Guide of useful secondary profession skills

[Cérilia]

The purpose of this guide is to offer a review of useful skills for a primary monk.

The guide is organized as follows: secondary professions are divided into separate posts. Each post is then divided in categories: Energy Management, Speed Boost, Self healing/protection and Other. Under each category you will find the relevant skill(s), if any, along with their advantages (pros) and drawbacks (cons).

A very warm thank you to Aries De Lyle for his major contribution to this work as well as Akirai Annuvil, Ragnarok-, Amadei and Age who helped in expanding it!

If you think some information are out of date (due to a skill change) or just missing please feel free to make a post. I will then include it in this guide!

[Cérilia]

Monk/Mesmer

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Auspicious Incantations
     Pros: Decent energy gain
     Cons: Confusing description, skill used has more recharge, skill itself has more recharge
   • Channeling
     Pros: Warrior trains, spirits, pets net with HUGE amounts of energy
     Cons: Need to be close to foes to get energy
   • Drain Enchantment
     Pros: Enchant strip and Energy management
     Cons: Little to no net gain, long recharge
   • Energy Drain
     Pros: Good energy gain, e denial
     Cons: Long recharge time, if enemy has little or no energy this skill will net very little or no energy
   • Inspired/Revealed Hex, Inspired/Revealed Enchantment
     Pros: Hex removal/Enchant stripping and E management
     Cons: 20 second cooldown
   • Leech Signet, Power Drain
     Pros: Interrupt and give energy
     Cons: Need to focus on foe on top of healing/protecting
   • Mantra of Recall (elite)
     Pros: Great energy boost and can be ended forcibly for energy gain
     Cons: Conditional energy gain and can be stripped when not needed
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Skill
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Elemental Resistance
     Pros: Good against an onslaught of elemental damage
     Cons: Very conditional and highly dangerous when enemy warriors are around
   • Hex Breaker
     Pros: Cheap proactive protection against hex, decent recharge for a long duration
     Cons: Smart enemies will use cheap cover hexes to remove Hex Breaker and finish with the nastier hex
   • Mantra of Earth, Flame, Frost or Lightning
     Pros: Duration, energy gained, damage reduction
     Cons: Very situational
   • Mantra of Resolve
     Pros: Protection from interrupts
     Cons: Energy consumming
   • Physical Resistance
     Pros: Great against warrior trains
     Cons: Dangerous against elemental damage
   
   Other:
   
   • Mantra of Inscription
     Pros: Very useful for bonders (using blessed signet) and for some smiters build
     Cons: Niche skill for monks
   • Signet of Midnight (elite)
     Pros: Blind against warriors
     Cons: Not reliable because of many condition removals, elite, 15 second cooldown, needs touch

[Cérilia]

Monk/Assassin

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Skill
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Dark Escape
     Pros: 25% speed boost & take half damage
     Cons: recharge time
   • Siphon Speed
     Pros: Great for kiting, short recharge time
     Cons: Needs to be half ranged
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Return
     Pros: Great for getting away from melee enemies, can pass through obstacles making melee enemies run around the obstacle, cripples adjacent enemies
     Cons: Confusing targeting to less advanced monks (make hotkeys for targeting closest ally and using Return with your keyboard to make it easier)
   • Shroud of Distress
     Pros: Long duration, 75% blocking when condition is met, Synergy with Zealous Benediction
     Cons: Strippable
   • Death's Retreat
     Pros: Great for getting away from melee enemies, can pass through obstacles making melee enemies run around the obstacle, heals when used on ally with more HP
     Cons: 20 second cooldown, confusing targeting to less advanced monks (make hotkeys for targeting closest ally and using Return with your keyboard to make it easier)
   • Recall
     Pros: Can pre-Recall a target to use as an emergency escape
     Cons: Maintained enchantment, high energy cost
4. Other:
   
   • Skill

[Cérilia]

Monk/Elementalist

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Glyph of Lesser Energy
     This skill is quite marvelous now. Two skills for a cost of 5 energy? Gorgeous. It works well with Heal Party, Aegis, Zealous Benediction, Shield of Regeneration, Shield of Deflection, and any spells you can think of that might be of use to you.
     Pros: Two spells for a measly 5 energy? Any two spells, at that. Above that, it's non-strippable. Nothing can remove Glyphs, so there's no way it can backfire on you.
     Cons: Recharge (30s, which is fine really) and that it's a 1s cast skill.
   • Second Wind (elite)
     The self-inducing exhaustion is great to start out the energy gain process but overdoing it will over-exhaust you
     Pros: Decent energy management, self-inducing exhaustion, short cooldown
     Cons: Self-inducing exhaustion, 2 second casting time
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Flame Djinn's Haste
     Pros: Damage, speed buff, no energy lost compared to Storm Djinn's Haste
     Cons: Slower activation time than its cousin Storm Djinn's Haste and a shorter duration as well, strippable
   • Storm Djinn's Haste
     Pros: 33% speed buff for a long time
     Cons: Niche skill for monk flag runners, loss of 1 energy per second, net gain of .333 energy per second when continuously running with 4 pips of energy
   • Windbourne Speed
     Pros: 33% increase, low energy cost, short cast & recharge times, perpetual speed boost on re-cast with enough Air Magic
     Cons: Interruptable & removeable enchantment, no AL, energy or dodge bonuses given with this skill - speed only.
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Armor of Earth
     Pros: Nice armor buff
     Cons: Strippable, snare to yourself
   • Armor of Frost
     Pros: Armor buff against physical damage
     Cons: Long cooldown, strippable
   • Armor of Mist
     Pros: Speed buff, armor buff
     Cons: 2 second activation time, long cooldown, strippable
   • Frigid Armor
     Pros: Armor buff against physical damage
     Cons: Can't be set on fire, strippable
   • Glyph of Concentration
     Pros: Next 2 spells are interrupt free and ignore dazed
     Cons: 1s cast time
   • Grasping Earth
     Pros: Cheap (5e) and helps in escaping melee foes
     Cons: Situational and localized
   • Kinetic Armor
     Pros: Can be precasted before fight starts and kept up indefinitely with Reversal of Fortune or any other spammable spells, nice armor buff
     Cons: 3 second cast time, strippable, needs constant spell spamming even when heals are not needed, very long cooldown
   • Magnetic Aura
     Pros: 75% block against melee attacks
     Cons: Strippable, short duration compared to huge cooldown, only blocks melee
   • Mist Form (elite)
     Pros: Can't be hit by any physical damage
     Cons: Long cooldown, elite, strippable
   • Silver Armor
     Pros: Blocking, damages enemies
     Cons: Short duration compared to long cooldown, strippable, not a reliable source of blocking
   • Stoneflesh Aura
     Pros: Great protection against normal attacks, prevents critical hits which in turn takes away one of the assassins' greatest energy management
     Cons: 2 second cast time, strippable
4. Other:
   
   • Glyph of Renewal {E} - This Glyph has been useful in keeping high recharge spells in check (most often Divine Spirit, for cheap spells). It can be used to keep Aegis up perpetually (although the cost is quite high to do so).
     Pros: Keep spells with high recharge in check, cannot be stripped or removed.
     Cons: It's very high maintenance, it takes quite a bit of risk to sacrifice your elite to use this skill.

[Cérilia]

Monk/Warrior

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Bonetti's Defense
     pros: potential energy gain while kitting, used to be useful for solo builds
     cons: using a skill ends it
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Sprint
     Pros: easy to use, stance
     Cons: short duration
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Shield Bash
     Pros: Great for nullifying attack combos, knockdown gives time to kite away
     Cons: 5 second duration with a 20 second cooldown, needs a shield which means it'll only be good with negative energy sets
   • Disciplined Stance
     Pros: 75% block without worrying about the downside of the skill, short cooldown
     Cons: Short duration
   • Shield Stance
     Pros: 75% block, short cooldown
     Cons: Short duration, needs a shield which means only negative energy sets can use it, 33% snare
   • Frenzied Defense
     Pros: 75% blocking, duration almost reaches cooldown, with Protective Spirit and/or Spirit Bond, the double damage is negated, no attribute points needed
     Cons: Takes double damage
   • Balanced Stance
     Pros: Great when against enemies heavy with knockdowns and some protection from critical hits
     Cons: 30 second cooldown
   • Soldier's Defense
     Pros: 75% block, shortest cooldown out of all the effective blocking stances
     Cons: Needs a team with a shouts/chants to be fully effective, short duration
4. Other:
   
   • Riposte
     Pros: Blocks next attack, not a stance, damages, needs adrenaline*
     Cons: Needs adrenaline*, it needs a sword which means +30 energy sets will not be able to use it
   • Deadly Riposte
     Pros: Blocks next attack, not a stance, damages, causes bleed, short cooldown
     Cons: It needs a sword which means +30 energy sets will not be able to use it
   • Shields up!
     Pros: party wide armor bonus against ranged attacks (especially useful against barrage)
     Cons: recharge time, short duration (or high investment in Tactics)

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Monk/Dervish

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Zealous Renewal
     Pros: Can gain energy in that 20 second time
     Cons: Monks shouldn't have the time to wand
   • Zealous Vow (elite)
     Pros: Can be good energy management
     Cons: Monks shouldn't have the time to wand
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Enchanted Haste
     Pros: Speed buff
     Cons: Ends when you have no enchantments
   • Featherfoot Grace
     Pros: Speed buff, conditions expire faster
     Cons: High energy cost, strippable
   • Harrier's Haste
     Pros: Speed buff
     Cons: Needs a high investment in Wind Prayers
   • Lyssa's Haste
     Pros: Speed buff, can gain energy
     Cons: Strippable, short duration, health loss
   • Whirling Charge
     Pros: Speed buff
     Cons: 10 energy, needs a high investment in Wind Prayers, there are better skills for speed buffs
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Armor of Sanctity
     Pros: Great protection when enemies have conditions
     Cons: Needs to be spammed, conditional
   • Conviction
     Pros: Great full-time armor buff when enchanted, stance
     Cons: Need a full time enchantment
   • Dwayna's Touch
     Pros: Can be subbed for Healing Touch when there are an abundance of enchantments
     Cons: Needs enchantments to take full effect, shouldn't use Wind Prayers if the only point of doing so is for healing - use monk skills
   • Mirage Cloak
     Pros: 50% block, damage when ended
     Cons: High energy cost, 50% block isn't as reliable as 75%, needs to be spammed
   • Mystic Regeneration
     Pros: Can reach high amounts or regen
     Cons: Regen isn't very reliable, needs quite a few amounts of enchantments
   • Natural Healing
     Pros: Decent self heal
     Cons: Might end up losing energy, Healing Touch is a better self heal, shouldn't use Wind Prayers if the only point of doing so is for healing - use monk skills
   • Pious Concentration
     Pros: Anti-interruption, spammable so it doesn't matter if Pious Concentration is ended due to having no enchantments
     Cons: Might accidentally remove a useful enchantment
   • Pious Restoration
     Pros: Removes hexes, spammable, heals
     Cons: Needs at least two enchantments to remove hexes
   • Vital Boon
     Pros: Health gain, great heal when ended, greatly paired with Signet of Pious Light and Conviction, good duration/recharge
     Cons: Not a reliable way of healing when there are no skills to forcibly end it, 1s cast time
4. Other:
   
   • Mystic Healing
     Pros: Can be used as a party heal when there are an abundance of enchantments
     Cons: Needs enchantments to take full effect, shouldn't use Wind Prayers if the only point of doing so is for healing - use monk skills
   • Signet of Pious Light
     Pros: Can forcibly end enchantments for their secondary effect, greatly paired with Vital Boon
     Cons: 20 second cooldown, not a great self heal
   • Veil of Thorns
     Pros: Cripples when attacked (even wands!), greatly paired with Armor of Sanctity
     Cons: Needs a high investment in Earth Prayers, strippable

[Cérilia]

Monk/Necromancer

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Offering of Blood (elite)
     Energy management at a heavy cost. Back in the days of its prevalence it was a monk's best friend, but now as its cost has become outweighed by its risk.
     Pros: Energy on near-demand
     Cons: A huge chunk of your life goes away whenever you hit the button to use it.
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Skill
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Aura of the Lich (elite)
     Pros: Half damage taken, duration is longer than cooldown
     Cons: Regen kills faster, life-steal skills bypass it, elite
4. Other:
   
   • Consume Corpse
     It's really fun to corpse hog with and such. Nice little energy and health boosts do work, however little they are.
     Pros: Kind of fun, bits of life and energy.
     Cons: Well, you're corpsehogging which means you're going into the fray. No control of which corpse you're teleporting to.

[Cérilia]

Monk/Ranger

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Skill
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Storm Chaser
     Pros: Energy gain when hit by elemental damage, speed buff
     Cons: 30 second cooldown
   • Storm's Embrace
     Pros: When the conditions are met you're able to keep the speed buff indefinitely, pretty decent duration when not met, no attribute points needed
     Cons: 30 second cooldown
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Melandru's Resilience (elite)
     Pros: Very helpful when combined with Draw Conditions, great energy/health regen
     Cons: Conditional, elite, needs to have negative conditions/hexes to work, long cooldown
   • Natural Stride
     Pros: 50% block and 33% speed boost, short duration is offset by fast cooldown
     Cons: Ends when enchanted or hexed, so it can be quite tricky to use (can't be used with prot spirit, RoF...).
   • Antidote Signet
     Pros: Removes Poison and Disease
     Cons: Conditional, condition removal skills do it better
4. Other:
   
   • Serpent's Quickness
     Pros: Helpful for quickening cooldowns for some skills - most helpful in smiting, easily maintainble, decent duration
     Cons: Long cooldown, ends when hit below 50% health, not very helpful due to the short cooldowns of most monk skills, stops you from using a defenisve stance

[Cérilia]

Monk/Ritualist

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Offering of Spirit (elite)
     Pros: Great energy management, no sacrifice if within earshot of spirits
     Cons: Less energy gain compared to Offering of Blood
   • Signet of Spirits (elite)
     Pros: Same net gain as Offering of Spirit without the sacrifice
     Cons: More conditional, longer recharge compared to Offering of Spirit
   • Spirit Siphon
     Pros: Some energy gain, spammable
     Cons: Little net gain, in ranks of 5-7, there's a net gain of 1 energy from a spirit with full energy (31), 2 net gain from 8-10 ranks, and 3 net gain from ranks of 11-12
   • Weapon of Fury (elite)
     Pros: Unstrippable energy gain
     Cons: Needs to attack to gain energy, elite
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Skill
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Vital Weapon
     Pros: Spammable unstrippable health gain, very long duration
     Cons: Big health drop when Vital Weapon ends and can leave you with 1 HP or near death if HP is not checked
4. Other:
   
   • Death Pact Signet
     Pros: Fastest ressurection skill
     Cons: Using it is like gambling, if you can keep that ally alive for 2 minutes or more you're fine, if not, both of you are dead
   • Generous Was Tsungrai
     Pros: great on an infuser, pre cast for BIG infuse, drop for immediate selfheal
     Cons: almost useless skill for other builds

[Cérilia]

Monk/Paragon

1. Energy Management:
   
   • Leader's Zeal
     Pros: Decent energy management
     Cons: Needs allies to be close to net energy
2. Speed Boost:
   
   • Godspeed
     Pros: great with Aegis
     Cons: useless with little to no enchantments
3. Self healing/protection:
   
   • Remedy Signet
     Pros: Excellent for removing dazed
     Cons: Useless when not removing dazed since most, if not all, condition removal skills are better
4. Other:
   
   • Cautery Signet (elite)
     Pros: Better than Martyr in that you won't take all of the conditions like Dazed, use Dismiss Condition or any conditon removal to remove burning
     Cons: 2 second activation time, elite