Curse

MAdnRisKy · Jun 05, 2006, 01:30 PM // 13:30

Its about time I outfitted my little monkey with a new set of kit what with all these flash new threads available these days. But my problem is that with so many to chose from I just don't know which makes the most sense.

Judges - 10 armour versus physical, since we all know everyone only uses warriors for damage...

Acolytes - 10 armour while enchanted since we all know all monks are boon prots...

Shepards - +35 health because we all know all dmg in spikes these days don't care too much for armour anyways...

Now all of those comments are all false, and yet also have a ring of truth about them all and gosh if I can't make my little mind up...

please help

JR · Jun 05, 2006, 02:12 PM // 14:12

Armor while enchanted is not a favorite of mine; most adren/caster spikes will be assisted with enchant removal anyway.

Shepards is a solid choice, plus health is always usefull.

Judges again is a solid choice, as you said; most offense is warrior based.

Personally I use a PvE monk, which means I have the benefit of being able to armor switch. So before I get onto that, I will say that personally I think Shepards is the best all round choice for a PvP character. Getting DP is the worst thing that can happen to a Monk, as it means any competant team will aim to keep on dropping you to punish that fact. Shepards, plus health weapon sets and rune swapping all help negate this.

For a PvE Monk, I think you can afford to start off wearing Judges against a Warrior based offense; to help limit the damage taken. If you do take DP, or are facing a non Warrior offense, put on Shepards.

Byron · Jun 05, 2006, 08:18 PM // 20:18

Before Shepard's armor came about, Judge's armor was my standard in every arena; it was warriors that most often killed me, after all. Now with assassins threatening with their one-combo kills, I still feel judges is a reliable choice.

That said, I being more often a warrior, I bring an icy weapon to every battle for softies in judges/battlemages armor, which effectively cancels out their armor vs physical. That tactic seems like its becoming standard practice, so for that reason alone, it would probably be wise to take another type of armor. Obviously, Acolyte's armor is nifty for a boon/prot, and shepard's armor could be useful on a full healer.

Though, I don't feel the choice of armor is going to make any significant difference on a monk, anyway. Judge's might save you from a single-warrior spike, but otherwise, it will take reflexes, experience, and battlefield awareness to persevere.

*EDIT= typos

Slooty Booty · Jun 05, 2006, 08:21 PM // 20:21

I generally start off in Acolytes and switch to Shepards when facing a spike or when a mesmer is harassing me or if I have 30+DP. As JR said, PvE characters have the benefit of switching armor on the fly. I agree that on a PvP character your best bet is to go with Shepards as you will benefit from it regardless of the other team's build.

sir lockt · Jun 06, 2006, 09:15 AM // 09:15

I agree with slooty:

The acolytes armor can be very strong, when running a boon setup with MoR you will be enchanted 24/7 most of the time. But when pressured by enchant strippers, its wise to switch to other armor. The + health armor can be wonderful when facing spike.

Half my inventory is packed with all forms of armor and weapons to switch. Use the benefit of your PvE monk... On a PvP char I would play it safe with +health armor. But with Judge's you wont make a bad choice.

nightrunner · Jun 16, 2006, 05:28 AM // 05:28

Just wondering, in which order would you rate the usefulness of the armors? I eventually plan to have all of the sets, but my money is limited (I haven't even made my PvE monk yet -_-), and I'd like to know what your opinions are on which sets I should buy first?

Zui · Jun 16, 2006, 07:53 AM // 07:53

Well night, I'd say get the Shepards set first, then Judges. After that if you want you can get Acolytes and Saintly, however you won't find a use for them many times... I think I've used my Acolytes twice, and Saintly once.

Byron · Jun 17, 2006, 06:16 AM // 06:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightrunner

Just wondering, in which order would you rate the usefulness of the armors? I eventually plan to have all of the sets, but my money is limited (I haven't even made my PvE monk yet -_-)

I'm in a very similar situation atm - it seemed like acolyte's was a safe bet, since I'm expecting to be most often in the boon/prot role. Acolyte's is also satisfactory in HA with channeling; but there is the possibility that I should need to go healer or blessed light, where acolyte's wouldn't be at all useful. It seems like Shepard's may be the safest road, since that's a somewhat effective armor for any monk build.

I can't really rate monk armors, though. I can rate armors for monk builds.

Phoenix Arrows · Jun 23, 2006, 07:17 AM // 07:17

I usually play Boon Prot whenever I Monk (which isn't often XP; usually stuck with icky Necro). In that case, I use Acolyte's chest and leggings and Ascetic's arms and feet. The chest and legs have the highest chance of getting hit, 37.5% and 25% respectively. Enchant removal is a problem but you should be able to get an enchantment back on you while getting spiked (generally RoF or Prot Spirit).

For a heal Monk, I would take Judge's or Shepherd's armor. Judge's would be my prefered choice, as (only in my view) 35 health from the full set doesn't seem to be able to make that big of a difference.

Overall, it is best to be a PvE Monk and switch whenever the situation calls for it. When you have lots of DP Shepherd's would be nice. Versus a spike you would want Shepherd's. Vs a physical-heavy pressure build like IWAY or Pet Fury (guild's name for Bunny Thumpers : ) ) you would want Judge's armor most likely. It depends on the situation most of the time.