet, clean out your desk or I'll have Nathan spread that rumour about what you did with Mrs Robinson.

Bit o' fun there. Feel it was needed as some people are taking this 'friendly discussion' too far. If you don't like an elite don't use it, don't continually rant on about how bad it is.... please.

Quote: Originally Posted by Trouveur With Ineptitude instead of Recurring Insecurity the warrior would not have last 90 seconds...
Even Conjure Phatasm or Illusion of pain would have been better in your exemple.
Against a warrior almost all the illusion hexes are better than Recurring Insecurity. Conjure Phantasm ? Are you kidding ? Go try and kill a warrior (who has his healing signet and uses it - no interrupts, hein ?) just by using CP !!!

Ineptitude, probably along with ConjureP, but the total cost is of no means comparable. What's the use of saying that you can slay a W using 70-80 energy, when you can do it (as in my example) using only half of that ? What is better ?

Illusion of pain ???? you've surely never used this skill... Well, it's not a really a problem, but, at least, you should read skill's description... You'll easily understand it's a "finish" skill. You can do no harm at start- or mid-battle with it.

(btw: don't think that it ACTUALLY took me 90 seconds ! It takes no more than 30-40, but i like being tolerant with figures )

Look, i have a proposal : get Migraine (just for the degen) or Ineptitude, Conjure Phantasm, then the two defensive skills i stated (spirit of failure and distortion). Go and find master of axes at the isle of the nameless. Then try to win. Then, think why you didn't manage to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragannia Power Block also has a 30 second recharge. If you miss, it's 30 seconds before you can use it again I have the same opinion about PB : it can only be used in specific situations, mono-attribute casters. I don't like that. It is so specific, that i usually prefer other interrupts. In fact, i think that 'll take only one interrupt from now on : PD (except if i really need another Elite).

Quote: Originally Posted by Eaimirth Etaivella Distracting shot interrupts+disables their skill just like the elite

However;pros
Distracting shot costs less energy than the elite
Distracting shot disables it longer than the elite
Distracting shot causes some damage
Distracting shot is a skill not a spell
Distracting shot does not render the rest of your skills worthless

cons
Distracting shot recharges slower than the elite (can be fixed w/ SQ)
Distracting shot can be blocked by walls
Distracting shot requires a speed buff (composite bow, FW, QW)

How can you not see the comparison>.> Tell me, what do I need to do- bang the bells of one of House zu Heltzer's glorious cathedrals to get the point across??? It's a freaking 2 sec recharge interrupt that by simply BEING 2 sec recharge makes it far superior to DS and clearly justifies it being a) an elite and b) shutting down the rest of you skill bar. Tell me, what OTHER interrupt has anywhere NEAR 2 sec recharge??? Seriously, am I being unclear or speaking a foreign language (which I sometimes do)?

On a side note, I did try Soul Barbs + Recurring (didn't think of doing it back when I was testing the skill out) and it's fun. Is it going to be efficient? I can tell you that it is at least viable in Alliance battles (where I tested it)- it made short work of just about anything. I have to test it out with Wastrel's which even with nothing in Domination will still do 60 damage that is perfectly spammable. I do, however, feel a bit uncertain as to how this will work versus a team with good hex management (shall we say Expell Hexes ), and I still feel that apart from the SB + RI combo, RI is one of the less effective elites. Btw, how exactly does the hexing with RI occur? Does it go on top or under the hex that renews it? For some reason I got the feeling it goes under.

To those that for some odd reason have decided to champion Recurring Insecurity in this thread, your argument basically boils down to: I need an elite to tell me how to create a build. Which is simply moronic, and secondly a waste of an elite.

Heres a Soul Barbs build I ran before Factions came out:

Soul Barbs
Parasitic Bond
Wasterl's Wory
Mind Wrack
Faint Heartedness
Ineptitude {E}
Distortion
Rez Signet

I fudged it sort of because I haven't run it in a while can't remember the entire skill bar. The point of the build was fairly simply though I wanted Fast cheap hex spells. So I would land SB on target, then cover with PB, follow it with WW, then MW, then back to PB and WW. If I was being attacked by an assasin or warrior I would use FH and Ineptitude. The point being, this was a fun spammable hex build that took advantage of SB. I didn't need an elite like Recurring Insecurity to make this build work. Which by the way if i wanted to mimic and one up I would sub in Life Siphon for Faint Heatedness.

The real problem with a spam hex build is energy management. I think I tried handling that by working the inspiration line into the build. But like i said it's been awhile.

Quote: Originally Posted by ender6

Quote: Originally Posted by Hella Good Tell me, what do I need to do- bang the bells of one of House zu Heltzer's glorious cathedrals to get the point across??? It's a freaking 2 sec recharge interrupt that by simply BEING 2 sec recharge makes it far superior to DS and clearly justifies it being a) an elite and b) shutting down the rest of you skill bar. Tell me, what OTHER interrupt has anywhere NEAR 2 sec recharge??? Seriously, am I being unclear or speaking a foreign language (which I sometimes do)?

On a side note, I did try Soul Barbs + Recurring (didn't think of doing it back when I was testing the skill out) and it's fun. Is it going to be efficient? I can tell you that it is at least viable in Alliance battles (where I tested it)- it made short work of just about anything. I have to test it out with Wastrel's which even with nothing in Domination will still do 60 damage that is perfectly spammable. I do, however, feel a bit uncertain as to how this will work versus a team with good hex management (shall we say Expell Hexes ), and I still feel that apart from the SB + RI combo, RI is one of the less effective elites. Btw, how exactly does the hexing with RI occur? Does it go on top or under the hex that renews it? For some reason I got the feeling it goes under. They missed a few problems with DS;
DS is weak to blind
DS is weak to evasion
DS requires a speed boost
DS is affected by one of the most common enchantments in the game, Aegis.

As for RI, I'd not call it a great elite, but I would not call it aweful either. It may be limited but its ability to damage is compensatable. I have tested it and I have not been able to see RI go the top of the stack, I am pretty sure it goes under the applied hex, but I will do further testing.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mystic Memory Before you disagree, here me out!

Psychic Distraction
Description: All of your other skills are disabled for 8 seconds. If target foe is using a skill, that skill is interrupted and disabled for 5-11 seconds. This is an elite skill.

Why it stinks: Ok.. let me get this straight. Disable 7 of your skills... disable one of the enemies. Hmmm i like this deal....not. Oh 2 sec recharge you say? Ok ill disable 7 of their skills... for 70 energy. Omg so good....not. Basically, bring this skill, and your the rest of your bar has to be useless most of the time in order to make this elite half effective. Oh and btw, more than likely, you can only disable 2 or 3 skills at a time, because the first skill that you "distracted" is probably ready again once you interrupt a third skill.

Arcane Languor
Description: For 1-4 second(s), all spells cast by target foe cause exhaustion. This is an elite skill.

Why it stinks: Ok no need to comment. Im pretty sure everyone knows this move is almost not even worth a regular skill slot, much less an elite slot.

Stolen Speed
Description: For 5-17 seconds, target foe's spells take 25% longer to cast and your spells take 25% less time to cast.. This is an elite skill.

Why it stinks: This elite is just... meh. I can think of many skills way better than this one.

Recurring Insecurity
Description: For 10 seconds, target foe suffers from -1-3 health degeneration. If that foe is hexed again, Recurring Insecurity is renewed for another 10 seconds. This is an elite skill.

Why it stinks: At first glance... people are like yay degen! Besides the fact that there are enough degen skills in the illusion line to put someone at -million degen (but only effectively -10 degen), this skill is equivalent to its non elite counterpart Life Siphon. Except... it doesnt give you regen, AND it lasts less, NOT TO MENTION its an elite. Sucks? Im sorry to say but this skill stinkzors.

Shared Burden
Description: For 3-14 seconds, target foe and all nearby foes move 50% slower. This is an elite skill.

Why it stinks: I dont see why the enemy would be nice and clumped, but even if they were, water magic would be so much better. Oh so much better.


Im sorry to say it, but these elites just plain suck. I absolutely love the mesmer class (i mean... i spent a million buying fissure armor for her ), but sometimes i just think mesmers get the short end of the stick.

If you disagree feel free to explain. i completely disagree with you, all those skills are as essential as others.
all these skills can be used in PvP mostly and they are good against anti-casters. also Shared Burden is good skill in any relic map or GvG.

Arcane Languor is best skill ever in PvE too, Foe's use skills most of the time the more exhaution they have the less energy they gonna have, and faster we can kill them.

Recurring Insecurity is good to for degen is, you dont need to put mesmer degen only, you can put necromancer hexes, such as para. bond, malaise.

these skills arent rubbish, im sorry to say this but, you gotta think more creative.

Just tested it with a friend. It goes under. So like every time you hex, RI is reapplied, triggers Barbs, but remains under the hex that renewed it. So, that explains why when Monks were Inspa hexing my stuff, RI remained intact. Interesting. Well, like I said, it's a fun thing to do.

Quote: Originally Posted by Hella Good Tell me, what do I need to do- bang the bells of one of House zu Heltzer's glorious cathedrals to get the point across??? It's a freaking 2 sec recharge interrupt that by simply BEING 2 sec recharge makes it far superior to DS and clearly justifies it being a) an elite and b) shutting down the rest of you skill bar. Tell me, what OTHER interrupt has anywhere NEAR 2 sec recharge??? Seriously, am I being unclear or speaking a foreign language (which I sometimes do)? Wow; have you considered that...
Ranger interrupts for some reason have a higher hit % even though they "should" miss (aegis, distortion, whatever)
Spells have their downfalls as well (dazed, guilt, whatever) not to mention you won't be able to deal with said downfalls since you will have the rest of your bar blacked out (ZOMG)
DS has a 67x10=6.7sec recharge and isnt elite with SQ
You could be using powerblock

For all those who DON'T know why I like powerblock.
-It disables usally half if not all of their bar
--without the other half most builds are worthless
-It allows you to disable multiple people at the same time
--PB one interrupt watch the other
-It is similar to a super blackout...only at range
--disable your bar, lasts 15 seconds

BTW; what the hell is it with missing with PB? You don't miss; it shouldn't be comprehendable. The only things I DO miss on is if I'm trying to be silly and attempt to interrupt a RoF or something; aka randoms only.

Final word of my take on Diversion<Blackout
They both do the same thing; blackout only lasts longer and doesn't give them a choice: this choice although usally a bad choice can be game determining and is thus a bad choice to give the opposition.

Edit-PD is also countered via spellbreaker while DS is not.