Curse

DanielGow · Jul 01, 2005, 04:37 PM // 16:37

I spent a couple hours searching on both Monk and Warrior builds (and Monk/Warrior builds...), but I haven't been able to satisfy my mild frustrations with the Monk/Warrior build.

Before I go any further, let it be known that I very rarely do PvP, and if I do I usually create a PvP Only character and fart around for the evening in Arenas before deleting that character and going to bed. I enjoy PvE immensely, and when I'm not doing Cooperative Missions I'm out typically exploring/questing with a full team of henchies.
My first character in GW is a Ranger/Elementalist, who is level 20 and at Sanctum Cay, done all the missions and quests I could find up until that point. I created a Monk/Warrior because I'm envious of the healing ability of all the monks I've played with, and having Warrior tacked on the end seemed like a useful secondary from what I'd read at that point.

My Mo/W is now level 14, just left the Northern Shiverpeaks, and my build is like this:
Healing Prayers - 9 points
Divine Favor - 5 points + 1 Scalp Design
Protection Prayers - 6 Points

In the Co-op missions so far I've found a role that works very well for me; basically I heal the ---- out of everyone (with Healing Breeze, Orison of Healing, and every now and then Heal Party), using spells like Guardian or Vigorous Spirit when I have the energy. I try to have Divine Boon (love that spell!) running as much as possible. That works fairly well, and although I don't contribute any significant damage, that's okay because people seem to like the fact that I keep them alive.
PvE-Exploring is a different matter, because I have difficulty if I don't take a full team of henchies with me if I want to go out "on my own" (meaning, no other living beings with me). Usually I bring both warriors, Alesia, Orion and Reyna (Claude and the Enchanter-Guy's purpose is lost on me), and for the most part I throw the occasional heal and wonder what else I should be doing while it takes a while for the henchies to go through each clump of the enemy (the NPC's heal themselves faster then I can, typically). I've toyed a little with Smiting Prayers, putting my 6 points there instead of Protection, but what I find then is that in big fights I can dish out some significant damage, but I run out of Energy in a hurry so I'm hesitant to go that route in Co-Op (for fear of getting my group killed).

So basically, what I'm looking for is advice for levels 14-20, on what skillsets I should be focusing on to get the most out of Co-Op/PvE. I enjoy having a lot of healing power, which seems to be my place in Co-Op and I'm happy to stay that way, but in PvE-Exploring I'd like to have a little more responsibility, perhaps even picking up a weapon from my Warrior side (Hammers appeal, but at the moment I have more skills for Axes then any other weapon). I've read that Smiting is a good way to go, but it seems kind of weak to me (unless I'm missing something...I used Banish, Smite and Bane Signet as my Smiting spells when I was toying with it).

Basically these are the spells I'd like to have, and obviously I'd like a lot of skill points in Healing Prayers:
Healing Breeze
Orison of Healing (to be replaced by Heal Other when I get it)
Divine Boon
Restore Life (swap for Rebirth when I get it)

Heal Party isn't a *must*, because the 15 energy annoys me especially when I'm down to +3 Energy Regen with Divine Boon running.
I'm also open to staying with Protection Prayers and basically leaving the Warrior side completely alone, if someone can point me in a good direction for what combination of spells to use to keep one or two warrior henchies alive for PvE-Exploring with less then a full group (maybe only 1 or 2 henchies at all?).

Perhaps my biggest problem is that I don't think I'm helping enough just healing/protecting, and it's a psychological thing! If so, just tell me!

Thanks for your time...

Neo-LD · Jul 01, 2005, 08:10 PM // 20:10

You are using all the correct spells up to your current point, but son you will find better ones. Healing Breeze eventually doenst heal fast enough and heal party eventually gets too expensive.

My advice is that you need a good SPAM healing spell and a good POWER healing spell. Spam could be orison, reversal of fortune, etc. Power could be heal other, word of healing, etc. You need to make sure that at least two of you spells can target yourself (I use RoF and Healing Touch)

Now, a couple builds that Im thinking up in about 5 minutes to meet some of your specifications:

1) Healer with Boon

Divine Boon, Orison of Healing, Dwaynas Kiss, Word of Healing, Healing Touch, Watch Yourself, Bonettis Defense, Restore Life.

Lots of Cheap spammable healig spells to go well with boon. Resotre Life is better than Rebirth for this build because it comes from healing, not prot. Both the warrior skills are from tactics, and can help keep you and the party alive.

I picked up that you were not satisfied because you couldnt do damage, so:

2) PvE Smiter Protector

Zealots Fire, Draw Conditions, Mend Ailment, Orison of Healing, Dawynas Kiss, Word of Healing, Balthazars Aura, Rebirth.

Uses 4 attributes. Use Zealots and spam spells to heal while inflicting very decent damage on the enemy. Use Balthazars sparingly.

theclam · Jul 01, 2005, 08:54 PM // 20:54

In PvE, you'll be healing most of the time. Sometimes, you'll have the time and energy to do damage or offensive skills, especially at a lower level. I'd bring along Zealot's Fire or some useful Warrior skills, at least up until the desert.

Here's something like what I'd use for my Monk:

Reversal of Fortune - Cheap Spammable
Word of Healing/Heal Other - Big Heal
Signet of Devotion - This is an amazing skill for conserving energy. If my team isn't taking damage quickly, I will use this almost exclusively.
Vigorous Spirit/Protective Spirit/Aegis/etc - Some kind of damage reduction or HoT spell. Vigorous Spirit is usually much more mana efficient than Healing Breeze.
Remove Hex/Mend Ailment - Depending on what mobs use, you may want to take one of these, both, or neither.
Divine Boon/Peace and Harmony/Healing Touch/etc - I use this spot for miscellaneous spells, depending on what I need.
Vengeance/Unyielding Aura/Offering of Blood/Channeling/Zealot's Fire (Here's another miscellaneous spot).
Rebirth - Best PvE heal, bar none.

There's no right answer and you have to find a build that works for you.

If you want a great build for soloing, here's one:

Essential
Zealot's Fire
Divine Boon
Channeling/Bonetti's Defense
Balthazar's Spirit
Non-essential
Balthazar's Aura
Symbol of Wrath
Reversal of Fortune
Protective Spirit
Healing Hands
Shield of Judgement
Healing Touch
Mark of Protection

Basically you put on Zealot's Fire, Channeling, if you have it, Balthazar's Spirit, and Divine Boon, IN THAT ORDER (so that Zealot's Fire goes last if the enemy has enchantment removal). Pull half a dozen mobs and spam Divine Boon until they're all dead. Use Bonetti's Defense to generate mana.

Also, for henchies, I'd suggest you take Claude along. He has Blood Ritual, which he'll cast if you're below about 10 energy, which will give you 1 energy per second for about 10-12 seconds. I find that Reyna doesn't have any useful abilities, except for a bit of damage. I don't even know the Enchanter's name, because he doesn't have a very useful skillset (no Backfire, wtf?).

DanielGow · Jul 03, 2005, 04:23 PM // 16:23

Thank you both for your replies!

I think, drawing from both responses, that I will stick with healing a lot and not worry too much about contributing damage. Also I should try and pick up some more skills (since I'm lacking a few that were mentioned), as Zealot's Fire sounds like a lot of fun.

So again, thanks. I'll stick with it and see what happens!