Curse

deadmonkey4u · Aug 22, 2006, 07:55 PM // 19:55

Been using these sets; however, iv been changing a little and trying to figure out what other people think works best.

main set
+5 energy sword with 20% enchantments
20/20 protective icon (occassionaly switching out for more hp which im still unsure about)

E-drain/mantra Set (that 40% recharge really helps big time especially if your running e-drain)
+5^50 energy wand with 20% increased recharge inspiration
20/20 insp recharge

The negative energy set
-5 sword n that offhand (although the offhand actually only nets -2)

Emergency Set
+5 energy sword with 20% enchantments
+15/-1 +30hp

If im using boon I get a +1 boon at the beggingin or whenever I have alot of spare time with soulstone then switch it out.

Also bringing -2 degen and multiple armor sets (in case you get stuck hopefully I won't)

Used to bring a sword n shield when retreating or something but I felt it less useful so I took that out

Should I make any item changes especially concerning the main set im thinking of bringing a little extra beef for the offhand instead of the 20/20 recharge

romO · Aug 22, 2006, 08:08 PM // 20:08

That's a good start. But I would suggest that main set become +5 armor (while enchanted) Charr sword +30 health or +5 armor with a shield (personally, I like +10 slashing +30 health right now). You then might want to remove the -energy set or the main set, depending on your needs. Swap to set two when you need the energy or are casting edrain / drain enchant. I also prefer the +energy set to have +30/-2, but I suppose that's just a preference. Armor swaps, soulstone, degen weapon are a great start, but if you don't have them already, I would suggest getting a set of shields. Personally, I carry around 16 of them, but I've been considering dropping several of them because they are simply not used often enough.

deadmonkey4u · Aug 22, 2006, 08:17 PM // 20:17

Hmm where is this charr sword? that +5(enchant inherent on it sounds pretty hot)

Also armor wise iv been using the +10armor(enchanted) chest with ascetics as the rest.

Iv seen the shield stuff sometimes although it doesn't seem that everyday common to me although it makes sense. Especially with all the warriors and thumpers going around that +10slashing is pretty nice.

romO · Aug 22, 2006, 08:45 PM // 20:45

The +enchanted armor is your best bet for a default set, so that's good to use, but don't hesitate to swap to your physical set.

The Charr sword is found in pre-searing from a quest that Prince Rurik gives you (if you don't aggro anything, Rurik will finish the quest by himself). Here is link to the info about the quest and sword: http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Charr_at_the_Gate

Another alternative to that sword would be the +55 HP HoD axe, but that's scarcely available and will run about 2 million gold if you want one. I have been lucky enough to be able to use one recently, but that's only temporary until my friend sells it and I have to switch back to my charr sword =(

And the shields are very hard to find perfect mods on, so settling for 1 armor and a couple health off of max is acceptable, especially in the cases of the rare damage types (water, earth, if you choose to get those). However, if you are able to get a +slashing, +blunt, +lightning, and Geoffer's Bulwark, you should be covered in a great majority of games.

deadmonkey4u · Aug 22, 2006, 10:16 PM // 22:16

thanks for the help. What do you think of a +5armor(enchant) +45hp(enchant) offhand. Seems like it would work for a general purpose instead of having to switch between 16 shields. Ill look into getting some shields but not sure how many i can find/afford.

As for a 2 million gold HoD axe

thats like 2/3 of my money boo)

romO · Aug 23, 2006, 03:53 AM // 03:53

If you are attached to offhands, then yes, I would agree that the +45/5 is the best way to go in a default set.

sir lockt · Aug 23, 2006, 04:22 AM // 04:22

Indded the +45/5 is a good item to run on your offhand if running boon. (especially with MoR) as a BL monk I would be more carefull and focus on 20/20 DF items and stuff.

Also your armor might need a change from +10 on enchant as you are running no (only on attack) enchants.

For the e-drain monk I would be very carefull with +10 on enchant armor, as you have 1 permanent enchant: boon, which can be a very deadly drop when stripped (certainly if you use the offhand items for armor/health as well

).

But Romo's advice is very good: be ready to swap even outside your 4 weapon slots, both armor and weapons. (same holds for rune swapping!)

deadmonkey4u · Aug 23, 2006, 04:32 PM // 16:32

I expect to have an enchant on me if im getting spiked by most spikes from the other monk(except maybe some pure spike builds that are instantaneous liek ranger spike, but we split anyways against r-spike). If were split I always keep prot spirit on me against most teams unless their turtled or something. But due to stuff like gale, and other kd's I always have boon+prot spirit on me (normally i cancel boon then put on prot spirit and recast boon so the prot spirit is covered.

Which is why I normally run the +10armor(while enchanted)

As for being attached to offhands im just saying to use that until I can get the shields since I believe they are very difficult to find

JR · Aug 23, 2006, 04:36 PM // 16:36

Too many teams run single or even dual Shatter Enchantments and Drain Enchantments to make me want to go with conditional Armor or Health.

moriz · Aug 23, 2006, 05:55 PM // 17:55

my current setup on my PvP BL monk is this:

+5 energy PvP sword with +30 health
+30 health, half recharge of healing spells (20%) offhand

-5 energy PvP sword with +30 health
+30 health damage reduction 5 (20%) shield

unfortunately for me, i cannot get a +15 energy, -regen set because of the restriction on PvP chars. my anti-edenial set lowers my energy by a huge 22 points, which gives me a large buffer to cast important spells. i might be going overboard with it though.

a quick question: if you do not meet the requirement of a blue shield, what AL does it assume?

JR · Aug 23, 2006, 06:01 PM // 18:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by moriz

my current setup on my PvP BL monk is this:

+5 energy PvP sword with +30 health
+30 health, half recharge of healing spells (20%) offhand

-5 energy PvP sword with +30 health
+30 health damage reduction 5 (20%) shield

unfortunately for me, i cannot get a +15 energy, -regen set because of the restriction on PvP chars. my anti-edenial set lowers my energy by a huge 22 points, which gives me a large buffer to cast important spells. i might be going overboard with it though.

a quick question: if you do not meet the requirement of a blue shield, what AL does it assume?

There was recently a balance patch that made all 16AL shields of any color give you a base 8AL without req.

moriz · Aug 23, 2006, 06:04 PM // 18:04

awesome. thanks.

Drewfense · Aug 24, 2006, 02:40 PM // 14:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR-

Too many teams run single or even dual Shatter Enchantments and Drain Enchantments to make me want to go with conditional Armor or Health.

Yep, very true. IMO, the biggest difference a +10 armor boost is going to make is versus pressure. In GvG, that means 99 out of 100 times it is going to be reducing the damage of a warrior or thumper so judges works equivalently without the conditional disadvantage. The only time I really go +10 ench is if im running a monk that has a thick enchantment stack. I know a lot of people are fans of the +5 +45 focus...blah. In a spike you will likely have enchantments falling on and off so it in essence becomes an additional 45 damage on you.

btw I think the best blight offhand (I wish I had one...) is Wolf's Favor. It is 20 fast cast heal/20 fast cast prot and can only be found in the Euro CE it think? (this is what Soulwedding uses)

JR · Aug 24, 2006, 04:14 PM // 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drewfense

btw I think the best blight offhand (I wish I had one...) is Wolf's Favor. It is 20 fast cast heal/20 fast cast prot and can only be found in the Euro CE it think? (this is what Soulwedding uses)

I disagree.

Fast cast on healing is understandable if you have Gift of Health, which isn't hugely common. Fast cast prot is limited purely to Guardian really, and that isn't amazing either.

Set No.1
This is the set I sit in most of the time, giving me the greatest general benefits.

The focus I use in my primary set is a Protection focus with the following stats:

+12 Energy (req. 9 Protection Prayers)
+1 Divine Favor (20% chance)
+10 AL (vs. Slashing)

The +1 Divine Favor isn't amazing, but to be honest there are very few non-inspiration based casting mods that a Boon Prot benefits from. The vast majority of your spells are both minimal cast times AND minimal recharges anyway.

The +10 vs. Slashing is usefull for the *majority* of the time, as facing a build without Sword or Axe Warriors is obviously quite rare. In situations when I am going against something where that bonus is useless, I swap in the focus from set two largely for the +30 hp it offers.

The weapon in that set is a "Charr at the Gates" sword, with the following stats:

Damage: ? - ?
Armor +5 (whilst enchanted)
Health +30

The armor whilst enchanted is not a great mod as I said previously, it is however better than anything else available. A +5 energy sword is also a viable alternative, but to be honest I think even the conditional +5 AL outweighs the benefits of a slightly larger energy pool. It also packs a Crippling mod, as I have heard that this works with the Cripple caused by using Return, which is fairly popular amongst Blessed Light monks. I don't particularly like the Mo/A build, but I figured I may aswell just incase I am ever asked to play it.

(I have yet to personally test the synergy between Recall and Crippling mods, so don't quote me on that.)

Set No.2
My second set is my Inspiration recharge set, for casting any Inspiration based energy management spells that are effected (anything but Inspired Hex and Inspired Enchantment).

Weapon is a Garbok's Cane, with 20% fast cast and recharge on Inspiration. The main contender for this is an Inspiration based Wayward Wand. However this has a mod which to be quite frank I don't like at all. +5 energy whilst over 50% health... To be honest in a situation where I have just hit below 50% health and suddenly found I had lost 5 energy, I wouldn't be too happy.

The 20% fast cast on Garbok's isn't great either, but it does at least have a noticable benefit when you have a Ranger or Mesmer camping you with interrupts and it triggers.

The focus is an Inspiration based Straw Effigy, giving me %20 recharge on Inspiration to compliment the cane, and +30 unconditional health. No mods I would prefer to that.

Set No.3
My third set is my high energy emergecy set, for use in situations where I NEED energy, but only for a short period of time; such as retreats, pushing in to wipe a worn out enemy... and so on.

Weapon one is a wand with 10% recharge on all spells, and the usual +15/-1 regen mod. The 10% recharge isn't really very usefull, but neither are any of the other mods I can think of. Wand mods are generally garbage, for a Boon Prot.

Weapon two is a standard Protection focus with +12/+15/-5e, and +30 unconditional hp. Again, nothing I would really prefer to this.

Set No.4
Set number four is generally my negative energy and high AL/HP set. The negetive energy is used to 'hide' a chunk of my standard energy pool from any form of energy denial the opposing team is running, be that Surge/Burn Mesmers, or Debilitating Shot spam. The high AL/HP of the set speaks for it's self, and is usefull in conditions where energy is not a problem, and you want to be slightly more resilient to pressure.

Weapon one is a Crippling Axe with -5e, and a +30 hp mod. Pretty basic, and understandable.

In the off-hand slot I have a few shields I vary between with differing AL bonuses vs. certain types of damage. For example against Smite I would be rocking a +10 AL (vs. Fire)/ +30 HP shield. Normally though I simply go with a +30 unconditional hp / -2 (whilst enchanted) shield.

With shields that you don't meet the req. of, you get a base +8 AL. This means this set gives me the following:

+30hp
-5 energy
+8 AL
(+10 AL (vs. ?) / -2 Enchanted / -2 Stance)
+30 hp

Misc. Sets
There are a number of other items I have in my inventory that won't fit into weapon sets.

One is a Sword with +20% enchantment duration. Should I need to Prot Spirit NPCs at VoD or something, this allows me a little more time to get more of them.

One is a set which contains a Sword with dual -1 heal regen mods, and the -50 hp focus. To go with this I also have a set of low AL armor with 5 superior runes. This allows me to degen to death in roughly 12 seconds, should I become stuck in the map, or should the other team attempt to body-block me untill after a two minute res mark.

I also have an assortment of Sheids, such as the +10AL/+30hp variations, and stance Shields should I be running a Hex Breaker or Dark Escape.

holden · Aug 24, 2006, 06:03 PM // 18:03

i find this very helpful. very well explained and very helpful.

Divineshadows · Aug 24, 2006, 07:34 PM // 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR-

One is a set which contains a Sword with dual -1 heal regen mods, and the -50 hp focus. To go with this I also have a set of low AL armor with 5 superior runes. This allows me to degen to death in roughly 12 seconds, should I become stuck in the map, or should the other team attempt to body-block me untill after a two minute res mark.

Artificially lowering your life to give yourself control over when you die when bodyblocked instead of allowing your opposition to have control. Awesome idea.

moriz · Aug 25, 2006, 12:43 AM // 00:43

it also allows him to... 55 monk!

*cough* sorry, couldn't resist.

Byron · Aug 25, 2006, 08:55 AM // 08:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by JR-

Too many teams run single or even dual Shatter Enchantments and Drain Enchantments to make me want to go with conditional Armor or Health.

QFT. In the same spirit, I don't like the +5energy>50 wands for a similar reason - health dropping to 50 means one less RoF. Reliable bonuses are my personal suggestion (Byzzr's Benediction, anyone?).

Drewfense · Aug 25, 2006, 07:31 PM // 19:31

Actually long ago when I was learning to PvP monk (in RA), I would use a +5<50 20 insp recharge. You get the energy when you most need it.

glaz · Aug 26, 2006, 04:00 AM // 04:00

im new to the monking scene in gvg, and since ive been designated as a monk by the guild, ive been looking up at numerous equips. i feel comfortable running BL, boonprot, and even aoe smite. i run a mo/me, btw, and very not used to mo/a which seems to be the rage nowadays.

i run a BL monk 90% of the time, and here are my sets:

Set 1
Gardoc's Holy Rod 10/10 all spells
Frozen Fan - mainly to reduce energy. ready for those that drop malaise and/or surgers. etc

Set 2
Gardoc's Rod Holy Rod or 5^50 20% HSR DF wand
Byzzr's Benediction - my default set

Set 3
Rajazans Fervor or +5 energy +30 hp katana
Byzzr's Benediction - i dont know the use of this actually, except the +5 more energy given by the sword. i switch between set 2 & 3 most of the time.

Set 4
+5 energy +30 hp katana
15/-1, +30hp offhand - emergency purpose set.

my armor is a full ascetics with +10 AL vs physical chest.

any advice would be well appreciated

ty