Curse

lg5000 · Jul 20, 2005, 01:59 AM // 01:59

Having just started to read the topic on Monks wanting to charge...and finding my question is totally irrelevant in that topic, I'm asking here.

What actually makes a Monk good or bad? I'm talking about a healing one here, because that's what I got, and I want some help with it.

Is a good monk one whos team doesn't die at all? Is he/she one who doesn't die in the process of saving the team.. after some monster attacks the monk and the rest of the team is... well.. busy with their own fighting?

Personally, I feel bad for letting the pet on the team die, but.. can't afford to use energy which could save the team on the pet. I've died more than I would have liked to, because.. I die easily having nothing really to defend myself.

As far as I know, I'm not doing too badly, but I wanna improve so would appreciate any advice from all you people who are geniuses in this type of game (unlike me)

Malchiel · Jul 20, 2005, 02:08 AM // 02:08

Good monks can stay alive a long time.

And he can keep his teammates healed in the mean time too.

Sounds somewhat impossible, but I have seen a few good monks who're truly good.

Not to say they don't have weakness, mind you. But it's few enough.

Ollj · Jul 20, 2005, 02:10 AM // 02:10

A good monk doesnt make himself a bot for all other players, he doesnt just heal, and uses other skills also.
A good monk is not responsible for the whole team.
A good monk doesnt demand a second monk in the team.
A good monk replies "use your sword" if anyone says "HEAL!!!".
A good monk never ever joins a team that has more than 2 warriors or eles in it.
A good monk never joins a team that has no necro, mesmer or ranger in it.
A good monk never uses rebirth, it uses unyielding aura or just a signet (with vengenance?)

A good monk can do the mission all alone, but he enjoys seeing other green names next to it.

theclam · Jul 20, 2005, 02:16 AM // 02:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ollj

A good monk doesnt demand a second monk in the team.
...
A good monk never uses rebirth, it uses unyielding aura or just a signet (with vengenance?)

Great advice. I'll use it next time I play FoW.

A good Monk is someone who can keep an average team alive long enough to beat any mission in the game. That's pretty much it for PvE. A good PvP Monk is a little harder to define.

If you want to improve, post your build in the Builds forum. A good build will help you learn a lot and a bad build will kill you in a difficult situation.

ManadartheHealer · Jul 20, 2005, 04:01 AM // 04:01

-A good monk only has to keep the team alive if the team is also doing their job.
-A good monk knows one death is not the end of the world, especially if that Elementalist thought he was a tank
-A good monk doesn't just use direct healing, and uses a variety of spells for a variety of problems
-A good monk carries a reusable rezz, only having a signet is never enough
-A good monk understands there are some times where rebirth is the preferred rezz spell, and other times when it shouldn't be used at all
-A good monk never charges for his services, gets haughty, tanks, or yells at people
-A good monk has a plan for players who run off, die, and insult the monk. Usually this is in the form of "ressurrection retribution". I.e. Use unyielding aura, the player starts acting in an undesireable way, pull the plug

-A good monk can manage his mana well
-A good monk calls heals or spells when there are other monks on the team
-A good monk never turns his nose up to rangers, necros, or mesmers
-A good monk knows never to join the first team that randomly invites him, or to join the team where the leader is spamming in all chat (especially if they are swearing profusely)
-A good monk is not afraid to ask for help (apparently already done. /cheers

)

Borealis · Jul 20, 2005, 04:08 AM // 04:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManadartheHealer

-A good monk only has to keep the team alive if the team is also doing their job.
-A good monk knows one death is not the end of the world, especially if that Elementalist thought he was a tank
-A good monk doesn't just use direct healing, and uses a variety of spells for a variety of problems
-A good monk carries a reusable rezz, only having a signet is never enough
-A good monk understands there are some times where rebirth is the preferred rezz spell, and other times when it shouldn't be used at all
-A good monk never charges for his services, gets haughty, tanks, or yells at people
-A good monk has a plan for players who run off, die, and insult the monk. Usually this is in the form of "ressurrection retribution". I.e. Use unyielding aura, the player starts acting in an undesireable way, pull the plug

-A good monk can manage his mana well
-A good monk calls heals or spells when there are other monks on the team
-A good monk never turns his nose up to rangers, necros, or mesmers
-A good monk knows never to join the first team that randomly invites him, or to join the team where the leader is spamming in all chat (especially if they are swearing profusely)
-A good monk is not afraid to ask for help (apparently already done. /cheers

)

Absolutely perfect!!!

Narcissus · Jul 20, 2005, 04:22 AM // 04:22

What makes a good monk: A solid lagfree connection!

Lasareth · Jul 20, 2005, 04:25 AM // 04:25

Good monks know when to run away and not fight to the last man.

Wa$d · Jul 20, 2005, 04:27 AM // 04:27

a good monk know when to get out of noob groups with lvl 15's in fissure

Aniewiel · Jul 20, 2005, 04:29 AM // 04:29

A good monk knows the safest distance to a) stay alive and b) still be able to heal effectively.

theclam · Jul 20, 2005, 04:32 AM // 04:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lasareth

Good monks know when to run away and not fight to the last man.

Many groups have praised me for my cowardice.

lg5000 · Jul 20, 2005, 04:33 AM // 04:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narcissus

What makes a good monk: A solid lagfree connection!

LOL.. if only I had that.. I'd be one step closer to becoming good

Thanks for the reply, all of them, they have been/are helpful. .. I have a lot left to learn.. ok, now I wanna go and practice getting better, is that bad?

DrSLUGFly · Jul 20, 2005, 04:33 AM // 04:33

I'm quite enjoying my monkery... and I get praised often by PUG's that I team with. The best advice I can give is as follows

Learn to understand your skills
-the nrg cost and cool-down vs. life healed
-learn to maximize your heals (with divine favor and divine boon enchantment a 50 heal becomes a 150 heal)

Learn when heals are effective or inneffective
-a healing breeze (+life regen) is effective against poison, orison (straight heal) is effective for low life
-someone who has minimal life and remains in the middle of combat is going to die before you can get the heal off, don't heal them
-someone who has nearly full life or even 75% doesn't need a heal

Support the support players
-healing minions and pets (when you can afford the nrg) keeps support alive which keeps your team stronger.

DON'T ATTACK
-took me a long time to learn this, it's hard to get out of the habit of 'target nearest, attack' or 'target called, attack' As monks we don't need to attack, our dmg is so minimal anyway. If you attack you draw attention to yourself and hinder the party

And most importantly... DON'T DIE...
-if you are dead you are useless to the party
-always hang at the back, at the furthest possible distance from the fray.
-if you are attacked, run and try to brush the enemies off onto a warrior (first) ranger (second) or a caster. If you brush off onto a caster remember to buff and/or heal them so you're not the direct cause of their death.
-don't run to heal someone if they're so far on the other side of the main fray that you'll have to approach a danger zone to heal them. They should stay closer to the main action.

enjoy monkery... by the time you get to the jungle you'll find it's not so difficult and it even becomes difficult to understand why people complain about monks...

edit: one more thing -

Keep npcs alive
-watch for important NPC's. If it means the mission is failed if a certain NPC dies, then that NPC should take precedence over every other player for heals. Keep him alive first, keep your team alive second.
-you can heal anyone or anything that is not aggroed against you. Healing villagers who fight back (such as in Divinity Coast mission) can help your party by both increasing morale and by increasing the amount of fighters against your enemy (enemies of your enemies are allies, whether they show up on the party window or not)

Kali Ma · Jul 20, 2005, 04:38 AM // 04:38

Besides Mandar's excellent post, I'd just add this...

- A good monk recognizes that retreat is sometimes the best choice for the team to succeed.

- A good monk acknowledges and assess the group that they are in, and is able, or simply willing, to adjust their approach to benefit that particular group.

Quote:

Personally, I feel bad for letting the pet on the team die, but.. can't afford to use energy which could save the team on the pet. I've died more than I would have liked to, because.. I die easily having nothing really to defend myself.

I understand how you feel there, regarding the pet. As a secondary support healer, I try to keep the pets going when the monks are otherwise occupied. Here are a couple of tips that may help...

- Warriors and friendly undead minions are excellent for dropping aggro on. So if you're being pounded on by a foe, if one of those allies is closeby then try to position yourself in a manner that places them between you and the foe. Often times they will attract the aggo, taking it off of you. But in general, it's difficult for a tank to leave what they're doing to run back to you, and minions have their own agenda, kinda. If a warrior sees the monk running in circles around them, they'll probably get involved, lol.

- Necros w/blood can really help ease the healing strain, and even have the ability to enhance your energy so you can cast more quickly. If you're lucky enough to have a good blood necro on your team, give them some attention too as most of their spells take a big cut from their maximum health... not that they are in danger of dying so much, it's that if their health is too low then they will commit suicide casting support spells on you and the others.

- It's ok to heal minions. They can really have a tremendous impact on keeping the enemies occupied, hence keeping the aggro off you and the other spellcasters for as long as possible. So if you have the extra energy, and/or recognize that the only thing between you and that lvl 24 Mountain Troll is a bone horror, go ahead and give them a little bump.

- It does make a difference when the monk is as conscious of her/his supporters as they are of her/him, and is able to get into a groove going with them. That's what my second point at the top of this post is about. Not only does it make things go more smootly, but the camaraderie thing starts to kick in. When a party feels invested in each other, they go out of their way to keep each other alive.

Quote:

-A good monk never turns his nose up to rangers, necros, or mesmers

Quoted for truth.

Lord Malikai · Jul 20, 2005, 08:28 AM // 08:28

boobies.

theclam · Jul 20, 2005, 08:31 AM // 08:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Malikai

boobies.

In that case, I guess a female E/Mo would be a better Monk than a primary Monk.

Kabale · Jul 20, 2005, 08:54 AM // 08:54

I started my first Monk primary a couple of days ago, totally loving it!!! It amazes me how it compeltely shifts the normal strategy you're used to of trying to kill stuff. Great fun.

<3 my Monk

psycore · Jul 20, 2005, 09:48 AM // 09:48

A good monk brings condition removal!

I love monks who bring this and respond fast when you get the brown arrows.

--- saves the whole
Im Blind!

Im still Blind!

Now I'm Blind and Burning and Poisoned!

I'm Dead!

The party is dead!

---

Admitedly this doesnt happen a whole lot, but conditions are usually what starts off major dmg chain reactions in pve, in pvp it's even better when your warrior goes from being blindly useless to scary, and your fleeing ele or mesmer isn't a crippled squishy being hounded by war's or rangs.

Nefser · Jul 20, 2005, 10:07 AM // 10:07

Often times I'm busier removing conditions and stripping off the odd hex than actually hitting with heals. Or at least as often. This is generally due to a catch 22 situation - if someones not losing health due to degen/poison or is attacking effectively (i.e., knocking down or disrupting the enemy) they often dont get hit as hard or as often, thus not requiring as much healing.

On the other hand, I can't count the times I've had conditions on me as a warrior and had to suffer through them.

Lost · Jul 20, 2005, 10:35 AM // 10:35

One big thing for me, if you're a healing monk, be a healer. Don't pretend to be another class. Don't tank. Don't call targets. Don't pull targets. Don't aggro. Don't attack. Don't type in the middle of battle. Don't afk. Don't leave.

Not dieing really is another big thing. One time at Hell's Precipice my entire party (after aggroing about 6 sparks and several titans at once) all died. I was then alone and running around the map for a good 5 minutes while being chased by a large mob of titans/sparks. I had the mesmer skill Elemental Resistance with me which was barely enough to keep me alive. I was down to 1 hit point once, but I never died and for some reason the mob finally broke off from the chase. I revived the rest of the party and off we went.

Jul 20, 2005, 01:59 AM // 01:59	#1
lg5000 Jungle Guide Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Australia	Newbie question - what makes a good Monk? Having just started to read the topic on Monks wanting to charge...and finding my question is totally irrelevant in that topic, I'm asking here. What actually makes a Monk good or bad? I'm talking about a healing one here, because that's what I got, and I want some help with it. Is a good monk one whos team doesn't die at all? Is he/she one who doesn't die in the process of saving the team.. after some monster attacks the monk and the rest of the team is... well.. busy with their own fighting? Personally, I feel bad for letting the pet on the team die, but.. can't afford to use energy which could save the team on the pet. I've died more than I would have liked to, because.. I die easily having nothing really to defend myself. As far as I know, I'm not doing too badly, but I wanna improve so would appreciate any advice from all you people who are geniuses in this type of game (unlike me)

Jul 20, 2005, 04:33 AM // 04:33	#13
DrSLUGFly Desert Nomad Join Date: May 2005 Location: European Server or International	I'm quite enjoying my monkery... and I get praised often by PUG's that I team with. The best advice I can give is as follows Learn to understand your skills -the nrg cost and cool-down vs. life healed -learn to maximize your heals (with divine favor and divine boon enchantment a 50 heal becomes a 150 heal) Learn when heals are effective or inneffective -a healing breeze (+life regen) is effective against poison, orison (straight heal) is effective for low life -someone who has minimal life and remains in the middle of combat is going to die before you can get the heal off, don't heal them -someone who has nearly full life or even 75% doesn't need a heal Support the support players -healing minions and pets (when you can afford the nrg) keeps support alive which keeps your team stronger. DON'T ATTACK -took me a long time to learn this, it's hard to get out of the habit of 'target nearest, attack' or 'target called, attack' As monks we don't need to attack, our dmg is so minimal anyway. If you attack you draw attention to yourself and hinder the party And most importantly... DON'T DIE... -if you are dead you are useless to the party -always hang at the back, at the furthest possible distance from the fray. -if you are attacked, run and try to brush the enemies off onto a warrior (first) ranger (second) or a caster. If you brush off onto a caster remember to buff and/or heal them so you're not the direct cause of their death. -don't run to heal someone if they're so far on the other side of the main fray that you'll have to approach a danger zone to heal them. They should stay closer to the main action. enjoy monkery... by the time you get to the jungle you'll find it's not so difficult and it even becomes difficult to understand why people complain about monks... edit: one more thing - Keep npcs alive -watch for important NPC's. If it means the mission is failed if a certain NPC dies, then that NPC should take precedence over every other player for heals. Keep him alive first, keep your team alive second. -you can heal anyone or anything that is not aggroed against you. Healing villagers who fight back (such as in Divinity Coast mission) can help your party by both increasing morale and by increasing the amount of fighters against your enemy (enemies of your enemies are allies, whether they show up on the party window or not) Last edited by DrSLUGFly; Jul 20, 2005 at 04:38 AM // 04:38..

Jul 20, 2005, 09:48 AM // 09:48	#18
psycore Krytan Explorer Join Date: May 2005	A good monk brings condition removal! I love monks who bring this and respond fast when you get the brown arrows. --- saves the whole Im Blind! Im still Blind! Now I'm Blind and Burning and Poisoned! I'm Dead! The party is dead! --- Admitedly this doesnt happen a whole lot, but conditions are usually what starts off major dmg chain reactions in pve, in pvp it's even better when your warrior goes from being blindly useless to scary, and your fleeing ele or mesmer isn't a crippled squishy being hounded by war's or rangs. Last edited by psycore; Jul 20, 2005 at 09:55 AM // 09:55..

Jul 20, 2005, 02:08 AM // 02:08	#2
Malchiel Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: May 2005	Good monks can stay alive a long time. And he can keep his teammates healed in the mean time too. Sounds somewhat impossible, but I have seen a few good monks who're truly good. Not to say they don't have weakness, mind you. But it's few enough.

Jul 20, 2005, 02:10 AM // 02:10	#3
Ollj Jungle Guide Join Date: May 2005	A good monk doesnt make himself a bot for all other players, he doesnt just heal, and uses other skills also. A good monk is not responsible for the whole team. A good monk doesnt demand a second monk in the team. A good monk replies "use your sword" if anyone says "HEAL!!!". A good monk never ever joins a team that has more than 2 warriors or eles in it. A good monk never joins a team that has no necro, mesmer or ranger in it. A good monk never uses rebirth, it uses unyielding aura or just a signet (with vengenance?) A good monk can do the mission all alone, but he enjoys seeing other green names next to it.

Jul 20, 2005, 04:01 AM // 04:01	#5
ManadartheHealer Desert Nomad Join Date: May 2005 Location: Awaiting GW2 Profession: W/	-A good monk only has to keep the team alive if the team is also doing their job. -A good monk knows one death is not the end of the world, especially if that Elementalist thought he was a tank -A good monk doesn't just use direct healing, and uses a variety of spells for a variety of problems -A good monk carries a reusable rezz, only having a signet is never enough -A good monk understands there are some times where rebirth is the preferred rezz spell, and other times when it shouldn't be used at all -A good monk never charges for his services, gets haughty, tanks, or yells at people -A good monk has a plan for players who run off, die, and insult the monk. Usually this is in the form of "ressurrection retribution". I.e. Use unyielding aura, the player starts acting in an undesireable way, pull the plug -A good monk can manage his mana well -A good monk calls heals or spells when there are other monks on the team -A good monk never turns his nose up to rangers, necros, or mesmers -A good monk knows never to join the first team that randomly invites him, or to join the team where the leader is spamming in all chat (especially if they are swearing profusely) -A good monk is not afraid to ask for help (apparently already done. /cheers )

Jul 20, 2005, 04:22 AM // 04:22	#7
Narcissus Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: May 2005 Location: North Carolina, USA Guild: Evolution Profession: Me/A	What makes a good monk: A solid lagfree connection!

Jul 20, 2005, 04:25 AM // 04:25	#8
Lasareth Aquarius Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Somewhere between Boardwalk and Park Place	Good monks know when to run away and not fight to the last man.

Jul 20, 2005, 04:27 AM // 04:27	#9
Wa$d Lion's Arch Merchant Join Date: May 2005 Profession: W/Mo	a good monk know when to get out of noob groups with lvl 15's in fissure

Jul 20, 2005, 04:29 AM // 04:29	#10
Aniewiel Smite Mistress Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Land of AZ, USA Profession: Rt/E	A good monk knows the safest distance to a) stay alive and b) still be able to heal effectively.

Jul 20, 2005, 08:28 AM // 08:28	#15
Lord Malikai Frost Gate Guardian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Colorado Guild: Imperial Fist Guild Leader Profession: W/E	boobies.

Jul 20, 2005, 08:54 AM // 08:54	#17
Kabale Wilds Pathfinder Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: UK Guild: Portrayors of Valour [pV]	I started my first Monk primary a couple of days ago, totally loving it!!! It amazes me how it compeltely shifts the normal strategy you're used to of trying to kill stuff. Great fun. <3 my Monk

Jul 20, 2005, 10:07 AM // 10:07	#19
Nefser Elite Guru Join Date: Jan 2005	Often times I'm busier removing conditions and stripping off the odd hex than actually hitting with heals. Or at least as often. This is generally due to a catch 22 situation - if someones not losing health due to degen/poison or is attacking effectively (i.e., knocking down or disrupting the enemy) they often dont get hit as hard or as often, thus not requiring as much healing. On the other hand, I can't count the times I've had conditions on me as a warrior and had to suffer through them.

Jul 20, 2005, 10:35 AM // 10:35	#20
Lost Krytan Explorer Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hell's Precipice	One big thing for me, if you're a healing monk, be a healer. Don't pretend to be another class. Don't tank. Don't call targets. Don't pull targets. Don't aggro. Don't attack. Don't type in the middle of battle. Don't afk. Don't leave. Not dieing really is another big thing. One time at Hell's Precipice my entire party (after aggroing about 6 sparks and several titans at once) all died. I was then alone and running around the map for a good 5 minutes while being chased by a large mob of titans/sparks. I had the mesmer skill Elemental Resistance with me which was barely enough to keep me alive. I was down to 1 hit point once, but I never died and for some reason the mob finally broke off from the chase. I revived the rest of the party and off we went.