User:Mercurius Ter Maxim/sandbox

Thieving Cracker Nightmare
This build is designed for Alliance Battles. It uses the powerful elite Signet of Illusions in combination with the two thievery skills and heavy degen and spike capibility from Conjure Nightmare and Lightning Orb to create a potent and dynamic mesmer, able to maintain substantial DPS while stealing important spells and turning them back on the enemy.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=ME/E illusion=12+1+3 fastc=9+1 insp=9+1][Signet Of Illusions][Conjure Nightmare][Lightning Orb][Arcane Thievery][Arcane Larceny][Glyph Of Lesser Energy][Ether Signet][Ether Feast][/build]

Equipment

 * Equipment sets are used for energy hp armor and recharge management.


 * low set - more HP & Armor, less Energy, no recharge: -5 energy spear of fortitude & shield of fortitude with +al vs piercing(piercing damage from rangers, paragons, and assassins is the most common type you will face, air from npc eles is another consideration).


 * mid-low set - less HP more Armor & Energy, recharge: +5 energy ^50% illusion cane with Wrapping of memory and +al vs piercing shield.


 * mid-high set - less armor & energy more energy more recharge: stave with +15 -1, hp +30 energy +5.


 * high set - max energy low regen less recharge: +15 -1 wand and focus with core of fort.


 * Survivor insignias using the above runes with runes of vigor and attunement.

Usage

 * Cast SoI at the start of the match and recast whenever possible.
 * GoLE will cover the cost of stealing spells leaving you a full pool to use on stolen spells.
 * swap to your low set for ether sig or if running. it has +30 hp and hides your energy from denial and from storm djinn's haste.

Philosophy
"Anything you can do I can do better".
 * -Annie Oakley.

This build showcases the amazing versatility and arcane mastery of the thinkers profession: The Mesmer. It allows the Mesmer to utilize their knowledge of all other professions and exploit their foe's builds and weaknesses. It allows the Mesmer freedom and creativity, and it requires quick thinking and good reflexes to be fully effective.

This is the Mesmers chance to show that it can do everyone else's jobs better and faster, it is also a chance for the Mesmer to show off it's adaptability and overall battlefield awareness and control.

By disabling skills on key targets, using those skills in battle, and applying heavy pressure and useful conditions at key points you can be the difference between winning and losing for your side.


 * Example:
 * Non-Dervish secondary caster physical attacker characters usually only have one or two key spells that are necessary to keep them alive in battle. Steal Healing Breeze from the wammo attacking your ele and heal your ele with it(at 16 Illusion, a far more powerful spell in your hands) while you degen the tank and crack his armor with a nice spike of armor penetrating air damage.

NPC's

 * NPC's of each arcane profession listed can be found on every map. Use this information to your advantage, steal from the right NPC to assist your capturing their shrine or holding off the enemy.


 * When capping shrines remember the following


 * NPC's have the following skills to steal, allways


 * Elementalists:
 * -Lightning Orb, nice to have two or three of these.
 * -Lightning Hammer, you can get 3-5 out of your high set depending on the status of GoLE.
 * -Lightning Surge, the best, you can surge/orb spike.
 * -Whirlwind, It's useful if you're under melee pressure.
 * -Air Attunement, it's nice to use with your orb and other air spells you steal.
 * -Aura of Restoration, cast it on yourself for some nice bonus healing.
 * Necromancers:
 * -Parasitic Bond, meh, spread it around if you get it for some cheap healing.
 * -Icy Veins, good to use on the necros, kill the target to spike the other necros.
 * -Desecrate Enchantment, fairly worthless against the necros, useful against enemy dervishes in the area.
 * -Life Siphon, not really worth the energy.


 * Ritualists:
 * -Painful Bond, This is their only spell, it's worth disabling but don't steal it twice


 * Monks:
 * -Protective Spirit, You want to steal this before it's used, so you can spike better with orb
 * -Healing Burst, Good to heal your team with if you're under attack
 * -Divine Intervention, It's a meh skill to use, but better you have it then the monk
 * -Healing Whisper, Nice to heal your team and yourself with, Fast casting makes it a very quick heal

Humans

 * Monks:
 * Usually prot/healing hybryd or smiting, WoH, Healers Boon, ZB are common elites, Mo/A asscasting smiters are becoming more common.

Secondary Casters

 * /D:
 * Steal their Mystic Regen and vital boon


 * /A:
 * Steal shadow refuge, AoD, Deaths charge, Feigned Nutrality, Shadow Prison etc.. generally shadow steps and self heals, Particularly effective agaist Asscaster assasin secondaries.
 * Asscasters. Steal Asp and daggers if your lucky, disable their chain for 37 seconds while you nightmare>daggers>asp>orb them into oblivion. Don't let them get the jump on you.
 * Mo/A's are either recall prots or Asscasters with Smiting.
 * Shadow Prison is useful for evading the assassin you stole it from if you are under attack. Shadow step to the melee attacker on you then walk away leaving them snared. Degen and spike them if you get the chance while they are snared.


 * /Mo:
 * Tanks:
 * -Purge Conditions, Mending, Healing Breeze, Mending Touch, Vigorous Spirit
 * -*Note W/Mo's frequently have spells that will help you deal with their attacks, and stealing them will prevent tanks from dealing with yours.
 * Casters:
 * -Healing Breeze, Mending Touch, Protective Spirit, Orison of Healing, Shield of Regen, hex/condition management


 * /Me:
 * All Casters:
 * -E-Management, degen or backfire, IoW, use IoW on yourself for a nice backup heal
 * Necros:
 * -Various illusion, domination hexes, inturrupts


 * /E:
 * Mesmers:
 * -FC Fire 78% of the time, steal Flare, Fire storm, Fire attunement, Meteor Shower, Fireball, Searing Heat and Mesmer spells
 * -FC Air 20% of the time, steal another orb, a hammer or a flash along with more Mesmer spells
 * -SoI/Dom/Other 2% steal whatever to spite them and then cast their backfire on them


 * Monks:
 * -They just have monk spells and GoLE


 * Warriors:
 * -Steal a conjure, shock, and sometimes fire storm for some unknown reason.


 * All Casters:
 * -Storm/ Flame Djinn's Haste, Nice speed boost and possibly damage.
 * -Elemental Attunement good for orb and other ele spells you steal.
 * -X Attunement, good if air, or if you steal a spammable skill of the same element.
 * -Aura of Restoration, cast it on yourself for some nice bonus healing.
 * -Random AoE spells, use these fire spells against the enemy with SoI and say thank you.


 * /Rt:
 * Physical Attackers
 * -Splinter Weapon/Nightmare Weapon, Steal and cast on ranged and melee allies, nightmare and orb on the victim.


 * /N:
 * Rangers
 * -Steal Offering of Blood from touch rangers, nightmare and orb them while kiting touches.

Primary Casters

 * Mesmers
 * -Show no mercy to your fellow Mesmers. Nightmare, orb and steal their spells to use on them. Show them why you are the better Mesmer.
 * -Watch out for diversion, steal first and if you get it use it on the Mesmer you stole it from to disable another skill or two on their bar.


 * Monks
 * -A top target for thievery. Stealing the monks skills weakens it's team and strengthens yours.


 * Necros
 * -Top Targets, especially mm's. Steal golem and blood of the master, orb and nightmare the mm to death then pull a level 26 Golem from it's corpse.


 * Elementalists
 * -Also a prime target. Few things are nicer then stealing two copies of Savannah Heat then using them both on the ele who you stole them from. lots of useful spells to turn the tides of battle in your direction.


 * Ritualists
 * -Channeling and Restoration are the most common, both are quite nice to have.

E-Management
Utilizing Ether Signet and Glyph of Lesser Energy This Mesmer can expend it's large energy pool, swap down to the low energy set, cast ether sig, swap back up cast GoLE and be ready for another 3-4 spells in a matter of seconds. When capping Shrines the signet and energy pool should recharge in the time it takes to capture the shrine.


 * Touch Rangers.
 * Finally you can be happy to see one of these. You can steal Offering of Blood TWICE from each  toucher giving you a nearly unlimited amount of energy to degen and spike them with. Heal the sac from OoB with Ether Feast to further deprive them of their precious energy.

Utility Spells

 * Conjure Nightmare and Lightning Orb provide constant pressure and spike capabilities that are effective on just about any opponent.


 * High Armor targets are very good targets for both orb(cracked armor is applied before the damage) and for Nightmare which can be difficult for the tank to remove, especially if you already stole it's healing and hex-removal.


 * Monks and Low armor targets are equally good targets for both skills. Cracked armor will help with any armor buffs they may have, nightmare is good to offset any regen they might have. as with any character stealing spells from a caster will greatly assist their death, either by giving you more damage or by disabling their ability to withstand your pressure.

Variants

 * Replace Ether Feast with Storm Djinn's Haste for a long duration speed boost at the expense of regular healing. If you are in a team with a monk, or if you prefer speed, targeting monks ritualists assassins and w/mo's for theft will frequently result in a nice healing spell.

Counters
Spicific counters are rare or many, taking lots of damage kills you, backfire shuts you down for the druation -hp you are willing to spare to cast with out a hex removing teamate.


 * Distracting Shot. SoI is a .64 second cast with Fast Casting it's pretty unlikely.


 * Diversion. Dont' cast through it, watch for Mesmers and steal first.


 * Ignorance. Unusual skill to cast on a Mesmer, remember to steal first and stay alert.


 * Migrane/Cast slowing hexes. Steal first. Cast through Migrane if you are out of earshot of the Mesmer.


 * Spell Breaker etc. Unless you get well of the profane off a necro somehow you're sol just like every other caster out there.