Virtuoso - Power GS Signet Virtuoso
The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good
Focused on: Strike damage and Control
Designed for: PvP Conquest
Difficulty:
Easy
This build was last updated on May 28, 2024 and is up to date for the August 20, 2024 patch.
Overview
A PvP Virtuoso Power shatter build which combines Virtuoso's inherent sustain with Inspiration and its signets into a GS build that's more durable than its other Mesmer counterparts. Primarily created to roam the map and +1 fights, but the extra survivability allows you to try your luck in some 1v1s too.
Skill Bar
Greatsword
Sword/Pistol
Utility
Skill Variants
Utility
Viable options for the last utility slot:
- - basically this is a second , a powerful defensive skill that also restocks all of your blades.
- - more passive blade generation and an active that resets the CD of your shatter skills. Could be used both defensively and offensively.
- - makes it easier to utilize the inactivity bonus of and could be used to instantly shut down important skills.
Elite
- Stealth. - strong defensive option with group utility that could also allow you and your team to ambush enemies from
Template Code
[&DQcKJRc5QhUjD24B3BqDAWUBggGDAWYB7RKaAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADWgBmADIAAA==]
Specializations
Equipment
Greatsword
Sigil
Sigil
Sword
Pistol
Sigil
Sigil
Rune
Amulet
Relic
Equipment Variants
Sigils
- over - extra sustain.
Relics
- - better self-healing at the expensive of mobility. Consider picking up for a new speed boost.
Usage
Elite specialization basics
- Shatters are replaced by Bladesongs (we're still going to refer to these as shatters).
- Instead of generating clones in combat you now stack Blades and Blades persist even after combat. The maximum count is 5 instead of 3.
- Bladesongs are a bit more clunky than regular shatters. They require you to face the target to activate and have a cast time, therefore cannot be used defensively while stunned (with the exception of ).
General
- is a very simple yet versatile skill allowing you to chase enemies, retreat to the safety of the highghround, break stuns, or get around the map faster.
- is perhaps the most versatile skill in the build. While the passive is nice, its best part is the active - refreshing shatters is useful in just about any situation whether you need burst damage, CC or even the sustain of F4-5. Activating the signet itself also grants 1 second of via .
- adds a significant amount of group utility to the build by creating an anti-projectile bubble whenever you start reviving an ally while also improving your rez speed a little.
Sustain
- For Virtuoso the best defense is a good offense. Bladesongs/Shatters are crucial for sustain.
- Shatter skills grant Aegis from while blocking an attack procs and , applying boons and generating 3 Blades. This is the important part.
- Stocking a Blade heals you from the passive of , while using a shatter skills heals you from and even removes a condition.
- Try not to use the active of unless you're in serious trouble (or need to squeeze out more burst damage from Phantasms to get a kill) as the passive is way too valuable.
- Every Signet skill grants Stealth + and cleanses 5 conditions thanks to . SoM is the only mass condition cleanse in the build, keep that in mind when facing condition specs. Correcting mistakes or recovering from bursts becomes harder while this is on CD. . is your panic button: break stuns, applies
- Aegis, plus the multiple hits could rip Aegis from enemies and get rid of Blind on you so that your more important skills can connect. Aside from that it doesn't do much, it's by far your weakest shatter. acts as an instant cleanse and source of
- If taken is your time out, protecting you from both direct damage and condition burst while also stocking Blades (and that has further synergy with the Signet heal).
- The build has plenty of ways to deal with conditions:
- Weapon swapping removes a condition via .
- is your mass cleanse, removing a total of 5 conditions with .
- removes another one when you use your healing skill.
- Sword's can be used to avoid damage, it's essentially a weaker version of that roots you in place but has a lower CD. With proper timing this could save you even from unblockable burst chains without having to blow bigger CDs.
Damage
- is your primary burst skill, try to use it with as many Blades stocked as possible.
- and are the traits that fuel your burst combos. You stock 3 blades and gain powerful boons for a short period of time after dodging or blocking an attack - you should use this window to counterpressure targets with shatters and hard hitting skills.
- The easiest way to hit 5 Blades is to wait for the 2 s summoned by GS skill #4 to expire and then follow up with a shatter.
- is more of a filler shatter but can still do respectable damage while also ripping boons from the target via .
- Might and their travel time is minimal (and if no allies are in melee the blade might not bounce at all). is best used in melee range where the bounces give you
- is the best setup skill in the build, the stun lasts long enough to pull off a shatter + GS combo.
- The main burst skills on Sword/Pistol are and .
- Sometimes you might want to consider using Weakness and Blind from you while providing a small window of invulnerability which allows you to facetank enemy burst and counterpressure them freely. The brief Stealth could even make it harder for enemies to avoid your attacks.
- It's a risky move unless you can secure a kill or have a backup or ready in case you get focused.
offensively: this could instantly cleanse
Related Builds
- Virtuoso - Power Signet Roamer - WvW version of the build.
Ratings
Works fine but it's in a bit of a weird spot where it doesn't have as much CC and damage as a Shatter Chrono and doesn't have the sustain of some sidenoder Mesmer builds like Chronobunker or Condi Virtu. It can do a little bit of everything and I like the extra rez power it brings to the table, but it's a bit of a jack of all trades master of none build so I don't think it's a perfect 5. Definitely capable of pulling its own weight on teams though and it's easier to play than other Power Mes builds so it's a good choice for people picking up the class as well. Lost some of its cleansing with the Inspiration rework but it's still worth it.
build with very little resistance and falls very quickly, as well as can cause damage I do not recommend itbuild with very little resistance and falls very quickly, as well as can cause damage I do not recommend it
It can't reach the height of Power Chronomancer, but it is safer and easier to use. Vicious Expression would be a better option and take signet of illusion to be more flexible. Rune also has a few viable variants. Compared to Chronomancer, this one has better performance in team fights.
EDIT: Recent patch nerfed this unnecessarily, which makes this build even worse than power mirage now. You have to dodge to get an unblockable bladesong and no vigor generation in this build. Rip
Comments
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