Mechanist - Alacrity Support Power DPS

The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good

Focused on: Direct damage and Support

Designed for: Raids and Fractals

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on April 18, 2024 and is up to date for the March 19, 2024 patch.

Overview

A power boon support build for Mechanist. Provides permanent Alacrity and high uptimes of Fury and Might.

Power Alacrity Mechanist has a simple rotation that affords a good amount of CC with little damage loss, and the mech allows you to maintain high damage and boon uptime even if you're forced to deal with mechanics.

The mace build provides some extra support through barrier generation and offers more accessible CC, while the rifle build is higher DPS and Might. As all its Alacrity comes from the mech, the mechanist can be completely off-stack as required without dropping boons.

Skill Bar

Sword/Pistol

Utility

Weapon Variants

• Shield is a moderate DPS loss, but offers good CC and survivability while still dealing more damage than Hammer.
• Hammer offers frequent projectile reflect, an evade, and a block. The lightning field on Thunderclap will also result in some occasional Swiftness for your subgroup.
• Rifle is the best weapon for players that don't own Secrets of the Obscure. It is also a nice weapon on encounters that make meleeing the boss difficult, and offers better Might generation.
• Mace will provide significantly less DPS, though you will gain some barrier generation and easier CC.

Skill Variants

• Grenade Kit can replace Throw Mine. This offers ranged damage, and deals comparable DPS if you can use it correctly.

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Specializations

Trait Variants

• It would be a minor DPS gain to take Mech Arms: Single-Edge Cutters, though it would only be worthwhile if you are absolutely certain that your group can maintain 25 Might without it.

Equipment

Head
Diviner

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Diviner

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Diviner

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Diviner

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Diviner

Ring
Diviner

Sword
Berserker

Pistol
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Boon duration variants

• The above setup provides ~520 concentration (~35% boon duration), which should be enough as long as you're able to use Crisis Zone and Barrier Burst off cooldown.
  • Crisis Zone is needed at the start of an encounter to provide a buffer of Alacrity, but it's useful to be able to keep it for negating certain attacks afterwards. If you want more freedom with when you use it, you could switch the Amulet to Diviner stats.
  • Don't go below ~31% boon duration as this is the theoretical minimum amount needed to provide permanent Alacrity.
• Note that all the Alacrity comes from your mech, which inherits your concentration stat rather than your boon duration. This makes gear such as Sigil of Superior Sigil of Concentration worthless.

Consumables

Food

• or ascended versions

Utility

Usage

Sword Rotation

Aside from using your mech skills off cooldown, the rotation is functionally a priority list:

1. Refraction Cutter
2. Blowtorch
3. Throw Mine
4. Radiant Arc
5. Glue Shot

• Every time you complete an auto chain, it slightly reduces the cooldown of your two sword skills.

Hammer Rotation

Opener

1. Barrier Burst
2. Crisis Zone
3. Thunderclap
4. Electro-whirl
5. Grenade Kit
6. Shrapnel Grenade
7. Weapon Swap (or stow kit)
8. Rocket Charge (optional)

Rest of the Rotation

After the opener, your basic loop is as follows:

1. Autoattack and use Thunderclap and Rocket Charge on Hammer until Electro-whirl is available - make sure to finish your auto chains!
2. Electro-whirl
3. Grenade Kit
4. Shrapnel Grenade, and Freeze Grenade OR Poison Grenade (if available)
5. Weapon Swap (or stow kit)
6. Repeat

Hammer video example

• Rocket Charge is a small DPS increase, but locks your character into a long animation. As the skill also provides two evades, it can instead be saved for defensive use.
• Thunderclap, Freeze Grenade and Poison Grenade all trigger Relic of Fireworks, so you want to spread them out.
  • Only use one of these grenade skills alongside Shrapnel Grenade each time you enter Grenade Kit.
  • Poison Grenade takes priority over Freeze Grenade.
  • On a loop where you use Thunderclap, only use Shrapnel Grenade the next time you enter Grenade Kit.
• See below for more General Tips.

Rifle Rotation

Rifle video example - see the DPS Build for the written rotation.

Mace Rotation

The rotation below assumes you are using offhand Pistol.

Opener

1. Barrier Burst
2. Crisis Zone
3. Blowtorch
4. Grenade Kit
5. Shrapnel Grenade
6. Poison Grenade
7. Freeze Grenade
8. Weapon Swap (or stow kit)
9. Energizing Slam
10. Mace Strike ⇒ Mace Smash (Mechanist) ⇒ Barrier Blast
11. Rocket Fist Prototype
12. Grenade Kit
13. Shrapnel Grenade
14. Weapon Swap (or stow kit)

Rest of the Rotation

After the opener, your basic loop is as follows:

1. Autoattack and use Energizing Slam on Mace until either Blowtorch or Rocket Fist Prototype are available - make sure to finish your auto chains!
2. Blowtorch or Rocket Fist Prototype - these should alternate between loops
3. Grenade Kit
4. Shrapnel Grenade, Freeze Grenade and Poison Grenade (if available)
5. Weapon Swap (or stow kit)
6. Repeat

General Tips

• Thanks to Mechanical Genius, if you are over 360 units away from your mech when using F1-3 skills, their cooldown will be 50% longer. It is therefore vital to make sure you are within range before using them or you will cripple your boon uptimes.
• You will need to use Crisis Zone to maintain Alacrity, but it can be delayed slightly if the Aegis is needed.
• Use Barrier Burst off cooldown. You can delay it by a second if it will coincide with Barrier Blast, as the internal cooldown of Mech Frame: Channeling Conduits would prevent the first tick from applying Alacrity in this case.
• Use your F1 ability off cooldown.
• Use Overclock Signet off cooldown for damage, but hold on to it if the mech is in danger of dying, so that you can instantly revive it.
• If you are using Barrier Signet, use it instead of Barrier Burst in the opener, then use Barrier Burst one second after the final pulse of Barrier Signet. Make sure never to have these two skills overlap - this is to avoid the internal cooldown from Mech Frame: Channeling Conduits.
• Try to keep an eye on your mech, as it is a major source of Alacrity thanks to Mech Core: Barrier Engine. If it ends up more than 600 units from the stack, don't hesitate to use Shift Signet to force it to the correct location.