Curse

What Now · Sep 24, 2008, 01:43 PM // 13:43

Ok, So I know the gist of it, watch the field when to use what skill against generic teams this and that. But I was wondering if anyone had any tips/tricks that they don't normally bring up and talk about. To better predict things or throw off the enemy or things of that nature.

On a side note an issue that's not really killing me but that I'd like to be able to improve on would be predicting single warrior spikes. For the most part a Guardian->WoH(which is what I run) take care of the issue but some teams get really messy and hit hard. I've been told to count adrenalin but always lose focus if the pressure goes up, listen for skills works as long as theres not too much going on/yelling on vent, stuff of that matter. Anyone have a preference on how to go about it? Can't say I'm too great at predicting when their going to pull one off, not as obvious as the warriors converging.

Also something I've been getting mixed reviews on is how much and of what kind of prot to use vs dervish. Some say use minimal small prots others prefer large prots. Just a few things I was wondering.

Pleikki · Sep 24, 2008, 03:05 PM // 15:05

Soa (shield of absorbsion) > Guardian imo against warriors but id prefer both and well Aegis ofc

blooQkazoo · Sep 24, 2008, 03:30 PM // 15:30

Well if you see 1 or more warriors coming at you, guardian or soa, then start kiting. Kiting is your best friend in pvp. Kite Kite Kite.

Flinte · Sep 24, 2008, 05:38 PM // 17:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pleikki

Soa (shield of absorbsion) > Guardian imo against warriors

You must not pvp or ever fight any good melee players, because [Guardian] kills [Shield of Absorption]... end of story, no argument

Sun Fired Blank · Sep 24, 2008, 05:57 PM // 17:57

The best way to judge a warrior's adrenaline is to judge how long it's been since he's unloaded it. You can't really count individual strikes in GvG, especially if you have Aegis and blind / blurred. You have enough to think about already, and you'll never be able to pay that much attention. Most players I know, including myself, have a very general gauge in their head, and eventually it goes off. In general for very good teams, one warrior usually calls more spikes than the other, and the off-spike tends to be the hammer on the prot, which sometimes but not always helps.

For Dervishes, my general rule of thumb is this:

Guardian: for trains
Reversal: for single packets, esp. on kiting targets
RC: for Wounding Strike (while they don't have it shut down)
Spirit Bond: for spikes / train on targets likely to die otherwise

EDIT: SoA is amazing for the anti-train effect, but it's not really a replacement for Guardian, no. The only time you really have space for it is when you don't run Aegis chains, which isn't an alien concept per se, but it also means you've decided another small prot is more useful than whatever else you'd run in the Aegis slot.

Byron · Sep 24, 2008, 06:18 PM // 18:18

Trying to count adrenaline seems frivolous to me, unless its one of those solo-melee spike builds. Instead, pay attention to how the warriors are behaving, and the conditions of the target he's hitting.

Effective pre-prot is key. And by judging how a warrior is behaving, you too can become an effective pre-protter. We know that warriors with any kind of skill will want to dump adrenaline onto soft targets with no prots on them - which is a great bit of knowledge that good monks will use. You should know at all times where your vulnerable targets are by virtue of position, innate defense (armor etc), lack of prot, or all three.

For example, if the enemy has been smacking away through aegis, and then breaks to head for a soft target, you better spot his target and get it a hard prot before the warrior gets there, or else it'll get dead quick. A guardian and/or pure heal probably won't be quick enough or effective enough to stop the spike (or, maybe just as bad, you'll have to post-prot and burn more energy). Now, that's only one bad example, but I hope you understand that better monking comes from better understanding how the enemy damage behaves.

snaek · Sep 24, 2008, 06:44 PM // 18:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pleikki

Soa (shield of absorbsion) > Guardian imo against warriors but id prefer both and well Aegis ofc

soa mite reduce dmg better...
but it also lets them build up adren

talldervish · Sep 24, 2008, 07:03 PM // 19:03

watch the field, watch the field, watch the field
quick fingers (clicking and infusing/woh/patient...w/e u run) seems to me like you are asking for ra/ta so tab through targets to see what the team build is ( im going basic since i don't know your skill) pre veil if there is a mes or necro, possibly through a veil on the warrior if you have good e manage....if there is a w/a or a/? on the team expect a tele spike, although not guaranteed, vs mele or ranged chars always always use guardian (others above have said that Soa>guardian imho in RA/TA guardian>soa if you are kiting with guardian on you and a warrior goes to bull strike you, you potentially saved yourself by not being kd'ed also it stops sin combos and war combos too

)

try this build

OwEV0YX8Q4VRqBUj4mQgIvCvQvomAA

its very anti melee and i know when im on a war, calling in TA i get very mad when i face a fortress monk, cause it is very hard to get hits/spikes off on the monk...also try and run a q8 shield with +30 +10% vs slashing

and a spear/sword/axe with +5 nrg +30 health

Tyla · Sep 24, 2008, 07:35 PM // 19:35

To be honest, -5E martials are more efficient, especially if you're one to swap weaponsets after every cast, which should be done anyway.

dies like fish · Sep 24, 2008, 11:38 PM // 23:38

Most Warriors at lower ranks will do the "Warrior dance", giving away when and who they are going to spike 1-5 seconds before they actually spike.

Asplode · Sep 25, 2008, 01:15 AM // 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pleikki

Soa (shield of absorbsion) > Guardian imo against warriors but id prefer both and well Aegis ofc

Hi, my name is Power Block.

Sheol · Sep 25, 2008, 08:37 AM // 08:37

hi Power Block, nice to meet you.

Guardian > SoA

|Readem| · Sep 25, 2008, 02:53 PM // 14:53

RC = when bar isn't red
WoH = when red bar is not full
guardian = to block attacks, and prevent red bar from going down

Snow Bunny · Sep 26, 2008, 08:55 PM // 20:55

Silly question I suppose, but why whenever someone brings up Guardian vs. SoA, someone always says,"Powerblock", or inserts some other interrupt.

It's not like Guardian casts faster. It's superior in different ways, but meh...

Marxon Aurion · Sep 26, 2008, 09:58 PM // 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snow Bunny

Silly question I suppose, but why whenever someone brings up Guardian vs. SoA, someone always says,"Powerblock", or inserts some other interrupt.

It's not like Guardian casts faster. It's superior in different ways, but meh...

Well, he obviously doesn't refer to that, while he obviously is referring to Aegis which is also mentioned.

Hundbert · Sep 27, 2008, 12:14 AM // 00:14

Do your best to avoid eating bull strikes.

Use the terrain (if possible) to stay behind cover vs projectile attacks (rangers, paragons, spells that require line of sight etc) This also helps to avoid getting poison on the entire team.

Spread out so that it's easier to see when the enemy warriors switch targets/spike.

If you have a powerblock mesmer camping you try and fake cast a few spells if you have the energy for it. You can also try staying as far back as you dare so he has to overextend to reach you. That way he should become an easy target to spike.

Watch the enemy mesmer if you can to avoid getting skills diverted.

Always be in your weapon+shield set when not casting.

II Lucky Charm II · Sep 28, 2008, 01:51 AM // 01:51

Effect sound is all you need when you're monking

What Now · Sep 30, 2008, 03:42 AM // 03:42

Heard someone else say it's too hectic to rely on sound before >.< would like more input, also would be interested in who clicks to move or uses wasd, and who clicks targets/has the team set to keys. Personally I use WASD to move and click to target but I was told the other ways more efficient, any input on this too?

Massive Impulsa · Oct 07, 2008, 02:15 PM // 14:15

Tbh in gvg let the snare mesmer watch the warriors:P Altough avoid getting BullS, is 100dmg less and 3sec kd.. And if u fail blame the other monk, usually works :/

HawkofStorms · Oct 10, 2008, 02:55 AM // 02:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byron

\
For example, if the enemy has been smacking away through aegis, and then breaks to head for a soft target, you better spot his target and get it a hard prot before the warrior gets there, or else it'll get dead quick. A guardian and/or pure heal probably won't be quick enough or effective enough to stop the spike (or, maybe just as bad, you'll have to post-prot and burn more energy). Now, that's only one bad example, but I hope you understand that better monking comes from better understanding how the enemy damage behaves.

This definately works really well. Just keep in mind that many good melee players (I like to think of myself as one) will often try to "fake out" the monk by switching towards one soft target and then switching AGAIN to another at the very last second (in hopes that the monk pre-prots the wrong guy). That of course can be fixed with enough pratice with your team as a whole so they can work on positioning and stay spread out. If your team is bunched too much, it will be harder to predict where a warrior/derivish is going.