User:Thulsey/Builds/Monk Hero Builds

Mo/Me Inspired Smiter

The Inspired Smiter utilizes the Mesmer's Inspiration line and Smiting Prayers. It is a general-purpose utility build that deals a moderate amount of damage and can deal with a fairly large number of situations. This build is designed for higher end PvE in Prophecies (specifically, using an all-hench party), since players are generally unfriendly to Smiting Monks and will hate you for not being able to heal and resurrect.

Note: if you're not a solo-minded Monk, and if you actually are good at Healing, Bonding, and/or Protecting, then this is not the build for you. This build is designed for folks who made a Monk but quickly found out they were no good at it (such as myself). In this respect it is startlingly similar to an Air Magic Elementalist.

Attributes and Skills
Please see the Variants below.

Equipment

 * A Smiting Rod from Ornhelm Brightaxe or Arliss Vaughn.
 * A Jeweled Chalice from Mourn Drakespur or Bariel Darkroot.
 * Wanderer's or Censor's armor; Ascetic's is not recommended due to its lower AL and the fact that this build doesn't need the bonus energy.
 * Rune of Superior Vigor.
 * Extra runes of Attunement or Vitae.

Usage

 * Activate Mantra of Signets before battle.
 * In general, use skills in this order: Signet of Judgment, Bane Signet, Banish. Timing is important; try to keep the target constantly knocked down.
 * If the foe is a melee attacker, you may wish to lead with Bane Signet instead, and save Signet of Judgment for a caster foe.
 * Dangerous spellcasters are easily denied by leading with Leech Signet.
 * Interrupt with Leech Signet and Power Drain as necessary.
 * Use Smite Hex and Drain Enchantment as necessary.
 * Reactivate Mantra of Signets as soon as it recharges.
 * If there are spirits/minions, use Banish. It deals much higher damage to them.

Counters

 * This build can't (directly) heal itself or deal with Conditions, except for Ether Feast.
 * Any anti-Signet skill, such as Rust or Panic. However the latter is rare, and the former is easily counter-countered with Smite Hex, Inspired Hex, simple interruption, etc.
 * Anti-knockdown skills or foes that can't be knocked down.
 * Removal of Mantra of Signets via Wild Blow or such.

Variants

 * Ether Feast is a convenient self-heal that is worth considering.
 * Mantra of Inscriptions could replace Mantra of Signets, for a possibly better DPS and interrupt recharge; however, it doesn't allow for easy chain knockdowns.
 * If in an area where Smite Hex and/or Drain Enchantment are not needed, replace with Resurrect, Symbol of Wrath, or Smite.
 * If facing only Hexes, exchange Drain Enchantment for Inspired Hex.
 * If facing only Enchantments, exchange Smite Hex for Inspired Hex.
 * If facing primarily non-caster enemies, drop Power Drain and take both Mantra of Signets and Mantra of Inscriptions. Or swap in Resurrect, Symbol of Wrath, or Smite.
 * When appropriate, consider substituting in a Mantra. For example, versus the Mursaat, Mantra of Lightning may be useful.
 * Holy Strike is a dangerous but powerful skill. It is not recommended, because in most cases it is not worth the risk to get within touch range of foes.
 * If you have Factions, consider replacing Banish with Spear of Light.

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Mo/Me Elonian Bonder (NF-only bonding skills... have to find where to get Life Bond though as page doesn't say...)

The Mo/any Elona's Bonder is a variant of the traditional bonder build which utilizes only core and Nightfall skills. Unlike the traditional bonder, the Mo/any Elona's Bonder relies on the elite skill Scribe's Insight in conjunction with Mantra of Inscriptions and Blessed Signet to maintain energy rather than relying Balthazar's Spirit or Essence Bond.

This build is mainly intended for people who only have Nightfall.

Equipment

 * Ascetic's Armor (or comparable armor) is recommended due to the need for a high energy pool.
 * Any weapon combination that lowers casting and recharge times of Protection Prayers will work well with this build. A couple of suggestions are:
 * Kepkhet's Refuge
 * Jayne's Staff
 * Several Runes of Attunement are suggested due to the need for a high energy pool.

Usage

 * Try to maintain Life Bond on as many party members as possible. Check allies frequently to see if anybody has had Life Bond removed, and re-apply if necessary. When energy drain becomes too burdensome, it may become necessary to remove bonds from party members and re-apply later.
 * Before battle, cast Mantra of Inscriptions and Scribe's Insight. Try to maintain these skills at all times.
 * Use Blessed Signet frequently, i.e. whenever it has recharged to mitigate energy loss due to bonds.
 * Use Reversal of Fortune and Shield of Absorption on party members who are under attack to help further mitigate damage.
 * Use Dismiss Condition for Condition Removal as well as a cheap heal.
 * Use Signet of Devotion as a no-cost heal. Note that Signet of Devotion will actually result in a net energy gain of three due to Scribe's Insight.

Counters

 * Energy Denial
 * Massive Enchantment Removal
 * Areas With High Amounts Of Elemental-Only Damage

Variants
The bonder can be a very personal build, with many, many variations.


 * Consider replacing Scribe's Insight with Signet of Removal for a relatively spammable, no cost condition and hex removal.
 * As long as you are careful about energy, Zealous Benediction will also work as a replacement for Scribe's Insight

Equipment

 * Any armor can be used with this build, providing it has maximum AL. However, most healers prefer the extra energy gained from the use of Radiant Insignias.
 * Runes of Minor Divine Favor, Superior Vigor, Minor Protection Prayers, Superior Healing Prayers.

Usage

 * Heal single targets with Orison of Healing and Dwayna's Kiss. Keep in mind each spell's bonus healing effects.
 * Targets taking damage should be enchanted with Shield of Absorption.
 * Cast Protective Spirit on targets taking high spike damage.
 * Spam Light of Deliverance when your entire party is taking damage. Note that the Divine Favor bonus will only be applied onto you.
 * Remove harmful conditions with Dismiss Condition, Mend Condition, or Mend Ailment.
 * Use Holy Veil, Smite Hex, or Remove Hex to remove Hexes.
 * Revive fallen party members with Rebirth. Note that this should not be used in-battle, as you should focus on healing your party.

Variants

 * The most common variant would be to include Healing Seed in the build.
 * Take Reversal of Fortune for a fast heal and damage reduction.
 * For a different type of hex removal, consider replacing Holy Veil with Smite Hex or Remove Hex.
 * You may also wish to use a different form of condition removal, by replacing Dismiss Condition with Mend Condition or Mend Ailment.
 * Rebirth, while the most commonly used and recommended skill for resurrection in PvE, is definitely not core to this build's functionality. Feel free to replace it with any of the forementioned variants, or with another resurrection skill like Restore Life, Resurrection Chant, Resurrect, or even a Resurrection Signet.
 * Words of Comfort can also be utilized with this build.
 * Signet of Devotion if experiencing energy management problems.
 * If you're taking high-energy cost variants, consider switching to the Elementalist secondary profession and take Glyph of Lesser Energy.

Attributes and Skills

 * Signet of Rejuvenation can be used for better energy management
 * A Hex Removal such as Smite Hex can be brought if some or multiple "critical" hexes are being used in the area

Equipment

 * Any armor is usable, though for PvE Radiant armor may be best
 * A 20/20 +5energy +30hp healing staff is recommended

Usage

 * Cast Holy Haste and recast it whenever necessary
 * Cast Dwayna's Kiss and Ethereal Light whenever needed
 * If multiple allies take damage, use Light of Deliverance
 * Use Light of Deliverance whenever you can't reach an ally in need of healing
 * Healing Touch and Light of Deliverance are your self heals, though the easily interruptable Ethereal Light can be used as one as well
 * Dismiss Condition whenever a "critical" condition appears on an ally such as Blind on a warrior or Dazed on an elementalist
 * Smite Hex whenever a "critical" hex appears on an ally such as Backfire on a caster, Empathy on a warrior or Vocal Minority on a paragon. Of course Scourge Healing is lethal when using Light of Deliverance and therefore this should have high priority when removing hexes
 * Use Restore Life on a fallen ally, however don't do this until you are sure you can spend some free seconds where no allies need healing. The last thing you want is more deaths because of a resurrection

Counters

 * Any spell caster counters (daze, backfire, etc.)
 * Scourge Healing can do major damage when being careless with Light of Deliverance

Variants

 * Orison of Healing can be used instead of Ethereal Light if you get interrupted a lot while using Ethereal Light
 * Words of Comfort can be useful instead of Ethereal Light if many conditions are used in that area
 * Mend Condition can be used instead of Dismiss Condition if you think you don't get conditions yourself or if few enchantments are being used
 * If no conditions are being used in a certain area, consider bringing another healing skill or another hex removal instead of Dismiss Condition
 * Any other hex removal skill such as Remove Hex or Inspired Hex (must become /Me) can be used instead of Smite Hex
 * If no hexes are being used in a certain area, consider bringing another healing skill instead of Smite Hex
 * Signet of Rejuvenation and possibly Signet of Devotion can be used for a better energy management in this build. Replace Dismiss Condition or Smite Hex by one of these signets, depending on what you need most, anti condition or anti hex
 * Resurrection Chant instead of Restore Life for a resurrect from some distance

This build focuses on the Monk elite skill Zealous Benediction to provide healing for a party. With the excellent healing provided by Zealous Benediction, as well as its excellent Energy gain when used on specific allies, this build is able to provide the Protection of a Monk specializing in Protection Prayers, while still being able to heal like one who specializes in Healing Prayers.

Equipment

 * Any weapon will do, a weapon that lengthens enchantments is recommended (such as a Totem Axe, Rajazan's Fervor or a Staff with Staff Wrapping Of Enchanting).
 * Any armor can be used, as long as it has maximum AL. However, most PvE healers prefer armor with Radiant Insignias.
 * Runes of Minor Divine Favor, Superior Protection Prayers, Superior Vigor

Usage

 * For minor heals, try to maintain an ally's health using Reversal of Fortune and Dismiss Condition.
 * Allies taking heavy damage should be enchanted with Protective Spirit.
 * Aegis should be used to defend the party. You should always precast Glyph of Lesser Energy before casting this.
 * Spamming Dismiss Condition on party members enchanted with Aegis provides excellent healing.
 * Use Glyph of Lesser Energy to remove the energy cost for your more expensive spells.
 * Prevent party wipes and resurrect allies to a safe location with Rebirth. Because it drains all of your energy, avoid using this skill in battle.
 * Remove harmful Hexes with Holy Veil.

Counters

 * Diversion is a major counter to this build.
 * Interrupts or anti-spamming spells hinder your output of healing spells.

Variants

 * Rebirth can be replaced with another resurrection spell of your choice, although this is the preferred spell in PvE. Resurrection skills can be replaced entirely if your party has other members that can Resurrect.
 * Shield of Absorption can replace Holy Veil or Rebirth.
 * For a different type of Condition removal, at the expense of the extra healing while under Aegis, consider taking Mend Condition or Mend Ailment.
 * Signet of Devotion can be used for an energy-free heal.

This is a versatile healing build to use throughout the Prophecies campaign.

Equipment

 * For mage heavy areas use the Wanderer's vestments. For melee heavy areas use the vestments and leggings from the Judge's Armor set. Use Ascetic's Armor for the hands and feet.
 * Major or superior runes are generally a bad idea (except for vigor).

Usage
This is a versatile healing monk for use in most PvE situations. Some tweaking may be necessary, but this build includes many monk essentials: healing power, hex removal, condition removal, and a resurrection spell. Hex removal and condition removal can usually be swapped out if the particular area this monk is being used in is low on hexes/conditions.
 * Healing Touch is for self heals and should never be used on melee party members since monks should always stay at the back lines to avoid getting beat on. As an alternative, Heal Area is a good self healing spell that is also useful in a team with a Necro MM.
 * Word of Healing is a very nice spell used in emergencies when party members' health drops below 50%. Primary healing skill in this build.
 * Dwayna's Kiss should always be used on hexed and enchanted party members. Kiss is preferred over Orison of Healing for the hefty bonus gained with hexes and enchantments.
 * Orison of Healing as a basic healing spell for other team members when Word of Healing is recharging. Also acts as a backup self heal if Healing Touch is disabled or additional self-healing is needed.
 * Heal Party is very useful for areas with heavy health degeneration such as poison, burning or disease. Often attempts to mend these degeneration conditions can be futile with cases such as poison swamps or mobs spamming condition inducing spells across many party members. Healing Seed may be substituted for Heal Party if the party is warrior heavy.
 * Condition removal is essential and should always be included in a monk's skillbar. Mend Ailment can be used on self and others, making it an easy choice. An alternative to Mend Ailment is Mend Condition, which has the big advantage of having only 2 seconds recharge time. With the release of Nightfall, Dismiss Condition is a good alternative with a 3s recharge and bonus heal for enchanted allies, as well as being usable on youself.
 * Hex removal is another necessity since some hexes can shut down a character completely. If harmful hexes such as Backfire are placed on monks in the party and none are carrying hex removal they are useless for the duration of the hex and can often cause the downfall of a party. Inspired Hex / Revealed Hex has the advantage of giving the monk energy back if a hex is removed.
 * Rebirth is the resurrection spell of choice for PvE, hands down. Party members often die in dangerous areas and would easily be killed again if resurrected at the place they died.  Rebirth teleports the body to the caster's safe location. Be warned as this skill consumes your total remaining energy, do not use in combat.

Variants

 * In high level areas drop either Orison of Healing or Dwayna's Kiss and replace it with Protective Spirit. This helps to keep softer targets alive long enough to heal them while under heavy fire.  When doing this drop Healing Prayers down to 11+1+1 and put the remaining points into Protection Prayers.
 * If playing a pure Factions character, you may wish to switch out:
 * Inspired Hex for Revealed Hex.
 * Dwayna's Kiss for Signet of Rejuvenation.
 * To gain more frequent hex removal in exchange for poorer energy management, replace Inspired Hex with Remove Hex. Additionally, this change enables you to use the AP from Inspiration Magic elsewhere, and use the build with a non-Mesmer secondary.
 * Since no enchantments are used, an alternative for Mend Ailment is Holy Haste. Your skills will become practically uninterruptible due to the really fast casting time.
 * Healing Seed is extremely potent in right situations,however it's long recharge requires you to use it wisely.
 * Holy Veil can be used but is not nearly as effective for energy management as Inspired Hex.