Curse

Ensign · Apr 14, 2005, 05:10 AM // 05:10

In an ongoing effort to make these forums as useful as possible, we've decided to re-vamp our profession guides and knowledge bases.

In addition to needed help with our profession overviews, we're looking to create a build FAQ in this forum for new users. This should outline the common builds in a class, what works, what doesn't, and generally just go over the material that everyone should know before diving into the forum proper. For this, we need your help.

As the title suggests, this thread is for the basics of the Monk, and the various ways to play one. To flesh this out, we need generic Monk builds of all types, as well as class specific questions about skill interactions. While I'm going to try and lay out a skeleton myself, any help fleshing out the content would be appreciated. So if you have a question about how the Monk works, know of a common build that everyone should be familar with, or have any suggestions for our profession overviews, please post them here.

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Standard Healer
Monk/Mesmer

Healing Prayers 12, +1 Rune, +1 Hat
Divine Favor 11, +1 Rune
Inspiration 6

Word of Healing
Orison of Healing
Healing Breeze
Signet of Devotion
Healing Seed
Remove Hex
Restore Life
Channeling

All-in-Wonder PvE Monk
Monk/Warrior

Healing Prayers 10, +1 Rune, +1 Hat
Divine Favor 10, +1 Rune
Protection Prayers 9, +1 Rune
Tactics 7

Healing Hands
Orison of Healing
Healing Breeze
Signet of Devotion
Shielding Hands
Rebirth
Watch Yourself!
Bonetti's Defense

Protection Monk
Monk/Elementalist

Protection Prayers 11, +1 Rune, +1 Hat
Divine Favor 11, +1 Rune
Earth Magic 8

Shield of Deflection
Guardian
Reversal of Fortune
Signet of Devotion
Mend Ailment
Shielding Hands
Armor of Earth
Ward Against Melee

Melandru's Protector
Monk/Ranger

11 Protection Prayers, +1 Rune, +1 Hat
11 Divine Favor, +1 Rune
8 Wilderness Survival

Melandru's Resilience
Draw Conditions
Guardian
Reversal of Fortune
Signet of Devotion
Shielding Hands
Mend Ailment
Remove Hex

Peace,
-CxE

Scaphism · Apr 14, 2005, 05:34 AM // 05:34

Here's a monk design for when you start out in PVE.

Monk/Warrior

Healing Breeze
Orison of Healing
Healing Hands {E} (Ascalon City)
Heal Other (Ascalon City)
Watch Yourself (Ascalon City)
Bonetti's Defense (Ascalon City)
Sprint (Ascalon City)
Restore Life (Yak's Bend)

Pump healing as high as you can get it, depending on your level. Put some points into divine favor, and dump any excess into tactics. Should carry you all the way from Ascalon to Lion's Arch, and even beyond there.

*Edit*
I am a big fan of 3 attribute healers later on in the game (Healing, Protection, and Divine Favor), but in the early game, you'll be more effective sticking to Healing, IMO.

The game starts you off with Shielding Hands and Reversal of Fortune, 2 protection skills that I like a lot, but early on they lose out to Healing Hands and Orison of Healing.

Healing Hands will often not just stop the damage, but heal a character up. Be sure not to waste it when there are any stone summet howlers (necros with strip enchantment) and stone summit sages (mesmers with shatter enchantment) around, or it will be removed right away.

Reversal of Fortune can be better than Orison of Healing...later on, combined with divine favor. With 10 Divine Favor, you get 32 points of healing every time you use it, plus it can act as chaff for other enchantments to be removed, it casts faster than Orison, has a better animation, and can reverse a 67 damage attack for a 144 point health swing +32 points of healing.
However, in the early game, nothing is going to hit you for 67 damage, your protection wont be high enough to get that swing anyways, and you're more likely to have 3 or 4 divine favor, giving you only 10-13 reliable healing. Most monster attacks will be hitting you for 3-15 damage, tops, meaning you're only getting a swing of 30 damage. A similar orison of healing will reliably give you 40+ points of healing, regardless of whether a monster hits for 2 damage or 15 damage. And early on, you need all the help.

My final argument for taking Healing early on: Healing Breeze. DOTs like conjure phantasm are very effective early on, and you need a way to counter them. Healing gives you that, protection does not. Remember this is just for the early game, later on DOTs are much less of a threat.

cpukilla · Apr 14, 2005, 03:35 PM // 15:35

Mo/R Melandru's Resilience build

Healing :

10 Healing, 10 Divine, 10 Wilderness, 5 Protection

Melandru's Resilience (Elite)
Draw Conditions
Signet of Devotion
Orision of Healing
Healing Breeze
Barbed Trap
Healing Touch
Heal Other

Protecton :

11 Protection, 10 Divine, 10 Wilderness

Melandru's Resilience
Draw Conditions
Remove Hex
Reversal of Fortune
Barbed Trap
Signet of Devotion
Gaurdian
Shielding Hands

Nash · Apr 14, 2005, 03:39 PM // 15:39

I disagree totally with running Traps on Monks. And 11/10/10 would be better for a Melandru Healer, if not 12/10/8.

Here's my straight-forward Monk team setup idea:
http://paladins.viperhosting.net/for...topic.php?t=75

Draken · Apr 14, 2005, 04:58 PM // 16:58

Here is a 3 line build i have been tinkering with

Class: Monk / Warrior

Assumed items:
+1 to Divine Favor
+1 to Healing Prayers
+2 to Protection Prayers

Attributes: (cost)
Divine Favor: 10+1 (61)
Healing Prayers: 10+1 (61)
Protection Prayers: 9+2 (48)
Tactics: 7 (28)

Total attribute points used: 198/200

Skills:
1) Signet of Devotion
2) Orison of Healing
3) Heal Other
4) Shield of Regeneration (elite)
5) Shielding Hands
6) Healing Touch
7) "Watch Yourself!"
8) Bonetti's Defense

Shield of regeneration is covered with Shielding hands so its not removed easily. Watchyourself can be kept up constantly because of the monk having a ~2s attack rate so 8 seconds is just long enough. Supposedly you can use healing touch on yourself now...

I probably will drop bonetti's Defense for a Res or Healing breeze as this build needs a bit more healing and I hate "Bonetti's Defense ends if you use a skill." provision.

Edit:Also subing in Shield of deflection and Healing breeze for shielding hands and Shield of regeneration is an option.

torry · Apr 14, 2005, 07:38 PM // 19:38

You may want
- one monk with Ward of Melee.
- one monk with Watch Yourself

Ward of Melee + Watch Yourself = a lot of defense on a monk trio or triad.

Tuon · Apr 14, 2005, 08:45 PM // 20:45

the best monk protection idea is storm chaser. Period. You can also add Greater conflagration & get someone to bring a ward against harm or a ward against elements

EDit this was written before GC became elite & thus is no longer true

walder · Apr 14, 2005, 08:50 PM // 20:50

My Melandru's Monk:

Mo/R

Divine Favor 12 (+2)
Healing 12 (+1/+1)
Protection 6 (+1)
Wilderness 10

Melandru's Resilience-E
Draw Conditions
Signet of Devotion
Mend Ailment
Orison of Healing
Healing Breeze
Divine Intervention
Heal Other

Raumoheru · Apr 24, 2005, 06:18 PM // 18:18

this one many parties loved having around:

Quote:

Monk

Attributes:

Divine Favor: 12
Healing Prayers: 12

Skills:

Spell Breaker (Divine Favor) {E}
Signet of Devotion (Divine Favor)
Divine Healing (Divine Favor)
Orison of Healing (Healing Prayers)
Heal Other (Healing Prayers)
Heal Area (Healing Prayers)
Purge Conditions (None)
Resurrect (None)

Vindexus · Apr 27, 2005, 06:51 PM // 18:51

Divine Healing? The 60r is a killer for me.

Jia Xu · Apr 27, 2005, 08:03 PM // 20:03

i personally didnt think Spell Breaker was good enough in a) duration and b) cooldown to be worth me giving up my precious Monk elite, so unless i used some form or recharge skill i wouldn't consider it.

Harlas Kije · Apr 29, 2005, 05:19 PM // 17:19

Has anyone had any experience running a straight monk build?

I am thinking about taking a second prof with no pts dumped into it and sticking solely with monk attributes. Just curious as to how well a build like this would be both PVM/PVP. I also plan on doing most of my playing solo for awhile.

Also wondering if you have run one--what secondary class in your opinion would complement this build--keeping in mind that no attrib. pts would be put into it. I apologize if this has been asked--my search button is not working on my work pc and I have not been able to find much information on this anywhere else.

shalafifred · Apr 29, 2005, 06:33 PM // 18:33

if you were necro you could bring rend enchantments and that is pretty effective at a low curse level, like 3 or so which only takes like 6 total points to get

gusthegreat · Apr 30, 2005, 02:04 PM // 14:04

I don't understand how any of these monk / warr builds will do any damage... isn't that vital?

funbun · Apr 30, 2005, 02:36 PM // 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harlas Kije

Has anyone had any experience running a straight monk build?

I am thinking about taking a second prof with no pts dumped into it and sticking solely with monk attributes. Just curious as to how well a build like this would be both PVM/PVP. I also plan on doing most of my playing solo for awhile.

Also wondering if you have run one--what secondary class in your opinion would complement this build--keeping in mind that no attrib. pts would be put into it. I apologize if this has been asked--my search button is not working on my work pc and I have not been able to find much information on this anywhere else.

np

I have never seen a pure monk. I would get secondary like Mesmer or Elementist for their energy management/storage abilities.

As a main healer you win run out of energy fast and you need a way recharge. Mesmer/Elementist allows you to do that fast.

PvP as a monk you will be targeted first so for PvP I would go with W/Mo.

Inacurate · May 01, 2005, 01:24 AM // 01:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harlas Kije

Has anyone had any experience running a straight monk build?

I am thinking about taking a second prof with no pts dumped into it and sticking solely with monk attributes. Just curious as to how well a build like this would be both PVM/PVP. I also plan on doing most of my playing solo for awhile.

Also wondering if you have run one--what secondary class in your opinion would complement this build--keeping in mind that no attrib. pts would be put into it. I apologize if this has been asked--my search button is not working on my work pc and I have not been able to find much information on this anywhere else.

I am going to be running a Pure Monk build, albeit I have little experience in GW yet, but I do not plan on putting much, if any, points into my second profession's attributes.

Will let you know how it goes.

Am currently lvl 7 and still futzing around in n00b area playing with the different classes and trying to get a feel for which would compliment my Monk best.

As well as trying to find out what I need to bring WITH me from here for armor and whatnot. And what weapon to use.....

Inac

gusthegreat · May 01, 2005, 01:17 PM // 13:17

As a Monk / Warr, what weapon should I be using. Everyone here is acting like theyre builds for monk / warr = no damage and its really confusing me. If I only put points into Protection, Divine and Tactics wheres the damage? Should I go with Warrior Weapons or Monk Weapons?

Inacurate · May 02, 2005, 08:22 PM // 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by gusthegreat

As a Monk / Warr, what weapon should I be using. Everyone here is acting like theyre builds for monk / warr = no damage and its really confusing me. If I only put points into Protection, Divine and Tactics wheres the damage? Should I go with Warrior Weapons or Monk Weapons?

In PvP fights( against other players ) your weapon choice won't really matter as much as your skill choice.

Same could be said about PvE fights( against NPCs ) however sometimes there are certain "bugs / glitches" to game mechanics that allow the right choice of weapon to reign king. Like your weapon being able to hit the NPC, while thiers can not.

What you really want to focus on for your weapon selection gust, is what( if any ) attribute points it may give you, what other type of stat bonus it may offer for certain attribute levels, etc etc.

I am now a level 10 Monk / Elem and am using some staff that gives me like +3 energy or some such, I forget the specifics. It does like, 4-6 damage truth be told....not a heck of a lot.

Inac

Dreamsmith · May 02, 2005, 10:23 PM // 22:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by gusthegreat

I don't understand how any of these monk / warr builds will do any damage... isn't that vital?

I don't think any of the Mo/W builds in this thread are designed to do damage. Mostly they're picking W for defense (notice they're putting points into Tactics and using skills like "Watch Yourself!" and Bonetti's Defense). People frequently poo-poo the idea of playing defensively in this game, but monks are an exception. That's the one profession that can count on being attacked quickly and attacked hard.

Doing damage is vital for a team, but healing is vital too. It isn't vital that any character be able to do both, that's what teammates are for.

If you do want to do damage, you probably do want to use a warrior weapon and put some points into the appropriate attribute for it. You'll also want smiting for skills like Judge's Insight and Strength of Honor, to give you the armor penetration and boosted damage.

NiGht_HaWk · May 06, 2005, 12:31 AM // 00:31

It doesnt seem that the Monk is used for Smiting that often. Smiting monks could draw fire away from the healing monk, if you think about it. They also have some good holy damage spells.