You're a level 20 Monk... how's your energy?

I am really enjoying playing a monk but I find that energy management is my greatest weakness (that and I can't seem to find any weapons that do squat in a fight). I focus mostly on being the Group Healer... I don't even carry any Smiting skills (only Healing, Protection, and Divine skills) unless I anticipate Undead killing. I carry various heal, ailment mending, hex disposal, and res skills and that's it. But, I tend to run out of energy a LOT and always at the worst times. Any suggestions?

In thinking about this, consider the following questions (if you have a Monk Primary Profession):

Do you emphasize max energy over energy regen? Or do you emphasize regen over max? If you try to balance both, how so?

How much Energy do you have with your current build?

Do you give yourself more energy (either max or regen) by making a different build? How so? What do you change? What sorts of skills do you consider using for energy conservation or management?

What kind of armor do you wear and does it contribute to your energy max or regen?

What kind of weapon/s (primary and/or offhand) do you carry and how do they affect your energy max or regen?

Do you use your Secondary profession to increase or manage your energy max or regen?

Sounds like PvE - I'll jot a few points:

PvP monking builds make a good starting point; PvP typically is pretty hectic, requiring a large amount of healing and great energy management, often dealing with energy denial as well.

Yes, using your secondary for energy management is almost a necessity. Few monks actually run both protection and healing (though some do), normally choosing between them. I'm not familiar with monking in PvE really, I only recently began trying to monk, and in PvP. As a monk in PvP I am using my energy regain skills every time they refresh, as I always need energy, unless we are slaughtering the opponent, in which case I'm a bump on a log anyway.

Obviously, the energy tool selected varies according to the secondary, and you can choose secondaries and energy tools based on the team (in PvE you may not have this flexibility, but it can be nice). Popular choices to manage energy include:
(/Elementalist)
Divine Spirit, used with an elementalist secondary and +20% enchanting gear, to get cheap spells.
(/Necromancer)
Offering of Blood, sacrificing 10% of your health for a pile of energy.
(/Mesmer)
Mantra of Recall
Channeling
Inspired Hex
(/Ranger)
Melandru's Resilience, used with condition drawing and such to get extra regeneration.
(/Warrior)
Victory is Mine, particularly on teams that inflict a lot of conditions on the melee foes that will surround you.

ill try...im at 49 energy right now, just have a fiery flame spitter (no energy bonus) and a collectors healing ankh +12 req 9 healing or a prot green that doesnt give bonuses anyway.

if i need energy, i have a +13 -1 regen divine favor wand and a +15 -1 regen ankh...but you use that when youre totally dry, and never before.

i wear tats in PvE because...well...i shouldnt be getting attacked anyway.

if youre a mo/mes, i suggest inspired hex and channeling, they work really nice, but if you dont want to spread out points, just use divine spirit, its a 10 second spamming frenzy, i turn it on and spam woh/orison/dwaynas

hope this helps.

Well I got 40ish energy, trash weapon and offhand (with max mods granted, but just whiteys) and tats for feet+arms, Judge's for chest/legs.

Haven't had probs with energy [doing mainly healing], energy management sponsored by mesmer subclass for me (Inspired Hex, some energy with hex removal. Not that good for snatching off multiple hexes, but does it's work in PvE) and Energy Tap ('slow' cast time, so I gotta try and time it on some 'calm' spot), those two work great for me, and I can cast my heals pretty non stop (Orison + Word of Healing combo normally (5 nrg each), team heal/heal other on critical situations, but the 15/10 energy requirements on those mess things up if they need to be spammed)

Prolly have to fix up my build somewhat, been trying to add Signet of Devotion (no energy cost, but relatively long recharge), and trying to figure out Divine Boon (-1 energy regen, -2 energy per monk spell casted, but those the 2 energy heal more HP per EP when compared to Orison or Heal Other if I remember right, ie. less spamming heals)

you should have ~45 energy, 4 regen. the 4 regen is very important...

99% of energy management is obtained through using your secondary profession:

Warrior: mainly for farming (bonneti's defence) or vim trapping (victory is mine). not reccomended for 8 man groups.

ranger: melandru's resiliance, but ranger is probablythe worst choice...

elementalist: glyph of renewal combined with divine spirit allows you to keep divine spirit up indefinitely. another choice is glyph of lesser energy.

mesmer: one of the normal choices. just look at the inspiration line and you'll see why... the most popular are channeling and inspire hex (both).

necro: the second normal choice. purely for offering of blood.

basically... if you want a monk elite, go part mesmer. if you want more room for skills,but dont wat a monk elite, go necromancer.

hope it helps.

Good questions.

I have a Mo/Me, but I rarely use mesmer skills to increase energy. Unless you count Inspired Hex, which gives back energy once cast.

Wearing ascetic armor and wielding the Yakslapper, I have 52 energy. In a normal PvE battle, I’m usually fine though I do need some regen time at the end.

One good skill for PvE is Signet of Devotion. Linked to Divine Favor, gives a free little boost to health and buys time for the big-time spells you cast.

If you are a straight healer, you may want to consider using some protection spells. Some protection spells, although high in cost (Aegis for instance), actually save you energy by preventing a lot of damage.

I would say regen is more important than max energy. I really notice a difference when I’m maintaining an enchantment, that one pip means a lot. I have an offhand that gives me something like 20 extra energy with -1 regen; but I find when I equip it, I only have 6 more energy than with the Yakslapper. Find yourself a staff with an insightful staff head +5 if at all possible.

What you need is a good focus item or a good staff.I would go out to the desert look in tools and resources for collectors and they have great collecters item.I got my Akhn and a Protection icon out there and it gave me more engy.I can get up to 75 without asthetics.PS Victory is Mine is great on team builds for an 8 party build.It is what TE runs.

There is also the collectors offhand that will give +27 energy. But you lose a pip in energy regen. It is all a matter of prioritizing. If you have other ways to help overcome that missing pip, the extra energy can be 1 to 2 extra spells to really help.

I use the necro version and argue with my guildies about which is better. I contend that with soul reaping the -1 doesn't really matter to me that much. The best I can say is to try stuff out and see if it works for you. A friend of mine uses the +27 offhand and loves it.

I think I will triple post this...

I like what everone else has said about using your second prof for some kind of management. I also like using a second set of weapons that give me a energy degen but large boost for when I really need it.

My biggest way of not running out of energy is by not wasting heals...
for instance if more than 3 of your part are down 100 points or so use heal party (you won't get the extra boost from divine, but it will get you somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 health per person)
I sometimes use divine boon (I think) to get another 50-60 health per heal, but it does hit you for another 2 energy so be careful and it hits your regen so I only keep it up when I am casting...

hope it helps

I tend to find the 'essentials' in PvP monking are helpful in PvE.
To get the most out of your equipment, you should ideally have three "levels" of energy, that you get by using different pieces of equipment. In PvE, two levels should be enough. Something like this:
Slot 1: Staff. Not necessarily any +en mods-doesn't matter if you have other slots.
Slot 2: Two +15/-1 mods.
The idea, is that you have effectively +30 energy, but you only switch to that slot when you really need to cast a spell-then back to your staff so you regen energy quicker. Collectors' items like these can be found as you progress through the game. So, essentially you get the best of both worlds: a large energy pool and normal regen.


I usually have around 40, judge's legs and chest. PvE, however, full asetics are probably better, unless you have a tendency to aggro everything onto you.

Apart from Divine Spirit, monks have really no other energy management skill-which means secondaries are taken usually just for this purpose. A list was given above, but pay special attention to Offering of Blood*. It's probably the most effective spell for that sort of thing. However, it's found in the lategame, so a Mo/Me would probably be the best. If you aren't up to the boss who caps it, the mesmer inspiration line is excellent-in PvE, Inspired Hex can double as hex removal (where dangerous hexes are rare-well, in most parts), Drain Enchantment, and/or Energy Tap.

Your build and "style" might have a bit to do with how you're losing energy. Dabbling a bit in the prot line (for PvE) might be a good choice, a few skills help you lower the amount you have to heal.

Beware ViM. You need to have a build that causes conditions (not likely in a PvE pug), and even then, you have to get close to the enemy, and is notoriously unreliable.

If I'm healing I go for the 69 energy setup. The -1 energy regen is not important enough (for me) as is the extra energy. Offering of blood makes up for the energy I am losing from the lost regen pip. Being sure to mix it up with signet of devotion (free heal) when minor heals are needed and the lost regen is minimal for me. If I'm protection I think my energy is 45, but I'm typically healing anymore.

Tattoos for the energy. 65 energy 3 regen. I find the extra energy usually gets me through most battles. If I need the extra pip of regen I can switch weapon sets. Currently trying a mix of protection and healing (PvE).

I use WoH and heal other and I don't heal until someone is under 50% health.

My energy management tips:
1) nab a wand with +5 EN, ones with high req are usually cheap.
2) maximize Divine Spirit usage.
3) wear tats on the limbs.
4) don't sink a ton of skill points into your secondary, unless 2 spots on your bar are better for it.
5) appeal to your party for extra defensive help; friendly buffs, wells, and some self-heals will keep you casting longer.

Real monks use Power Drain.
James-

Another suggestion...use vigorous spirit on Tanks and rangers, as it gives them a nice amount of health each time they attack/use a skill. I say tanks/rangers because casters generally dont get off as many attacks/skills (except for mesmer, thanks to the deadly are of fast-casting) as melee chars do...i tend to use it more when im at full energy at the begining of a battle before any large damage is taking place, since im regening the 5 energy quickly anyway.

This proves to be useful toward the end of a battle, when im trying to stretch out that last 5 energy since vigorous spirit almost becomes a godly vampiric mod with no degen.

i love monking in pve, and i do all types.

as a healer, i use the +15 +12 -1energy regen ankh. i do not wear tattoos, i wear a judges/wanderers mix. i am also a mo/n and use offering of blood, although sometimes i use word of healing in place of it, and im usually fine. i have 55 energy with this setup, and i find it very energy effiecient. i also only have one or two spells that cost more than 5 energy on my skill bar. usually heal party(in which case OoB is more useful than Word, and sometimes aegis if im part prot..)

as a bonder i use the yasklapper, but that is a very specialized build for specific situations that need a bonder, so most of the time im healing.

i dont see what the importance of 4 regen is, unless you are just spamming spells like crazy...i've never had a problem with the -1 regen

One of the main factors in deciding what items you use depends on how long you anticipate battles to last. If the battle lasts longer than 45 seconds, then the 12/15/-1 focus is worse than a 12 energy focus. Most battles in difficult areas of the game will last this long, and in these types of cases, do NOT bring anything that gives -1 regeneration.

With tattoos, a +5 energy main hand, and a +12 energy focus, I believe I have 54 energy. I also suggest using any energy management from your secondary as suggested by many others. I prefer offering of blood to anything else, but it's all preference.

there is a +5 EN with only a 5 req that is given away

dunno if anyone else said that (its midnight, im not reading it all ) but get yourself a Yakslapper. I'm lvl 17 with the tattoo armour (ascetics?) and Yakslapper and I have 52 energy with 4 regen. Works wonderfully, I usually have one enchantment going, which leaves me with more than enough regen and energy to keep a group healed under all but the most difficult of circumstances (just at crystal desert/augury rock so could get far worse of course )

I don't use tats so I only have an energy of 42 but I rarely run out because I make good use of low energy cost healing spells i.e. 'orison of healing' and 'word of healing' (elite), both only cost 5 energy per cast. Using monk pants for the +1 energy regen and no items that give -1 energy degen means i'm usually quite comfortable for energy during a battle