User:Jasminethetender/builds/mesmer

Mesmer =Warmongers Instability=

This build focusses on the frequent Interrupts and Knockdown of a foe. With the timed use of Warmonger's Weapon and Psychic Instability this Mesmer can be a handy team member when facing deadly situations. The ideal use is for the Arenas, but it also can be used in AB to crush some Spellcasters.

Equipment

 * Armor:
 * Armor with Radiant Insignias are preferred.
 * The highest Vigor Rune you can get.
 * A Rune of Attunement.
 * Weapons:
 * A PvP Domination Cane with Energy +5 while health is above 50% and an Inscribed Chakram of Fortitude.
 * A PvP Spear with +5 energy and Health +30.
 * For PvE Characters Eshwe's Wand and Korrub's Vision can be used.

Usage
The main usage of this build is getting on your enemy and  a cover hex on him/her ( or ). When the Hexes are placed on the target cast on you or an ally and begin attacking. can be placed on the target, as it does damage while attacking, so the target won't attack. Then just start wanding on the target and he/she wil be frequently interrupted and knocked-down. When the hexes are beginning to fade away, use for some Energy management. can be used for a nice Enchantment shattering and Energy maintenance. And last but not least, cast on fallen party members.

Counters

 * Energy denial could be fatal for this build.
 * As this is a Squishy profession, be aware of Warriors, Assassins and Dervishes.

Variants

 * could be replaced with for a sure 2 times knock-down.
 * is an alternative for for attacking foes.
 * can be replaced with in AB for for a bit self-healing.

Attributes and Skills

 * Use any hex that costs low energy and fast recharge. For example, Images of Remorse or Wastrel's Worry.

Equipment

 * Curse wand and focus with 20% cast and recharge.
 * Illusion wand and focus with 20% cast and recharge.
 * Enchanter's Armor preferred. (Radiant Insignia)

Usage

 * Always put Soul Barbs first, Recurring Insecurity second, and then spam all your other hexes like there's no tomorrow.
 * Use Drain Enchantment and Inspired Hex if low on energy.
 * Parasitic Bond is a great hex to spam, fast recharge and low energy cost. It also heals you when enemy dies.  Cast it on everyone.

Variants

 * Optionally, you may want to sacrifice points from Fast Casting for:
 * Inspiration Magic, to increase Energy Gain.
 * Illusion Magic, to increase Degeneration.
 * For competitive missions or alliance battles, Resurrection Signet could be replaced with another hex or another energy management skill, such as Revealed Hex or Inspired Enchantment.
 * Plague Touch is another possibility, for countering conditions.
 * Wastrel's Worry a quick casting Mesmer hex that deals additional damage, providing your target does not use a skill to cancel it.
 * Energy Tap or Channeling for greater Energy management, or replacing Drain Enchantment or Inspired Hex in areas like Fort Aspenwood, where there are not as many Hexes being used.
 * Images of Remorse is a good spell to add to an optional slot.
 * Accumulated Pain is also a good spell to add to an option slot. It helps taking down enemies quicker, and makes it harder for enemies to heal that foe, because of the Deep Wound caused by it.
 * Spirit of Failure increases survivability and helps with energy management.
 * Conjure Phantasm for heightened degeneration levels.
 * Faintheartedness with 1 cast and a combination of degeneration/slow attack in another good hex option.
 * Consider Ether Feast and/or Illusion of Weakness to make yourself a little more resistant.

Attributes and Skills

 * For PvE play take a Resurrection Signet.
 * For Competitive Missions and Alliance Battles take Fire Storm

Equipment

 * Enchanter's or Radiant armor is needed for the extra energy. In addition to the Fast Casting and Inspiration runes, use the best Vigor rune you can afford and an Attunement rune. For the last slot use either a rune of Recovery or another Attunement rune, depending on how often you find yourself Dazed.
 * Use a +15/-1 energy Fire Wand with a 20% chance to halve the recharge of Fire Magic spells (such as the Fire Wand crafted by Honglei Sun) and a Fire Magic Focus with a 20% chance to add +1 Fire Magic and a 20% chance to halve the recharge time of Fire Magic spells (such as The Kindlerock). Swap to another weapon set when not in combat to regain the extra pip of energy regeneration.

Usage

 * Keep Fire Attunement up at all times, without it energy management becomes very difficult. Beware of enemies with enchantment removing skills.
 * When facing small mobs cast Echo and Fireball, then spam Fireball. When you get down to 30 energy cast Auspicious Incantation followed by Rodgort's Invocation - after these spells you'll have around 50 energy. Auspicious Incantation and Rodgort's Invocation will be disabled for 50 and 45 seconds, respectively.
 * When facing a large mob cast Echo, Meteor Shower, Rodgort's Invocation, Auspicious Incantation and finally the Echoed Meteor Shower - at the end of this chain you will have a full energy bar of around 50 (due to the energy lost to exhaustion). This allows you to keep Meteor Shower up for 18 consecutive seconds, and immediately follow it up with Fireball, Breath of Fire and Fire Storm (in Competitive Missions/Alliance Battles).
 * Use Breath of Fire (and, if you have it, Fire Storm) as your standard damage over time spell - Meteor Shower should only be used when absolutely necessary due to its high energy cost and exhaustion.

Variants

 * If you find yourself often interrupted use Mantra of Concentration as the optional skill.
 * Auspicious Incantation can be swapped for Glyph of Lesser Energy. This makes the build easier to run at the cost of a slight reduction in energy management capabilities.
 * Breath of Fire can be swapped for:
 * Fire Storm (in PvE), which costs 5 more energy but causes more total damage over time (assuming enemies don't break aggro).
 * Lava Font, if you find yourself often surrounded by foes.
 * Immolate, for more damage against one enemy.
 * Glowing Gaze, for more energy management. Echo Rodgort's Invocation rather than Fireball or Meteor Shower if you bring this spell.
 * Mark of Rodgort, for less direct damage but more degeneration through burning. If you bring this spell consider using Glowing Gaze in the optional slot.
 * For Competitive Missions and Alliance Battles consider swapping Breath of Fire and Fire Storm for Immolate and Glowing Gaze. This increases the amount of spike damage you can do at the cost of reducing the area of effect damage you can cause.

=Flash Flood= The Fast Casting Water Ele is a build primarily used in Alliance Battles. It uses Dual attunements to spam water magic spells at a low energy cost.

Usage

 * Put up both attunements before fighting.
 * Spam Ice Spear to deal damage
 * When facing a warrior use blurred vision to lower their chance of hitting.
 * When facing someone who needs to be close to do damage (such as a warrior or touch ranger) use Ice Spikes to slow them down.
 * Against casters, slow them down and cast maelstrom to keep them interrupted. They usually won't notice Maelstrom is there until it has dealt a lot of damage.
 * To slow down large groups use Deep Freeze.
 * Use Armor of Mist to get away quickly, to run to another cap point, or to avoid getting hit.

Counters

 * Any spammer counters such as backfire
 * Enchantment Removal

=Air Spiker= This Mesmer build is a powerful air spiker that utilizes the Mesmer's Fast Casting ability to quickly spam spells to take down opponents.

Usage

 * Maintain Air Attunement, covered with Channeling at all times.
 * Precast Glyph of Lesser Energy, followed by Invoke Lightning and Lightning Orb for a cheap spike.
 * Lightning Strike is to be cast outside of main spikes.
 * Knockdown enemies with Gale
 * Resurrect fallen party members with Resurrection Signet.

Counters

 * Any massive damage or degeneration will kill you in a matter of seconds. The build is best suited for teams containing monks or other support characters to offset the health loss.
 * Anti-spamming skills such as Backfire or Spiteful Spirit.
 * Enchantment removal will shut-down the build for a long period of time.

Equipment

 * A 20% HCT/HSR Air Magic Staff with a 20% Enchantment mod would be ideal.
 * Charlatan's for the +10 armor while enchanted.

Variants

 * Blinding Flash can replace Channeling for more defense against attackers, but beware when replacing Channeling, as you will remove your only option for a cover enchantment.
 * Lightning Javelin can be used for interruption.
 * Arc Lightning can serve as a replacement for Channeling; sacrificing longer recharge for less energy spent.
 * Lightning Bolt can also replace Channeling to fill intervals and hit moving foes.

=Mystic IW= The Me/D Mystic IW is a PvP build that uses Illusionary Weaponry to deal armor ignoring damage coupled with Dervish Earth and Wind prayers for increased attack rate and protection. High health regeneration and deterants from Earth Prayers defend the IW Mesmer, while Wind Prayers allow the mesmer to attack 25% faster with a Sword or Axe and quickly heal.

Usage

 * Casting Illusion of Weakness at the start.
 * Before attacking, cast Illusionary Weaponry and Mystic Regeneration. Maintain these enchantments.
 * Heal with Dwayna's Touch.
 * When near to target, enter the Whirling Charge stance.
 * Use Veil of Thorns and Armor of Sanctity to deter attackers and boost defenses when under attack.

Equipment

 * Totem Axe, Rajazan's Fervor or nearest alternative
 * Forgotten Fan or focus of choice
 * Blessed Insignia's

Counters

 * Enchantment removal
 * Interruption of Illusionary Weaponry
 * Damage spikes
 * Energy denial

Variants

 * Armor of Sanctity can be replaced by Sympathetic Visage
 * Veil of Thorns or Armor of Sanctity can be replaced by Aura of Thorns to cripple your target
 * Lyssa's Haste can be useful to boost speed and help energy management.

=Fast Cast Discord=

The Fast Cast Discord utilizes the mesmer's Fast Casting attribute to quickly use the powerful skill Discord.

Attributes and Skills

 * You may switch Conjure Phantasm for the more powerful, but more costly, Conjure Nightmare.
 * The optional slot may be filled with a defensive skill like Distortion, or an offensive hex as another trigger for Discord.
 * You can switch Kitah's Burden and Enfeeble for Phantom Pain and Shatter Delusions.
 * Web of Disruption works as a handy, albeit awkward, cover hex. Use Shatter Delusions as an interrupt on a target hexed with Web of Disruption.
 * Parasitic Bond could also be used as another cover.
 * Arcane Echo for extra spammage.

Equipment

 * The correct runes, a Rune of Superior Vigor, and as many Runes of Attunements and Radiant Insignias you can use.
 * A Death Staff with HCT,HRT for Death Magic spells.

Usage

 * Start the battle with Illusion of Weakness, be sure to let your health regenerate before moving in.
 * Cast Conjure Phantasm -> any other cover hex you have -> Kitah's Burden/Phantom Pain -> Shatter Delusions/Enfeeble -> Discord. After the first chain continue to spam Discord until either your target dies, or until you have to renew your hexes/conditions.
 * After you've killed your target, use Consume Corpse to regain health and energy.
 * If you brought Web of Disruption, use it as both a cover hex and an interrupt, as well as a good hex to fuel Shatter Delusions.

Counters

 * Anti spamming skills such as, Diversion, Backfire, Spiteful Spirit, Distracting Shot, etc.
 * Quick condition and hex removal (this isn't as big of a problem against enchanted foes).

=Expel Dom= The Expel Dom mesmer excels in an adrenal spike situtation, where the temporary shutdown of a Monk can lead to a kill. Expel Hexes is used as a very powerful hex removal skill in this build. These builds are very common in GvG, especially as a counter to Hex-heavy teams.

Equipment

 * A +30/-2 Energy set is recommended for the rare occasions where you exhaust yourself out.
 * Runes of Minor or Superior Domination Magic, Superior Vigor, Minor Fast Casting.

Usage

 * Remove multiple hexes with Expel Hexes.
 * Use Spiritual Pain and Shatter Enchantment while spiking.
 * Glyph of Lesser Energy should be activated before using costly spells.
 * Shutdown enemy skills with Diversion. Since it costs 10 Energy, Glyph of Lesser Energy should be used to nullify that cost.
 * Remove enemy enchantments and regain lost energy with Drain Enchantment.
 * Use Gale for a long-range knockdown.
 * Resurrect fallen party members with Resurrection Signet.

Variants
This build, like many Mesmer builds, have many different variants.
 * Guilt can be used for both Energy and as an interrupt, being a more defensive variant to Shame.
 * Take Blackout to extensively shutdown enemies. This is especially useful against enemies using Adrenaline skills.
 * Wastrel's Demise can be equipped for added spike damage.
 * Take out an enemy's elite skill with Signet of Humility.
 * If you're looking to take interrupts, consider taking Leech Signet, Power Drain, or Power Return.
 * Include Energy Burn for more damage and energy denial.

=Bad Headache= The Migraine Mesmer is a common component of hex builds, using Migraine to inhibit enemy casters and hexes to apply degeneration pressure.

Equipment

 * Use full Survivor's Armor with the appropriate runes.
 * For a PvP character, weapon sets should be:
 * PvP Spear of Fortitude, Brawn Over Brains inscription, with a PvP Shield of Fortitude with a +armor inscription
 * PvP Spear of Fortitude, I Have the Power! inscription, and the shield from above
 * PvP Illusion Wand of Memory, Hale and Hearty inscription, with a PvP Illusion Focus of Fortitude, Forget Me Not inscription
 * The above wand, with a PvP Illusion Focus of Fortitude, Live For Today inscription

Usage

 * Maintain Mantra of Persistence during combat.
 * Cast Migraine on an enemy caster and cover with Conjure Phantasm and Images of Remorse.
 * When Migraine is recharging, use Conjure and Images on other enemies to increase partywide degeneration pressure.
 * Cast Spirit of Failure on physical attackers, preferably those affected by other hexes that increase chances of missing, to keep energy up.
 * Disable important elite skills with Signet of Humility. Usual targets would be Divert Hexes or Light of Deliverance, as those two monk elites greatly inhibit a hex build's offensive ability.
 * Interrupt important spells and manage energy with Power Drain.

Variants

 * Power Drain can be changed for anything suitable for the build, such as Gale if needed.
 * Mantra of Persistence can be swapped for Mantra of Inscriptions. If this is done, Leech Signet is better than Power Drain due to the faster recharge.

=Diversion Mesmer= This build relies on the Mantra of Recovery and Diversion combo to keep the opponent "Diversioned" all the time. It is most commonly used in Guild Battles.

Attributes and Skills

 * Skills for the Optional slot are: Draw Conditions, Inspired Hex or Wastrel's Worry.
 * The metagame suggests Resurrect. Some guilds might prefer Resurrection Chant instead.
 * Shame is often used to help shutdown casters also.

Equipment

 * A +1 to Fast Casting Headpiece
 * Enchanter's Armor for the extra Energy.
 * +5 Energy Axe or Sword of Fortitude
 * A 20% "Improves Inspiration Spell Recharge" and +30 HP (always) as offhand.

Usage

 * Choose a target, preferably a spell caster.
 * Cast Mantra of Recovery, then Diversion (use Wastrel's Worry as cover if applicable)
 * Use Drain Enchantment and Power Drain to recover your Energy.
 * Blackout is especially effective against adrenal warriors or monks.
 * Shatter Enchantment is your contribution to the spike, if applicable.

Counters

 * Strong hex removal.

Variants

 * Power Return in place of the optional slot to avoid downtime.
 * Echo in place of Mantra of Recovery. This means you can quickly cast two diversions in a row, for a time.
 * Spiritual Pain in place of Shatter Enchantment or the optional slot to help with the spike.
 * Signet of Humility can be used to disable the elite skill before using Diversion.
 * Glyph of Lesser Energy for Elementalist secondaries, cast before high-energy skills to alleviate the stress of Energy.
 * Power Leak instead of Blackout for extra interrupt with energy denial.
 * Shame also works well instead of another skill if you want to concentrate on monks.

=Caster Headache= This build mainly focuses on using Migraine and Frustration in order to make things easier for this interrupt-happy skill set.

Equipment

 * Anything you can get for extra Energy as well as a superior Vigor Rune.
 * Mostly preference but I would suggest a 20/20 Inspiration cane or a Garbok's Cane with a 20/20 Illusion focus.

Usage
Begin by casting Migraine and Frustration on your main target which will mainly be Elementalists and Necromancers. Use interrupt skills as necessary and take advantage of the synergy between Web of Disruption and Drain Delusions for even more interruption. Power Drain and Leech Signet will be your main energy management sources along with Drain Delusions. Wastrel's Worry is also a handy skill that can be used to "force their hand" so to speak.

Counters
Hex removal, Backfire etc.

Variants
Drain Delusions for Shatter Delusions. Once again mainly preference but drain will tend to be better for energy. Power Drain for Power Return. Your choice here, the trade-off is a rather large energy gain in return for spamability.

Equipment

 * Survivor's Insignia on head, hands, and feet
 * Radiant Insignia on chest and legs
 * 1 Rune of Vitae
 * 1 Rune of Recovery
 * Curses staff with the inscription of "Hale and Hearty", and equipped with both a Hale Staff Head and Staff Wrapping of Fortitude.

Usage

 * Find your target caster and use Depravity on them. If your target is a monk and/or you expect hex removal, be sure to cover it with one of your other hexes. Ether Phantom works well, but if you can interrupt the next spell, Web of Disruption also provides an ample cover hex. If you feel your target has an elite that will hinder you or your team, use Signet of Humility. Otherwise, find a more practical target to disable their elite. You can now feel free to move onto other enemy casters and use Depravity on them when you see fit. Don't forget to reapply it on opposing monks. Reckless Haste and Spirit of Failure provide relief against physical attackers, and Spirit of Failure will provide you with energy. Ether Feast of course is for healing.

Counters

 * Anti-spam spells, i.e. Diversion
 * Extensive hex removal
 * Interrupts

Variants

 * Reckless Haste can be replaced with Malaise if you want to focus more on debilitating casters.
 * Signet of Humility can be replaced with Drain Delusions for more e-denial/energy return or a second interrupt in conjunction with Web of Disruption. You can also cycle through Ether Phantom and Drain Delusions for more e-denial, and it basically costs nothing because of your Inspiration Magic level at the breakpoint for those two skills.
 * Ether Feast can be replaced with Parasitic Bond for an additional cheap cover hex at the cost of indirect self-healing.

=Curse Anti melee= This is a PvP build mainly used to shutdown warriors or other melee characters. It can also be used to spam Malaise in down time. It works well in Team Arenas, however, in guild battles it works best with at least one other hex spammer.

Usage

 * Cast Reckless Haste, Spirit of Failure, and Price of Failure on a melee target, then make sure to cover them with Parasitic Bond and Malaise if you want to.
 * If there are other melee targets, cast Faintheartedness, Price of Failure, and Spirit of Failure on them and again cover the hexes.
 * While making sure to keep your anti-melee hexes on the melee targets, work to spam Malaise and Parasitic Bond around to the remainder of the team.
 * Use Energy Drain when low on energy and to add some more energy denial into the mix.

Counters

 * Mass hex removals, such as Convert Hexes, Purge Signet, Expel Hexes, or Contemplation of Purity.
 * Interrupts.
 * Any form of caster shutdown, such as Diversion and Backfire.

Variants

 * Malaise can be replaced with another cover hex or an interrupt.
 * If you're not having problems with energy, Energy Drain can be replaced with another elite, such as Wither, Feast of Corruption, Weaken Knees, etc.
 * Faintheartedness can be replaced with Shadow of Fear.

=Soul Failure= This is a PvP build designed to make other foes impotent for long periods of time while also doing decent damage. It is very strong against foes that use mostly attacks, and it is decent against most casters, but it is not very effective against Monk primaries.

Equipment
Use Hale and of Fortitude mods on a Curses staff and a Rune of Superior Vigor to get your maximum hitpoints up to 590. Use whatever armor you prefer with Runes of Minor Fast Casting and Minor Inspiration Magic.

Usage

 * Cast the main combo of Spirit of Failure, Price of Failure, and Parasitic Bond on attackers, such as Warriors, Assassins, and Rangers.
 * Cast the secondary combo of Wither and Parasitic Bond on casters, such as Mesmers, Necromancers, Elementalists, and Monks. (Note: Monks should be a low priority for this build.)
 * Rotate from target to target continuing to maintain the two combos on your foes.
 * Use Inspired Hex on particularly damaging hexes, and then use those hexes against your foes. Inspired Hex can also be used for energy management.
 * Use Drain Enchantment as your main energy management skill. It's also great for removing enchantments, such as Illusionary Weaponry or Elemental Attunement, that are vital to the builds of your foes.
 * Use Ether Feast when you're in trouble and need a quick boost in health.


 * If 1 attacker focuses on you, make sure that the main combo is active on him. You can then ignore his presence for all intents and purposes, and immediately cast the secondary combo on the foe of your choice.
 * If 2 attackers focus on you, make sure to cast the main combo on at least one of them right away. If both of them have the main combo on them, you can ignore them until it's time to refresh the combo on them. If only one of them has the main combo on them, it is advisable to flee until your main combo is recharged. At that point, you can either continue to flee, or attempt to cast the main combo on the second foe.
 * If 3 attackers focus on you, make sure to cast the main combo on at least one of them right away, and then flee until at least 1 of the attackers changes focus.
 * If there are no attackers, the main combo will be largely unnecessary, and you can focus on spamming the secondary combo.
 * Both combos should be spammed as frequently as possible, using Inspired Hex and Drain Enchantment for energy management when necessary.

Counters

 * There are several Monk skills that can counter this build effectively: Contemplation of Purity, Convert Hexes, Purge Signet, and Holy Veil. Purge Signet has stiff energy penalties, Contemplation of Purity can only be used on the caster, and Holy Veil needs to be maintained to have the greatest effect against this build, which means that only Convert Hexes is a truly useful counter. Convert Hexes, however, has a 20 second recharge, whereas the main combo of this build has only a 10 second recharge, so Convert Hexes can only counter this build up to a point.


 * Energy denial builds are marginally effective against this build, since this build has skills to quickly regain energy.


 * Interruption builds are fairly effective against this build, unless you manage to get a combo off on them first while the focus is elsewhere. It may be desireable to add a superior rune of Fast Casting if you're having problems being interrupted. Another alternative is to take Mantra of Concentration or Mantra of Resolve to prevent interrupts.


 * Certain hexes such as Backfire could potentially cause problems for this build, but in general, this build can afford to ignore them or wait them out.

Variants

 * Spiteful Spirit can be used in place of Wither, but it's more expensive, has a shorter duration, and severely discourages the target from attacking (which is an effect already caused by Spirit of Failure and Price of Failure). Wither is also more useful against casters than Spiteful Spirit.
 * Inspired Hex and Drain Enchantment are the two optional skills.
 * Power Drain can be used for extra energy management and the ability to interrupt.
 * Soul Barbs can be used for extra damage capabilities.
 * Mantra of Concentration or Mantra of Resolve can be used to protect against interrupts.
 * Plague Touch can be used to protect against harmful conditions and transfer them to foes.
 * Malaise can be used in combination with Wither to completely shut-down the natural energy regeneration of casters.
 * Of the 5 left-over attribute points, put 3 into Illusion Magic, add a minor rune of Illusion Magic and equip Distortion. An attacker hexed with Spirit and Price of Failure will then miss you with an 86% chance, giving you a net 1 energy for each miss.
 * Reckless Haste has great synergy with the Failure hexes, increasing rate of attack and adding a further 43% chance to miss (68% miss chance in total).

=Virulence Spiker= This build is a stark evolution of the original Build:Me/N Fragility Spiker. By utilizing some new Factions skills, this new version of an old favorite deals hundreds more points of damage than the original, finishes the combo quicker, recharges at a faster rate, and has better energy management.

Equipment

 * 20/20 Illusion Wand or Vokur's Cane
 * 20/20 Illusion Off-hand item
 * Use Enchanter's Armor for a maximized pool of energy.

Usage

 * 1) Identify a target.  Ignore AL, as this build damages 100 def armor just as well as 60.  Typically whoever on the other team is overextending.
 * 2) Option: cast Distortion to protect yourself.
 * 3) Cast Fragility.
 * 4) Cast Conjure Phantasm.
 * 5) Cast Images of Remorse.
 * 6) Cast Accumulated Pain for additional damage as well as a Deep Wound.
 * 7) Cast Virulence immediately afterwards to inflict 3 more conditions, dealing damage not only upon their addition but also when they wear-off 3 seconds later.
 * 8) Find a target with an Enchantment, and cast Drain Enchantment to regain energy.
 * 9) Your original target will have died, and your skills will have recharged by now.

Counters

 * Hex removal skills, or prevention such as Hex Breaker. Hex removal is less of a pain now then with the original build, since if either Conjure Phantasm or Images of Remorse are removed the combo will still work just as well.
 * Any spike counter, such as Infuse Health, or a keen monk who knows what to look out for.
 * Quick condition removal of the Deep Wound before Virulence can be cast.
 * Mass hex/condition removal skills, including Contemplation of Purity, Expel Hexes, Blessed Light, etc.
 * Energy Denial will mean that you can't use the full combination of skills and so you will be unable to spike.

Variants

 * Replace either Conjure Phantasm, Images of Remorse, or both for Illusion of Pain or Conjure Nightmare. Illusion of Pain's health gain-back after its duration should never kick in due to the combo's speed.
 * Removing some points from Inspiration Magic to put into Domination Magic, and adding Energy Burn for a final killing touch to the combo. This is more energy-intensive, but provides for a quicker kill.
 * Using Illusion of Weakness instead of Distortion. More universal defense, but is typically one-time use only. You can switch Resurrection Signet for it if it is not needed. e.g. Alliance Battle
 * Replace Drain Enchantment with Inspired Hex. Useful if you are in a formed team and need some hex removal support.

Equipment
A sword is essential for people who use Deadly Riposte, though an axe for Cyclone Axe is used sometimes for PvE. They both have the same attack speed and don't matter aside for those skills and aesthetics. Ideal mods would be Barbed and of Enchanting. This will allow you to lengthen bleeding from Deadly Riposte and to keep up Illusionary Weaponry and any other enchantment longer. The sword itself would ideally be Denravi Sword or a Katana/Cleaver crafted by Shichiroji, which gives +5 energy. Rajazan's Fervor also works, but without the bleeding bonus. Otherwise, damage and damage mods do not matter due to lack of swordsmanship anyway. A cane could be used as backup to deal damage while IW is recharging. If you use a shield you might consider having a + energy offhand to switch in for casting IW when your energy runs out or when you're not being attacked. A scythe can also be used to produce an AoE attack.

Usage

 * Cast Illusionary Weaponry before engaging the enemy and cover it with Sympathetic Visage.
 * Pick a target. One that is distracted or already under attack is generally a good idea, since they may not be able to react fast enough to the very heavy damage suddenly applied.
 * Against melee, counter the first attack with Deadly Riposte, then use Distortion until Deadly Riposte has recharged.
 * Against rangers, use Deflect Arrows (which will not be ended by your attacks because Illusionary Weaponry ensures that the attacks deal no damage), then Distortion while it recharges. Do not use Distortion while Deflect Arrows is active, as it will cancel it out.
 * Use Flurry to increase the rate of your attacks, but be mindful of your energy.
 * Be mindful of which stance to use in a given situation. Stances do not stack and Deflect Arrows has a long recharge time.
 * When using Healing Signet, be sure to switch on Distortion to allow yourself to heal when under melee attack.

Variants
Deadly Riposte and Deflect Arrows are non-essential, and may be replaced with any of these:
 * Ethereal Burden / Imagined Burden to prevent enemies from escaping.
 * Conjure Phantasm / Phantom Pain to increase damage output or when prevented from using IW.
 * Illusion of Weakness for extra protection.
 * Arcane Conundrum for more effectiveness at targetting spellcasters.
 * Cyclone Axe can be switched in for PvE mobs as a replacement for Deadly Riposte.
 * Cry of Frustration is a possible choice for interrupting because the interrupt aspect is unaffected by domination level and it does not eat energy as fast due to recharge length.
 * Leech Signet / Ether Feast or any Inspiration skill instead of Tactics skills. Using Leech Signet instead of Cry of Frustration for interrupting adds the advantage of 0 energy cost, but has a longer recharge time and might only be used once on a particular foe.
 * Resurrection Signet should be switched out for another skill in cases where resurrection is automatic, such as Alliance Battles.

Counters
Elemental Attacks, as it has low HP and low armour against it combined with no skills for countering unlike for melee. Also any enhancement removal spells/attacks.