how many mesmers want staff to be a better weapon?

[MikeL.8260]

The ONLY place where Staff is unviable is raiding, everywhere else its a top notch weapon.

[Anela.3867]

My idea as to what staff should be is what the greatsword is. I would be happy if they could change places.

[Xaylin.1860]

I could get behind reduced cooldown for Chaos Armor and Chaos Storm or improving their functionality. Why not give Chaos Armor the Aura treatment like on Elementalists? It's an Aura after all. Chaos Storm could also benefit from a guaranteed Daze on cast. Those aside, I found myself enjoying the new Guardian Staff AA way more than Mesmer Staff AA. The bounces are just outdated as a class characteristic or mechanic and hardly contribute anything interesting to Mesmer gameplay.

 

**However**, I'm against increasing the overall damage output on Staff. As other mentioned, it is a defensive and a utility weapon. People need to finally accept the fact, that the average ranged weapons in GW2 won't be a top tier damage choice. It's not how the game is designed. Sorry to all the "Archer"-Rangers out there. ;)

 

That said, Staff gets its job done. Just don't use it for deeeps.

[Quadox.7834]

Maybe not better, but different. More aoe focus.

 

Auto -> power instead of condition

 

Phantasm -> only one, ground targeted summon (uses his aoe attack, then turns into clone and runs to target as usual).

 

Chaos Armour -> replace by any close range aoe attack (damage, control or blind would be ok).

 

Chaos field -> made a bit scarier possibly some damage, currently people just walk into it because of powercreep.

 

Phase retreat -> perfect. best skill in this game.

[SlimChance.6593]

I'd like Chaos Storm to be a little more impactful.

 

But would love to see "Winds of chaos" have its speed increased AFTER each bounce! Make that thing bounce like a pinball!?

[viquing.8254]

>Phase retreat -> perfect. best skill in this game.

 

I just thought that I will find fun to have phase retreat which changes sides once in two :

Phase retreat or Phase forward (same effect but ahead instead of backward.).

Useless but indispensable things which will require more concentration to mesmer.

(Can also be pretty fun when you want to go out of aoe and it pop you inside because you didn't care of which way is the next teleport.) :p

I just laugh at thinking about situations that might happen.

[Arlette.9684]

@"Pyroatheist.9031" Why does everyone refuse to acknowledge there's a 4th archetype (Power/Condi/Support/**Hybrid**) now? :frown:

 

@"Obtena.7952" I love you! :heart:

 

On topic: Me and @"Curunen.8729" have been beating ourselves up for the last 6 months, trying to come up with an alternative to Staff in WvW. The results are always the same, Phase retreat plus staff ambush being the only other source of burn we have outside of torch makes it nigh irreplaceable **unless your playstyle allows you to compensate.**

[viquing.8254]

Hybrid builds exists since forever, it's nothing new.

 

Since 2013, when I play condi in WvW, I almost all the time use scepter when roaming.

In which case did you use staff ?

As far as we talk about PvP, it was good with all phase retreat spot, as far as we talk about WvW, it wasn't really brilliant. ( apart for some old blackwater and at very beginning shatter builds, immortal builds and other exotic things.)(With the exception that he is used in support since HoT.)

Staff have 0 chase options and meh burst(a little better with mirage though.) , it's more than easy for an opponent to retreat then come back full life or simply run away. Especially when talking about roaming when opponents have excellent mobility.

[Arlette.9684]

> @"viquing.8254" said:

> Hybrid builds exists since forever, it's nothing new.

>

> Since 2013, when I play condi in WvW, I almost all the time use scepter when roaming.

> In which case did you use staff ?

> As far as we talk about PvP, it was good with all phase retreat spot, as far as we talk about WvW, it wasn't really brilliant. ( apart for some old blackwater and at very beginning shatter builds, immortal builds and other exotic things.)(With the exception that he is used in support since HoT.)

> Staff have 0 chase options and meh burst(a little better with mirage though.) , it's more than easy for an opponent to retreat then come back full life or simply run away. Especially when talking about roaming when opponents have excellent mobility.

 

I play highly personalized builds, tailored specifically to my playstyle and needs.

 

I will mention that I did favor scepter in both HoT and PoF launches, but as the meta progressed in both cases, I found the scepter more and more clunky for what I was using it, causing me to switch to sword and axe respectively. My biggest gripe with it is projectile velocity for the auto/ambush and the way the ONLY utility skill works. If it was a 2s block that applies torment to the first person that hits you (Or even do smth else entirely, like a defensive boon), I'd likely be singing a different song alas, it doesn't.

[Curunen.8729]

> @"Arlette.9684" said:

> @"Pyroatheist.9031" Why does everyone refuse to acknowledge there's a 4th archetype (Power/Condi/Support/**Hybrid**) now? :frown:

>

> @"Obtena.7952" I love you! :heart:

>

> On topic: Me and @"Curunen.8729" have been beating ourselves up for the last 6 months, trying to come up with an alternative to Staff in WvW. The results are always the same, Phase retreat plus staff ambush being the only other source of burn we have outside of torch makes it nigh irreplaceable **unless your playstyle allows you to compensate.**

 

Following up on this, yeah it is the auto and phase retreat that are the reason.

 

Scepter auto is single target whereas staff has pseudo aoe through bounce which the staff clones also contribute. GS auto of course is only power.

 

Phase retreat is one of the best skills we have, with multifaceted use.

 

I personally never liked scepter block much because it is single target single block - now with mirage easier to just dodge anyway and phase retreat can move you out of aoe, cc, etc.

 

The only skill I love on scepter is 3 - it is awesome but I value the aoe utility of staff over sacrificing for that.

 

Also I don't like any of our offhands currently. I tolerate torch because prestige is solid but iMage cooldown is too high for what it does. Focus is just useless when solo roaming, offhand sword has no condi component and again suffers from single target single block plus the melee slow cast animation on 5. These two weapons are weak especially in any outnumbered encounter. Pistol is solid of course - but I just don't like it for subjective reasons (running Evasive Mirror and traited manipulations for example, as long as I avoid eating magic bullet the duelist usually kills itself, so I don't like to be on the receiving end of that. Also does not have any defensive skill. I'm sure in pvp it's great due to limited numbers, but I feel at a disadvantage if being jumped by a group in wvw where prestige can allow you to gtfo or reposition more easily).

 

So that's a reason why I don't play axe/x sword/x - don't like offhands enough to want to use two of them. While having fewer evade frames, staff and clones allow more hybrid sustained pressure as well as easier aoe potential while also supporting more deceptive play in group situations due to the cast animations.

 

The only skill I hate on staff is 4. Unless they bring back old godlike chaos armour, this skill needs to be completely reimagined. If staff 4 offered even something like 0.5s blur it would be like night and day for this skill, allowing it to be used as a clutch defence.

 

Oh and I struggle to use staff untraited because the cooldowns are too high. So on mirage I'm "married" to Chaos unless there are some cooldown reductions. With chrono you had alacrity which makes it easier not to feel the longer cooldowns of an untraited weapon. Unlike GS which is solid untraited because 2 and 3 are on low cooldown. And because of power mesmer only really needing GS2 and F1 to burst which are both on low cooldowns.

[Curunen.8729]

> @"viquing.8254" said:

> Hybrid builds exists since forever, it's nothing new.

>

> Since 2013, when I play condi in WvW, I almost all the time use scepter when roaming.

> In which case did you use staff ?

> As far as we talk about PvP, it was good with all phase retreat spot, as far as we talk about WvW, it wasn't really brilliant. ( apart for some old blackwater and at very beginning shatter builds, immortal builds and other exotic things.)(With the exception that he is used in support since HoT.)

> Staff have 0 chase options and meh burst(a little better with mirage though.) , it's more than easy for an opponent to retreat then come back full life or simply run away. Especially when talking about roaming when opponents have excellent mobility.

 

Continuing from previous post above, I've used staff on condi chrono (before pof as the build no longer exists) which had decent chase potential through teleport and burst, with potential enhancement though say F5 mirror images shatter spam. On mirage because I trait blink, staff and axe I've got 3 ports there plus illusionary ambush and jaunt - so chasing is not frequently a problem - the problem is more not being able to easily burst damage in staff while chasing, so having to rely more on axe port on occasion. Edit - forgot I used scepter on skcamow's CI condirupt build in the past (sc/f + staff), and the only other time I've enjoyed scepter was glamour confusion. Otherwise it's mostly either been GS with sword for power or staff with sword for hybrid /condi.

 

But the bottom line is I'm not too fussed anymore if a tanky druid or whatever decides to run. Given we have deadeyes now who have the choice to disengage whenever they like I'm more accepting of this. Sure in the past when playing GS power shatter I'd be more aggressively oriented and seek out the kill. Now I value more being able to survive and escape impossible situations.

 

On a related note my gameplan often involves luring underwater, so it's a case of having enough ports to get there - I'd rather fight outnumbered underwater any day than on land (because mirage OP underwater) so around say ruins or anzalis on eb or whatever I'm always keeping an eye to the water.

 

[Veluna.7316]

For overworld, I am amazed how Staff can let you solo pretty much any group events with Chaos, Illusion, and Duel throughout the time leveling up. There is hardly any risk as well except for when you start to do events about 4-5 levels above your level.