There IS a difference between a healing monk and a prot monk (OMG!)

[Kyushi Seri]

I want everyone to finally realize that there is, in fact, a large difference between a healing monk and a protection monk (really!?!?! OMG!!!)

The difference is that healing monks, true to their name, heal you. Protection monks reduce or prevent damage, with a few skills like Mark of Protection and Reversal of Fortune adding a minor healing ability. Mind you, I dont cary Mark as my elite is Life Barrier, which I use in combe with life bond to effectively make all damage to you only 25% what it should be. This is the essence of protection monks in my opinion; We reduce damage so that our healing buddies have an easier time.

My problem is that I will advertise myself in chat as a Protection Monk lfg for X, yet sometimes people will leave with me as the only monk in their group and the yell at me because I can't heal them. Or, sometimes we do have a dedicated healer in our group but they will drop out because of err7 or some other reason. Then I will say that we should go back so we can get a healer, but everyone ignores me and continues on with the quest. For whatever reason, I stick with them and spam reversal of fortune/mend condition on them so they can at least get healed by divine favor. But, eventually, everyone dies and calls me the noobiest healer every (among other, not-so-nice things).

Well, no more. You curse me out for being a n00b healer, I give you a long winded explaination on the difference between healers and protectors, let you know the grief that people like you cause, then refer you this post in the hope that hearing everything twice will make something stick into your mind.

[Lady SDevil]

Sadly, most people seem to think there are no protection or smiting monks. If you are monk then you MUST be a healer, and if you don't heal them, then you have to be a horrible, horrible person.

As a smite monk, I see what you are talking about all the time as well. You would think that if you tell someone "I'm not a healer, I am X" that they would realize you aren't a heal.

I suspect they must assume you are fibbing when you tell them you aren't a healer.

Next time they call you a noob healer, tell them you couldn't possibly be a noob healer since you aren't a healer at all. (Helps to remind them that you already told them that before leaving town.)

At least that way you will take less abuse. Always amazing how much less healing a person needs if a prot monk is around with things like Aegis and Mend Condition or Ailment. Keep up the good work and don't let the illiterate people get you down!

[ColdwaveKid]

I assume many do not know what monks can do, or what any of there skills do, and just assume that they can fight and you as a monk will keep them alive no matter what you have.

Some people do not get that monks do more than heal, and if they are not ignorant to monks in general just ignore them.

[DarkZeal]

Chuck in Divine Boon and you can still heal for 80+ per spell in addtion to the protection you're throwing them.

[Erasculio]

*cough*

Unfortunately, there still are many ignorant people in Guild Wars. Most of the (many) PUGs I have been in were nice, but I think the worst ones are what stick more to our memory.

Erasculio

[GoalieLax]

As a monk who is closing in on 2M XP, I honestly can't understand why a monk would go either healing OR protection. It's a huge waste to not be able to do everything. Nothing beats a team of 8 who have three monks that can have a constant aegis, spam word of healing for 80 or 180 HP, throw up protective spirits, rebirth, etc. Maybe it's something better done on TeamSpeak, but there honestly aren't enough skills to justify not doing both.

As for smiting, I did it in a group with 3 monks and a Warrior for the Defend Frontier Gate mission and tore up those titans no problem. So there are areas where it works well. What doesn't work is when the monk thinks he can cast the spells on himself and succeed.

[SonOfRah]

As a monk who is closing in on 2M XP, I honestly can't understand why a monk would go either healing OR protection. It's a huge waste to not be able to do everything. Nothing beats a team of 8 who have three monks that can have a constant aegis, spam word of healing for 80 or 180 HP, throw up protective spirits, rebirth, etc. Maybe it's something better done on TeamSpeak, but there honestly aren't enough skills to justify not doing both.

As for smiting, I did it in a group with 3 monks and a Warrior for the Defend Frontier Gate mission and tore up those titans no problem. So there are areas where it works well. What doesn't work is when the monk thinks he can cast the spells on himself and succeed.

you're assuming every group out there has 3 monks. With 3 monks, very little in the game will actually kill you.

With 2 or less monks, you really have to be a little specialised - otherwise you won't have enough because you've spread yourself too thin.

I have 3 primary set-ups, and a couple of other ones...
a) pure healer
b) backup healer, small prot
c) prot monk

d) fuglemonk heal
e) fuglemonk prot

[Ubermancer]

When my guild goes on raids, we use a E/Mo healer and a Mo/N boon protector [which I play]. The healer uses ether renewal [under the effects of Quickening Zephyr] and drops Infuse Health. The healing is INSANE.

However, I have, on many many occassions, been stuck as the team's only monk as a boon protector, and done just dandy. Boon + RoF = 100+ points of guaranteed healing, and negates damage, and has delayed healing [which believe it or not can actually be nice if used to your advantage]. Protection also allows me to use skills like Mend Condition for healing lots of damage at once, while also doing the condition removal thing. [dwarven rangers use melandrus arrows. i use aegis. works out for everyone!]

[bellissima]

Actually prot monks can still heal very efficiently (especially in places like SF where conditions are supreme). Using mend conditon heals +74/+25 for 5 mana. Mend ailment and Restore condition can do double/triple/quadruple that if several conditions are stacked. Reversal (if played on an ally that's being spiked) can potentially heal for +84/+25. All these skills only cost 5 energy and can be spammed much more easily than the staples of a heal build (breeze, heal other, heal party). When I go as a prot monk I rarely leave without one of these spammable heals on my bar. Additionally, there are divine favor skills that can heal, and I believe shield of regeneration and mark of protection were mentioned earlier in the thread.

Prot monks need to remember that life bond, barrier, prot spirit (although excellent skills) don't protect party members from conditions/hexes that cause degen and that most other classes have zero skills to remove conditions/hexes. (mesmers can remove hexes, rangers can remove some conditions, but pugs rarely bring these classes along) If you're the only monk in the party, maybe you should consider switching a skill or two to allow you to deliver some life in a dire situation. (even if you're not the only monk, cuz god forbid, your primary healer may die)

My 2 cents...
~Bella

[GeniusLoci]

That thing reminded me why I'm healer first place. Cos else I had "ur n00b" too often. Had as now I don't go help people with monk nor I ever play with outside my guild with him. Let them know why they wont have monk in their group :p

Not to mention all the rants I had in THK cos I go there as Bond build with tons of maintained enchantements. Actually the second monk must only heal more party members I cant afford to keep up. Yet twice this second monk died so finaly I mended/bonded him and left one warrior unbonded. Then he died (by running out from my radar range). Hell, as I was the healer, not the second monk (pure healer, asked him). I left the warrior dead, kept the others alive and we finished. This guy kept spamming "res me" for ages. The rest praised the healer and I didn't even get a "well done". I'll never use my monk in PUG or even if I need to (wonder how this gonna happen) I'll just load what they want from me and if we fail i'll blame their stupid skill setup.

Also it's same now with my necro. "Take BiP". OK, took it, tho I have 1 in blood magic - middle on mission "WTF, n00b". As Curse/Death I can beat with henchies most missions/quests where there are fleshy creatures far easier than with people, why to hell I need that BiP? help monk? Cos he wil have to heal me once or twice in full mission? Even one necro who was one lvl above me wanted me to get BiP so he can summon minions (mine were ine lvl below his) more often. And he complained I "steal his corpses". I believe people have some ...general misreading when they see profession name. Ele - "must have Shower", Necro "take BiP", Monk "heal me", Ranger "dunno", Mesmer "kick him", Warrior "n00b tank". Shame..