Curse

Lourens · Nov 29, 2007, 11:36 AM // 11:36

I usually bring [skill]restore condition[/skill] as it has low energy cost and short recharge and bring some other hex removal rather then bringing [skill]divert hexes[/skill] they are both great secondary heals

~ Dan ~ · Nov 29, 2007, 11:45 AM // 11:45

Thanks for all the feedback guys (except moko's

).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pick Me

Deleting characters early is no indication of anything. You have a lack of skills (you obviously have no elites if you haven't ventured off of noob island). So you kill your character without having maxed armor, all the skills and testing them in real hard situations (either HM, elite missions, or whatever).

That's a fair point, but i should've mentioned i try them out in PvP first. I have UAX so i can make any weapon set i want and any build i want - to do all the testing i want. Maybe some are just not fun to play in PvE as they are in PvP (such as interrupting on a ranger - humans may cuss you, monsters just don't care).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celestial_Kitsune

Try monking in GvG and HA

I used to monk alot in HA, and it went quite well. But it was always for teams 6 ranks higher than me so i guess the other monk(s) were carrying me

I fail at monking in arenas though

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wakka

For example if your entering area with a lot of melee characters, consider bringing [skill]Shield of Deflection[/skill]. If its a condition heavy area then it would be [skill]Restore Condition[/skill], hex heavy [skill]Divert Hexes[/skill].

I was thinking of staying hybrid and taking a hero monk who i can switch up elites on. That brings me to another question - your heroes?

Do you use Sabway? Bring monk(s) / defensive heroes and offensive hench, or the opposite?

Thanks in advance for any other opinions

Antheus · Nov 29, 2007, 01:30 PM // 13:30

Quote:

I was thinking of staying hybrid and taking a hero monk who i can switch up elites on. That brings me to another question - your heroes?

Do you use Sabway? Bring monk(s) / defensive heroes and offensive hench, or the opposite?

Sab's works.

These days I bring a SS almost always, MM for corpse areas, often Gwen, sometimes an ele, mostly for wards. For anything normal mode, the rit healer is a huge overkill with human prot monk. Then again, 2 monks is often an overkill.

For henchies, it's Mhenlo (or whatever the heal monk is), Eve (mostly for BR), warrior hench (to keep mobs busy, so casters don't keep running around avoiding them) and something else, often the mesmer.

With human prot, a single heal hench is more than enough, with MM, it's possible to solo monk most of normal mode.

Burst Cancel · Nov 30, 2007, 12:28 AM // 00:28

Antheus is pretty much spot-on.

I'd just like to point out that PvE monking is damn boring. Like, super incredibly damn boring. PvP monking is fun because of the format, and the fact that you don't exploit AI to win - you have to learn to read the opponent's offense, so at higher levels of play it's actually quite engrossing. PvE monking is just hitting buttons because you already know everything that's going to happen.

the_jos · Nov 30, 2007, 12:48 PM // 12:48

I agree with people stating that PvE monking can be boring.
Well, in an experienced group that is.
I only monk in guild/alliance PvE teams and most of the time it's just following the flow.
The moment I need to get really busy it's because someone made a mistake and the monks need to help cleaning up.
Nothing wrong with that, but don't expect very exciting gameplay just because you play monk.

Wakka · Nov 30, 2007, 12:53 PM // 12:53

Quote:

I only monk in guild/alliance PvE teams and most of the time it's just following the flow.

Yes same here.

The great thing about having a PvE monk is the ability to 55 ^^ I brought my monk through PvE for that reason alone. Its great

LightningHell · Nov 30, 2007, 12:56 PM // 12:56

If you have time, try it out and see, I guess. In the end only you can decide for yourself.

I played Elementalist for a long time, and then in a GvG we were short a monk and since nobody else wanted to do it I tried. I happened to monk better than our primary monk.

Then again, I was in a pretty bad guild.

Ashe. · Nov 30, 2007, 12:56 PM // 12:56

In my opinion the most fun PvE monk builds to run are Healer's Boon+Heal Party or Restore Condition.

Also, Monking PvE doesn't get much fun until you get later in the game where actual monks are almost required.

blurmedia · Nov 30, 2007, 01:00 PM // 13:00

I have a monk I play on from time to time, but I always find myself going back to my dervish after a short while. Maybe I should start to play more on her...

arcady · Nov 30, 2007, 06:32 PM // 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyro maniac

when going pure prot there are 2 skills in that line that directly heal: dismiss condition and zealous benediction.
Other then that, Life Sheath .. it isn't that strong

I used Life Sheath on my Prophesies monk before I took her over to Nightfall and capp'd ZB. Which is to say she was on Life Sheath from about the time I got to Beacons and got a run to droks until I later did Sanctum Cay and then decided to go over to Nightfall for a day and get far enough for ZB.

At that stage of the game, Life Sheath is fine for a pure Protection build. I'm still not sold on ZB. Not because it isn't good, but because if the rest of your build is good and you are good enough at using it, you rarely need ZB.

It feels odd using my elite spot for a backup skill that I only cast a few times every PUG. In PUGs where I dod cast it a lot, its only because something about the PUG is so bad that I'm having to work very hard... like PUGs that split between two mobs, overextend, wammo aggro, and so on. In those PUGs... I use ZB a lot, but I also use Rebirth a lot because when they get that bad, nothing I can do will save it, and the ZB ends up just being a delaying tactic...

I prefer Draw Conditions over Dismiss. It puts the Conditions on me, but I did all of Prophesies (can't remember if after LA and jump to Kaining to get it, or bought in Guild Hall - my Nightfall monk unlocked it first) and much of Nightfall with it in my bar and it never once downed me. The self heal it gives usually offsets condition damage, and the conditions it pulls onto me is actually handy in then learning what conditions my allies are facing so I can prioritize who to draw from.

There's also Restore Condition by the problem with that is that it comes so late in the game you can pretty much remove it from the list of skills for PvE. By the time you cap it, you're about an hour away from finishing the game.

Personally, I find PvE monking a lot of fun. My frustration now comes when I join PUGs on my other characters and people ping the monk bars of their monks or heroes and I just have to shake my head at all the usage of Mending, Healing Breeze, Resurect, and Life Sheath. It's almost as frustration as all the Wa/Mos I see with 6 monk skills in their bar, all of them bad, and no useful warrior skills... who then try to claim we don't need a monk... Not only do we need a monk, but we could also use a warrior...

FC_DriFteR · Dec 01, 2007, 02:37 PM // 14:37

Monking in PvE like other people have said can be very tedious. The most fun times as a monk are often when people over aggro and you are there deciding who needs hard prot, who needs soft prot, is my positioning correct atm etc.

I have taken my monk through all campaigns mainly to help others, new farming areas and new armor. I don't pve much anymore as monk, I prefer the intensity of pvp.

I couldn't help but notice

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcady

I used Life Sheath on my Prophesies monk before I took her over to Nightfall and capp'd ZB. Which is to say she was on Life Sheath from about the time I got to Beacons and got a run to droks until I later did Sanctum Cay and then decided to go over to Nightfall for a day and get far enough for ZB.

At that stage of the game, Life Sheath is fine for a pure Protection build. I'm still not sold on ZB. Not because it isn't good, but because if the rest of your build is good and you are good enough at using it, you rarely need ZB.

I don't agree with your view on life sheath. The only reason it works early in the game is because almost anything will work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcady

Personally, I find PvE monking a lot of fun. My frustration now comes when I join PUGs on my other characters and people ping the monk bars of their monks or heroes and I just have to shake my head at all the usage of Mending, Healing Breeze, Resurect, and Life Sheath. It's almost as frustration as all the Wa/Mos I see with 6 monk skills in their bar, all of them bad, and no useful warrior skills... who then try to claim we don't need a monk... Not only do we need a monk, but we could also use a warrior...

Why defend your usage of life sheath only to say how bad it is??