Heads up on some important changes coming to the mesmer profession in the coming update. These changes affect phantasms, which are a core part of the mesmer profession mechanic (illusions) and as a result, will have a large effect on how the mesmer profession plays after the update.
In one sentence, first changes can be summed up as, "Phantasms become clones after their initial attack." The other changes: Alacrity will now be a boon. With the conversion to a boon, we decided to lower the amount of recharge speed alacrity provides from 33% to 25%. We chose to lower this value because at 33% we felt it was a little too powerful compared to other boons. For those who prefer alacrity with a bit more punch, we've updated the Chronomancer trait "Improved Alacrity" which now increases the potency of alacrity while decreasing the duration of incoming alacrity for the Chronomancer only. For additional reading about the upcoming update, look for our forum post about phantasms. We'll be watching for your feedback! Alacrity post here.