Curse

ump · Dec 07, 2005, 07:40 PM // 19:40

I did a search and outside of some Sorrow's Furnace talk, I didn't find a good discussion on a protection monk specializing in Life Barrier and Life Bond, so I figured I'd start one.

Mo/?
Protection Prayers: 12+1+3=16
Divine Favor: 12+1=13

Required Skills
1) Life Barrier (elite) - (15,2,5,-1) - While you maintain this enchantment, damage dealt to target other ally is reduced by 20...44%. If your Health is below 50% when that ally takes damage, Life Barrier ends.

At level 16, damage is reduced by 52%. Slap this enchantment on the tanks since they should be taking the most damage.

2) Life Bond - (10,2,0,-1) - While you maintain this Enchantment, whenever target other ally takes damage from an attack, half the damage is redirected to you. The damage you receive this way is reduced by 3...25 points.

At level 16, damage is reduced by 32. You'll be seeing a lot of -0 on top of you. Slap this enchantment on anybody and everybody that will be taking damage. If casting Life Barrier and Life Bond, cast Life Barrier first so you take less damage.

3) Balthazar's Spirit (10,2,0,-1) - While you maintain this enchantment, target ally gains adrenaline and energy after taking damage.

This skill is linked to smiting, but extra points in smiting only give adrenaline, so it's equally useful at smiting 0 for energy. This skill combos with Life Bond in that each damage (even zero) you take turns into one energy. This will ease the pressure off of Blessed Signet when your party is in battle.

4) Blessed Signet (0,2,10) - For each enchantment you are maintaining, you gain 3 energy, maximum 3...20.

Since you will be maintaining a lot of enchantments and have negative energy regeneration, this skill is needed to recharge your energy. Cast it whenever possible.

5) Rebirth (10,6,0) - Resurrect target party member. Target party member is returned to life with 25% Health and zero Energy, and is teleported to your current location. All of target's skills are disabled for 10...4 seconds. This Spell consumes all of your remaining Energy.

Since you will be spending most of your time as far as possible from the front line, you can serve as the emergency button in case the party gets wiped out. Be warned if you try to cast this ever because most of your enchantments will fall off when your energy hits zero. If there is any one else with a resurrect spell, let them cast instead while you juggle your energy.

Optional Skills

6) Protective Spirit (10,1/4,2) - For 5...19 seconds, target ally cannot lose more than 10% max Health due to damage from a single attack or Spell.

Use this spell pretty much only on yourself if you are taking damage and need to run away.

7) Signet of Devotion (0,2,5) - Heal target ally for 14...83 points.

A way to do something useful that doesn't cost you energy. It can be used to try to keep your life above 50% to maintain Life Barrier.

8) Vital Blessing (10,3/4,2,-1) - While you maintain this Enchantment, target ally has +40...168 maximum Health.

You can use this enchantment as an extra buffer when someone is about to die to give the healing monk more time to react.

9) Reversal of Fortune (5,1/4,2) - The next time target ally would take damage, that ally gains that amount of Health instead, maximum 15...67.

Another useful way to prevent someone from dying.

10) Mend Condition (5,3/4,2) - Remove one condition from target other ally. That ally is healed for 5...57 health.

Another active spell to do if you get bored casting Blessed Signet.

11) Mantra of Inscriptions (0,10,20) (Mesmer) - For 30...78 seconds, your Signet rings recharge 25...45% faster.

Pretty much used just to get Blessed Signet to recharge faster so you can get energy quicker.

12) Symbiosis (5,5,60) (Rnager) - Create a level 1...8 Spirit. For creatures within its range, for each enchantment on a creature, that creature's maximum health is increased by 27...125. This Spirit dies after 30...126 seconds.

Well, maybe you can cast this if you take some attribute points away. However, it doesn't matter if another ranger even casts this. I've heard this useful in Sorrow's Furnace where you load up the tank with enchantments and pump up his health quite high.

Strategy
Your main job is to stay in the back and maintain your enchantments so the party can negate a lot (over 50%) of damage. Cast Balthazar's Spirit on yourself to set up your energy harvesting. I prefer to cast this first because it's the last thing that I want to drop if I fail to maintain my energy. Cast Life Barrier on the tanks who will be taking the most damage. This ensures they take less damage. Cast Life Bond on everyone, if possible, or else the ones most likely to take damage. You want that damage redirected to you in order to charge Balthazar's Spirit. Be sure to spam Blessed Spirit whenever possible because once you get to negative energy regeneration, you need to keep that energy as high as possible. If you are close to running out of energy, don't cast anything new. Use a weapon switch to a 15/-1 wand and focus for an extra energy buffer if needed. Drop some enchantments if needed (usually Life Bond on casters). Stay well behind the caster because you don't want to take any damage (or else Life Barrier will fall off). You'll pretty much be staring at your energy bar the whole time (as opposed to staring at the red bars in the party window). If you let your energy fall to zero, you'll take a lot of time putting the enchantment back up, so don't let it happen in the middle of a battle. Use one of your heal/escape spells when you get into trouble. If you are worried about enchantment stripping, lay some cover enchantments or have your healer cast healing breeze on top of your enchantments. If in the middle of battle, your energy is very high, and the team is in trouble, then consider helping the healer out with Reversal of Fortune/Vital Blessing/Signet of Devotion/Mend Condition, but don't get yourself in trouble and start taking damage or else you'll either lose Life Barrier or lose all your enchantments because you died.

j_babs · Dec 08, 2005, 09:51 PM // 21:51

Yeah this is a pretty standard layout, I would add Aegis and Breeze, and exchange balthazars spirit for essence bond on the tank. Keep spamming blessed sig and cast aegis when you can.

OneArmedScissor · Dec 08, 2005, 10:02 PM // 22:02

Or you could be a real help to your team and just be a healing monk.
All you need for PvE is a healing monk, maybe a prot. monk.
but an LB prot monk? Everyone will consider you useless in PvE.

ump · Dec 09, 2005, 12:06 AM // 00:06

(That will teach me not to copy the text prior to submitting or not previewing every once in a while - I just lost my reply and have to retype it.)

Quote:

Or you could be a real help to your team and just be a healing monk.
All you need for PvE is a healing monk, maybe a prot. monk.
but an LB prot monk? Everyone will consider you useless in PvE.

This build is meant for the late game against difficult enemies such as during Sorrow's Furnace or maybe the Underworld or Ring of Fire Islands. You personally must have a really organized group and dedicated healer to bring only one monk in a group of eight. Most random groups that I go into require two monks, one healer and one protector, in order to keep most of the group alive. The job of the protector is to keep the pressure off the healer by making the group take less damage. This build does that by reducing damage by over 50%. The difference is how the protector does that (passively maintaining enchantments in this case as opposed to actively spamming spells). I'm sure the healer in the group will really appreciate the extra pressure taken off of his/her healing regardless of how it is done.

Quote:

Yeah this is a pretty standard layout, I would add Aegis and Breeze, and exchange balthazars spirit for essence bond on the tank. Keep spamming blessed sig and cast aegis when you can.

I agree that Aegis could fit in to the optional spells portion. However, I disagree with Healing Breeze. It's a good cover enchantment, but works better if the healing monk casts it instead of you. With no points in healing, Healing Breeze heals less than Signet of Devotion. You also have a lot of cover enchantments including Vital Blessing.

I disagree that Essence Bond is a substitute for Balthazar's Spirit. The spirit is triggered by any damage rather than the bond which is only triggered by physical damage. Plus it's more efficient that Essence Bond when combined with more than one person using Life Bond. If, on the other hand, you are talking about using Essence Bond on the tank along with Balthazar's Spirit on yourself, then it could help with the energy management. It helps if you need it, but I usually don't find that I need it. Personally, I usually bring a Signet of Capture or Mend Condition (I'll have to try Aegis also) in that last slot. I leave one slot for quick casting escape (Reversal of Fortune or Protective Spirit) and one slot for emergency healing (Signet of Devotion or Vital Blessing).

ghezbora · Dec 09, 2005, 10:08 PM // 22:08

I run as a barrier monk all the time in SF and UW. I usually run the following or something similar:

Prot: 12 + 1 + 3
DF: 12 + 3

Blessed Signet
Signet of Devotion
Life Barrier {E}
Reversal of Fortune
Mend Condition
Remove Hex
Resurrect
Protective Spirit

I haven't found it effective to bring both Life Bond AND Life Barrier. You're already reducing damage by half, and running that many enchants turns your energy management from bad to nightmarish. I may play with this though.

I load up on 5e skills. Signet of devotion at 15 DF is 100 points, and each RoF / Mend Condition / whatever is 48 points of DF bonus (plus 74 if i remove a condition), and I'm removing hexes/conditions, so this really takes a load off the healer.

Rebirth is better if you get "n-1 wiped" and you need to save the party, but it requires you to ditch all your enchants.

Oh, and if you run the math, you'll find that blessed signet gives you .75 pip / enchant if you spam it continuously, to a maximum of 8 enchants (at 15 DF max 24 energy gain). So maintaining 7 LB's gives me an effective 2.25 pip of regen still! Not half bad. In SF I'm only running 4 LB's so I still have 3 pips.

edit:

Wow, I was not familiar with Mantra of Inscriptions, I will DEFINITELY be trying that one out!!

ump · Dec 12, 2005, 04:36 PM // 16:36

I have been having some problems lately trying to keep up Life Bond on everyone plus Life Barrier on tanks in random groups. In these cases, I have found that it is easier to just Balthazar's Spirit myself, Life Bond everyone, put up Life Barrier in the middle of battle when someone is taking a lot of damage, and assist furthermore as energy permits. You take more damage when casting Life Bond before Life Barrier, but it's usually neglible except against real spikers and it helps with energy management when you don't have to upkeep the enchantments when it's not necessarily needed. Also, in random groups it's not always the tanks that need the most help and you never know who gets themselves in trouble. Plus, Life Bond+Balthazar's Spirit makes it easier to maintain enechantments when in the middle of battle. I would guess that it is a better use of enchantments then Life Barrier itself.

ghezbora · Dec 12, 2005, 05:31 PM // 17:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ump

I have been having some problems lately trying to keep up Life Bond on everyone plus Life Barrier on tanks in random groups. In these cases, I have found that it is easier to just Balthazar's Spirit myself, Life Bond everyone, put up Life Barrier in the middle of battle when someone is taking a lot of damage, and assist furthermore as energy permits. You take more damage when casting Life Bond before Life Barrier, but it's usually neglible except against real spikers and it helps with energy management when you don't have to upkeep the enchantments when it's not necessarily needed. Also, in random groups it's not always the tanks that need the most help and you never know who gets themselves in trouble. Plus, Life Bond+Balthazar's Spirit makes it easier to maintain enechantments when in the middle of battle. I would guess that it is a better use of enchantments then Life Barrier itself.

I always use barrier before bond, because bond alone -> i take damage -> i go below 50% health -> all my barriers end. the ---- starts to hit the fan REAL quick when that happens. sure it's harder on the energy since barrier doesnt trigger balths and costs 15 instead of 10, but i just find its more reliable. if it works for you, more power to ya

ump · Dec 12, 2005, 08:06 PM // 20:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghezbora

I always use barrier before bond, because bond alone -> i take damage -> i go below 50% health -> all my barriers end. the ---- starts to hit the fan REAL quick when that happens. sure it's harder on the energy since barrier doesnt trigger balths and costs 15 instead of 10, but i just find its more reliable. if it works for you, more power to ya

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree because I feel Life Bond alone is better than Life Barrier alone because it is easier on the energy. With the extra energy in battle, you can use Aegis or Protective Spirit (or Life Barrier) to reduce damage. They both are nearly identical in that they reduce damage by about 50% with the difference being whether you take a reduced amount of damage or not. As mentioned several times, the damage is used to harvest energy. With your build, I don't see how you would be really be able to cast anything other than the occassional spell (with the exception of Signet of Devotion) between Blessed Signet cycles.

ghezbora · Dec 12, 2005, 08:49 PM // 20:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by ump

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree because I feel Life Bond alone is better than Life Barrier alone because it is easier on the energy. With the extra energy in battle, you can use Aegis or Protective Spirit (or Life Barrier) to reduce damage. They both are nearly identical in that they reduce damage by about 50% with the difference being whether you take a reduced amount of damage or not. As mentioned several times, the damage is used to harvest energy. With your build, I don't see how you would be really be able to cast anything other than the occassional spell (with the exception of Signet of Devotion) between Blessed Signet cycles.

If my enchants are getting stripped, I can't cast much else. I may try doing bond first but I find it hard to imagine it would be so much better to allow me to cast in that case. If the enchants are staying put, energy is not limited, I'm purely skill-slot limited.

Vincent Ritz · Dec 14, 2005, 09:46 PM // 21:46

I've been running this build at mid levels (15-16), and will probably stick with it...

Blessed Signet
Mantra of Inscriptions (amazing what a couple of points in inspiration can do for this build)
Life Bond
Mend Ailment
Watchful Spirit
Vital Blessing
Balthazar's Spirit
Revive

I got twinked a bit (droks tatts, and a +10 energy staff, along with the advanced skills) and with my DF at 14, I can easily maintain 8 enchants along with the occasional vital blessing/watchful spirit during long fights (which I remove if my energy starts slipping) and I can still spam mend ailment. This is how I did Gates of Kryta and D'Alessio in a PuG with another healer.
this early on I find that putting watchful spirit on myself helps in a couple ways:

1. constant 2 pip regen helps me survive life bond with the exception of multiple rapid-fire spikers (or things that hit hard and fast like ettins).
2. If my hp starts to drop too fast, I can remove/recast for a decent spike heal.

The most annoying thing about using my build in a PuG has been 2 things:

1. noobs who confuse life bond for vital blessing
2. noobs who run away from the party (thus losing my life bond)

It's a tedious build, but considering how life bond works, its effective most everywhere except places with massive enchantment removal (like mobs of storm riders)

P.S: The more Max energy you have, the safer it is to spam spells with -6 energy regen

(go tatts!)

Piler Of Corpses · Dec 21, 2005, 09:21 PM // 21:21

I've actually been using my 55 mok for sf/fow prot monkin.

Life Bond (x3) - half the party - entire party if 4 man farmin
Balthazar's Spirit (on me)
Healing Breeze (me and whoever needs it)
Protective Spirit (me me me)

-every time you or any of the 3 other get hit you get 5 dmg and 1 energy

or better yet:

Life Bond (x2) - on both the tank and say ss necro

Balthazar's Spirit (on me)
Holy Veil (me)
Healing Breeze (me and whoever needs it)
Protective Spirit (me me me)

-every time you or any of the 2 other get hit you get 5 dmg and 2 energy

other reccomended skills:
Spellbreaker (E) -for obvious reasons

2 free slots for anything you want; prot, heal or smite

If the tank(s) does his job right youll constantly be on full enegy and spam spells. Interesting thing is that you dont need to worry about how high prot is for Life Bond because you'll always get 5 dmg max(but most often 0

).

ump · Jan 04, 2006, 05:11 PM // 17:11

I thought I'd revisit this to see if any updates are necessary and to point out a few more thoughts on this build. I've tried both Aegis and Watchful Spirit and both work well and deserve to be optional slots. Essence Bond is optional, especially if your group has a dedicated tank, but I find it hard to fit it into the skill bar with other skills taking priority. Personally, I would never run Protective Spirit because usually Reversal of Fortune spamming (and Watchful Spirit) and healing from monks (even hench-monks) is enough to stay alive in battle with proper positioning. Also, Symbiosis would be nice for SF farming, but again, it's hard to find a slot in the skill bar for it.

Here is the version of the build that I run most often right now.

1) Reversal of Fortune
2) Mend Ailment
3) Blessed Signet
4) Watchful Spirit/Signet of Devotion
5) Life Barrier
6) Life Bond
7) Balthazar's Spirit
8) Resurrection Signet/Rebirth

I usually shoot for 10 maintained enchantments because that is the amount that I can maintain outside of battle on Blessed Signet alone.

In a 5-man team such as a Sorrow's Furnace farm, that means I Balthazar's Spirit myself and Barrier, Bond, Watchful Spirit the tank. Now that I think about, Balthazar's Spirit on tank might help as a tell to see if enchantments are being removed. Also, since the tank is holding a gear and therefore not attacking, the extra energy should help spam more spells. That leaves a Life Bond on everyone else. If energy permits, I would Life Barrier (without removing Life Bond) and even Watchful Spirit the minion master or maybe Watchful Spirit myself as a cover enchantment. I use Resurrection Signet in SF because it will recharge a lot with the boss killing and it is something that can actually be cast in the middle of the battle to bring the tank or healer back online as opposed to Rebirth.

In an 8-man team, I Balthazar's Spirit myself and Bond all seven others. As battle dictates I add Barrier especially to the tanks and remove them if they become an energy burden. I know I take a bit extra damage, but I keep Signet of Devotion in that case for the extra heal. Here, Life Barrier becomes optional and could even be replaced by another elite.

Also, attribute-wise, I run both a superior protection and superior divine rune for 12+3+1=16 and 12+3=15 respectively. The extra superior takes away health, but adds energy to Blessed Signet and some healing to Watchful Spirit or Signet of Devotion.

remmeh · Jan 04, 2006, 06:42 PM // 18:42

this is the build i use in pve in a small party when not facing any enchant strippers (say... this build makes thirsty river extremely easy)

reversal of fortune
mend ailment/condition
protective spirit
signet of devotion
blessed signet
life barrier [e]
divine boon
rebirth

use signet of devotion to heal, and turn on divine boon whenever you need some spike healage. works like a charm

sno · Jan 04, 2006, 07:26 PM // 19:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneArmedScissor

Or you could be a real help to your team and just be a healing monk.
All you need for PvE is a healing monk, maybe a prot. monk.
but an LB prot monk? Everyone will consider you useless in PvE.

Remind me (and everyone else, if you're nice) to never let you in a party.

dansamy · Jan 04, 2006, 09:08 PM // 21:08

Mantra of Inscriptions, Keystone Signet (although it DOES disable everything else, it's an instant recharge for Blessed),Glyph of Renewal or Serpent's Quickness. Any of those will help you spam Blessed a LOT more than otherwise able. I bond in PvP and for areas like SF or IDS farming. Bonding is very easy once you learn to juggle energy just a little.

Vanetti- · Jan 05, 2006, 02:54 PM // 14:54

Spamming blessed is overrated IMHO.
My build:

RoF
Blessed Sig
Mend Ailment
Essence Bond
Life Atunement
Balth Spirit
Life Bond
Life Barrier {E}

you dont need a res if you are able to play bonder just a tiny bit Oo.
and most likely the other 3/4 players have a res...
you can keep up a -6degen easily (10 enchants) outside and inside a -2 and
youll have countless energy

solong

w00t! · Jan 07, 2006, 05:07 PM // 17:07

Here's what I run as a Prot in specialized situations, such as UW, Oro, or FA runs:

Blessed Signit
Life Barrier
Life Bond
Balth's Spirit
Life Attunement
Watchful Spirit
Dwayna's Kiss
Heal Area

Sound bizzare? Try it. You can pump up your Heal to 12 (or more of you have Sup Heal rune) by just dropping your Prot to 10 (then getting it to 14 with Sup Prot plus Prot scalp, which you swap in and out and only use when putting up your prots). This only drops your Barrier from 52% to 50%.

The order I cast is: Barrier / Bond / Attunement / Watchful / Balth's Spirit (on tank) / Balth's Spirit (on me). I do it in this order so that the first spell stripped on the Tank is Spirit, which is cheaper to re-apply (10 energy). This gives me a -2 energy degen, which I use Signit to counter (duh).

The advantage of this is that you're much more useful to your party. Heal Area will heal 150hp to the MM Minions, and is also helpful in Grenths where you can stand by the casters and assist the Healer.

Dwayna's Kiss will heal at least 250hp on the Stance Tank and is farily spamable.

The neat thing about this build is that on two seperate occasions I was able to serve at the only Monk in the Furnace when the Healer dropped out. Kept both the Tank and Minions alive, with no deaths in the party.

This build is so good it's almost boring. I can't take credit for it though, as I got the idea based on suggestions from others on this forum.

gobbos · Jan 07, 2006, 11:30 PM // 23:30

This is the build I've been running for sf oro runs. I find it to work rather well.
1.Blessed Signet (21 energy max @ 13 divine)
2.Life Barrier (52% @ 16prot)
3.Life Bond (-32 dmg @ 16 prot)
4.Essence Bond
5.Vital Blessing (+211 health @ 16prot)
6.Life Attunement (52% extra healing @ 16prot)
7.Healing Breeze (+5 regen @ 5heal)
8.Order of Pain (+10dmg @ 8blood)

Attributes
16 prot (12+1+3)
13 divine (10+3)
5 healing (2+3)
8 blood magic

While in Grenth's Footprint, I maintain 7 enchantments. I cast life barrier on all the party members (excluding myself obviously) and then I cast life bond, essence bond, & vital blessing on the tank. Once we get inside Sorrow's Furnace, I maintain 5 enchantments all on the warrior. The same four from earlier and life attunement as well. Life attunement works wonders on the gear tank, because they aren't doing damage anyways. It also makes healing much easier for the other monk. The last 2 skills are just wildcards that are basically your choice. I went with breeze and order of pain. Breeze as an emergency heal and also for the purpose of refilling my life while I constantly cast order of pain. Order of pain is in there to beef up the damage the mm is doing considerably. 5seconds of +10 dmg can take down even the peskiest of bosses and healers in a matter of moments.

The Acolyte · Jan 20, 2006, 03:26 PM // 15:26

I used the following build with a 6 man Tombs UW run yesterday (cleared out everything and got the greens, so I know it works).

Healing Breeze, blessed sig, shielding hands, reversal of fortune, life barrier, convert hex, protective spirit, and rebirth.

I hear that two boon monks works really well too, but that doesn't fit this thread =P. I did have some energy challenges, but one of my friends went full battery (with BiP and BR), so that took care of that. Worked really well, and I came away with two greens so I'm happy =)

The Acolyte

ump · Jan 30, 2006, 07:33 PM // 19:33

It is just me, or are the quality of farmers going down lately? Maybe they are now farming the new underworld. I stopped farming for a little while so I can do more in PvP, and when I came back yesterday for a few runs, people just weren't doing their jobs. Anyways, this is how I changed my build to try to take that into account.

1) Dwayna's Kiss - I don't trust the healer to heal enough. I've had healers run out of energy - how is this possible if they bring Essence Bond - and others not even make it past the first mob on the way there.
2) Convert Hexes - I don't trust the tank to tank enough. This takes out a bunch of hexes and gives them more armor. Are the tanks not bringing enough stances because their life seems to go down way too fast?
3) Blessed Signet
4) Watchful Spirit
5) Life Attunement
6) Life Barrier
7) Life Bond
8) Balthazar's Spirit