How to Rune and Gear Your Mesmer at Level 20 in Guild Wars

Character Introduction

MMORPG games are gaining in popularity around the globe and thousands upon thousands of gamers are playing. Guild Wars offers gamers stunning worlds of player versus player and player versus environment. The highest level a character can obtain in Guild Wars is level 20. Upon reaching level 20 a character will then begin working on a build, attributes, insignias, elite skills, and choosing second professions. The Mesmer is a casting profession in the Guild Wars game.

The Mesmer is a ranged caster in groups and Guild Wars parties. Casting hexes and doing indirect damage the Mesmer will kill other

players by having them kill their selves. A Mesmer has a great deal of skills that ignore player and monster armor completely. Mesmers use energy to fight with and cast spells. A Mesmer is very capable of taking down enemies in both PvE and PvP environments.

Mesmers are almost always casters and fight from a distance in all situations. Some builds and farms could require a Mesmer to be an up-close fighter thought. Mesmers stop other players and opponents from casting spells, fighting, or damaging the Mesmer’s party. Experts in subtle damage and indirect magic the Mesmer will help sway battles in their favor. A Mesmer uses hexes, spells, and enchantments.

Wars game.

Armor Selection

The Mesmer has a variety of armor types to customize their character class. Each Mesmer that reaches level 20 needs to buy “maxed” armor for the highest protection possible in the game. Maxed armor for a Mesmer is 60.

Here is a list of the different maxed armor types and where to obtain each:

• Obsidian Armor: The Fissure of Woe
• Asuran Elite: Rata Sum
• Deldrimor Elite: Central Transfer Chamber
• Monument Elite: Eye of the North Outpost
• Norn Elite: Gunnar’s Hold
• Ancient Elite: Bone Palace
• Sunspear Elite: Command Post
• Primeval Elite: Throne of Secrets
• Vabbian Elite: The Kodash Bazaar
• Canthan Elite: Divine Path
• Kurzick Elite: Vasburg Armory
• Luxon Elite: Leviathan Pits
• Judge Elite: Granite Citadel
• Saintly Elite: Marhan’s Grotto
• Woven Elite: Granite Citadel
• Flowing Elite: Granite Citadel
• Labyrinthine Elite: Marhan’s Grotto

Armor Selection (cont.)

• Tyrian Standard: Droknar’s Forge, Wajjun Bazaar, and Boreal Station

• Istani Standard: Consulate Docks or Command Post

• Sunspear Standard: Consulate Docks or Command Post

• Canthan Standard: Kaineng Center

• Kurzick Standard: House zu Heltzer

• Luxon Standard: Cavalon

• Shing Jea Standard: Kaineng Center

  

• Ascalon Standard: Kaineng Center

• Krytan Standard: Bukdek Byway

• Censor Standard: Droknar’s Forge

• Dragon Standard: Droknar’s Forge

• Sacred Standard: Droknar’s Forge

• Star Standard: Droknar’s Forge

• Woven Standard: Droknar’s Forge

The only difference between elite and standard armor is the way it looks and the price. Standard armor is considerably cheaper than elite armor.

Rune Selection

Runes are items that upgrade armor in Guild Wars. Insignias work with runes by adding modifiers. Each armor piece can have 1 insignia and 1 rune attached to it; head, chest, hands, legs, feet. This will allow for up to 5 runes and up to 5 insignias for each complete armor set. You can remove and change runes on a character’s armor but it is very expensive to do so.

Runes can be obtained from Rune Merchants, loot from drops, or salvages from armor pieces. Some runes are stackable and others are not, however, if two of the same runes are applied the negative benefits will occur but not the positive. So if the runes are giving a +3 buff and -75 health and there are two on instead of getting +6 buff the player receives -125 health and +3 buff.

Masmer Runes and Insignias

Insignia

• Virtuoso’s Insignia
• Artificer’s Insignia
• Prodigy’s Insignia

Minor

• Minor Fast Casting

  

• Minor Domination

• Minor Illusion Magic

• Minor Inspiration Magic

Major

• Major Fast Casting
• Major Domination
• Major Illusion Magic
• Major Inspiration Magic

Superior

• Superior Fast Casting
• Superior Domination
• Superior Illusion Magic
• Superior Inspiration Magic

Attributes and Builds

The Mesmer’s attributes will primarily be focused on their core profession and include any second professions that is active. The maximum Mesmer attribute level with a full set of armor, runes, and weapons can be; Fast Casting, Domination, Illusion Magic, and Inspiration Magic 21 PvE and 17 PvP.

A character’s build and attributes should be similar in nature to ensure the best possible game play as well as the strongest character possible. Builds should focus on 2-3 attributes instead of 4 or 5. When you do this your Guild Wars character is maximizing their potential by putting all their attribute points in one place, as a substitute to placing them in random spots. If a Mesmer has skills in their skill bar that are placed in Domination then the attributes should be in Domination as well. The special attribute for the Mesmer is Fast Casting.

Attributes and Builds (cont.)

The basic Mesmer attributes explained:

• Fast Casting – Special attribute; each Fast Casting attribute point allows the character to increase casting speed.
• Domination Magic – Increases the success rate of skills that damage and interrupt opponents.
• Illusion Magic – Each Illusion Magic attribute point offers increased effectiveness to hexes and spells that damage opponents over time.
• Inspiration Magic – Each Inspiration Magic attribute point increases the efficiency of mantras and energy manipulation.

Mesmer builds can be categorized by interrupts, damage dealing, or by the attribute type; Domination, Illusion, and Inspiration. Each Mesmer needs to have 1 elite skill in their bar that is from the attribute class they specialize in.

Second Professions and Elite Skills

Each Mesmer that gains level 20 status is going to want every second profession offered in the game. Having multiple second professions will give gamers additional options to customize their characters with buffs and skills. There are 9 different second classes available to the Mesmer; Ranger, Paragon, Assassin, Ritualist, Monk, Warrior, Necromancer, Dervish, and Elementalist.

Elite skills are available from a multitude of zones in the Guild Wars games. Elite skills can be captured from a boss if the player has a Signet of Capture equipped in their skill bar. Signet of Captures are available from Rune Traders in Guild Wars towns and outposts. Every build needs at least one elite skill that corresponds with attributes and weapon points.

Combining Attributes, Builds, Runes, and Armor: Explained

The Mesmer needs to combine insignias, weapons, armor, runes, builds, and second professions to make the most powerful character possible. A Mesmer who specializes in Illusion Magic will want to set their gear up in the following way:

• Obtain a scythe Req. 9-12 Illusion Magic with stats in Fast Casting or Illusion Magic

  

• Maxed armor, with headgear for Illusion Magic

• Insignias and Runes for Fast Casting and Illusion Magic

• Attributes set in Fast Casting and Illusion Magic

• Build and skills that reflect Fast Casting and Illusion Magic

• Illusion Magic elite skill

Furthermore, if a Mesmer wishes to change builds they would want to correlate their skills and attributes and follow the same concept explained above. Armor, attributes, skills, runes, insignias, and weapons all need to have similar traits to enhance each other.

Try not to mix up skills and attributes. While it is possible to do this it does not make for a good character build.