Terebinthia wrote on Dec 26
th, 2012 at 6:38pm:
Argh. Can I roll up stuffs on different servers? Also, what the hell is closest to melee hybid caster oriented debuffer capabable self healing offensive caster on there?
Quote:You can play a greatsword-wielding mesmer!
Yes, definitely Mesmer.
But a warning: Mesmers start off slow and don't really start to get good until you get a bunch of traits. Leveling a Mes can be pretty annoying for a while. But from your description you definitely want to play a Mesmer.
But instead of greatsword, I'd recommend staff. In a Mesmer's hands a greatsword is actually a ranged weapon, and if you're looking for debuffs, staff fits the bill much better.
For your melee weapon (from swap) you'll want a sword main hand, coupled with whatever you decide you like best in your off hand. Sword is the Mesmer's only real melee option, but it's all they need because it's ridiculously powerful with a ton of survivability once you get the hang of using it properly.
For your off hand, focus is mediocre in my opinion. Torch is situational. You'll see many people claiming pistol is the best, but I prefer dual swords.
The Phantasmal Duelist from pistol is indeed powerful, but it's stationary. The tooltip lists damage as (8x)144. The second ability is Magic Bullet, which stuns/dazes/blinds targets that it hits (in that order - it bounces). MB is a projectile finisher.
The Phantasmal Swordsman's damage is listed as 487 (which is obviously less than (8x)144), but he attacks almost twice as fast so that makes up most of the difference right there. He also leaps in to attack, then leaps back again, keeping distance between himself and the target. This means when the target moves out of range of the Duelist he becomes useless. The Swordsman follows his target, but stays at range enough to survive it. This keeps him in the fight longer, which makes up the rest of the difference in damage. It is also a leap finisher, which is far better than a projectile finisher. The other off hand sword skill is a 2s block, which you can turn into a ranged Daze in a line AoE.
Better survivability for your Phantasm, similar damage from him, more utility/survivabilty for you, and a better finisher. Dual swords are better than sword/pistol in my eyes. No question about it.