Useless skills?

1) Cover enchantments should be cheap and last longer than 10 seconds
2) There are no other viable self-heals for a secondary monk, and eles don't have problems with the 10e because of energy storage and eprod.

It's only decent on an e/mo.

Also, I never saw spirit rift as bad. It's bad in PvP (apart from AB and stuff), but in PvE you can easily spike people with it. It also does a lot of damage.

However, Ash blast is aweful. I've been running it on my joke-build involving an elementalist using all 4 elements. Gale+Ash blast is a blinding flash with a knockdown and some damage, though it involves exhaustion. That's the best use I could find.

It doesn't even have a cool animation (they could have made an animation of your character blowing very hard for example).

Interesting how the thread grows while I'm gone.
Primal rage would probably work well with GftE or Sharpen Daggers(whatever the assassin skill is that increases crits). I think Anet stuck a skill in each profession that has the 10 second shutdown. Ray of Judgement is the monk one, shuts down all non-smiting skills. So you can attack more, but you can't heal yourself for a bit.

As for the ancient argument about healing breeze: it's a versatile skill, which is why it costs 10e. It can be a cover, degen fighter, heal-over-time,etc. I sometimes use it no minion masters in tombs so they can use botm and get the health back quickly without having to use heal area, or for me to divert my attention from other party members.

Spirit Rift sounds interesting, especially seeing someone mentioned Iron Mist. Though an aoe cripple like Grasping earth would net more enemies, if you happened to use Iron mist on a particular one, its no longer a worry that he'll leave during that 3 second cast time.

On Otyugh's cry again, I'd almost forgotten till a ranger/pet team was mentioned. There is a less used MMless variety of bp that depends on pets to block for the rangers. That extra armor helps a bit.

That's all I can think of right now.
But that's just my 2 cents

Buff Illusion of Haste. Storm Djinn's Haste at 0 Air magic beats IoH at 16 Illusion. Yes, it could be a way to still get away from YAA flaggers... but at 10e cost with such a short duration and cripple penalty?

Buff Shielding Hands. It IS useless compared to Shield of Absorption.

Buff Aura of Displacement. Yes, it's shadow stepping in the best way an assassin could dream of (get in, kill, get out), but 10e cost is just too much, it's an elite ffs.

Buff Mending.

...Okay, maybe not that last one.

Anyways, there's loads of unused skills, simply because they won't fit in a build, or aren't as effective as the others. Are they useless?
Not necessarily, but if you'd have the choice between a popular skill (which has been proven to work very well) or a lesser known one or even disliked skill (Mending, disliked by non-farming monks in PvE ), what would you pick?
Perhaps Anet should buff them just slightly, but not much... but perhaps they'd see some play then, at the least.

1 skill i cant find a use for is decapitate. after u use it u lose all adrenaline and energy

PvP Spiking?!?

You are so wrong.

Why use tease when you can just use this:

[skill=Diversion]Diversion[/skill]

with

[skill=Blinding Surge]Blinding Surge[/skill]

and

[skill=Gale]Gale[/skill]

and if you felt like it

[skill=Blackout]Blackout[/skill]

You can also go the useless way and save your elite with gale>ash blast.

I like seeping wound in random arena. With that one spider strike skill that causes poison and then add twisting fangs you get -10 health degen plus whatever damage you do while hitting them and the deep wound. If the other team doesnt have much hex/condition removal you get lots of degen on the whole team.

Lotus Fury...useless?

im offended as i find it the best current elite on my assassin
the extra dmg is nice and i have a better chance at a critical strike

Its the only skill to self recover from cripple while giving a speed boost at the same time. Storm Jinn's haste reduces your energy regeneration to 1 pip while running, its not that exciting.

*ding*

[card]Barbarous Slice[/card]

[card]Expert's Dexterity[/card] IMO as well.

[card]Barbarous Slice[/card] is better the [card]Sever Artery[/card] IMO

I take away my comment before about how all skills have uses, some are just underpowered.

[skill]Ethereal Light[/skill]

Ethereal light is only usable behind gates etc.

I'd make it 3/4.

Isn't that spell meant for healing the monk themself?

Oh, and I guess it's good for healing after the battle (in PvE, obviously).

Yay, a use is found for [skill]Keystone Signet[/skill]

[skill]Signet of Judgment[/skill]
[skill]Arcane Mimicry[/skill]
[skill]Arcane Echo[/skill]

First, you take 2 henchies, one brings [skill]Echo[/skill], and the other brings [skill]Keystone Signet[/skill]. You cast Arcane Echo then Arcane mimicry on one henchman, then arcane mimicry on the other henchman. then you use: SoJ, Echo, Keystone, SoJ, Keystone, SoJ. w00t.

Ethereal light go well with [skill]Healer's Boon[/skill]. Half cast time should make up the easy interupt unless you are chased by warrior or assasin.

Even then, you can generally time it between their attacks (when used with Healer's Boon). Now against Grenth's Dervishes...