Curse

isamu kurosawa · Jan 17, 2008, 02:17 AM // 02:17

I run different hero builds for each of my characters such as a hybrid Rt on warrior, rangers with my para etc. For no profession do i take monks unless i'm running 2 man 6 hero teams.

Hench monks are good enough especially if you load up utility skills such as aegis/wards, expel hexes etc on your heroes or have a hybrid Rt with you.

genofreek · Jan 17, 2008, 02:37 AM // 02:37

Depends, really. I use them sometimes when I feel that a customized monk will be helpful, but usually the hench are good enough.

Sleeper Service · Jan 17, 2008, 02:40 AM // 02:40

totally depends on the build im running...as a general rule if i happen to pug and am wary of the other peoples skills ill take a full heal monk and either a prot or secondary utility support char.

LifeInfusion · Jan 17, 2008, 02:50 AM // 02:50

Do you run builds better than
Kihm (Nightfall)
* Aegis
* Dismiss Condition
* Renew Life
* Reversal of Fortune
* Protective Spirit
* Zealous Benediction

Mhenlo (Nightfall)
* Healing Breeze <-- lol even after the buff
* Healing Touch <-- lol
* Orison of Healing <-- lol
* Renew Life <-- midbattle
* Word of Healing
* Words of Comfort

Mhenlo (Eotn)
# Deny Hexes
# Divine Intervention Divine Intervention
# Healing Touch Healing Touch <-- lol
# Dwayna's Kiss Dwayna's Kiss
# Word of Healing Word of Healing (elite)
# Orison of Healing <-- lol
# Resurrection Chant <-- not disabled
# Vigorous Spirit <-- lol

Lina (Eotn)
* Dismiss Condition
* Guardian
* Protective Spirit
* Resurrection Chant <-- midbattle
* Reversal of Fortune <-- AI is horrible with this
* Shield of Absorption
* Shielding Hands
* Zealous Benediction

If you're not in Eye of the North/Nightfall, the builds are even more terrible.

isamu kurosawa · Jan 17, 2008, 02:59 AM // 02:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifeInfusion

If you're not in Eye of the North/Nightfall, the builds are even more terrible.

Yet they are still better than a pug monk. Shows how easy it is to monk in pve despite the number of bad ones.

hench monks with sucky bars are still effective if you take damage dealing heroes and kill things before the hench feel the strain.

Rohan · Jan 17, 2008, 03:01 AM // 03:01

Why run a monk hero when you can just stomp stuff with three SF heroes?!

Molock · Jan 17, 2008, 03:03 AM // 03:03

I always have Talhkora, Koss, and Zhed (if not Zhed, Master as MM). When its really needed I bring Dunkoro as a prot monk.

Aera Lure · Jan 17, 2008, 03:09 AM // 03:09

I'm a monk. Its almost always the character I am playing. I usually run the build personally that I think is most needed. I then take 3 non-monk heroes to cover what I deem to be critical, letting the henchmen fill the gaps, which includes any extra monk coverage I think might be necessary. When I am playing with someone with heroes, I usually take all monking under my wing, myself and at least a monk hero. An exception to this is of course if I decide I want smiters to come along ( a couple dungeons I have done that), and they of course need to be heroes.

I dont believe there's any one way to do it best for all areas, so I dont, for example, simply take just 3 SF heroes etc all the time. I mix it up, partly for consideration of the area at hand, partly because I want to try it differently time to time. Just like anyone else though, I have general tendencies..

Cherng Butter · Jan 17, 2008, 03:14 AM // 03:14

Mhenlo and Lina/Kihm are actually rather competent monks. I don't find they rez midbattle unless most people have used their res sigs. Stack some hefty offense in your heroes and bring Herta and you're good to go

Though my WoH hybrid is definitely better than their builds, they aren't too shabby.

Keifru · Jan 17, 2008, 03:23 AM // 03:23

I never use monks nowadays; Necros or Rits seem to do better for me.

ValaOfTheFens · Jan 17, 2008, 03:25 AM // 03:25

Depend on the area and what profession I am. When I use my monk I use Tahlkora for healing and I am Prot. I use Dunk and whatever healing monk is available when I'm on my Necro. EoTN's Mhenlo is actually good.

I hate bringing more than one hero monk along but sometimes you need to have control of how and when skills are used.

HawkofStorms · Jan 17, 2008, 03:35 AM // 03:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohan

Why run a monk hero when you can just stomp stuff with three SF heroes?!

See... that also works. Depends on the area really. Stuff like 3 SF eles and 1 MM for over drive offense is a good way to master most timed Factions missions like Viznu Square.

On the other hand, places like HM RoT require more thought and a defensive build. A shelter rt (just so you don't get instant killed by deep freeze spike) and a prot monk are almost required for those areas.

I find that I can get by okay without heros monks in many less endgame areas though (Vabbi, Southern Shiverpeaks, pretty much all of factions). Hench, though they have terrible bars, are enough for most PvE. If you die you just get ressed and can pound it out.

MagmaRed · Jan 17, 2008, 04:00 AM // 04:00

I take 1 Monk hero, and 1 Monk hench. Usually I use my Healer's Boon Dunkoro and the hench Prot, but in the areas with only Alesia, I take Tahlkora for a Prot build. I usually take Livia for MM, and the last hero spot varies a LOT based on what I face. Zho and Daemon do wonders, but if they aren't available, I usually take a Mesmer hero instead. Typically I take Rangers for conditions, not interrupts, but I change them a lot.

Most used hench:

Eve/Claude
Lina/Kihm
Herta
Zho/Daemon

free_fall · Jan 17, 2008, 04:34 AM // 04:34

Kind of a compliment to the Koss thread.

No, I always take the hench monks when I'm solo'ing. The only time I'll take Dunk or Tahlk is when I'm in a pug which already includes a W, nuker & MM.

Stormcaller · Jan 17, 2008, 04:46 AM // 04:46

I play a monk but only seem to have Xandra (Ritualist) with me.

If I get into tough areas I play a bonder and bring the monk heroe(s)

I use the monk henchman sometimes at random or if that is all I got if I dont want what is left.

I haven't PUG'ed for a while.

Master Knightfall · Jan 17, 2008, 05:04 AM // 05:04

I have created the ultimate 2 monk 1 MM/SSer necro team. One monk is built around Smite giving up some Divine Favor for the Flame smite of 25pts damage everytime he uses a skill on someone. Both are setup as healing monks because WOH rocks now. They both have mending touch and I only have 1 or 2 points in protection, to me just the mere fact they can remove 2 conditions with this skill more than makes up for the low healing they give. My MM/SSer is a 15 death/13 Curses that brings Spiteful Spirit, Parasite and Barbs from the Curses line and then uses the Bone Minions and 2 Summon Minions skills with Death Nova to create 100pt explosions and disease for 25 seconds and Blood Bond for healing protection and a cheap rez from the monk line in case of emergencies. The other monk is a Monk/Warrior using my blue 15AL 6 tactics shield I made with +30hp and +10 vs slashing and one monk is a Mo/N so he can bring blood ritual I can use to keep the others in energy. I'm just not a big fan of the protection line of healing unless I need protective bond like against "The Drought". Protective just doesn't have the ability to add a lot more hit points to a team mate as fast as the Healing line does, dual WOH is just awesome and I've played in hard mode areas with just my 3 heroes and myself and let them do all the fighting and we still win (and nobody dies) without any or hardly any of my own intervention. Sometimes I will turn the MM/SSer into an Ele instead of a monk and bring Mark of Rodgort so the two monks add to the damage when attacking with their fire weapons of +14pts every second the mob is on fire with their hits. This is when I'm ultra lazy and want them to do everything. Otherwise I just make myself a W/Ele and I bring Mark of Rodgort and I just wand things from the rear with my fire wand.

The other advantage of this is it helps keep from aggroing more mobs that are very near. Though the Necros minions already do a pretty good job of that. lol

All n all though having my own two hero monks in the team is far far better than using the AI henchies who only have a limited selection of skills and those aren't very good. Plus Alicia suks so badly for getting out in front getting herself killed all the time. Mhenlo as well. At least with my controlling the very important monks I don't have near the party wipes as I did using only henchies and their stupidity play. I usually carry the elementalists and a Paragon. The occassional mesmer though most all the henchie AI mesmers suk really badly with their selection of skills also. I rarely ever take a melee class because they cause all kinds of agro when I just want to remain yards away and have the mobs run to us. Rangers and sins and Dervishers always sit on the sidelines. But, I'm looking into a Ritualist healer type as I've seen some good ones in PVP I'd like to know how they stay alive so easily. Anyone have a great Ritualist healing with perhaps some damage build? I could replace Dunkoro and try one out.

Also a good test of your heroes is to go to Jokanur Diggings and set up to play in HARD MODE, then goto Fahranur, The First City and just let your heroes fight. If you can survive that whole zone without them dying and not helping then you have a perfect hero group build. My heroes can smoke this zone in hard mode without my intervention.

slowerpoke · Jan 17, 2008, 05:41 AM // 05:41

Maybe its having less skill choices, or certain skills that are coded well for the AI to use, but henchmen just seem to be more efficient.

Zahr Dalsk · Jan 17, 2008, 05:51 AM // 05:51

The heal/support goes on me and two of my heroes since it's the vital component of keeping the group alive and Henchmen are incapable of that; one hero handles damage and the hench are all damage focused.

Longasc · Jan 17, 2008, 06:36 AM // 06:36

I never use Hero monks when I am playing alone.
I usually have 1xSS, 1xMM and one or more splinter-barrage-rangers with me.

Why? If you can survive with Hench monks, you do not need even better defense. And if basic healing is enough, you do not need even better healing. But better offense can win a mission or make things go faster. If you cannot kill stuff properly, the best defense does not work.

I also do not use the warrior heroes. They are unfortunately quite mindless and usually screw up when you switch targets a lot, and for mindless stuff you can also use henchies. Paragons/Rangers and other ranged attackers do better in this regard.

Assassin Heroes are also awful. They execute combos slowly or not at all and are even less suited to PvE than player Assassins.

RhanoctJocosa · Jan 17, 2008, 07:13 AM // 07:13

No, they are not worth it. Make use of the Necromancers, Elementalists and Paragons available. Srsly.