Monk Armor (Censor's Set)

I am a lvl 12 Mo/Me and just arrived and Yak's Bend for the first time. I decided to check out my new armor set and I am concerned with what I found. Perhaps some experienced monks could put to rest my concerns.

I am talking about the next set of armor found in Yak's Bend which is called the Censor set. When a monk gives up the Wanderer's Vestements for the Censor's set he also gives up 4 energy and 20 armor against elemental attacks. The monk gains however 40 armor against physical attacks.

While 4 energy is not a huge amount it is also not insignificant for a healer who may get that last heal off if only he had 4 more energy. So my question is: Is it really worth 40 armor against physical attacks to give up the 4 energy?

Thank you Monks

Elos Calme

Hi

I typically use the censor's chest and leg pieces, and compensate for the energy by using ascetic on arms and feet. Go take a look at this guide here:

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/content...ide-id1156.php

Some of the information *might* be a bit outdated (I'm too tired to check right now), but the overall guide is a great, very detailed analysis of armor benefits, etc. Since hits go by percentage chance, arms and legs won't be too much of a sacrifice in the slightly lower total AL.

Wonderful

Thank you very much Aria

Honestly, it's a good idea to keep two sets of eq handy. I prefer the Aesetic tattoos over the censor and wanderer sets in general, simply because my protection and healing can generally out-do the competition's offense. If I know I'm going somewhere extremely heavy (e.g. the Underworld) I'll swap out gear.

20 elemental armor isn't usually helpful to me since I'm good at side-stepping aoes, which both the AI and enemy elementalists are incredibly fond of.

While you only lose 4 energy total on Censor eq, if you wear Aesetic gear you'll gain 7. If you stay out of melee and are good at keeping away from hot spots in combat, you may find (as I have) you'll rely less on your armor for protection and the extra boost in energy will serve you well. If your groupies tend to be the sort who run blindly when they get hit, and bring the pain to your doorstep, just decide in advance which armor will protect you more and use that. Censor's eq tends to be the best when you find yourself having to survive unsupported and you don't have enough cover to lead opponents through nets of allies. If you're good with evasion you probably won't need it.

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I have a slightly different question on this armor.

Why is it so much more costly, in terms of materials, than other class armor in Yaks? Every class has the lower end (for us, Monks), mid (Wanderers), and supposedly high (Censors). But other classes don't seem to have the same type of insanely expensive materials (lots of steel ingots). I was extremly disappointed with that, having just leveled through a necro and a warrior.

My own opinion... I dont use the Censor set. I need every little bit of energy I can spare. I am a full blown healing monk, no offensive or protection spells at all, & any decrease in energy is bad... at least for me. I would rather take a 100 point health loss than a 5 point energy loss. I dont use tatoos either but only because I think they look bad.

I tend to use the Sacred set when I have to work(hard quests), but when Im just slacking off I use either the Wanderer set or the Monk set. When I go into town I usually change sets & put my Monk set on as I think it looks the best.

I use the Wanderer's set from Droknar. Reason? It is really versatile with a good base armor and extra elemental protection, plus decent energy. I still maintain that if you need more than 40 energy to heal a party of 6 people including yourself, someone is doing something way wrong.

Sacred set is the same as the Wanderer set in terms of armor and protection (both +5 vs. elemental damage). Basic monk set is the one that has no extra protection...

Most expensive monk armor is actually the tattoos, which use rolls of parchment that have to be crafted or purchased at a higher price than the other materials. Censor's set is not that expensive in comparison.

Or that monk hasn't faced decent mesmer mobs/players and has delusions of grandeur.

Your argument is "If you need more than four tires in your vehicle, you shouldn't be driving." Most groups would probably want the monk who packs a spare, don't you think?

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Yea...but the Wanderer set looks dorky. Sacred is better in the looks dept but I really like the look of the basic Monk outfit. I really only wear the Basic in towns.

You don't counter a mesmer's energy drains by having a higher base energy, since they can suck it right up meaning it's still their victory. You counter mesmers by having a battery foci equipped on one of your weapon pre-sets.

Ach! don't get armor in Yaks, or even in Lions Arch. They're not even really upgrades, just ways to waste your money. Wait for Drocnors where you can get an actual upgrade.

Not many mesmers can drain 50+ energy in one round of skill use, PvE nor PvP. They *can*, however, drain enough to cripple your healing unless you've specifically brought energy management abilities or have a larger energy pool from which to draw.

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"Most expensive monk armor is actually the tattoos, which use rolls of parchment that have to be crafted or purchased at a higher price than the other materials. Censor's set is not that expensive in comparison."

Have to disagree, I have all 3 sets Cens, Tats, Sacred >> Cens takes Steel which costs a lot more than Parchs.

I know the armor further in is superior in terms of the amount of upgrade, but I just wanted something better than my initial quest set (plus, I wanted to see what Censors looks like - anyone have a screenie??). I won't waste cash on the set now since it's SO much more expensive on materials than other sets in Yaks.

Most expensive is the Sacred Armor in the Ascension quests because of the Linen reqired, I think. Probably more after you ascend.

I use Sacred pants, shirt, Wander's shoes, and Tattoes arm. I'm not using Censor's stuff because energy is lacking.

If you are a monk and you want better armor you need to consentrate on Portection Prayers. You can have way better armor using PP on yourself than just a cool set of armor. That way you can have the energy you need and the armor to be safe in battle.

Not true Phaedrus. I'm at the last mission in the game, and I haven't needed more than my 40 (now 42) to keep a group healed. Mesmers are troubling, and I do avoid them on the field of battle, but good groups take out Mesmers and Necros first. I'm also looking at it through rose tinted glasses though as I'm a Mesmer secondary and use hexes cast on me to fuel my own energy.

But the fact that remains is, yes... you only need 4 tires to drive. My spare tire is usually the guy or gal labelled W/Mo or E/Mo or Me/Mo. If someone is rich enough to buy a full tattoo set, more power to them, but my Wanderer's set holds up just fine for a fraction of the cost.

Tattoos are fantastic for PvE, they let me sit back and relax even in places like the Temple of Ages missions because they give me more energy than I could possibly ever need and mean I barely have to manage it at all. The loss of physical protection is irrelevant with block-headed AI.

In Tombs or GvG, I never, ever wear full tattoos and never join a group with a monk that does. To me, full tattoos in PvP is the best way to spot a noob monk and I'm ever so grateful for it. Any monk worth his salt knows that all the energy and protection prayers in the world won't save him when he's got mesmers backfiring him, necros stripping his enchantments, and warriors focusing fire. That's where the immense protection of Censor's armor deflects enough damage to allow the other healers to keep him breathing while the team backs him up. As was mentioned many times before, a skillful monk doesn't need more than 40 energy to watch over an 8-person group, along with an emergency off-hand to swap in if he gets drained.