Monk Armor
eggs0wn
Alright, I decided to revamp my monk so he is good and doesnt have all +energy armor and runes. So I wonder should I get hp armor or +armor? And if +armor, which one?
BrotherGilburt
Armor that gives you more energy is the best for monk. It is useful in every situation.
BrotherGilburt
BrotherGilburt
Wilhelm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherGilburt
Armor that gives you more energy is the best for monk. It is useful in every situation.
BrotherGilburt Hmm no.
Weapon swapping and 'intelligent' monking outweighs the extra 4 energy from the + energy set.
I personally wear full +health armor, as plenty of the damage in GW is Armor Ignoring, but I do keep a Wanderer's set in storage just in case.
-Wilhelm
BrotherGilburt Hmm no.
Weapon swapping and 'intelligent' monking outweighs the extra 4 energy from the + energy set.
I personally wear full +health armor, as plenty of the damage in GW is Armor Ignoring, but I do keep a Wanderer's set in storage just in case.
-Wilhelm
carbajac
I like to keep a +health and +physical armor on hand.
Lurid
I run a +HP set, with a spare +Energy for 55ing and what not. Occasionally it comes in handy. I generally use a cheap set of Ascetics from Shing Jea for 55ing though.
captainccc
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherGilburt
Armor that gives you more energy is the best for monk. It is useful in every situation.
BrotherGilburt I think Brother Gilburt is talking about pve? (I hope...) If eggsOwn wants the pvp side of this question then definetly have a +hp and +vs physical. Those help tremendosly in pvp.
BrotherGilburt I think Brother Gilburt is talking about pve? (I hope...) If eggsOwn wants the pvp side of this question then definetly have a +hp and +vs physical. Those help tremendosly in pvp.
Effigy
I have a +energy suit for 55ing that I almost never use anymore. The only suit I use for normal play right now is +health. +armor vs physical isn't a bad choice, but +health is more versatile. Anyway, you never know when a warrior is going to swap to an elemental weapon on you since so many monks use a shield with +10 vs damage type.
eggs0wn
Well I'm talking about PvE. I think I might get +health but I was also wondering if a Shield with +30 -5/20% was ok?
izumiitoi
Quote:
Originally Posted by captainccc
I think Brother Gilburt is talking about pve? (I hope...) If eggsOwn wants the pvp side of this question then definetly have a +hp and +vs physical. Those help tremendosly in pvp.
PvE, Its definitely Energy armor
PvP, if you are playing LoD then you should use +hp and + physical, coz it helps a lot and you are not that easy to run out of energy. But in most cases, if you play HA, I would suggest energy guise and pants, and vs physical on other pieces, thats if you are not playing LoD, playing stuff like divert hex or RC prot, HB... etc etc....
But since this is a PvE forum I think the best situation would be full Energy armor. I never choose + hp. Energy > Hp. More energy = save whole team + yourself. More HP instead of energy = save yourself for a little bit and have less energy to heal the party. Agree?~
PvP, if you are playing LoD then you should use +hp and + physical, coz it helps a lot and you are not that easy to run out of energy. But in most cases, if you play HA, I would suggest energy guise and pants, and vs physical on other pieces, thats if you are not playing LoD, playing stuff like divert hex or RC prot, HB... etc etc....
But since this is a PvE forum I think the best situation would be full Energy armor. I never choose + hp. Energy > Hp. More energy = save whole team + yourself. More HP instead of energy = save yourself for a little bit and have less energy to heal the party. Agree?~
eggs0wn
So all my effort into revamping my monk went to waste...So extra energy is good for PVE seeing this is a PVE forum.
>_<
>_<
Stormlord Alex
Meh, the same principles of smart monking and energy management work in PvE too, moreso even as enemy strategies and damage types are set, and you can know what to wear ahead of time. A larger energy pool granted by armour is a crutch for monks who do nothing but spam to keep bars topped off. I need higher energy weapon sets for emergencies and applying bonds, any other time having 5000 energy is a waste.
Generally, I run +hp armour, it's a good buffer against everything and big monsters with sharp teeth seem less prone to prey on monks with 600hp...
Also, I have a set of Wanderer's on switch to wear in areas heavy with eles and the like, as the bonus armour makes up for the lower health ('specially against Canthan ele bosses... 'sins need a prot spirit too!).
Well... I lie. I wear the 8k arm tats with my armour sets 'cuz it makes my monk look bad-ass. Monking is style is FTW.
Generally, I run +hp armour, it's a good buffer against everything and big monsters with sharp teeth seem less prone to prey on monks with 600hp...
Also, I have a set of Wanderer's on switch to wear in areas heavy with eles and the like, as the bonus armour makes up for the lower health ('specially against Canthan ele bosses... 'sins need a prot spirit too!).
Well... I lie. I wear the 8k arm tats with my armour sets 'cuz it makes my monk look bad-ass. Monking is style is FTW.
Jedi Battousai
Personally, right now I use blank FoW armor with radiant insignias on it (energy) but this changes depending on specific circumstances (i.e PvP and some higher end areas where more HP or an armor boost may help and there are 3 monks inthe party).
I hated buying multiple sets of armor for +HP, + E + AL so I just bought blank and spend my money on insignias.
I hated buying multiple sets of armor for +HP, + E + AL so I just bought blank and spend my money on insignias.
Div
Seeing as how this is in the PvE section, I'll say energy armor is ftw. There's no need for extra health in PvE, since smart play will mean the monsters won't even target you. PvP is a different story though...I run a mix of +health and +armor pieces.
Effigy
Stop spamming "PvE section" in every thread. This is the monk forum, for discussing PvE and PvP. The "PvP section" is only for team strategy.
eggs0wn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Effigy
Stop spamming "PvE section" in every thread. This is the monk forum, for discussing PvE and PvP. The "PvP section" is only for team strategy.
Sorry did not realize say PVE Forum twice was spamming...
But anyway, I'll guess I will stick to my energy armor. Thanks anyway.
But anyway, I'll guess I will stick to my energy armor. Thanks anyway.
JoeKnowMo
I'm a fan of Blessed insignia. A +5 AL sword/axe/spear and a +5 AL + 45 HP while enchanted offhand puts me at 80 AL which pays off in the tougher areas. I used to run the + energy armor set but I prefer the higher AL since I'm a higher priority target for the AI.
Dracil
Hmm, good point about the blessed insignias, especially since I tend to run enchant builds.
So... 35 HP or +10 armor? Do mobs look at HP or armor first? And then do mobs look at the AL bonus when deciding who to attack or only the base AL?
One thing to note though if faced with the choice of +EN or +HP, it's better to have the +EN on the armor and the +HP on the weapon if using Staves (Hale vs. Insightful heads). Why?
Armor can give you +35HP or +7EN, a rate of 5HP:1EN
The weapon gives you +30HP or +5 EN, a rate of 6HP:1EN
In other words, you're giving up more HP on your weapon for each EN. It's only a 5HP/1EN difference, but if you're min-maxing, every bit counts.
So... 35 HP or +10 armor? Do mobs look at HP or armor first? And then do mobs look at the AL bonus when deciding who to attack or only the base AL?
One thing to note though if faced with the choice of +EN or +HP, it's better to have the +EN on the armor and the +HP on the weapon if using Staves (Hale vs. Insightful heads). Why?
Armor can give you +35HP or +7EN, a rate of 5HP:1EN
The weapon gives you +30HP or +5 EN, a rate of 6HP:1EN
In other words, you're giving up more HP on your weapon for each EN. It's only a 5HP/1EN difference, but if you're min-maxing, every bit counts.
Effigy
+10 while enchanted is pretty good in builds that will have an enchantment on pretty much all the time, like Healer's Boon or teams with an Aegis chain. Otherwise, I'd go with the +health.
Agyar
Quote:
Originally Posted by izumiitoi
PvE, Its definitely Energy armor
PvP, if you are playing LoD then you should use +hp and + physical, coz it helps a lot and you are not that easy to run out of energy. But in most cases, if you play HA, I would suggest energy guise and pants, and vs physical on other pieces, thats if you are not playing LoD, playing stuff like divert hex or RC prot, HB... etc etc....
But since this is a PvE forum I think the best situation would be full Energy armor. I never choose + hp. Energy > Hp. More energy = save whole team + yourself. More HP instead of energy = save yourself for a little bit and have less energy to heal the party. Agree?~ +energy armour is a giant waste, in any context. Energy management through selection of skills, skill usage (both skills directly for energy management and selective usage of other skills - i.e. correct use of damage mitigation, avoiding overheals) and weapon set switching will keep yourself and the team alive.
Monks (and every character) needs the extra defense that armour/health armours can provide and wasting that defense in the favour of an extra 7 energy per fight (that's not even two 5e casts) is ridiculous.
And trying to say "it's ok because it's for PvE" is ridiculous as well; the basic principles still apply and there's no justification for +energy armour insignias.
Edit: And no, I'm not talking about 55'ing etc. That's a completely different issue and you can't try to justify a choice for one situation with the information concerning a separate one.
PvP, if you are playing LoD then you should use +hp and + physical, coz it helps a lot and you are not that easy to run out of energy. But in most cases, if you play HA, I would suggest energy guise and pants, and vs physical on other pieces, thats if you are not playing LoD, playing stuff like divert hex or RC prot, HB... etc etc....
But since this is a PvE forum I think the best situation would be full Energy armor. I never choose + hp. Energy > Hp. More energy = save whole team + yourself. More HP instead of energy = save yourself for a little bit and have less energy to heal the party. Agree?~ +energy armour is a giant waste, in any context. Energy management through selection of skills, skill usage (both skills directly for energy management and selective usage of other skills - i.e. correct use of damage mitigation, avoiding overheals) and weapon set switching will keep yourself and the team alive.
Monks (and every character) needs the extra defense that armour/health armours can provide and wasting that defense in the favour of an extra 7 energy per fight (that's not even two 5e casts) is ridiculous.
And trying to say "it's ok because it's for PvE" is ridiculous as well; the basic principles still apply and there's no justification for +energy armour insignias.
Edit: And no, I'm not talking about 55'ing etc. That's a completely different issue and you can't try to justify a choice for one situation with the information concerning a separate one.
Alex Morningstar
I have a seperate pvp slot, so for my pve monk I have +hp armor a sup vigor and 2 sup runes (1 being the headpiece which is prot/heal) and sup divine. I have a seperate set of armor for smiting. But when I'm heal/prot monking, I can run with 16 in my primary attribute, 15 in divine favor and spend a lot of time kiting and not standing next to critters.
I've had the last two runes be both vitae (+20) and attunement (+4) and there wasn't much different in play style either way. my health is at 415 and 35 energy (no weapons equipped). I'm content.
I've had the last two runes be both vitae (+20) and attunement (+4) and there wasn't much different in play style either way. my health is at 415 and 35 energy (no weapons equipped). I'm content.
creelie
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dracil
So... 35 HP or +10 armor? Do mobs look at HP or armor first? And then do mobs look at the AL bonus when deciding who to attack or only the base AL?
The idea of +HP is even if the mob does choose you, you have a large HP buffer.
Lurid
And its useful vs degen and armor ignoring damage. IMHO the extra health is more useful than a (relatively) conditional armor mod. If you really want the extra armor grab a max shield, that will give you +8 defense (assuming you don't meet the req)
Dracil
But 35 health is only about 7% extra longevity, whereas 10 armor is 16% less damage based on the damage calculator I tried (specifically this one http://www.guildwarsguru.com/calcula...uru_armor.php). Also, more health means more health to heal, relatively, while taking less damage is easier to heal.
i.e.
Without mods you take 100 damage
With hp mod, you still take 100 damage but it's like only 65, but still requires 100 to heal
With armor mod, you only took 84 damage so you'll only need to heal 84 to recover it.
This difference gets larger the more damage is taken
If you took 400 damage without mods
With hp mod, you still take 400 damage but it's like 365, and requires 400 to heal
With armor mod, you take 336 damage, and only need 336 healed
i.e.
Without mods you take 100 damage
With hp mod, you still take 100 damage but it's like only 65, but still requires 100 to heal
With armor mod, you only took 84 damage so you'll only need to heal 84 to recover it.
This difference gets larger the more damage is taken
If you took 400 damage without mods
With hp mod, you still take 400 damage but it's like 365, and requires 400 to heal
With armor mod, you take 336 damage, and only need 336 healed
FoxBat
Spike damage is lacking in PvE, so generally armor pays off over HP. I'd run blessed for almost anywhere since enchant hate is typically light at best, and it's hard to think of a good monk build that doesn't use any enchantments.
Saphatorael
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilhelm
Hmm no.
Weapon swapping and 'intelligent' monking outweighs the extra 4 energy from the + energy set.
I personally wear full +health armor, as plenty of the damage in GW is Armor Ignoring, but I do keep a Wanderer's set in storage just in case.
-Wilhelm <3
I use Saintly 15k on my monk for when PvE'ing:
Staying in the backline= no physical damage, even ranged monsters tend to have elemental attacks, only spells would be able to touch you if you aggro everything properly..
So in pvE, +AL vs Elemental ftw.
And for PvP (and a few PvE areas): Survivor. Good against degen, armour ignoring damage, and it rocks to have 610-640hp, quite tough to spike down very quickly. Bring a shield for any +AL you might need, though, that'll help even more.
PS: Ascetics/Radiant Insignia are a waste. If you can't handle your energy, you're not a good enough monk. Keep trying, in that case!
Weapon swapping and 'intelligent' monking outweighs the extra 4 energy from the + energy set.
I personally wear full +health armor, as plenty of the damage in GW is Armor Ignoring, but I do keep a Wanderer's set in storage just in case.
-Wilhelm <3
I use Saintly 15k on my monk for when PvE'ing:
Staying in the backline= no physical damage, even ranged monsters tend to have elemental attacks, only spells would be able to touch you if you aggro everything properly..
So in pvE, +AL vs Elemental ftw.
And for PvP (and a few PvE areas): Survivor. Good against degen, armour ignoring damage, and it rocks to have 610-640hp, quite tough to spike down very quickly. Bring a shield for any +AL you might need, though, that'll help even more.
PS: Ascetics/Radiant Insignia are a waste. If you can't handle your energy, you're not a good enough monk. Keep trying, in that case!
First Healer Monk
In past times, I've only used the Saintly. I had a very well energy management and had less damage from the ranged spells.
Later on, I bought +energy armor, but it was actually without need. I mostly play a ZB build, so I recover most energy when healing a large amount, and for smaller amounts I use Devotion. More hp is, imho, not a need for a monk when you've PS equiped, as that skill will work better with less health.
What I want to say is that it seems to me +armor is best but not allways needed. +Hp can be usefull when playing with henchies only. +Energy is handy when you don't want to equip Eman, but smart healing is in that case still better.
In the long end: buy armor considering all what is said by the ones here, and see what matches best with your skills and situation. Not all play the same style.
Later on, I bought +energy armor, but it was actually without need. I mostly play a ZB build, so I recover most energy when healing a large amount, and for smaller amounts I use Devotion. More hp is, imho, not a need for a monk when you've PS equiped, as that skill will work better with less health.
What I want to say is that it seems to me +armor is best but not allways needed. +Hp can be usefull when playing with henchies only. +Energy is handy when you don't want to equip Eman, but smart healing is in that case still better.
In the long end: buy armor considering all what is said by the ones here, and see what matches best with your skills and situation. Not all play the same style.
olly123
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agyar
+energy armour is a giant waste, in any context. Energy management through selection of skills, skill usage (both skills directly for energy management and selective usage of other skills - i.e. correct use of damage mitigation, avoiding overheals) and weapon set switching will keep yourself and the team alive.
Monks (and every character) needs the extra defense that armour/health armours can provide and wasting that defense in the favour of an extra 7 energy per fight (that's not even two 5e casts) is ridiculous.
And trying to say "it's ok because it's for PvE" is ridiculous as well; the basic principles still apply and there's no justification for +energy armour insignias.
Edit: And no, I'm not talking about 55'ing etc. That's a completely different issue and you can't try to justify a choice for one situation with the information concerning a separate one. QTD
with exter energy ur still goign to need to heal ur self for 100dam if u get hit with a 100dam move
with more health urs still going to need need to heal for that 100 dam uve jsut lost.
both of these result in wasting more energy.
where as with extra armor u can save energy
instead oh being hit for 100 u coudl limit it down to ( dont know exact number) about 84 meaning les to heal so u take longer to kill and ur more energy efficent, + armor is a winner each time
Monks (and every character) needs the extra defense that armour/health armours can provide and wasting that defense in the favour of an extra 7 energy per fight (that's not even two 5e casts) is ridiculous.
And trying to say "it's ok because it's for PvE" is ridiculous as well; the basic principles still apply and there's no justification for +energy armour insignias.
Edit: And no, I'm not talking about 55'ing etc. That's a completely different issue and you can't try to justify a choice for one situation with the information concerning a separate one. QTD
with exter energy ur still goign to need to heal ur self for 100dam if u get hit with a 100dam move
with more health urs still going to need need to heal for that 100 dam uve jsut lost.
both of these result in wasting more energy.
where as with extra armor u can save energy
instead oh being hit for 100 u coudl limit it down to ( dont know exact number) about 84 meaning les to heal so u take longer to kill and ur more energy efficent, + armor is a winner each time
Dracil
There is a time when +armor IS useless though. When you're playing a bonder, say somewhere like Domain of Anguish. Then you REALLY should not be getting hit at all, and only take damage from life bond. +Health for a greater buffer for Life Barrier or +EN for greater buffer for more bonds or when you can't use Blessed Signet (if it gets interrupted or when you need to kite or run with several pips of en degen).
But generally +Health and +Armor only matter if you're getting hit, which can be the result of bad monking as well. In that case, I'd prefer +Armor because it seems usually the deadliest damage you'll encounter in PVE (lvl 28 boss ele spells) is NOT armor-ignoring.
When you have 530 health, +10 armor (16% damage reduction) is like having 614 health.
But generally +Health and +Armor only matter if you're getting hit, which can be the result of bad monking as well. In that case, I'd prefer +Armor because it seems usually the deadliest damage you'll encounter in PVE (lvl 28 boss ele spells) is NOT armor-ignoring.
When you have 530 health, +10 armor (16% damage reduction) is like having 614 health.
Age
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agyar
+energy armour is a giant waste, in any context. Energy management through selection of skills, skill usage (both skills directly for energy management and selective usage of other skills - i.e. correct use of damage mitigation, avoiding overheals) and weapon set switching will keep yourself and the team alive.
Monks (and every character) needs the extra defense that armour/health armours can provide and wasting that defense in the favour of an extra 7 energy per fight (that's not even two 5e casts) is ridiculous.
And trying to say "it's ok because it's for PvE" is ridiculous as well; the basic principles still apply and there's no justification for +energy armour insignias.
Edit: And no, I'm not talking about 55'ing etc. That's a completely different issue and you can't try to justify a choice for one situation with the information concerning a separate one. This really doesn't matter when it comes to PvE as i see lots of Monks going around in tats and they aren't 55ers.I been in groups with Monks that are useing only tats if you hp are high and your al is high it really doesn't matter.There is an entire thread about this already.
Monks (and every character) needs the extra defense that armour/health armours can provide and wasting that defense in the favour of an extra 7 energy per fight (that's not even two 5e casts) is ridiculous.
And trying to say "it's ok because it's for PvE" is ridiculous as well; the basic principles still apply and there's no justification for +energy armour insignias.
Edit: And no, I'm not talking about 55'ing etc. That's a completely different issue and you can't try to justify a choice for one situation with the information concerning a separate one. This really doesn't matter when it comes to PvE as i see lots of Monks going around in tats and they aren't 55ers.I been in groups with Monks that are useing only tats if you hp are high and your al is high it really doesn't matter.There is an entire thread about this already.
Risa
My monk has two sets, HP for PvP, and Blessed (+ 10 Armor while enchanted) for PvE, since I love Channeling 
I play protection in PvE usually, and always find an enchantment on myself to enjoy the armor bonus with.
I play protection in PvE usually, and always find an enchantment on myself to enjoy the armor bonus with.
Y.T.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dracil
There is a time when +armor IS useless though. When you're playing a bonder, say somewhere like Domain of Anguish. Then you REALLY should not be getting hit at all, and only take damage from life bond. +Health for a greater buffer for Life Barrier or +EN for greater buffer for more bonds or when you can't use Blessed Signet (if it gets interrupted or when you need to kite or run with several pips of en degen).
But generally +Health and +Armor only matter if you're getting hit, which can be the result of bad monking as well. In that case, I'd prefer +Armor because it seems usually the deadliest damage you'll encounter in PVE (lvl 28 boss ele spells) is NOT armor-ignoring.
When you have 530 health, +10 armor (16% damage reduction) is like having 614 health. i have +E set, +AR when ench set, +AR vs elem and +hp sets. i'm monking in fow 6-7 runs per week (at least) so i decided to test all those diff sets in balanced teams. when i started my monk i got her +E armor (as many pve-only monks) but then i noticed that my E hardly ever goes lower than 15-20E unless i'm monking alone and we aggroed 2 patrols, so i switched to +AR when ench for boon protter build. it was my fav armor for a long long time but after the last boon protter nerf i hardly ever use it, i gave it a try in balanced team with bonder and i have to admit that extra AR wasnt that important, it cant save me if abyssals locked aggro on me, it does help against annoying barragers tho. last few month i was using +AR vs elem damage, i think its 1 of the best sets for pve monk, but after i crafted +hp set i'm not switching armor anymore. with 600+hp i can stand in the middle of the mob and cast in peace while poor eles r with all their sup and maj runes and ~400hp r being hammered down. i'm using +hp offhand and spear, so even if i use helm with sup rune i have enough hp to avoid being targeted in the 1st order.
in my experience mobs tend to choose targets with lowest hp, for some reason they dont pay attention to AR - f/ex tank in full sentinels has considerably better AR than poor squishy monky, but if the tank less hp than said monky mobs will attack the tank and temporary ignore the monk. as i understand it in pvp monks choose +hp armors to survive the spike damage, but in pve +hp set will help u to avoid getting any damage, so its definitely 1 of the best armor choices.
P.S. if u have enough free space in inv u can get +AR vs elem top+leggins, u'll be able to switch to extra AR set in elem-heavy areas
But generally +Health and +Armor only matter if you're getting hit, which can be the result of bad monking as well. In that case, I'd prefer +Armor because it seems usually the deadliest damage you'll encounter in PVE (lvl 28 boss ele spells) is NOT armor-ignoring.
When you have 530 health, +10 armor (16% damage reduction) is like having 614 health. i have +E set, +AR when ench set, +AR vs elem and +hp sets. i'm monking in fow 6-7 runs per week (at least) so i decided to test all those diff sets in balanced teams. when i started my monk i got her +E armor (as many pve-only monks) but then i noticed that my E hardly ever goes lower than 15-20E unless i'm monking alone and we aggroed 2 patrols, so i switched to +AR when ench for boon protter build. it was my fav armor for a long long time but after the last boon protter nerf i hardly ever use it, i gave it a try in balanced team with bonder and i have to admit that extra AR wasnt that important, it cant save me if abyssals locked aggro on me, it does help against annoying barragers tho. last few month i was using +AR vs elem damage, i think its 1 of the best sets for pve monk, but after i crafted +hp set i'm not switching armor anymore. with 600+hp i can stand in the middle of the mob and cast in peace while poor eles r with all their sup and maj runes and ~400hp r being hammered down. i'm using +hp offhand and spear, so even if i use helm with sup rune i have enough hp to avoid being targeted in the 1st order.
in my experience mobs tend to choose targets with lowest hp, for some reason they dont pay attention to AR - f/ex tank in full sentinels has considerably better AR than poor squishy monky, but if the tank less hp than said monky mobs will attack the tank and temporary ignore the monk. as i understand it in pvp monks choose +hp armors to survive the spike damage, but in pve +hp set will help u to avoid getting any damage, so its definitely 1 of the best armor choices.
P.S. if u have enough free space in inv u can get +AR vs elem top+leggins, u'll be able to switch to extra AR set in elem-heavy areas
Adam of Tyria
I like to run a +10 armor while enchanted set. I am a protection monk, so I usually like to have lower health and have protective spirit on me at all times. So, I can have the protection from portective spirit, AND some extra armor.