Mesmer Soloing Meleé

[Irinnis]

How would a mesmer go about soloing a Meleé enemy? (PvE)

[Tsume]

I would say Empathy is the best help there. But Conjure Phantasm and Empathy on him. Multiple Mellee targets are more difficult.

Say if theres 3 to 4, let them come to you and crowd around. Throw Empathy on one, target another and put on Conjure, target the one in the center and put on Chaos Storm. Then target any others with Conjure and Empathy again, then start throwing chaos damage at the weakest one, then the next weakest, and recast empathy and conjure as neccesary.

[Twiggy Trippit]

Depends on your secondary class; I'm playing a Me/W right now with Distortion and good Sword and Tactics, and it works very fine in PvE. Not enough damage output to go against a PvP tank right now, though. It also restricts the use of my energy skills, since my Energy pool is mostly spent evading melee attacks.

Here are skills you should consider against Melee opponents; for a description, go to this page (http://www.gwonline.net/page.php?p=47).

Domination Magic

Empathy, especially against enemies with high attack speed
Mind Wrack with skills that cause energy loss (with some energy stealing, that's a very inexpensive combo against warriors)
Shatter Delusions, properly timed will deal some quick and dirty damage if you have an hex based-strategy
Wastrel's Worry works also well for damage against opponents who use skills heavily; it's a bit better in a PvP build, though

Illusion Magic

Clumsiness starts a fight well
Conjure Phantasm ignores armor, since it's degen
Crippling Anguish is elite, but against one on one foes, it's a great way buy time to either hex the poor guy or get away if you are in trouble
Distortion is a fantastic defensive skill in melee, just make sur you never run out of energy ;)
Ethereal Burden is a good way of starting the fight, but it's slow casting time and recharge is limitative
Fevered Dream is elite, but if you can inflict conditions (especially blindness), it's an excellent skill if the meleers outnumber you (a very frequent situation)
Illusion Of Haste by itself is an unreliable getaway skill; however, if you have the necro spell plague sending, you can transfer you crippling to the target of Fevered Dreams and slow down an entire group
Illusion Of Weakness is a good life-saver
Illusionary Weaponry is not affected by armor, but it's recharge time is a bit long and it won't work well with a casting intensive build, since you'll spend your time casting instead of attacking
Imagined Burden slows one enemy down a lot, buying you time, but it's Energy cost is a bit high, so make sure you can get Energy easily to follow up on it
Ineptitude is Elite, but it neutralizes a melee opponent for 10 seconds while inflicting damage, for a reasonable cost; unfortunately, it doesn't combo with Fevered Dreams
Soothing Images is very useful against multiple opponents with adrenal skills, but it would make Wastrel's Worry less efficient.
Sympathetic Visage works in a similar way but also includes energy loss (combo with Mind Wrack); however, the recharge time is hefty.

Inspiration Magic

Channeling is great against multiple opponents if your build is casting heavy
Energy Drain is great to get energy and lower the opponent's, but it's Elite and takes a bit to recharge
Energy Tap is a poor man's Energy Drain, but the casting time is unpleasant, so make sure you have Fast Casting
Ether Feast combines healing and energy loss to the enemy; good for a Mind Wrack based combo, but don't rely solely on it for healing.
Ether Lord is also great for getting Energy and hurting the enemy's pool, but it should be timed properly
Mantra of Recall is Elite but makes for a fantastic Energy supply
Physical Resistance litteraly halves most physical damage you'll take and lasts a while; just stay clear of Elementalists, or have another stance on your bar to end this one.
Spirit Shackles is THE best energy loss hex to use against warriors in a Mind Wrack combo; the casting time is hefty, though.
Spirit of Failure reduces an enemy's efficiency while providing extra energy, and it lasts for a while. It works better on enemies with high attack speed

Other Skills

Epidemic is a poor man's Fevered Dreams, but you might consider it in a condition based build if you choose another Elite skill
Signet of Midnight is Elite and blinds a touched foe as well as you. However, it activates quickly, costs no energy and combined with a signet recharge skill, it can be used very efficiently. Combo with Epidemic.

Here's a Mesmer only build I'd suggest:
Mind Wrack
Illusion Of Weakness
Signet Of Midnight
Empathy
Epidemic
Channeling
Wastrel's Worry
Spirit Shackles

You'll cast often with this build (mostly Wastrel's Worry and Mind Wrack), thus getting the best benefits from Channeling. Spirit Shackles while the warrior approaches. When he gets in close range, use the Signet of Midnight. Combo with Epidemic if things turn into a gangbang. Mind Wrack when you feel your opponent has reached 0 energy; repeat over and over and throw a Wastrel's Worry here and there. You can add Empathy to the mix, or save it for somebody that isn't affected by blindness. Don't forget to use Illusion of Weakness before starting the fight.

Now it should be said that this build will work very well against groups of meleers, but is a bit lacking against casters. However, Wastrel's Worry will still come in handy, and since mob casters tend to attack in between spells, Spirit Shackle and Mind Wrack could come in handy. The build is also less effective against enemies with slower attack speeds.

Signet of Midnight could be replaced by Ineptitude. You'll gain range, making it effective against archers, but the recharge speed is five seconds longer. If you feel you need more healing, switch Empathy for Ether Feast.

Honestly, this build might even work well in PvP as it adds dissuasive psychology to the mix.