Curse

Blame the Monks · Aug 06, 2006, 05:10 AM // 05:10

Several of my guildmates thought this was helpful, so I decided to post this here.

http://www.xoohq.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22082

Enjoy.

Anarion Silverhand · Aug 06, 2006, 11:13 AM // 11:13

So you post a link to a forum that requires you to make an account just to see whatever you posted??

Blame the Monks · Aug 06, 2006, 01:58 PM // 13:58

Sorry, I thought I could link to the public area and a copy and paste takes out the links. Working on it.

Blame the Monks · Aug 06, 2006, 02:20 PM // 14:20

Well, I can't figure out what the problem is and a mod isn't on. Hopefully Billiard can fix this.
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Gearing your PvE Monk for PvP
By: Garbad the Weak
Last Update: August 5, 2006

The purpose of this guide is to show you how to gear your PvE monk for PvP. This guide does not purport to be the only way or even the best way, but merely my preferences. I cover exactly what gear I use on various common builds, why I use the gear, and where to get it.

Weapons and Off-hands

Template
Swap 1: Energy denial breaking swap
Swap 2: Primary defensive swap
Swap 3: Primary offensive/recharge swap
Swap 4: Emergency swap

MOR Boon Prot
–5 energy weapon with +30 life + shield 30/-5
Charr at the Gate sword with 30 life + shield 30/-5
Wayward Wand + 5/45 divine offhand
HOD sword +30 life + 15/-1 30 life offhand

Edrain Boon Prot
–5 energy weapon with +30 life + shield 30/-5
Charr at the Gate sword with 30 life + shield 30/-5
Wayward Wand + inspiration Straw Effigy
HOD sword +30 life + 15/-1 30 life offhand

Blessed Light Monk
–5 energy weapon with +30 life + shield 30/-5
Charr at the Gate sword with 30 life + shield 30/-5
Mungri’s Wand + Byzzr’s Offhand
HOD sword +30 life + 15/-1 30 life offhand

Healing Monk
–5 energy weapon with +30 life + shield 30/-5
Charr at the Gate sword with 30 life + shield 30/-5
Wayward Wand healing + healing Straw Effigy
HOD sword +30 life + 15/-1 30 life offhand

AoE Smite Monk
–5 energy weapon with +30 life + shield 30/-5
Charr at the Gate sword with 30 life + shield 30/-5
FFS with 20% + smite Straw Effigy
HOD sword +30 life + 15/-1 30 life offhand

Armor, Hats, and Misc. Gear

HAT SWAPS: Always use your superior rune in your hat and keep a hat with a minor rune of the same type as a switch. If you get DP, switch hats to boost your survivability. If you are a boon prot, always precast boon and then switch to your minor hat.

ARMOR SWAPS: Keep a set of full Shepherd’s armor (+35 life) to use against degen or some spike teams or if you get DPed.

GIMMICK SWAPS: If possible, get a +10 vs pierce/30 life (HERE), a +10 vs lit damage/30 life, and a +60 life -5 dmg hex shield. Pierce works against most assassin damage, btw.

VAMP WEAPON: Use this if you get stuck in the floor (Ideally a dual vamp).
Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find these items?

You can get this stuff from a variety of sources, but most is available as a green or as a crafted item. Click HERE for a directory of greens, HERE for a listing of collectors, and HERE for a listing of weapon crafters. In general:

Nago outside K-town crafts 45/-2 enchant shields, +5 energy 20% recharge wands, 30 life 20% recharge offhands, and 5/45 offhands. Nago is your friend; visit him often. (Note the inspiration wand/offhand must come from amulets of the mist).

Shichiroji in the Divine Path (after shiro) crafts +5 energy weapons.
Manzo in K-town sells 30/-5 shields.
Honglei crafts 15/-1 offhands and wands.

Finally, as a general resource, check out Makkert's excellent PvE Character Preparation for PvP: Limits and Advantages guide for information on finding most items for any class (including the collectors +15/-1 offhands).

Do I have to use a Gold shield?

No, they patched this. Now all items (including greens and pvp only items) give the same defense as golds. The only reason to run a gold is fashion, so feel free to use collectors/crafters.

Which is better: Judges or Acolytes armor? Or a 45/-2 or a 30/-5?

Both are decent choices – it really depends on how much you want to gamble. If you can ensure you have an enchantment on you all the time (even during spikes), the mod while enchanted is clearly better. However, if you are wrong you will lose the positive mods right when you need them most. I personally believe it is better to be safe and use the unconditional mods (judges armor, 30 life –5 damage 20%) due to the prevalence of dom mesmers. However, I have a set of each so I can decide what I want to do in any given game or if the metagame shifts.

Which is better: 5 armor or 30 life?

I believe 30 life is better, but armor isn't bad. Just remember a lot of the damage monks take will bypass armor (mesmer damage, degen, +damage from skills, life steal).

Which is better: Wayward wand or FFS?

I prefer wayward wands for four reasons. First, WW allows you to wand, which helps your team’s DPs and helps you maintain correct positioning. Second, I like having +17 energy on my second step rather than only +12. +12 is only enough for one Prot Spirit, but +17 allows a PS followed by an immediate rof, which is helpful for stopping strong spikes and afterspikes. Third, WW provides slightly faster recharge (36% vs 28%). Fourth, FFS is as ugly as unchosen’s mom. It is cheap and effective (again like unchosen’s mom), but fashion matters. Although you give up 30 life if you use WW, I trust XoO monks can exercise the judgment needed to stay on 2 when there is danger near and 3 if there is not.

Why don’t you recommend tats hands/feet and judges legs/chest?

I simply don’t think tats are useful. Energy pool is not an important asset with skilled focus swapping (energy gain per minute is the key), especially relative to damage reduced. Furthermore, in the past you got a disproportionate benefit from using partial sets because the mods were not balanced relative to frequency of hits. This meant most XoO monks used mixed sets. However, anet rebalanced this some time ago. Now, all the peices of armor are equivalent (ie, mods of the legs = mods on hand+feet, mods, chest = legs + hands, etc), so it makes sense to use full sets of whichever type you think is best.

Why would you want a negative energy switch (#1)?

First, you should read Ensign's article on Breaking Energy Denial. This excellent guide covers the basics of focus swapping very well. By now most monks know about the “energy ladder” so I won’t dwell on this.

Why do you need an emergency switch (#4)?

An emergency switch is used to give you some emergency energy to make a critical cast or two. Use it to save a life or power your energy mgt back up, but never cast in it for long. However, it is CRITICAL that you do not die on your emergency switch. If you do, you will have huge energy problems for a long time.

It is a pain in the ass to use all this stuff in-game. Do I really need all this stuff?

It is not essential, but it does help a little. I keep all my swaps in exactly the same place in my inventory so I can quickly open my inventory and switch by memory. If this is a distraction from your quality of play, don’t mess with it. Pick the swaps that give you the most advantage (hat swaps) and ignore the rest. Still, every little bit helps and you know the saying – for the lack of a nail…

I can’t afford all this stuff. Does this mean I can’t use my PvE monk in PvP?

Not at all. The primary advantage a PvE monk has is armor swapping and having more than two slots of items to work with. This alone is a big advantage and it is better to have less than perfect gear and armor swapping than no armor swapping and perfect gear. Don’t feel bad if you cannot afford superior vigors and +30 life on everything – major vigor and +25 life is completely acceptable and still easily better than a PvP toon.

ubermancer · Aug 06, 2006, 03:17 PM // 15:17

Seems sensible, more or less reflects what Ive been doing, so thumbs down (Ill show some mercy).

mitch herbort · Aug 06, 2006, 09:03 PM // 21:03

this guide has some useful information, like the hat switch i woulda never thought of that. well it really isnt the best guide in the world but, there were some good tid bits.

xiao1985 · Aug 07, 2006, 11:12 AM // 11:12

decent guide... i experienced e denial on gvg the other day first hand... and proud to say i figured out swapping weps to hide energy on spot...

TheMadKingGeorge · Aug 07, 2006, 11:23 AM // 11:23

i always use my pve monk to hoh he has all scalps weapons off hands 20% enchamt swords +5 enrgy _ enrgy for foci ect ect