Minstrels, or not to Minstrels?

[Hoboboots.2137]

Hey Mesmer community!

 

I wanted to try out the Mirage and ended up really enjoying the Mesmer class in general (Tried it out here and there but always ended up deleting my Mesmer while leveling. But once I 80 boosted one I really like it!) I've always been a big fan of support builds so I thought "Hey, if I really like Mirage for open world stuff (Spent waaaay to long making my viper's stuff to not use it!) then I could easily grab some off gear to do some Chrono support in Fractals/Dungeons! Everyone loves Alacrity! (Ok, maybe not thieves but whatever)"

 

To preface this: I don't do high end stuff. I'm talking T1 Fractals with my wife and friends along with dungeons when we get the urge. No plans whatsoever for raids or even getting up to T3 let alone T4. If I really like my Chrono in a team environment then maybe I'll start trying to get my feet wet, so I also want to keep my options open.

 

I was checking out the Metabattle and qt builds for the Chrono and it all points to a mix of Berserker and Commanders gear. Read up on them and yeah, it makes sense. Squeeze out all the damage you can while also maintaining some tank with ~100% boon duration. But then I watched the (now somewhat old, hence this question) video from MightyTeaPot who was showcasing a pure support/healing Minstrel Chronomancer and it interested me far more than the Metabattle and qt ones. I love the idea of being the pillar to keep my wife and friends standing and blasting.

 

So my question: Anyone out there currently running a full Minstrel Chrono? Do you find you are a useful member of a party? Or should I just stick to the tried and true "meta" (hate that word) build to offer some damage? Again I love the idea of the Minstrel Chrono and will gladly sink the gold to make it, I just don't want to make it all to find out that, if I do want to push to T3 -> T4 (Probably not raiding, but won't close that door yet!) it will all be useless. I get the feeling that an almost indestructible quickness/alacrity machine would be helpful, but I'm sure the damage is pretty pitiful :P

 

Thanks for any insight! I already have a full set of ascended Minstrels accessories, rings, backpack and amulet (made them for my Guardian way back when) so it would only be the armor and sword (have Minstrel shield, thanks Horologicus! (Or whatever it is called))

 

 

[Agent Noun.7350]

I'd say that Minstrel Chronomancer is probably going to shine a lot more in raids than fractals. When you have nine other people doing damage, being the guy who just throws around boons and alacrity and pretty much can't die is really valuable. But in a five-player group, I think a mix between Berserker and Commander is going to do you better.

 

I could be wrong about this, though, and I haven't tried Minstrel Chronomancer myself.

[Lightly.6843]

Just my two cents. I really love the full "meta" chrono play style vs. minstrel. If you're just doing T1 fractals and such you could do with a mix of zerker and "x" gear and have fun on chrono. Ppl blow through that content so frankly it doesn't matter much what your gear/build is. Higher levels might be tougher though. You're expected to push a certain dps in pugs/lfg from what I've seen.

 

I'd say play what you have fun with. I'm constantly changing my spec for one reason or another. I still love playing the old classic mesmer builds from time to time.

[musu.9205]

minstrel chrono for t1 fractal etc is bit overkill . since mob dies way faster there .

but why limit yourself to just t1 fractal tho , if you enjoy the game and found your way to get better at it (which isn't that hard tbh )

mix commander +zerker as long as you have 100% boon duration you are good . for minmax you can check qt web .be aware that active defense is still better than stats especially in fractal .so aiming for a min max set might save a lot of gold in a long run .

 

and I ran both power chrono and minstrel . i think later really shine in deimos , matt , xera and very friendly for beginner tank in vg . i'd say start with qt build , when your group need minstrel chrono , you can pick it up (since its more expensive than normal power chrono )

[Cyninja.2954]

> @Hoboboots.2137 said:

> Hey Mesmer community!

>

> To preface this: I don't do high end stuff. I'm talking T1 Fractals with my wife and friends along with dungeons when we get the urge. No plans whatsoever for raids or even getting up to T3 let alone T4. If I really like my Chrono in a team environment then maybe I'll start trying to get my feet wet, so I also want to keep my options open.

 

This means you should stay clear of minstrel.

 

Let me explain, I have a full ascended minstrel set on my 2nd mesmer. It's great for tanking raids, supporting in T4 fractals (though I usually run with friends and guildies and run commanders gear). I also have a 1st mesmer (my main) with just about any gear you would want to try out stuff (legi armor, trinkets, etc.).

 

**Minstrel gear is actually quite bad at open world stuff.** It makes a lot of things harder because of the low damage it has. A little bit of well played mesmer with berserker or commanders gear will be far stronger and more fun. I've taken my minstrel character through quite a few maps and events, it's terrible. **You are far better off with switching to Mirage and a solid (cheap) condition set for open world stuff.**

 

It's absolutely not needed for anything outside of raids or maybe T4 and challenge mode fractals. Add in to that the huge price of it, believe me, stay clear of it.

 

 

 

 

[Veprovina.4876]

You can wear literally anything in T1 fractals, you only need to start worrying about gear in T3 fractals and above. It starts getting noticable in T2, but not by much.

So if you only do open world and a bit of fractals, don't waste your time and gold on meta gear, you don't need it, just play what you like.

 

Berserker gear is pretty ok for Chrono, and any condi gear is good for mirage for open world and T1 fractals.

[Hoboboots.2137]

Thank you all for the replies! I'll certainly be staying away from Chrono for open world stuff... I really like my mirage build for fast murder!

 

Since my friends are pretty casual (Casual as in max dps doesn't really matter to them) I had a feeling Minstrels might not be the best option. The damage isn't high already, so adding in a none-dps support had me hesitant (hence the question!) They do stand in things from time to time though, so I though "Hey, the support aspect might be useful!" but we get by even when I'm running my glass cannon classes... Though sometimes it's just me and my wife left standing (She enjoys running meta builds and she's quite good at the game!)

 

It's looking like Commander's+zerkers is the way to go! Easy for me as it's so much cheaper. I'll have to get started farming the LS3 maps again for the Commander accessories! Also easy enough with my Viper Mirage!

 

Looking forward to the future though: Is Minstrels something I may want to keep in mind if I ever do find people to raid with? Or even T4? Or is Commanders still king there?

 

Thanks again!

 

[Pyroatheist.9031]

Minstrels is pretty much never something you should use in raids or fractals. The only bosses I would very maybe consider running minstrels on are deimos and xera due to the damage pressure as the tank. The thing is that chrono should have no problem surviving even in full commander's, so minstrels just throws unnecessary healing at your squad. What this does is make it extremely difficult for the druids to keep gotl running since your regen ticks are topping everybody off all the time.

 

In fractals, unless you're running t4 challenge modes, there's absolutely no need for minstrels. Even running challenge modes it's a pretty questionable gear choice. You don't need the tankiness and the group doesn't need that healing.

 

The only place minstrels is truly appropriate is a frontline WvW build.

[Hoboboots.2137]

Alright, not going to go with Minstrels then. Easy enough!

 

Looking at the Metabattle and qt builds though I am a bit confused: How do they reach 100% boon duration with the Berserker pieces? Is it all in the consumables?

 

When I deck out the (amazing) build editor in full Commander's gear and Durability Runes (I'll get Leadership in time... That's a lot of DS though. I have a set of durability to I'll use them in the meantime) I get 61.47% Boon duration (pops up to 94.47% with the concentration sigil), do consumables really make so much of a difference that I can replace most of the Commanders for Berserkers? Metabattle says "Leggings are Commander's everything else Berserkers" which seems wrong to me.

 

Link for visual: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQRAse8dnsIClfiFoB+fCEgiFVjiMAGhi7MIGiprOZn2qF-jBSBQBXU53EfCA/T9HSqEEAnAg7pfwCHEg9t/AA-e

[Ojimaru.8970]

> @Hoboboots.2137 said:

> Alright, not going to go with Minstrels then. Easy enough!

>

> Looking at the Metabattle and qt builds though I am a bit confused: How do they reach 100% boon duration with the Berserker pieces? Is it all in the consumables?

>

> When I deck out the (amazing) build editor in full Commander's gear and Durability Runes (I'll get Leadership in time... That's a lot of DS though. I have a set of durability to I'll use them in the meantime) I get 61.47% Boon duration (pops up to 94.47% with the concentration sigil), do consumables really make so much of a difference that I can replace most of the Commanders for Berserkers? Metabattle says "Leggings are Commander's everything else Berserkers" which seems wrong to me.

>

> Link for visual: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQRAse8dnsIClfiFoB+fCEgiFVjiMAGhi7MIGiprOZn2qF-jBSBQBXU53EfCA/T9HSqEEAnAg7pfwCHEg9t/AA-e

 

For Fractals, assuming you have the appropriate Masteries, you gain +1% Boon Duration per 10 Agony Resistance while you have Mist Mobility Potion on, or +15% at 150 AR (current AR cap). You also gain another +6.67% Boon Duration with +100 Concentration food (cheap option being Chocolate Omnomberry Bars).

 

If you want, you can also factor in Chaotic Persistence in the Chaos trait line.

[Pyroatheist.9031]

You also get another 10% bd from leadership runes over durability, so once you get those that'll count too.

[Cyninja.2954]

Firebrand runes (https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_Rune_of_the_Firebrand) are probably the best way to go initially.

 

They are comperatively cheap, allow for a very easy 100% boon duration quickness uptime and won't hurt to much if exchange some time down the road. You will suffer some boon duration on other boons, but that's not a huge issue, especially for the content you are currently playing.

 

Leadership runes remain our strongest support pick but are quite a hassle to aquire.

 

Going Chaos versus Domination for the added boon duration per boon will also help at the expense of group distortion. Not an ideal solution but absolutely valid.

[Hoboboots.2137]

Hey all, thanks so much for all the replies! Really helped out.

 

What do you all think of this slightly altered QT Fractal Chrono build: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQRAse8dncfCFohlfC+fCMrhFVj6MIGiprOZn2qlMAGhiD-jBSBQBkUJ490PAgTCwM3f4fqwcD1HuoyvJ+EAAA-e

 

Basically instead of Zerker accessories I fill them all with Commanders. (LS3 makes this easy) This gets me to 100% quickness uptime with 80% all other boons and takes into account I will probably never get higher than 30 AR (For now! But I have full ascended Zerker stuff so I can swap them out as I get more) and I often forget about food (Though QT's guide shows none concentration food anyway)

 

I'm thinking it's best for me as it means I have good boon uptime even in Dungeons! And we do like dungeons :D

 

[Hoboboots.2137]

Huh

 

A random thing I noticed: Wouldn't it be better to run the commander's chest piece with the rest Zerkers over the pants and boots? When I put it in the stats are identical except 1 extra power for using the chest (1 power is really not a big different, but the price of only making the chest over pants and boots is a big save!)

 

Here is what I'm talking about:

 

Just commander's Chest: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQRAse8dncfCFohlfC+fCMrhFVj6MIGipjMAGhirOZn2qF-jBSBQBkUJ490P8PVCm4TA4iK/uh6OA4kAMz9HAA-e

 

Commander's pants and boots: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQRAse8dncfCFohlfC+fCMrhFVj6MIGipjMAGhirOZn2qF-jBSBQBkUJ490PMz9H+nKM3Q9hLq8DAnEgJ+EAAA-e

 

If you flip between the 2 you will see all the stats are identical (crit chance, boon duration, toughness) except power is 1 higher with the chest only. Just thought it was neat! Going for the chest only now, unless maybe the builder is bugged, but I doubt it!

[Cyninja.2954]

While I find it commendable that you want to maximise your stat gain, really try to stick to trinkets for the more expensive stuff for now.

 

http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vhAQNAs+dncfC9filfCGoBUrhFVj6MIGiprOZn2qlMAGhiD-jxRBQBzc/hLq8DP6FIpSwbo+zEfAAA4kAQKgAXpB-e

 

This build will provide you with:

 

- 46.8% boon duration before SoC (79.8% with SoC), 35.5% without food (68.5% with Soc without food)

- 66.8% quickness duration before SoC (99.8% with SoC), 55.5% without food (88.5% with SoC without food)

- full berserker armor (exotic) and weapons (ascended)

 

Those stats are perfectly fine for any content really. I'd start working off of that, then eventually upgrade gear as required.