Curse

ratatass · Apr 04, 2005, 03:34 AM // 03:34

MONK 1 Monk / Elementalist , Divine Favor: 11+1 (77)
Healing Prayers: 10+2 (61). Fire Magic: 10 (61)
1) Signet of Devotion
2) Word of Healing
3) Orison of Healing
4) Healing Seed
5) Healing Breeze
6) Glyph of Lesser Energy
7) Mark of Rodgort
8) Fire Storm

MONK 2
Healing Prayers: 10 (61)
Protection Prayers: 11+2 (77)
Fire Magic: 10 (61)

1) Mend Ailment
2) Shield of Regeneration
3) Life Bond
4) Convert Hexes
5) Infuse Health
6) Glyph of Lesser Energy
7) Fire Storm (availability)
8) Restore Life

Monk 3:

Class: Monk / Elementalist,
Divine Favor: 9+2 (48)
Healing Prayers: 9 (48)
Smiting Prayers: 9+1 (48)
Fire Magic: 9 (48)
1) Signet of Devotion (availability)
2) Shield of Judgment (availability)
3) Retribution (availability)
4) Scourge Healing
5) Healing Seed
6) Glyph of Lesser Energy
7) Fire Storm (availability)
8) Restore Life (availability)

Well, Build up for Slaughter. This is what I have suggested to two of my buddies.

The Build Focuses on Firestorm. Many say Firestorm is the most useless skill you can bring into PvP, for two reasons. Anybody can run out of a firestorm and it takes a while to recharge.

However, I had to come up with something that could give a Triad of Monks an edge to deal damage and to scare those pesky warriors away.

The focus of the Triad’s Firestorm is to make them run away or if they are trapped do some damage. Anybody’s first instinct when hit by a firestorm is to step out of it. If you stay inside a firestorm x 3, then you will surely go down. I have added Mark of Rodgort to keep that Warrior that decides to stay to be continuously on fire for 10 seconds – which also hurts.

Damage the first 5 seconds: 330 + Wand attacks from buddies. Enough to make them run ?

Scenario 1:

Starting out in the Pre Tomb. Cast 3x Firestorms on first Rift Warden and leave. The Rest of the group is now at Rift Warden 2. Our task is to heal the team – which should be no problem with 3 healers. Now send 1 healer and two other members back to defend Hero, while the rest of the group takes out the rest of the Rifties.

Scenario 2:

Regular focus fire on other member of group. 3 healers all bringing different skills. No skills cast will cancel out. Emergency Heals are Word of Healing, Shield of Judgement, Shield of Regeneration and Healing Seed and Infuse Health: Nobody is going down.
- Added bonus to member under focus fire is : Retribution and Shield of Judgement. Deals 30% back +22 damage each time the attack. So if the whole group is focus firing on your team member their monk will freak out when he sees all those health bars starts dropping simultaneously.

Scenario 3:

Monk member under Warrior Train fire and focus. Repeat casts from Scenario 2, then cast 3x Firestorm, Mark of Rodgort. Then target Warrior and proceed with focus fire from the 3 monks. Scourge Healing to be cast on the Warrior in front and second if you can. Remove all condition and hexes from your fellow monk. The Warriors will probably change target very quickly. It is important that the three monks are positioned in a triangle or close together. You now either have killed a Warrior or not. Most likely they have changed targets -most likely to the next player outside the Firestorm. If we are lucky they hit Alt-Tab and end up on the other monks - still under fire. You should now have 20 seconds until they come again to get your firestorm ready.

Scenario 4:

Inside Other groups camp. Cast Firestorm on their priest and Scourge Healing. That should help a little. If you are lucky their Priest is going down.

Scenario 5:

Defending a Podium (not obelisk podium) with your Ghostly hero or your own base. Cast Firestorm on target on podium. They will run, most likely. Continue with your business.

Anyway, Firestorm is used to make people run away or assault Priests or Ghostly Heros. It is meant to work as a defensive measure to get the Warriors to run away. With Mark of Rodgort you add some fear to your attacker. Nobody likes to see -7 arrows in their healthbar. None of the Monk Spells , like Balthazars Aura, or Holy Wrath can outdo the AoE damage from a Firestorm. There are many variations on using Monk/Rangers/ Mo/Mesmers to create havoc and diversity in your attacks. But I dare to say that this would be the simplest way to coordinate attacks on Warriors attacking monks and the strategy is simple: If a monk gets focus fire, Cast 3x Firstorms on attacker, Scourge Healing, Retribution and Shield Of Judgment.

The bread and butter spells of Breeze, Signet of Devotion, Orizon, Word of Healing, and Seed would keep the guys alive. I also have added one monk dedicated to Hex and Condition removal, so he gets something to do. And with the wide variety of different spells, the Healers doesn’t stack spells that doesn’t stack. One healer also brings Life Bond to help focus fire targets or Ninja Teams going away on Ninja business.

I would love to drop all the resurrect spells, and find two W/Mo or R/Mo that would agree to take them instead. I would then add in Flare or Conjure Flame to beef the Wand attack up to double and use Flare to finish off the Warrior running away from the Firestorm. If we also could get a Water Mage help us to slow targets down...very nice.

My team mates are not convinced, so maybe you aren’t either. He he.

Any input, good or bad is appreciated.

tastegw · Apr 04, 2005, 03:39 AM // 03:39

i like the stratagy.

hope it works out great for ya.

Taranis · Apr 04, 2005, 04:23 AM // 04:23

Imagin a whole Firestorm-8man-Team.......DEADLY!!

torry · Apr 04, 2005, 12:03 PM // 12:03

The strategy may look good, but it is faulty on the most basic level.

What is it doing? Making the melee find other targets than monks. Is this good? Maybe, but probably not. Why? Because the melee will proceed to engage in a full damage attack on other targets. Melee have high damage output as we all know.

What is a better strategy?

To keep the melee on the soft targets, but water out their damage potential to a high degree. Why? You know where you have them and you reduce much of the highest damage output of the other team. Again, melee are high damage output machines. It is much better to reduce their damage output, than to just move that damage potential to other targets thank monks.

Note that there is one exception to the above, and that is if the said melee interrupts healing by knockdown or Skull Crack. However, note that hammer attacks and said Elite will also be subject to 50% dodge from Ward of Melee. Spell knock downs will not.

So, what are we talking about then?

ONE Ward of Melee will reduce the damage output of 2 warriors with 50% each. You take away 30-45 DPS from the other team. Marvellous. You just can't beat that.

However, it is not the best strategy to make the melee totally useless, again they then change targets

The optimal way to do it would be to allow the melee to do some damage, but not too much.

The general strategy of GW, as any other war, is to

a) produce a high output of damage over time
b) be able to focus some of that damage in a short space of time and place, to produce an advantage (breaking through the front in a war game)

c) to produce a high output of healing of your units
d) to absorb, or weaken, the damage output of the other team

Ratatass is doing none of the above, he is only moves the other teams damage output away from our monks, to other targets. He is moving some of the heavy damage away from the weak armour monks though.

In a worst case scenario this probably means a very short life span of other soft targets in the group.

In a best case scenario, the other casters in the group will stay within the triad perimeter. But this again opens for heavy AOE damage from the other team again, Healing Seed or not.

Rat is making a rather situational defense, which can work excellently, or miserably, depending on the situation.

It can be worthwhile to remember that the conventional wisdom does not list melee as caster killers. That is the job of the Ranger and Mesmer castes.

So my take on this one would be to:
- cast ONE Watch Yourself in the triad => 30% damage mitigated (Ander Moonshadow, Dolyak Signet is NOTHING compared to this shout

)
- cast ONE Ward of Melee in the triad => 50% melee damage mitigated

Optinally,
- cast ONE Ward of Elementals in the triad => 30+% elemental damage mitigated (dont remember the figures)
- Ward of Foes has the desired slow effect, Rat.

Healing Seed vs Rains from the other team

The triad is still susceptible to heavy AOE like Earthquake or Meteor Shower. However, this is easily countered by cheap heals on instant AOE, and movement on Meteors. Needs coordination though.

One of the Triad could be a BIP'er by the way?