Hi! I've recently started playing, and I love the game so far!
The only complaint I have (other than the targeting system; I came from ESO, so this tab-target thing is really messing me up) is that I feel like I was pushed to level 80 way too fast. I wasn't even trying; just basically going from story chapter to story chapter (because I'd gain 10+ levels just walking back and forth between them). I barely know how to play my core class, and now I'm looking at picking a specialization that looks like it's going to completely change how my class works?
Anyway, I'm a Mesmer. I've tried to find a breakdown on the differences between the Chronomancer, Virtuoso, and Mirage, but all I can find are either bare lists of abilities or builds that don't explain anything; they just say "Pick this, this, this, and this, and use these weapons."
What I'm trying to find is what each specialization is good for, how they play (distant/melee, shatter-focused, clone focused), what use cases each of the new weapons shines in, etc. So if someone could give me a general rundown on how each Elite Specialization plays and is supposed to function, I'd be really appreciative. Thanks in advance!
More details on my character/playstyle right now, if it matters:
I'm playing solo for now in the overworld. I do want to try dungeons at some point, since they were my favorite part of ESO, but I'm worried I'll get yelled at if I'm not optimized. And, again, I'm only mildly competent with my core class; I still die to big things in the overworld because I haven't mastered how all my buttons (and targeting) work. I'm using a Greatsword (for range and AOE) and Scepter+Sword (for clone generation, single-target damage, and defense when things get too close). I rely a lot on phantasms and shatter skills (even though I'm not entirely sure what the specific use case for each type of shatter is supposed to be; I mostly just use F1 and F4 in a pinch).
Because I appreciate the defensive options of Scepter+Sword, I was thinking of going with Chronomancer for the offhand Shield. But the Mirage dodge-replacement sounds really cool, and the Virtuoso's dagger weapon looks almost awesome enough to tempt me into ditching the clones I've been leaning on for the last 79 levels. So I just don't know.
Sooooooooooo.................. first: go to Orr. No mount,s no teleports. You run from the start of Orr to the very end, and then you run back again. Kill everything along the way. Yes, including champions.
That will teach you about your class. You will learn of conditions and how important it is to cleanse them, you will learn about stability and why to use it, how to dodge and what every single mechanic of every single skill is.
Once you're done with that, you hop over to Drizzlewood, and do the same again. Those mobs will fucking murder you, and that is great. Orr will have prepared to and taught you to watch animations and deal with incoming mechanics, so Drizzlewood will hone that pointy end to an edge.
Bam, done. You've learned your class.
Should you be EU, feel free to message me your account name and I'll ping you ingame for some training.
Regarding the specialization, I'd recommend power Mirage with sword/focus and greatsword. I've got an open world build that I use that has every tool imaginable.