The Shatter Cat Mesmer Guide
Introduction to the [Shatter cat] WvWvW and PvE Guide.
Hi all, my online name is Osicat, playing in a guild called Judge for 7 years. Originally we were a hardcore WoW Raiding guild but after four and a half years we’ve transitioned to a community, multi-game, focused guild. We joined GW2 to be a small WvWvW guild and I’ve been playing shatter Mesmer ever since.
I started this guide in 2012 as I found that there was a lack of Shatter based guides for Mesmers. At that time most played GS phantasm focused spec. In the summer 2013 I started post a PU based condition build aswell as I had a feeling meta was turning. After my brake 2013 september to november I found the meta turned and mesmer got some serious buffs. Due to this I am forced to remake al my builds and add new ones.
This is a wvwvw guide but my builds can also be effective in. I will not discuss sPvP but add a section for this kind of gameplay, tournament I avoid thu as I not enjoy the gamemode.
1 – Video section
2 – Why play shatter Mesmer?
3 – Builds/gear
3.1 – Napalm Cat 2.0
3.2 – Hidden Cat 5.0
3.3 – Shatter Cat Ghost 1.0
4 – Tips and tricks
5 – Technical and gameplay guide : https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/professions/mesmer/Under-construct-Technic-guide/first#post1461959
6: sPvP section: https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/professions/mesmer/Shatter-Cat-sPvP-section-under-construct/first#post2504934
1 – Video section
TUTORIALS: I, II & portal guide
I : Multi clone shatter and incombat mobility
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i9TPVp4BiQ *II : Advance shatters and heavy bursts, How to do them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aM_ZzlxcCk Portal solo tactics and movment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svvbTHeDcOE Condition Cat 3.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLri428e498
2 – Why play shatter Mesmer?
This is where personal opinions come in. Shatter-focused specs offer an in-combat mobile play-style. It combines strong sustained damage in WvWvW with spiky on-demand burst damage. It provides the tools to enable you to steadily pressure opponents and the opportunity to capitalise on any mistake they make, but more importantly the burst-style allows you to pounce when your opponent drops low on health.
The Shatter specs all share skill-based survival, your main defense comes from active utilities and skills, as opposed to stacking survival stats. This makes the spec a demanding yet extremely fun build. You can also chose among several different viable builds, some of which are more “newbie” friendly, and some of which have an extreme skill cap. In the right hands a shatter Mesmer can destroy multiple targets.
Shatter spec Pros:
Several viable builds that also use very similar gear.
High skill cap
Fun to play
Good for group play
Good for solo roaming
Works well in PvE and dungeons with minor adjustments (buy a GS)
High in-combat mobility (perhaps the best mobility in the game?)
Extreme burst on demand for some builds
Good sustained wvwvw damage
Cons:
Not optimal for event farming (works but you’ll never be a warrior)
Skill demanding (There are other Mesmer builds and specs that are more accessible to new players)
Low out of combat mobility (Mist spec have high mobility both in and out)
Lag is even more punishing. (Its hard play the most advanced spec with lag. This as survival is based on active abilities).
Why Play PU Mesmer?
Its a fun playstyle, you feel like nothing can kill you and you cause alot of pain enemy ranks. Some spec offer more raw dmg while others offer preasure and better survival. Its also possible to burst with conditions if you know the tricks.
Pros
Deal good to high dmg
Superb roamer setup
Can offer support to downed teammates with massinvis
Effective at low skillcap, extremly strong 1 vs 1
Fun
Cons
Condition setup have low capability to stop enemy from flee
Condition setup are not so effective in sieges
Stealth based builds are weak for capping points
3.1 – Napalm Cat 2.0
A condition heavy spec capable of survive close to big numbers of enemy and infiltrate their controlled areas. It also unlike other condition PU sec’s have a larg and strong on demand burst dmg and good acces to both poison and torment.
High pressure with repeated spikes of Burn and torment. You can kill al classes and spec,s with this build.
Condition stacking is done on a spare wep, then swap to dubble poison/torment and keep conditionstacking on water wep.
Characteristics:
Use scepter in MH .
Use OH torch with trait for condition clearing and short cd.
Staff for defensive and offensive purposes.
Use Rune Baltazar
2 sec burn on staff auto (seen burn stacked up to 16 + sec)
Geared for passive defense but still with high dmg output and burst capablility
Gear and Build:
Hi all, my online name is Osicat, playing in a guild called Judge for 7 years. Originally we were a hardcore WoW Raiding guild but after four and a half years we’ve transitioned to a community, multi-game, focused guild. We joined GW2 to be a small WvWvW guild and I’ve been playing shatter Mesmer ever since.
I started this guide in 2012 as I found that there was a lack of Shatter based guides for Mesmers. At that time most played GS phantasm focused spec. In the summer 2013 I started post a PU based condition build aswell as I had a feeling meta was turning. After my brake 2013 september to november I found the meta turned and mesmer got some serious buffs. Due to this I am forced to remake al my builds and add new ones.
This is a wvwvw guide but my builds can also be effective in. I will not discuss sPvP but add a section for this kind of gameplay, tournament I avoid thu as I not enjoy the gamemode.
1 – Video section
2 – Why play shatter Mesmer?
3 – Builds/gear
3.1 – Napalm Cat 2.0
3.2 – Hidden Cat 5.0
3.3 – Shatter Cat Ghost 1.0
4 – Tips and tricks
5 – Technical and gameplay guide : https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/professions/mesmer/Under-construct-Technic-guide/first#post1461959
6: sPvP section: https://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/professions/mesmer/Shatter-Cat-sPvP-section-under-construct/first#post2504934
1 – Video section
TUTORIALS: I, II & portal guide
I : Multi clone shatter and incombat mobility
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i9TPVp4BiQ *II : Advance shatters and heavy bursts, How to do them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aM_ZzlxcCk Portal solo tactics and movment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svvbTHeDcOE Condition Cat 3.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLri428e498
2 – Why play shatter Mesmer?
This is where personal opinions come in. Shatter-focused specs offer an in-combat mobile play-style. It combines strong sustained damage in WvWvW with spiky on-demand burst damage. It provides the tools to enable you to steadily pressure opponents and the opportunity to capitalise on any mistake they make, but more importantly the burst-style allows you to pounce when your opponent drops low on health.
The Shatter specs all share skill-based survival, your main defense comes from active utilities and skills, as opposed to stacking survival stats. This makes the spec a demanding yet extremely fun build. You can also chose among several different viable builds, some of which are more “newbie” friendly, and some of which have an extreme skill cap. In the right hands a shatter Mesmer can destroy multiple targets.
Shatter spec Pros:
Several viable builds that also use very similar gear.
High skill cap
Fun to play
Good for group play
Good for solo roaming
Works well in PvE and dungeons with minor adjustments (buy a GS)
High in-combat mobility (perhaps the best mobility in the game?)
Extreme burst on demand for some builds
Good sustained wvwvw damage
Cons:
Not optimal for event farming (works but you’ll never be a warrior)
Skill demanding (There are other Mesmer builds and specs that are more accessible to new players)
Low out of combat mobility (Mist spec have high mobility both in and out)
Lag is even more punishing. (Its hard play the most advanced spec with lag. This as survival is based on active abilities).
Why Play PU Mesmer?
Its a fun playstyle, you feel like nothing can kill you and you cause alot of pain enemy ranks. Some spec offer more raw dmg while others offer preasure and better survival. Its also possible to burst with conditions if you know the tricks.
Pros
Deal good to high dmg
Superb roamer setup
Can offer support to downed teammates with massinvis
Effective at low skillcap, extremly strong 1 vs 1
Fun
Cons
Condition setup have low capability to stop enemy from flee
Condition setup are not so effective in sieges
Stealth based builds are weak for capping points
3.1 – Napalm Cat 2.0
A condition heavy spec capable of survive close to big numbers of enemy and infiltrate their controlled areas. It also unlike other condition PU sec’s have a larg and strong on demand burst dmg and good acces to both poison and torment.
High pressure with repeated spikes of Burn and torment. You can kill al classes and spec,s with this build.
Condition stacking is done on a spare wep, then swap to dubble poison/torment and keep conditionstacking on water wep.
Characteristics:
Use scepter in MH .
Use OH torch with trait for condition clearing and short cd.
Staff for defensive and offensive purposes.
Use Rune Baltazar
2 sec burn on staff auto (seen burn stacked up to 16 + sec)
Geared for passive defense but still with high dmg output and burst capablility
Gear and Build:
3.2 – Hidden Cat 5.0
A high dmg spec who aloso have high toughness plus PU? Yes it can be wery effective in terms of roaming and also fill a role in a bigger scale fight. It’s effective in small groups and solo play but also in bigger teams of 10-15 man. As your clones don’t need to survive to do dmg Or help your team with cc you can go rather deep into the fight. The spec also use shatters as a burst tool
High pressure with sudden spikes of crit dmg from shatters and phantasm dmg make this spec capable of down most enemy’s.
Might stacking and clone generating fast due to double force and might on dodge.
This is manly a for wvwv but work well in sPVP non tournament. When I have backup I use GS, If solo I often use staff.
Runes in the build and sigils:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Traveler
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_sigil_of_battle
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sigil_of_Bloodlust
Food:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Bowl_of_Curry_Butternut_Squash_Soup
Base is to keep high power and crit, use the Heavy’s gearsetup for 1800+ toughness and stack might for give pressure dmg. Especially the GS setup have a superb might stacking capability.
Characteristics:
Use sword in MH .
Use OH torch with trait for condition clearing and short cd.
Staff for defensive gameplay GS for offensive
Mightstacking, high dmg and high survival
Geared for passive defense but still with high dmg output and burst capability
3.3 Shatter Cat Ghost
A High Burst shatter setup with focus on mobility and defensive stats. Power, crit and toughness is for a shater setup high – wery high. Gameplay is centered around the high burst combined with stealth. Condition is better handeled in this setup than the normal shatter setups due to torch clearing + mantra of condi clearing.
Runes are Travaler as its the optimal mobility ruens for mesmer, it cant be cleared by a boonstrip, give boon uptime and defensive stats.
Gear is alot more defensive than the general shatter setup, this as the meta for roaming demands this.
Central is also the longer blink who combined with stealth let you escape situations you otherwice would lose.
Runes in the build and sigils:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Traveler
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_sigil_of_battle
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sigil_of_Bloodlust
A High Burst shatter setup with focus on mobility and defensive stats. Power, crit and toughness is for a shater setup high – wery high. Gameplay is centered around the high burst combined with stealth. Condition is better handeled in this setup than the normal shatter setups due to torch clearing + mantra of condi clearing.
Runes are Travaler as its the optimal mobility ruens for mesmer, it cant be cleared by a boonstrip, give boon uptime and defensive stats.
Gear is alot more defensive than the general shatter setup, this as the meta for roaming demands this.
Central is also the longer blink who combined with stealth let you escape situations you otherwice would lose.
Runes in the build and sigils:
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Rune_of_the_Traveler
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Superior_sigil_of_battle
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sigil_of_Bloodlust
5- Extra
Tricks and tipps: Use a ghastly weapon as one main hand, use sigil of the night(10%dmg). When the weapon glow its night and its do 10% extra dmg, when it dont use another sword with sigil of force (5% dmg).
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ghastly_weapons
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Sigil_of_the_Night
How to use staff for fast travel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IqzGCcbHko
6 – Thanks
The following people have al been a great inspiration or helped make this guide. It would not been what it is if not for them:
Furelise – for be wonderful and criticize/watch al my movies before posting. Also for listening to me talk constant about Mesmer in rl and save my kitten in dungeons ingame
Amayasu/Parthis, GM of Judge and my personal sword guru, aslo helped with spelling
Rivan Judge – helped with spelling
Judge guild – for still dare to use my portals and for be a fantastic guild in RL and ingame
Nero – Inspiration and help with spec, helping with tPvP Mesmer questions
Flimp – Condition play style inspiration
Ordibble – Tip about sigil of night
Winterfell – Inspiration
To all posters and folowers of the video and text guide.