Virtuoso - Power Signet Virtuoso Roamer

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

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: WvW Roaming

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on July 09, 2024 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

A Power Shatter Virtuoso build for WvW roaming that takes Inspiration for extra sustain. This take on the classic Shatter Mesmer archetype offers better survivability than any other version of Power Mes, but its bursts are a bit less threatening.

Skill Bar

Greatsword

Sword/Pistol

Utility

Skill Variants

Utility

• Signet of Illusions over Blade Renewal - allows you to spam shatters more by offering you an activate that can recharge them. This can be used both offensively and defensively, and the active itself gives you Distortion via trait synergy. It's not as good under pressure as Blade Renewal though, because it has a rather lengthy cast time whereas Blade Renewal instantly makes you immune to incoming attacks.

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Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Marauder

Accessory
Marauder

Amulet
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Greatsword
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Sword
Marauder

Pistol
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Varints

Runes

• Rune of Superior Rune of the Traveler - if you can't get Surging but want to keep the movement speed boost.

• Rune of Superior Rune of the Scholar - maximum burst damage.

Relics

• Relic of Isgarren - damage boost that's easy to maintain.

• Relic of Fireworks - slightly less damage than Isgarren, but you have more control over when to proc it. Also works on some shatter skills, not just weapons.

Consumables

Food

• - great offensive stats and some direct damage mitigation.
  • - a bit more defensive but equally viable option.

• - highest damage option, no damage mitigation but the life steal procs still provide some sustain.

• - this food provides some defense against condition damage without sacrificing damage.

• - active damage mitigation via more frequent access to dodging, and the Might generation has synergy with various traits.
  • Budget version:

• or - cheap precision bump and armor ignoring damage procs that also heal you.

Utility

• or .

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.

General

• Blink 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.

Sustain

• For Virtuoso the best defense is a good offense. Bladesongs/Shatters are crucial for sustain.

• Shatter skills grant Aegis from Bladeturn Refrain while blocking an attack procs Duelist's Reversal and Psychic Riposte, applying boons and generating 3 Blades. This is the important part.

• Stocking a Blade heals you from the passive of Signet of the Ether, while using a shatter skills heals you from Restorative Illusions and even removes a condition.

• Try not to use the active of Signet of the Ether 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 Distortion. Signet of Midnight is your panic button: break stuns, applies Stealth + Distortion and cleanses 5 conditions thanks to Blurred Inscriptions. 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.

• Bladeturn Requiem acts as an instant cleanse and source of Aegis, plus the multiple hits could rip Aegis from enemies and get rid of Blind in you so that your more important skills can connect. Aside from that it doesn't do much, it's by far your weakest shatter.

• If taken Blade Renewal 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 Sigil of Cleansing.
  • Signet of Midnight is your mass cleanse, removing a total of 5 conditions with Blurred Inscriptions.
  • Mender's Purity removes another one when you use your healing skill.
  • Phantasms take 1 condition from you when they're summoned.

• Sword's Blurred Frenzy can be used to avoid damage, it's essentially a weaker version of Distortion 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

• Bladesong Harmony is your primary burst skill, try to use it with as many Blades stocked as possible.

• Bladeturn Refrain and Duelist's Reversal 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 Phantasmal Berserkers summoned by GS skill #4 to expire and then follow up with a shatter.

• Bladesong Sorrow is more of a filler shatter but can still do respectable damage while also ripping boons from the target via Shattered Concentration.

• Mirror Blade is best used in melee range where the bounces give you Might and their travel time is minimal (and if no allies are in melee the blade might not bounce at all).

• Magic Bullet 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 Phantasmal Duelist and Illusionary Leap.

• Sometimes you might want to consider using Signet of Midnight offensively: this could instantly cleanse 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 Distortion or Blink ready in case you get focused.

Related Builds

• Virtuoso - Power GS Signet - Conquest PvP version of the build.