At the request of his Majesty, King Arthur, and the honorable Baroness Aiela Amber, I submit these insights into the path of smiting monk. May they serve you as well as they serve me and deliver your foes to the divine retribution you will unleash.
Armor Ensemble: Any 60 Armor (Max) Monk Armor (I personally use Sacred, Canthan, or Kurzick)
Scalp Design (Smiting): Wanderer's Insignia, Rune of Vitae
Vestiments: Radiant Insignia, Rune of Minor Smiting
Hand Wraps: Anchorite's Insignia, Rune of Attunement
Pants: Disciples' Insignia, Rune of Major Vigor
Sandals: Anchorite's Insignia, Rune of Minor Healing
Hero Attributes & Skill Point Distribution:
11 Healing Prayers
12 Smiting Prayers
5 Protection Prayers
9 Divine Favor
Hero Skill Builds:
1. Signet of Judgment (Elite)
2. Bane Signet
3. Castigation Signet
4. Spear of Light
5. Kirin's Wrath
6. Words of Comfort
7. Signet of Devotion
8. Signet of Rejuvenation (Alternate with Vital Blessing to increase HP to 600+ if going solo or if farming with henchmen)
HP: 531 (600 potential utilizing Vital Blessing)
Energy: 47
Skill Level: 20
Build Reasoning:
At the core of a monk's power is his ability to rely on an ample supply of energy throughout the course of any battle. Absent that energy, the monk is rendered obsolete and mission failure becomes highly likely. For this reason, this build relies heavily on signets, which come at no energy cost to the monk. This energy can then be focused on powering high damage and healing skills like Spear of Light, Kirin's Wrath, and Words of Comfort, all of which come at a low cost in energy (5 Energy) to cast.
The build is also open to variation in casting order, but this requires that the monk be familiar with some basic principles of battle. Signet of Judgment, for instance, inflicts 41 Holy Damage to the target enemy AND any adjacent enemies. As such, it is best reserved for enemy clusters or swarms. This damage is amplified against weaker foes and is devastating against the undead, as are all smiting spells, and comes with the added benefit of causing knock-down, temporarily rendering your targets defenseless against your onslaught. Bane Signet and Castigation Signet, similarly inflict 50 Holy Damage each to any one target and have a quick time of recharge, making it possible to hit each enemy in a given swarm at least once with each of these spells. Spear of Light, a projectile spell, can cut an enemies health in half if properly employed. This means targeting an attacking enemy (anyone not running around or engaged in healing) to benefit from Spear of Light's additional 51 damage, on top of its 50 damage, against attacking targets.
As far as healing goes, the aim is to free your healer henchmen or other traveling companions to focus their own healing abilities toward keeping the rest of the party alive. Likewise, is you are no under life threatening fire, these three spells alone, at little energy cost to you, make you a healing force among your party. At 48, 66, and 59 health, respectively, Words of Comfort, Signet of Devotion, and Signet of Rejuvenation make it possible to adventure into even hostile territory without you having to worry about losing any members in your party. Still, it is wise to equip at least one of your healing henchmen or other companion with a spell capable of reviving any fallen party members (better safe than sorry). Again, as a smiting monk, your primary role is to level the battlefield by rendering your enemies powerless against your force if not, altogether, eliminating them. Your healing spells are at YOUR disposal, first and foremost, to free your healers to watch over your allies, but if need be, you can always employ these to heal your companions as you see fit, making you equal parts lethal and auxiliary.
Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:05 pm
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