Rate my monking thread

[awry]

Well I thought with the other thread about people wondering if they were a bad monk or if it's their teammates it would be faster to just post a video of yourself playing. (I used wegame) Then leave it up to public opinion after seeing the other side from the monk's point of view. I would have posted a losing video too, but it was long and pretty boring.

So feel free to post your own videos and criticize my playing or rage at my bar selection.

Index of Videos

Awry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQuQC1cGAsQ
Cantos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFHJ4FkejNY

[Shendaar]

That was pretty much pure red-barring. You need to zoom out and actually look at what is going on.

[awry]

Originally Posted by Shendaar

That was pretty much pure red-barring. You need to zoom out and actually look at what is going on.

Yup, guilty as charged, I didn't have a mouse with me. Couldn't look around easily, but I do try to guess from compass dots.

[Reverend Dr]

As was mentioned you are not looking at a damn thing other than red bars. Even if your build is a pure red bar build, you should still look at the field which gives you a much better idea of what is going to need healing soon. Also they had 2 melee and you had a guardian which you seemed to only want to use on yourself. EDIT: I guess you did use it on other people. You used it on a random ele. Then you used it on a pet. Then you used it on the ele that was not being damaged by the melee. A melee started training you and you didn't bother. When the second melee came in you finally cast guardian, for the next 1:30 you cast guardian only twice, both on yourself. Most of this game you had very low energy when proper use of this one skill would have alleviated most of that.

Second you didn't bother to kite their melee (you attacked their melee with your caster sword). The job you took as a monk is to keep people up, which is to mitigate damage. If you stand still when moving can reduce damage, then you are violating it.

Overall impression: you are terrible, new players that don't cling to old formulated ideas about guild wars and are willing to listen will be better than you in a matter of days.


Remove the party window. Completely serious. This will for you to pay attention to the field. After doing this for a while you will wonder why you ever gave the party menu so much attention. Also bring condition removal (anyone that says bring "red bard" instead of condition removal is not playing appropriately and instead trying to "build for RA" rather than making the most effective build).

EDIT: Second look: Get a mouse. No really get one. Get one and then unbind wasd, such that your only option to move is via the mouse (click to move).

[Voodoo Rage]

Wow, was that a bonecage scythe hitting you? That thing is massive!

[Delete HB Already]

It is hard to judge because you were without a mouse. Do you normally have a mouse? I noticed towards the end of the video you were a little slow at saving one of your teamates. Your bar is actually something that I used to run skill for skill. Your choice of when to use each spell and which spell to use was fine however I don't think that using vigorous spirit and then trying to hit a dervish with your sword was a good idea. I use vigorous spirit on myself but that is primarily for the health bonus when I use my skills and not from me attacking. It is okay to rod a target from a distance though. It is tougher to kite without a mouse but I think that kiting against that dervish would have done you a lot better than attacking it. It always helps to have 40/40 weapons especially for WoH. You can swap to your 40/40 weapon and cast WoH and then swap back to your defensive set when you are taking damage. It appears that your monk is a pve which would make it difficult to obtain 40/40. As Sheendaar said, it would help if you zoomed out so you could see what is going on and it would help you with knowing who to use guardian on because you can see the melee. Of course, you can't do that without a mouse but can you somehow get the game zoomed out a little bit?

[Reverend Dr]

Originally Posted by Delete HB Already

Your choice of when to use each spell and which spell to use was fine

We can't see the field, there is no one that can make that judgement.

[awry]

Well knowing the team composition, i can kinda tell caster/hex damage from melee damage by how it arrives. The red dots on the compass can also tell me if it's melee.

I'm attacking into derv because I dont' want to lose my position is my line of reasoning and I'm the one in my team with the most armor. I'll rather him train me all game and worry less about a target swap spike. I'll probably have a harder time healing them than myself anyhow.

Yeah I don't play on my desktop anymore, just play on my mouse pad on my computer... it's a lazy playstyle i've evolved that's gotten me to g6 lol.

[Reverend Dr]

You can't tell melee damage, so "telling caster/hex damage from melee damage" is either wrong or the wrong phrase.

The red dots don't tell you if it is melee, it only tells you that it is an enemy (you cast guardian on the wrong person, multiple times). You think that you are doing fine, but you are making this mistake far too much already and it is only a 4v4 arena not a legitimate 8v8 arena.

You can maintain your position without attacking the derv, there is no reason to do so. Furthermore if you are not casting and there is a melee on you, then the simple act of moving in the downtime between spells reduces damage. Sure you would rather him be on the character with the most armor, but you would also much rather him be on the character with the most armor that is actively kiting him. You should kite, everyone should kite. Keep doing this and soon you will hold so much contempt for anyone (even anti-melee casters) that just stand still while a melee attacks them. Really there is no reason to stand still while a melee attacks you.

Glad title means nothing. It has never meant anything. You can get any glad rank by just pushing the "enter mission" button enough times. Like I said before about a new player that doesn't hold any old ideas about the game, you are clinging to an idea that you are already "pretty good."

EDIT: I haven't talked about weapon sets. At this point there is no reason. Watching the field is so much more important than swapping weapons. I'd much rather have a monk that watches the field while sitting in a shield set, than one that just redbars while swapping in and out of a heal set.

[Pugs Not Drugs]

You really should have prekited that derv, and I didn't see you using guardian on his targets very often. I don't usually bring guardian in RA, but when I do, I use it often. 50% block will protect way more damage than patient would heal for the same energy. Also, I noticed you have no high energy or 40/40 set, which are especially useful in RA when you need that extra bit of energy to end the game. Then again, the derv was pretty dumb too, attacking you through guardian when there were plenty of unprotted targets with less armor than you right next to him.

Edit: Just realized my post is a mirror of the one above me. Time for me to leave.

[R A I Y N E]

vig. spirit > guardian

[awry]

You can tell melee when the dots are adjacent or when a dot is making a beeline and by the burst damage packets. They're typically melee. I know it's only 4 v 4 and i don't play 8 v 8 because it's unmanageable w/o a mouse.

I kite. I don't see the point of kiting and risking a teammate leaving my healing range or getting too close so the enemy can target swap and wreck havoc. Anyhow with the tear downs and enchantments, it's like giving them free crits =/ I have a staff i use for my high set. I have the 40/40 set in my inventory. You can't kite in circles on that map much anyways.

Oh and I stopped playing guild wars for a 6 month hiatus. And i only redownloaded gw for 3 days to test flux and new updates. So you don't need to rage so hard at me and lecture me Dr. My video was just an ice breaker so other people can post their videos.

Originally Posted by Voodoo Rage

Wow, was that a bonecage scythe hitting you? That thing is massive!

Yup, I thought it looked pretty cool too.

[Reverend Dr]

Originally Posted by awry

You can tell melee . . . They're typically melee.

Your second statement counters your first. Also good 8v8 play works in 4v4 while the opposite does not hold true.

Originally Posted by awry

I don't see the point of kiting and risking a teammate leaving my healing range or getting too close so the enemy can target swap and wreck havoc. Anyhow with the tear downs and enchantments, it's like giving them free crits =/

Kiting is reducing damage. Reducing damage without spending energy is energy management. Also you can kite without letting teammates leave range. Also you can let teammates leave range especially when you are the one that is determining range. Also you can kite without giving them free crits.

There is so much wrong with how you are trying to monk, yet you are here trying to defend it. This isn't like we are looking at this from our perspective as a player, we can see this from your perspective.

[awry]

Originally Posted by Reverend Dr

Your second statement counters your first. Also good 8v8 play works in 4v4 while the opposite does not hold true.

I use typical for those pbaoe exceptions. Let's not nit pick.

Originally Posted by Reverend Dr

Kiting is reducing damage. Reducing damage without spending energy is energy management. Also you can kite without letting teammates leave range. Also you can let teammates leave range especially when you are the one that is determining range. Also you can kite without giving them free crits.

There is so much wrong with how you are trying to monk, yet you are here trying to defend it. This isn't like we are looking at this from our perspective as a player, we can see this from your perspective.

Hey, I know I'm not the best monk or anything. I don't 8v8, I'm casual.

Well, if you can honestly tell me you can tell what your teammates are going to do and run to in ra, yeah ok. Yes kiting is energy management. Do i have a sig that says I don't like kiting? I love kiting. I run mo/a most of the time. Dmg not taken is energy management, duh. Please stop trying to belittle me with obvious statements. All I'm saying is in this situation, I found the risks of kiting greater than the low level threat of a derv who's barely out damaging my vig spirit auto attack and has a skill that constantly causes cripple.

Edit: Also, I am using guardian mostly to keep up vow of piety. As for guardianing wrong people, it's because i'm using a keyboard and i have to tab through players as you might have noticed and I've not played in half a year as I've mentioned.

Edit2: I'll concede I waste energy. I have v spirit and sig on the same bar, I feel like i can get away with being sloppy with those two energy management skills.

[urania]

i guess you can be happy you played vs baddies.

[Reverend Dr]

Originally Posted by awry

Yes kiting is energy management. Do i have a sig that says I don't like kiting? I love kiting. I run mo/a most of the time. Dmg not taken is energy management, duh. Please stop trying to belittle me with obvious statements.

No, you have a video that says you don't like kiting.

I can only assume you posted this because you want to get better. But you are resisting any feedback and instead trying to qualify your poor decisions. Ultimately standing still versus the derv didn't cost your team the match, but it was not the right thing to do. In fact there is no justification for that other than "I felt like joking around."

Originally Posted by awry

I'm casual.

This. This reveals your entire attitude. If you want to further your own play, then you have to get the "casual" attitude out of your head. Not because you focus on the game to exclusion of everything else, but because you actually care about the game enough to reflect upon your performance. Can you watch that video and honestly say that you don't see anything wrong with how you played?

I have no idea what "can tell what your teammates are going to do and run to in ra" means. I am not talking about RA.

Guardian is a strong skill. In that 4v4 situation against 2 melee, guardian is the most important skill on your bar. It is more powerful in that matchup than word of healing.

If you are having trouble just using a keyboard and aren't even bothering with a mouse why are you posting here? Actually if you aren't going to get a mouse, don't bother posting again. We just said it was a problem, you admitted it was a problem, if you can change a problem everyone agrees on, then why are you bothering with a "how am I playing" thread?

Neither vigorous spirit nor sig of rejuvenation are energy management skills. And again if you know right well that this is sloppy playing, then why are you bothering to post it to be critiqued.

[Cantos]

Originally Posted by awry

Yup, guilty as charged, I didn't have a mouse with me. Couldn't look around easily, but I do try to guess from compass dots.

Wow that must really suck. I wouldn't play if I didn't have a mouse.

If you just have a stupid laptop pad or whatever, at least set your camera up right if you're going to leave it alone. Zoom out as far as you can, and angle your view so you can see stuff ahead of you, not the ground. (This is like in real life, if you stare at the floor all the time you are a loser and no-one will like you.)

Also don't attack with your sword, your spells will come queued after your swings and make you easier to interrupt. Kite backwards and sideways with A+S or D+S, because people get more crits when they hit your back or something.

[Lil Leena]

They should sticky that video and entitle it 'How not to monk'. Seriously.

[mathiastemplar]

I won't say that you're bad, but maybe average in RA.

Revered Dr got some good points, which you should learn from.

I'd say, zoom out a bit, observe the field.
Kite, I don't see any reason to hit that derv..
Keep in mind that your (melee) enemy always scores a critical hit if he hits you in the back while running...

[awry]

Originally Posted by Reverend Dr

No, you have a video that says you don't like kiting.
...
This. This reveals your entire attitude. If you want to further your own play, then you have to get the "casual" attitude out of your head. Not because you focus on the game to exclusion of everything else, but because you actually care about the game enough to reflect upon your performance. Can you watch that video and honestly say that you don't see anything wrong with how you played?
...
Neither vigorous spirit nor sig of rejuvenation are energy management skills. And again if you know right well that this is sloppy playing, then why are you bothering to post it to be critiqued.

I would post another video. But I don't play gw anymore. I don't know what I'm arguing with you anymore about. I already conceded that I'm red barring, kiting is good, I play sloppy, my zoom is not optimal. I'm aware I'm not playing my best, I never said I was playing my best or showing the best match I've had. I just took a random video of a random match because wegame screws up on my laptop when i use it too long.

Just post your own video and show me how it's done. The whole thread was about posting monking videos, not my monking specifically. I'm taking criticism, I don't mind the people coming into the thread to tell me what i'm doing wrong or even the random ppl who come in to just to piss on my subpar monking with a 12 char quip but thanks for putting the time to be extra nasty.

But this is a good demonstration of why gw pvp needs to be propped up by pve rewards.