Guild Wars: Character Profession Primary attribute

[Drasca]

Resurrection spells are the exception, of course. I'd rather take the Mo/Me, for the energy stealing or warrior crippling skills.

We're pretty much in agreement. Thanks for the corrections... as I really just needed to rush at the end to get it done before I passed out into exhaustion.

Healing in general doesn't require a great deal of speed, but luckily all this gives the player options: "Speed Ressurrecter" (Me/Mo) vs "Power healer" (Mo/anything) vs "Death mana recharge healer" Ne/Mo Running and Escape Artist healer Mo/W Mo/R..

Players must learn to look at the skill sets and obtain what qualities about them, then mix and match.

Escape Artist, Pet Master, Bow Preperation and Traps setter (Qualities of Ranger skillset) + Ranger Primary + Monk heal skills + Monk Protection & Enchantment spells + Buffs/Curse removers.

Mix and match people. Mix and match. What do I want? I can be a pet master and master healer, if I become Mo/R, taking Primary Divine Favor Attribute, Healing, and Beastmaster.

I hope to provide just such descriptions and overall tone and qualities of the professions.

Elementalist/Monk is another toss-up. I mean, more mana is nice, but Divine Favour will grant you higher healing per second... As well as access to a few nice skills.

Yep, it is a toss-up, and that's what's great about GW. Different qualities, each with advantages. Hopefully we can present what advantages and disadvantages for each quality.

I'd frankly say that the Elementalist mana bonus is really a mediocre attribute at best... Considering that Soul Reaping is superior in all but 4v4 pvp.

I'd agree that is true for PvP, where enemies die left and right. PvE? Soul Reaping's usefulness is limited to the number and strength of enemies.

The Elementalist starts a battle with say, 30 extra mana . . . You burn through it, and it only comes into play the next time you fight.

There are additional benefits to having extra maximum mana. For one, soul reaping isn't the only fast mana gain route. Rangers have marksman's wager, and Warriors have bonetti's defense, mesmer's with various inspired magic skills. Empty your mana bowl, and then use one of these skills to its fullest.

More interestingly, there are various powerful skills which require you to have more energy than your enemy for it to be effective. These energy based gamble skills, aura of restoration, and other energy storage based skills make Energy storage as an attractive attribute. Also, many elementalists skills cause exhaustion, giving a -10 energy penalty (which is recovered over time), so Soul Reaping is not the End-all, be-all, if one considers use of Exhaustion based skills.

Obviously, if there's no interest in these skills or penalities, then Energy storage is not worth it.

It also makes minions viable - 10 mana for the corpse hitting the floor, 10 mana for when your minion dies

Interesting. I am warming up to Necromancers.

its not going to save your life when two warriors, a ranger, and 2 elementalists are focusing their fire on you.

Very little will, if they're worth their salt. If not, pfffft. I have skills and tactics against a lot worse. I used to have a W/Mo early on with focus on Strength, Tactics and Healing--in particular a +200 hp extra hp for 10 seconds skill, several blocking defense stances, self-healing skills, and healing hands--which healed me every time I took physical damage. In those days, most damage didn't go above 13, and the average was 4. I healed 12 per attack. That net gain of +8 hp per attack on me... LOL. If I was last, I couldn't be killed by their entire 8 person party for a good 3-5 minutes with running. 1-2 minutes of taking all 8 enemy's attacks.

My pure tank setup was perfect for my desired role at the time.

I agree that aura of restoration is generally for nicks and cuts, but sometimes those add up, especially in PvE. Honestly, I don't use Aura of Restoration much, but when I have it can mean the difference between life and death. Its value is mediocre, but that's 'just enough' soemtimes.

A team has two Monks... Your team focuses on the darned annoying Mesmer...

...


Results - with the focus fire of 6 people, you have taken one monk and one caster out of the battle. Great... A 50% drop in healing power, and a 16% drop in damage output.

Not quite. With an anti-caster, Mesmers can interrupt and punish all spellcasting skills. So one mesmer takes out two monks healing skills with one or two skills each. (more depending on skills and preperation of said players).

Hexs, like backfire which PUNISHES. Monks have to be prepared for it. Minus one healing / other skill slot, and time to cast. They SHOULD, but there are dummies out there. Healing is interrupted. If they ignore backfire--it is their deaths.

Direct interrupts: Power spike, surge, etc. Yeah, monks don't want to go there. Healing is taken out, and spellcasting interrupted.

Skill nullifers: Diversion, blackout, etc. One mesmer takes out Monk healing for several attack/spellcasting rounds.

So...

One mesmer takes out Two monks ability to heal. Granted, the mesmer may not be going for the monks. They might simply take out elementalist powers, or up to multi warrior adrenaline gaining abilities. Don't know, but that definitely edges the team DPS and HPS into the mesmer's team favor.

That, and the monk doesn't have to worry about running around, avoiding attacks, worrying about Skull Crack, or Water Trident.
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Monks are great, but just healing won't cut it--and the monk that doesn't run around avoiding attacks, is going to be a sitting duck. That doesn't mean monks should always run, especially with those knockdown if running skills around, but mixing it up is definitely important.

Run. Heal. Not heal. Cure ailment. Enchant others. Protect. That's monk class alone. Monk paired with other class skill sets? The possibilities are overwhelming. I'd hate to try to fight that heal-tank I described in the paragraphs above here, not without some skills to sap and take away the tank strengths.

Mesmers don't kill, they cripple. Enemies aren't dead, but they become neutered, with their strengths taken away from them--thus becoming living targets, or greatly less effective healers and damage dealers.

Thus, mesmers can limit the overall momentum of the enemy, manipulate it to place control over the battle, and he who can control the battle is most deadly.

Healing is great, but control over your own abilities takes precedence. If you cannot use your strengths...

Mesmers take priority as targets.