Any detailed info on monk heroes?

Cathode_Reborn

Cathode_Reborn

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2006

Can anyone post a link to a highly-detailed guide of how hero monks work? I've been messin around with my hero monks alot, and can't decide which skills/build is easiest for them to use. It seems that a prot monk just doesn't do their job right. Recently, I setup my hero monk for healing. It's alot easier for them to use and understand - when an ally loses health, heal him. Prot skills require abit more thinking and knowledge of what type of damage an ally is taking. I'm wondering if there's if there's a certain way or time they use skills such as Shield of Absorbtion or Prot spirit. I had Zealous Benediction on my hero monk when he was setup for prot, but they always use it when an ally is above 50%, makin them lose energy fast. I had a few signets for their healing build, and they rarely use them.

I was thinking [skill]Healer's Covenant[/skill] might be a good choice for healing heroes, since AI isn't that good at managing their energy.

If there isn't really any guides around on how monk heroes think, it'd be nice to start one up, since they play one of the most important rolls in a party.

Cebe

Cebe

The 5th Celestial Boss

Join Date: Jul 2006

Inverness, Scotland

The Cult of Scaro [WHO]

E/

Sorry, I can't provide a link to how the healing Monk's work but my guess is they use most skills how they are supposed to be used. For example. Dunkoro + Light of Deliverance = GG! He uses it when at least one person is below 80% health thus doesn't waste energy like I sometimes do trying to guage by eye when someone is less than 80% health.

bhavv

bhavv

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Sep 2006

AI is brilliant at maintaining hero monks energy. A healers boon and RC prot (or even 2 healers boons) are my favorie options.

hmmm the above post got me thinking.... Im gonna try a LoD and a HB, and have the LoD monk mimicry the HB.......

Cathode_Reborn

Cathode_Reborn

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2006

I've always found monk heroes to be very wasteful with their energy.

I'm not sure if Dunk casting LoD as soon as someone gets below 50% is a good thing, lol......sounds more like lazy healing to me

Marverick

Marverick

Forge Runner

Join Date: Aug 2006

R/

Well heroes tend to use Heal Other and Heal Area over a simple Orison when an ally has lost about 10 HP.. so yea they suck with energy management.

Also for some reason if you equip a vamp weapon and a hero monk stands next to you and has Heal Area, he will just spam that whenever it recharges. Even if you just lost... 2hp.

Bewn

Bewn

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

W/

Yeah, they're not very smart energymanagementwise. I use Healers Covenant on my Dunkoro and it's working *very* well.
Just don't forget to disable it and use it yourself whenever you need to

strcpy

strcpy

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2005

One of Many [ONE]

I do not know if what you want is possible outside of the dev team - it is really difficult to judge. Best I can say is to open their skill bar and watch the skills they run well and adapt them.

Personally I've found that they run an RC prot monk extremely well. All my monk heroes are set as such (I only use one at a time). In fact, there are not that many humans who run that build better. The only complaint I have is that sometimes their target priority with RC is off - they will let them selfs die of poison when they could cast Restore Conditions. While irritating, it rarely happens and is usually pretty easy to stop. I haven't tried some of the other prot builds, but others report a few cases where the AI does a good job.

I have not found a heal build that they run much better than the hench. While the do *some* better, there are other classes that they run significantly better than the available hench leaving me using the healer hench. Personally I like a ranger (interrupt or barrage), ele (fire), monk (RC prot), or a paragon (with a Mark of Rodgort or Searing Flames ele a "They're on fire" build rocks). The other classes either pretty much suck (other than a MM or battery the AI can not deal well with a necro) or the hench just aren't that much worse (warrior and healer comes to mind - simple skill bars work best and they already have a simple skill bar).

TurinPT

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jan 2006

im currently using leech signet + power drain with 10 inspiration, its works pretty well for e-managment

Marverick

Marverick

Forge Runner

Join Date: Aug 2006

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by strcpy
I do not know if what you want is possible outside of the dev team - it is really difficult to judge. Best I can say is to open their skill bar and watch the skills they run well and adapt them.

Personally I've found that they run an RC prot monk extremely well. All my monk heroes are set as such (I only use one at a time). In fact, there are not that many humans who run that build better. The only complaint I have is that sometimes their target priority with RC is off - they will let them selfs die of poison when they could cast Restore Conditions. While irritating, it rarely happens and is usually pretty easy to stop. I haven't tried some of the other prot builds, but others report a few cases where the AI does a good job.

I have not found a heal build that they run much better than the hench. While the do *some* better, there are other classes that they run significantly better than the available hench leaving me using the healer hench. Personally I like a ranger (interrupt or barrage), ele (fire), monk (RC prot), or a paragon (with a Mark of Rodgort or Searing Flames ele a "They're on fire" build rocks). The other classes either pretty much suck (other than a MM or battery the AI can not deal well with a necro) or the hench just aren't that much worse (warrior and healer comes to mind - simple skill bars work best and they already have a simple skill bar). "Target OTHER ally loses all conditions and is...." RC does not work on the user...

Also the AI tends to use Restore Condition the moment a condition is applied, making the remove "all" conditions part unused. For that reason Mend Condition is probably better, unless your in an area with lots of traps and stuff.

I don't know what elite to run on my prot hero. I don't have Factions so life sheath and that stuff are out. Shield of Deflection they just spam and run out of energy, same with Divert Hexes. Restore Condition they don't use properly, Zealous Benediction... they completely IGNORE the +10 energy when an ally is below 50% part...

bungusmaximus

bungusmaximus

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jul 2006

Guild Of Handicrafted Products [MaSS]

W/Mo

As for hex removal I found out something quite interesting tha I couldn't find anywhere on this forum. Heroes know how to use Holy Veil quite well, so if someone is looking for a cheap hex remove: holy veil it is

Cathode_Reborn

Cathode_Reborn

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2006

Mend Condition is a really good choice for them. I wouldn't give them RC in pve since heavy condition stacking isn't that common and neither is blind/dazed. They use Word of Healing when someone is above 50% alot so Glimmer of Light makes a decent replacement.

Holy Veil is a pretty good for Hex Removal. As soon as you're hexed, they put it on you and cancel it instantly. They don't use it on themselves though.

They still don't seem to like signets that heal, even when it's the first skill on their skillbar =/

byggryn10

byggryn10

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2006

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by TurinPT
im currently using leech signet + power drain with 10 inspiration, its works pretty well for e-managment I find a lot of the time the AI views these skills as pure interupts and not e-management. The monks will interupt mere seconds into the battle, even with full energy bars. Saying that, they ALWAYS get the interupts (AI ftw) and often get a nasty spell that they'd have to heal anyways.

Ensign

Ensign

Just Plain Fluffy

Join Date: Dec 2004

Berkeley, CA

Idiot Savants

I've been happy with these two bars:

Words of Comfort, Dwayna's Kiss, Healing Touch, Vigorous Spirit, Light of Deliverance, Holy Veil, Power Drain, Leech Signet

Protective Spirit, Reversal of Fortune, Mend Condition, Shield of Absorption, Zealous Benediction, Holy Veil, Power Drain, Leech Signet

They key is to give them lots and lots of mana, and effective spells to spam.

Peace,
-CxE

cellardweller

cellardweller

Likes naked dance offs

Join Date: Aug 2005

The Older Gamers [TOG]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ensign
I've been happy with these two bars:

Words of Comfort, Dwayna's Kiss, Healing Touch, Vigorous Spirit, Light of Deliverance, Holy Veil, Power Drain, Leech Signet
Don't you get problems with inappropriate uses of healing touch? I've never tried it, just assumed they would act like alice does and run in to touch warriors.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ensign
Protective Spirit, Reversal of Fortune, Mend Condition, Shield of Absorption, Zealous Benediction, Holy Veil, Power Drain, Leech Signet

They key is to give them lots and lots of mana, and effective spells to spam. Similar to what I use except I'll have Gift of health in place of veil and blessed light in place of ZB. I've found they very rarely respect the 50% qualifier for ZB.

FoxBat

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Apr 2006

Amazon Basin [AB]

Mo/Me

Yes for whatever reason, the AI is pretty conservative with healing touch, and they don't run around chasing targets to heal them.

The AI does basically ignore ZB's condition. If you're in an area where damage comes fast though, it will still trigger often enough, the AI likes to wait till you're running low to heal anyway. It's still a big heal in the prot line either way. I do like gift of health though...

Blight must be used with care, it sucks when they start spamming this to remove bleeding or parasitic bond, and it's a big part of why the monk henchies are so bad in factions.