Build:Chronomancer - Boon Support Power DPS

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Strike damage and Boon support

Designed for: Raids

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on August 03, 2022 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

Power Quickness chronomancer provides 100% Quickness uptime to its subgroup while dealing decent DPS.

This build can also easily tank. If the aggro is toughness based, simply equip some toughness. The amount needed will depend on the encounter and you and your squad's performance and skill.

As with all mesmer builds, it has access to plentiful utility should it be required, such as Feedback, Blink, or Portal Entre.

Quickness chronomancer was in the past rarely used as an offhealer, but nowadays that is a very bad option that simply cannot compete with the boons provided by reliable quickness healers.

Note that chronomancer used to be able to provide both quickness and alacrity at the same time, this is no longer possible. This build provides quickness. It is possible for chronomancers to provide Alacrity through Stretched Time, but currently we greatly discourage anyone from playing alacrity chronomancer because of how bad it is.

Skill Bar

Sword/Shield

Greatsword

Utility

Weapon Variants

Greatsword is mandatory but offhand Sword can be replaced by a Focus if you need Temporal Curtain to pull adds into the boss. These variants use different gear, so check the gear section.

Skill Variants

Utility You can replace Mantra of Pain if needed, and Well of Calamity if absolutely needed.

• Feedback provides a long-duration reflect.
• Well of Precognition provides aegis to your subgroup, useful for fights like Deimos CM.
• Mantra of Concentration provides Stability to your group.
• Mantra of Distraction for encounters that require heavy CC.
• Signet of Domination offers more CC than Mantra of Distraction but on a longer cooldown, which may be more suitable for some encounters.
• Portal Entre if you need a portal.
• Mimic allows you to get a second use out of a key skill if you'll need it more often than the cooldown. Often used together with Portal Entre.

Elite Time Warp is not required to maintain quickness, but it provides an easy way to start fights with quickness and can be used to cover up any mistakes in the rotation.

• Gravity Well should be used if an encounter requires heavy CC.
• Signet of Humility bigger and faster CC than Gravity Well but on a longer cooldown, which may be more suitable for some encounters.

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Specializations

• Time Catches Up - very minor dps gain if you don't need the extra CC from Delayed Reactions.

Inspiration Variant

Sometimes, utility is more important than damage. The inspiration traitline can be very powerful on encounters where you specifically need Aegis, such as Deimos, or the distortion from Blurred Inscriptions can be used to cheese certain mechanics, such as Slothasor's shake. Replaces Dueling.

• If the feedback from Medic's Feedback might cause problems (such as as Cairn), then you can swap it out for Restorative Mantras or Sympathetic Visage depending on whether healing or condition cleansing is more useful.
• If using a focus, then Warden's Feedback is very nice, assuming the reflects won't be an issue.
• When running Inspiration, Signet of Inspiration is very powerful and its short cooldown makes it convenient for dealing with mechanics. If you are struggling with the timing, then Signet of Midnight is instant-cast and still has a relatively low cooldown.

Equipment

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Assassin

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Diviner

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Assassin

Accessory
Assassin

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Assassin

Ring
Assassin

Ring
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Shield
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Greatsword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

• Ths gear set provides 15,4% boon duration so you can comfortably upkeep perma Quickness. You have 75% critical chance with food, reaching 100% with Fury.
• If you want to maximise your damage, swap the Sigil of Concentration for a Sigil of Airfor 5,4% boon duration, but your quickness will drop if you can't maintain a perfect rotation.

Focus variant

If you absolutely require the utility of Temporal Curtain, replace shield with focus and use this gear set because you will need a lot more boon duration.

Head
Diviner

Shoulders
Assassin

Chest
Diviner

Hands
Assassin

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Assassin

Backpiece
Diviner

Accessory
Assassin

Accessory
Diviner

Amulet
Assassin

Ring
Assassin

Ring
Diviner

Sword
Assassin

Focus
Assassin

Sigil

Sigil

Greatsword
Assassin

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

• This set provides 38,33% boon duration will lets you comfortably upkeep permanent Quickness. And 99,05% critical chance with food and Fury.

Consumables

• /

Usage

This build provides Quickness through Seize the Moment. It generates so many clones that it uses Split Second off cooldown and Rewinder for spare clones when in the greatsword set.

Opener

Start on Sword/Shield

1. Echo of Memory (while engaging the boss, but if the fight starts inmediately then use Time Warp first and cast one greatsword auto before Phantasmal Berserker)
2. Time Warp
3. Illusionary Leap ⇒ Weapon swap to cancel the aftercast animation.
4. Mirror Blade
5. Phantasmal Berserker ⇒ Continuum Split with 3 clones at the end of the casting time. Cast both charges of Mantra of Pain.
6. Phantasmal Disenchanter
7. Signet of the Ether
8. Phantasmal Berserker
9. Phantasmal Disenchanter
10. Well of Calamity ⇒ Split Second ⇒ Mind Stab so Mind Stab cancels the long aftercast of Well of Calamity.
11. Continuum Split ends during Mind Stab.
12. Phantasmal Berserker and start spamming Mantra of Pain anytime it gets a charge.
13. Phantasmal Disenchanter
14. Well of Calamity ⇒ Signet of the Ether so Signet of Ether cancels the long aftercast of Well of Calamity.
15. Phantasmal Berserker
16. Mirror Blade
17. Weapon Swap
18. Blurred Frenzy
19. Tides of Time
20. Phantasmal Disenchanter

Loop

• The loop is very simple. In the greatsword set, you will use Phantasmal Berserker 3 times thanks to Signet of the Ether. You use Phantasmal Disenchanter once per weapon set.
• If you need a full breakdown, this is the full loop:

1. Phantasmal Berserker
2. Mirror Blade
3. Mind Stab
4. Well of Calamity
5. Mirror Blade
6. Phantasmal Disenchanter
7. Mind Stab
8. Phantasmal Berserker
9. Mirror Blade
10. Signet of the Ether
11. Phantasmal Berserker
12. Weapon Swap
13. Blurred Frenzy
14. Tides of Time
15. Phantasmal Disenchanter
16. Well of Calamity
17. Blurred Frenzy

• Fill the gaps with auto attacks. Use Mantra of Pain off cooldown.

Continuum Split

• When Continuum Split is almost off cooldown, prepare 3 clones to use it on greatsword. You want to use Phantasmal Berserker and Phantasmal Disenchanter twice thanks to Signet of the Ether, Well of Calamity, and Mind Stab.

Notes

• Shield is the default weapon because it allows you to run lower boon duration, in turn doing more damage. But focus is still very good with Temporal Curtain ⇒ Into the Void to pull adds onto the boss, just remember that you need higher boon duration if you are going to use focus, check the gear section.
• Time Warp is not necessary to maintain quickness. Once it comes off cooldown after the first use, just use it when your allies might not have quickness, for example when coming back from doing cannons on Sabetha, or when coming back from the demon realm on Deimos.
• Blurred Frenzy and Illusionary Riposte can be used to avoid incoming damage with less of a DPS loss than dodging.

Clone Sources

The following skills summons clones

• Illusionary Leap summons a clone on your target.
• Illusionary Riposte summons a clone on your target if you succesfully block.
• Mirror Blade summons a clone on your target when the projectile hits.

The following skills summon phantasms than later become clones

• Phantasmal Berserker summons 2 phantasms that latter become 2 clones.
• Blurred Frenzy summons a phantasm that latter becomes a clone.
• Echo of Memory sumons a phantasm that latter becomes a clone.
  • If you block an attack with Echo of Memory, you can use Deja Vu, which sumons a phantasm that latter becomes a clone.

Shatter Usage

• Split Second is your primary shatter and does by far the most damage. As you practice this build, you will always have 3 clones ready for it, so you're going to be using if off cooldown.
• Rewinder should only be cast in the greatsword set shortly after Split Second, because the greatsword loop rotation generates enough clones to have 3 ready for Split Second.
• Time Sink should be saved for emergencies to provide CC or cover quickness gaps.
• Neither of your shatters line up perfectly in your loop, so they will drift, but you should be using Split Second at least once on each weapon set.

Crowd Control

• Time Sink - daze.
• Tides of Time - stun (shield only)
• Temporal Curtain ⇒ Into the Void - pull
• Illusionary Wave - Knockback.

If you need more CC remember you can take Gravity Well, or Signet of Humility, or Mantra of Distraction, or Signet of Domination.