Where have all the Monks gone?

First: keep farming to one farming thread, or open another one just like everyone else.

Second:, im NOT one of thoose that scream like "i need at least 4 more monks and 3 more Tanks for my team", I prefer a well mixed team of all classes, if possible.
I think all Classes are equaly good anywere and onesided teams are just overspecialisated and going to die like dinosaurs.

But I can see a HUGE lack of monks in the game now, and everyone is screaming for one (like above) not seeing that there just isnt any monk anywere.
Theres 3 times more Rangers than Monks and 5 times more Palladins (!) than Rangers (with any secondary).

so where have all the monks gone?
Deleted their char because of getting tired to be the main aim of the Masses of Palladins?
Deleted their char because they cant farm well anymore?
Deleted their char because runes dont sell well anymore?
Deleted their char because some obviously overpowered skill combos with smithing prayers dont work anymore?
Or have secret meeting at the last Monks farming refugee or in the monk+Airmagic teams in the Halls of heroes?

Monk rune prices have gone down like no other rune price.
Looking at rune prices gives a nice look on average player ammount of this class just by their runes demand (sorted by highest demand):

[Runeclass] [unpopular skills] [popular skills]
Mayor Vigor: 12
Element: 2,8 (Energy 9,8 Air 20,1 Fire ??)
Monk: 2,8 (Healing 15)
Warrior: Tactics 1 (all others 5-7) [changes much]
Nrecros: 1,8 (Death+Blood 5,3)
Mesmers: 1,7 (Domination 3,4)
Ranger: 1,7 (Wilderness+Expertise 2)

Now substract all the monk rune demand from palladins (because palladins cant heal shit) and you get a total lack of healing players!!!

"The problem is that everyone demands healing (even more than extra HP) but noone wants to do it."

Found some monks and chattet with them, they are just pissed they cant farm anyomre.

hehe.
Doom to all exploiters!

guess how pissed i am that all thoose palladins wont stop screaming for a monk!!!!

I think many monks have gone soloing with henchmen to complete missions rather than being with those idiotic PUG's. The monk is often the first person to notice who is playing well and who isn't, you know. Moreover, in replying to first post, I don't think too many W/Mo and rangers are a bad thing. These two classes have great self-healing skills and actually help to make monk shortage bearable. If you start seeing lots of elementalists and messmers, then lack of monks will become a bigger problem.

I play a monk but am very tempted to stop and play a mesmer instead.

Why? Tired of people blaming me for their deaths or us losing. One second it's "good job healing", the next it's, "omg you are the worse monk eva". Sorry but my skill does not vary that much between rounds.. So quick are people to blame the monk.

Even the other day from a rl friend I was told I suck (for dying first) in retaliation of me suggesting he do some easy PvP (Competition Arena-Lions Arch) because he had almost no experience with it and doing premade Team PvP wasn't working out.

Only morons who run miles ahead of the group and die blame monks for lack of healing.

Sometimes, the person in question is out of range, and I just rezz them and offer my apologies. The same also applies if I run out of mana.

Blaming a loss on a monk is just rediculous. Everything in guild wars is a team effort. So, if you lose, ultimately it is the team's fault

There *is* a point to it.

I have three separate characters I play, a Ranger, Warrior, and a Monk. All have ascended and are around Thunderhead Keep.

The biggest gripe I have while Playing a monk is just how unappreciated the class is. Every single group screams "group looking for monk", groups sit and wait in towns to get one for eternity sometimes. The group will not survive without one. Drops normally suck for Monks. When my monk joins a group, as soon as we enter the mission or quest area, I throw life bond/essence bond on one of the warriors, and a healing seed on the warrior that engages the enemy first. I constantly am throwing word of healing, healing breeze, and other spells to keep everyone alive, while dodging the hordes that make a beeline for me. If I'm the only monk I am doubly busy, and have to manage my energy use more than any other character. If, during an especially big or protracted battle, my energy starts to lag behind the amount of healing I can possibly do, then characters will die. It's especially bad if the warriors (or whoever) run off and engage another mob immediately after a fight, and not allowing my energy to replendish. And the healer gets slammed for it. It's especially bad when I am playing one of my other characters, and have to rely on a bad monk. One that has a poor rack of skills, manages his energy poorly, or doesn't pay enough attention to what's going on and gets everyone killed. It's hard enough to get a monk in a party, and a significant amount of them are nearly worthless.

You can tell you're in a party with a good monk. You never worry about your health bar.

But I've been in parties where the others in the group cop an attitude. When I try and tell the warriors to slow down, to not charge in willy nilly, I'm told to "f**k off" or "I know what I'm doing, jerk".

Guess who isn't getting that healing seed anymore?

Want more monks in the game? Give them a hug once in a while. Find a nice healing wand? Give it up to the cause. Find a nice healing rune? Don't sell it, share with the guy that saved your arse. Tell them thank you after an especially big fight. Let everyone know you appreciate a good monk during your adventure.

Don't be a putz.

.. how did they make farming harder for monks?

I'm a monk and I'm still around. I honestly went through all the missions with my monk (it was my second time doing the PvE) and almost never saw all the problems other monks have with PuGs. Maybe once or twice someone would start complining to me about how he died, big deal, finish the fight then rez him and move on. Too many monks complain about how they can't find the perfect PuG, well guess what, there isn't one. There will always be a jerk or two, live with it.

Maybe the reason why there aren't as many monks is cause they get through the missions quicker than anyone else. As a monk, I pretty much had zero down time. I managed to finish a bunch of consecutive missions, pretty much all on my first try. Now I'm hanging around the temple of the ages, the tombs, and occasionally the fire islands.

Most good farming spots now have enemies with enchantment removals or interrupts. Us monks are nothing without our enchantments.

I'm still around. I'm just not joining your PUG. Guess why.

Mm.

I noticed a lot of enchantment removal on that last mission. It really pissed me off 'cause I specializing in protting so I had to drop all my points and all my skills and my +3 prot tattoo became worthless. ;P

It also made me realize how you don't see many monsters cast DEFILE FLESH AND SCOURGE HEALING.

We should start a Union of Oppressed Monks

100% agreed. After quitting about 14/15 teams in the competition arenas because of complete and utter n00bs, I'd have to say it's probably the complainers fault.

It's just funny how you'll call target on a mesmer or monk, then your whole team decides to attack the warrior instead! But yeah, that's ALL the monks fault. -.- (sarcasm)

last night I was doing the Frost Gate mission with a group. the two rangers (a friend and myself) hung back and used our ignite arrows and a couple of traps...trying not to aggro too many mobs at the same time. The Elementalist The Warrior and the Necro would chase mobs down and aggro them ASAP. We did what we could as rangers...I even went in to try to tank so the other three members of the party could run back and heal themselves...they never did. AND they all blamed our monk when they died. I'm sitting there thinking "hmmm I didn't die....and I don't have my healing skill equipped...wonder how that happened". Too often monks are blamed for the party losing....people won't accept they made a mistake.

p.s. the monk stayed with us for the next mission...the elem necro and warrior were booted from the party

I have three ascended characters, with my monk just ascending last night.

Frankly, I think it's a boring class to play...it's difficult, tedius, and just not enjoyable. Every battle is exactly the same. The warriors head into battle, I stay at the back and focus 90% of my attention on the red bars I need to keep full, and the remaining 10% on myself, checking energy and making sure nobody's headed my way.

Spending all my time healing everyone and running away from combat just isn't all that much fun.

I've never actually farmed a day, but I can tell you lately I've been doing all the quick missions with henchmen instead of players simply because if I have to drop in the middle for a Tombs group with my guild, the henchmen won't care and you just shouldn't do that to real people. It's nothing against PUGs, I've just been pressed for PvE time lately.

But I know monks who won't do PUGs anymore for many of the reasons above. And I'll add in another.

I see people gathering up drops that are marked for them, sometimes nice purple staves. Fine, that's the system. But when I get to loot my shiny, and something drops that is not healer-related, I have had people try to pressure me into giving it up. I had a gold shield drop and the ranger in the group wanted me to give it to him for his friend "who could really use it." Not even for himself, but for someone not in the group. And bothered me about it for 15 minutes afterward.

I won't even go into how many times I've missed out on a drop because I try to stay out of aggro range and far away from the mobs, and then the fight is over and the group is racing ahead and aggro'ing something else. I know someone will say, "Well, just let them die and get your loot," but the minute I do that, I become the Bad Monk That Ruins Good Groups. I'm not into that whole scapegoat thing.

I like people, honest, just... some days they take too much energy.

okay. i guess my plan was right to someday start a characrer named "A monk that doesnt heal"

I'm a monk and i love healing people
I just hate when no one take damage because of my protection skills.. sometime i dont even use them so i can heal or i make fun by drawing condition off everyone until someone finaly need a heal.(usualy me when i do that)

Sometime i enter mission with a sword and shield to scare people out
Funny how only then people ask me if im healer or smiting. I had people drop party just because i entered the mission with a sword lol. Even tho im fully heal/protect and never use a sword in battle.

Same here.. I lost so many drop like that.. even tho when its rare drop i will go pick it up when the the party is giving the killing blow on the last monster.

Hah! That's rich. I would have opened a trade window and dangled it in front of his nose for laughs.

I know, right?

I almost forgot. I mentioned that anecdote to someone later and he said, "Well, obviously since you play a monk you're no good at the other classes, because really who would choose to play a monk if they could play an effective (insert class here)... so why would anyone think you'd be saving it for a another character..."

I think he was joking? I lol'd... just in case...

PvE monk?? Why would you do that when you can just take a monk secondary with another class and unlock all the monk skills that way. I admit, I have a monk.mes that I'm moving through the game, but most people, for PvP purpose, just unlock skills by selecting monk as a secondary.