Monks for Hire

I've been playing for a while now and ive experienced what im sure we've all experienced, which is a lack of monks in the end game missions.

I've also seen monks advertising their services for gold/items/etc.

I've never hired any of these monks but I would like to know what other people's opinions and experiences of such individuals. How would you compare them to runners or mission runners? power levelers? etc.

I just want to know what this community's stance is on such behaviors.

Unacceptable. Taking advantage of there not being enough around to earn themself money etc. by making themselves available. They could even lie, saying they'll help for a bit of money from everyone, and that they don't need this mission. And they actually do need it, and they get money and stuff all the same. The kind of people that actually do that must be complete jerks that think they can get away with there not being enough the same as them around, to gain for themselves.

It's a service like any other. If you don't like the service they provide, don't pay them or invite them into your group. They're meeting a demand that the market obviously does NOT meet. If there were plenty of monks in the game, no one would be able to charge for helping complete missions.

You're complaining about someone trading THEIR TIME for money providing a service that NO ONE ELSE is providing, for pay or otherwise. People obviously DO think it's a useful service; if no one took them up on their offer, they would be out of business. If you have that much of a beef with it, bring a monk up through the game help people through missions for free.

As much as this is a service to be charged, I feel that it's unbased on
anything but the lack of knowledge by a lot of players. I see no point in
paying someone to join the group when there is at least 1 monk free for
every mission, those being the henchies of course.
And besides, too many PUG monks are beyond horrible,
and now charging money for it..
I'd pass.

i play a monk and i finished the game, but i still offer my help for later missions, like thunderhead keep. I do this for free of course, and i think that monks that are charging for that gives us a bad name, because after, most people say all monks think they re so useful that they can charge people for their services...

edit: hench monks work very well, so, no need of human players like those mentioned before.

I've seen Monks advertising for Pay Heals, and it saddens me to no end. It's like they're saying "Pay me to help me beat this mission". No. Pick up your drops like the rest of us and quit mooching.

I really want my Healer to get to that point so I can help out more

Monks charging to heal is unacceptable. It's a pretty bad service when groups can just pick another Monk that doesn't charge the group. Also, groups can just use hench healers when there are a lack of non-npc Monks in the game, henchmen/women are still decent.

Monks charging people to heal = Bad

:l

-
anyway, i don't see what's wrong with monks for hire, let's say, you're a very wealthy person, monk charges 2k for monking THK, you've been sitting all day looking for a monk but no luck, so i guess you could spare those 2k on a monk, and hope he's not a scammer.

but as Sai said, henchmen are decent.

lol this is hard to believe such exists...and it's a shame of course

Now i am waiting when will some damage dealers appear saying(example and no offense to eles of course):"Ele nuker for hire, one meteor shower 500 gold..."

I'm going to take both sides on this one. While I hate the idea of paying someone to play with me, I also hate how I get treated by teams when I play my monk in PUG missions. Frankly, later missions are often a hassle for healers. People going Rambo (and not just tanks), pre-game strategies crumbling because someone has a bee in their bonnet and wants to prove how leet they are. The post Sanctum missions are far less forgiving to people who "know what they're doing and to heck with the group!" And when they die, who do they blame?

Why so few (good) monks beyond the desert? We get sick of your attitude. Any monk worth its tattoos gets picked up pretty quickly by a guild who is more than happy to help them level and do missions. And once we get that guild, we don't want to go back into a PUG mission just to watch you die, lay on the ground and flame us until we rez you.

From what I can tell, these pay to play people aren't scammers either. When I've been in zones with P2P monks, most if not all only require payment AFTER the mission is completed. They probably take a screenshot of the Chat text where the group agrees to pay for their services in case someone later refuses so they can report THAT person as a scammer.

In the end this is something all too many Guild Wars players have brought upon themselves. When I chose monk as my second toon it was because I saw a need for them at the upper levels and thought it would be fun. After playing with a lot of people in PUGs I can honestly say that you've soured the experience somewhat. All in all, there are more rude Rangers, Warriors, Mesmers, Necros, and Eles in Tyria than there are rude monks.

If charging someone 500g for a mission keeps them from going off on their own, I say its not a bad thing. Not something I'd do, but not bad at all. If these people are any good at what they're doing, you should listen to them...and learn. They've probably completed that mission many times before they started charging groups. They know the tricks to see you through alive.

They're fine. Monks for hire are spending their time providing a service which is in need, just like runners, power levelers etc. And just like those services, you have the choice of not using them (use henchie monks instead) if you disapprove of them.

Think about it this way: at the end of the game, where there are very few "free" monks, wouldn't you rather have the choice of hiring a monk, rather than being stuck with henchies? At least, wouldn't others appreciate having the choice?

I don't like those monks, I still see it as some kind of exploit. It's not like everyone is good enough to get through some tough Missions with Henchies.
I mean, I have no problem paying runners etc. for their service, cause it's something you have to train for, it's not something everyone can do. But every monk can heal, it's just nothing special, so I don't see why they have any right to ask for a fee. I can't even be certain they are good at it, and all I ever saw wanted to be paid up front, so they might still leave at some point.
No, I never would be desperate enough to pay a monk.

I think this is disgusting, taking profit of such things, I never hired a monk like this and I never will, since it is just not correct.

I don't agree with that piece. Sure, all monks have the skills on their bar, but that doesn't make then great healers. Being a good monk is also about timing, deciding who needs healing first and energy management. Not every monk is as competent as the next one.

I agree monks get badmouthed sometimes, but monks are equally guilty of badmouthing IMO. I for one will never pay or charge for those services. Not only does it keep skilled players back due to the fact they can't find a decent group, monking is also - as QoH pointed out - a profession that can (and often is) needed in a mission. All players in a team should work together to complete the mission. When one player doesn't want to fulfill his part, I think it's time to make a new character and find the role they want to play.

The difference between other services and this one, is that the others help you skip ahead, or do things quicker. This is just ridiculous, that monk can seriously expect to be paid to heal. I think that it is outrageous, because the so called 'service' is a natural part of PvE, not something extra, such as Droknar's Runs, or something to help you move through quicker. All monks doing this should be banned for exploitation of newer players, it is the worst in Hell's Precipice.

What I find amusing, is that they get little or no business at all, and still sit around hour after hour trying to make a few gold.

No need to take monks for hire, because (except for FOW and the old UW) there are always henchy monks. What makes me laugh are the players that insist the henchy monks are bad. There are some instances where the henchy monk AI will get you into trouble, but unless you are unlucky to run into this situation, the henchy monks are quite good.

The way I see it, if they want to charge, fine. If somebody agrees to pay them...also fine.

HOWEVER, I personally would never pay one. What happens if you pay one and they turn out to be "not very good". Too much of a gamble, and I'd sooner use the henchs for free...

Even with exploits such as the 55monk and warriors doing runs, when I see a monk for hire I cringe. It's like a ranger saying that he won't shoot his bow if nobody pays him.

Monks... for hire... are very... lame individuals...

Several people have said this is fine and mentioned that it is a 'service'. IMO, it's not.

The monk is one of the six professions. All the professions are different; the monk is the one that has been given the most ability to keep people alive, therefore is sought after. Anet probably intended for players of this class to be needed in parties more than some of the other classes. By the end of the game, you need 2 or 3 monks in a party of 8. However, look over the professions. There are 6.... 8 divided by 6 = 1.6666 or something. So, in a party of 8 if you shared it out as equally as possible, there would be 2 of some and 1 of others. However, with the monks taking up 3, there are only 5 left. This either means you can only have 1 of each of the other professions, or you leave some out so you can have more than 1 of some.

You might say that some professions are more popular than others in PvE, but really if you compared them the numbers probably aren't extremely far apart. Because of the crap monks have to put up with, it is a less popular class to play, though a lot of people might have monks sitting around in their account. Therefore, there is a lack of them to fulfill the requirement in the missions.

Now, this is where things get bad. The monks start appearing again, and will play with you, but on one condition : you pay them for their 'service'. They exploit the higher need for monks than other classes, simply by playing as their class 'should'. This is not the same as running. This is not the same as power-leveling someone by fighting billions of monsters. They are simply playing the game as their class is designed, and gaining more than anyone else for it. The scam potential is also great. I really see no reason why a monk playing the game normally like any other should earn money simply because there are too few like himself around. That wasn't what Anet wanted to happen. They didn't want classes to become more necessary than others and so gain for it. They wanted there to be balance.

Another point: If you can't find a monk to complete a mission PUG, maybe you should consider joining a decent guild that will help or has plenty of people doing missions. Or, take henchmen. Just don't take this pretend-service.

Monks for hire are retarded. I'd rather have the hench. Sure they arn't too great, but atleast they are consistant so you know what to expect.

I don't see any difference between a monk charging for service and a runner charging for service.

I have never payed for a monk's or a runner's service, nor would I charge for such a service.

But that's just me.

well i myself don't do this because i know i would never pay for it and i also know that people need money for weapons and armor rather than playing with other people. also these monks usually turn out to be jerks and just not fun to play with.

I’m a monk and would never dream of charging. When I join a group it’s as a team player.

There does seem to be a lack of monks in PVE at the moment, especially in the later stages of the game and a minority may be exploiting this fact.

Today however I did see a mission group offering to pay 1k for a monk to join their team.

I myself have never come across this so please remember not all monks are money grabbing exploiters.

Not every monk can heal? I've been in a thk group that had 2 monks one was bonder and the other lied and was really a smite monk...So..yeah, I think there is nothing wrong with this, and i think it makes a good profit. Like it has been said before, its a service like anything else...I could go and flame your p lvling and running threads, but what will that accomplish..?

Not exactly the thing to say..alot of people do this, and people will pay for a thk monk...in fact...i know a friend who can 3 man thk

Monks have a right to charge if they feel like it, they are healing
which people need, if you don't want to pay then use henchies.

Monks charging is EXACTLY like people paying runners.
Warriors and Rangers are just using their skills to run around and getting
paid for it.
Monks heal and help out a group when they don't need to they have
every right to charge, you don't like them? Don't use them.

Think of it this way, pretty much every mission can be henched, and that was A-nets goal, so that you can solo through every mission.

However, since it seems many people CANNOT beat the missions with the henchies, then they rely on other real players to help them beat a mission that they should be able to do with henchies. Because many players are in this predicament, they band together and offer their services to each other mutually. However, due to the lack of monks, every group wants to have real monks, but since there are only a few monks, how will that work?

Of course, this all comes down to the fact that those players FEEL that they NEED a real monk , not whether or not they REALLY need one. It doesn't matter if the game is designed that they don't need one, or that monks are just like any other profession. As long as there is a demand, there will be a supply, at a price of course.

You'd also need to break this down by categories:

Category 1: The monks that have beat the mission, are very good at what they do, and do it to make money. They here are providing a service, because they want to make money, and can make money in other ways, but they choose this method. Taking advantage of a shortage of monks is not an exploit, just like taking advantage of the shortage of certain rare items, sellers are able to charge exorbitant amounts for them.

Category 2: The monks who have not beaten the mission and are charging for their inclusion into the PUG to beat it along with some money. Possibly can be considered scammers if they suck or advertise that they have beaten the mission. However, if several groups are competing for the same monk, it is perfectly fine for the monk to choose a group that offers the most money.

Category 3: Monks that charge really high prices, ask to pay upfront, and then leave. Well these are scammers, but then, there are scammers in every service, but just because there are some scammers doesn't mean all of them are scammers and the whole service is a scam.

I have to say that playing my monk is my favorite PC to play. It can be exciting a challenging keeping people alive ( specially the stupid ones ) and when you complete a mission there is a nice feeling of accomplishment.

For the most part I have received very little abuse and find that if you are upfront with your group and keep open lines of communication that missions go very well. A few things that I find have helped me are...

1. Gaming buddy - My fiance and I almost always play together. Our PC's are designed to work well with eachother with buffs and support.
2. Being upfront and realistic with my abilities - I am more of a repair monk and do little healing, enough to keep a group going if I have to for a short period of time. I insist on another monk in the group even if it's a henchie.
3. Pinging my energy bar - a good group will know to slow down when they see my energy is low, also it lets my fiance or any other necro battery know that I need a boost.

The only abuse that I have found is when I tell a group that I cant handle something... to take it slower... ect and they don't. That's when I get "if you were a good monk... blah blah blah" I feel that I am being a good monk by telling you what I can and can't do and just because you want to tank as a ranger, necro, ele or whatever else rushing through the mission and die that is not my fault.

I won't stay in a group when I am abused and will leave a group no matter how far into the mission... bottom line is I don't have to put up with anybody's crap and I'm not going to. If that makes me elitist then so be it. I would expect the same from any other player that was being abused no matter what the class was. I do feel that other classes are seriously underrated like monk and necro... that’s because when they do their job well you don't notice.

Anybody can feel free to ask for my assistance in game and I will be more then happy to help as long as I am able to... free of charge even

*hugs*
~ Andi

Considering there are not many ways to earn money in this game, if a monk wants to charge and someone wants to pay, let him/her. There is soloing and running, why not monking.

Speaking of hireing monks I was in ascalon dis 1 english while reading this thread and look what I saw:



There ya have it, a "mercenary" monk up for hire!

It's pretty stupid IMO - if I had a monk well, meh, I wouldn't do it!

I no longer monk in PVE becaus of idiots who run off and do stupid things. I also end up not healing them half way though cause they are being idiots. If you have a good monk they are worth a lot of money and should be rewarded IMO. Why is it that there are so few monks in latter missons. Its kinda of funny my ranger cant find a group to save his life but if i evenJOIN a district with my monk i get offers immedietly.

go figure

I haven't hired one, but times change. Once, Forge-runners were a bane, until everyone doing their 3rd and 4th character started discovering how much time and aggravation they saved.

It's disappointing, but it's the monks' prerogative. If it's worth it to play now for 1k or 2k rather than wait 90 minutes for one or two monks to join, then there will simply be a market for it.

Pretty soon, it will be at the point where mesmers will have to pay everyone in the party for the privilege of joining. :S

it's there decision to charge, if your against it, dont even invite them. I have a lvl 20 monk, i don't charge, i help out anybody who asks, but i can see where those monks are coming from.

I don't see why some people here are sympathising with them, saying monking is a service like running and power-leveling. I will say again:it is NOT.
Running is not the warrior's(/ranger's) natural way of playing the game. It is equipping skills to run and survive long distances, many people have done the Droknars run so many times they regard it as a 'mini-game'. Runners do not equip their normal mission skill build.
Power-leveling is also not the natural way of playing the game. People who power-level others have put together a built (or maybe found it elsewhere) that is different from what they might use in a ordinary mission or quest, designed to kill as many high-level enemies as possible solo and survive through it.

[sarcasm]Right, so monking isn't the monk's natural way of playing the game. Someone doing a monking service equips a different skill build from that which they would normally use in things such as missions and quests, designed to heal and keep people alive through things such as missions and quests.[/sarcasm]

Monks offering their service FOR MONEY are not playing the game differently from how they would normally. They're doing nothing special. They're just playing their class, healing and keeping you alive. Whether they're level 20 and beat the game and you're level 2 in the Great Northern Wall, or they've the same level as you in Divinity Coast, they're just playing their class. Do the other classes earn money for helping people in missions? No. Monks get away with it simply because there is a lack of them, and a greater need for them. IMO, it's not on, and also I can't imagine it earns a good amount of money within the time it takes. No other class could simply go to a mission and get accepted and paid for help. At least, most players are bright enough to realise any character of any level can die without a monk's healing.

This is precisely why people offer money for monks, you have to realize, monks wouldn't be able to do this if there wasn't some demand for having a real monk, or if there was a plethora of monks available to join PUGs. You can't control prices without controlling either the supply or the demand. If you want to get rid of monks charging people, either make the henchies' AI good enough that even the most horrible players can get through the mission with them (would make the game ridiculously easy), make the missions not require monks (again would make the game ridiculously easy, as the missions can pretty much be beaten without monks, but the players would need to be fairly good), or increase the number of monks who play the game (impossible task to do, especially considered how monks are treated nowadays).

Running is okay.
Power-leveling is okay.
Monks charging to heal is odd.

Lack of Monks in game...good thing we have the Ritualist coming soon for Factions. New to the healing team.

I have an idea, everyone charge money to join a group to offer your 'services'.

Seriously though, it is not a service of any kind. After I read this thread I went out and paid for 10 different monks who were offerning their 'service' for 3-5k in hells precipice. I went with an all guild group and we have beat it together many times even with just 1 monk. We hired 2 and they were seriously the worst monks I have ever played with. (I think my warrior could heal better than them). Only 1 of the 10 we hired actually knew the mission.

Just take henchies because from what I can tell the monks for hire are no better than 90% of the pve monks out there.

I wouldn't pay one. It just helps encourage the "holier than thou" attitude that a lot of monks seem to have lately anyhow. Comparing paying a monk to heal you to having a runner take you all over the place, is accurate however, as that is exactly who is paying these greedy monks. Non-skilled players who have been run all over hell from ascalon to the fire chains and can't keep it together long enough in a PuG to beat the missions.

Something that hasn't been addressed fully is that the monks for hire are spending their time helping others out. Time is money. Assuming they've done the mission before, why should they work for free? They have to earn a living don't they? We all want them to work for free, but that's just not going to happen. So what if they're asking for payment for what they usually do, they're spending their time and energy to help out groups who cannot find a free monk and aren't content with henchie monks.

As I, and many others have mentioned before, if you disagree with the service, don't use them and stick with henchie monks. There are others who do hire them, and I'm sure are satisfied and would use them again. Why not let those customers have the choice of hiring them?

Bascially all you pay for is a monk who is no better than 90% of the monks that are that far into the game. They talk like they are great healers but as soon as they make a mistake it is suddenly everyone elses fault because they are too good to make mistakes.

These monks for hire have bigger egos then most people in PvP. (They are also terrible monks). Most of the monks for hire out there also need to complete the mission anyway and will lie and say they have done it before, they just charge now because they see so many groups wanting a monk and think it will be a good idea.