Monk Tanking Questions (duo w/ Fury)

[CatamanderEQ2]

<p><p>The FAQ was helpful, but the links are broken, so I have had some trouble figuring out some basic game mechanics for my monk and am hoping you all can help.  I have a lot of questions so maybe a few different folks can answer them and help us out.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">My situation:</span></p><p>My play style is 100% duoing with my wife's Fury.  We are both currently level 63.  We can do white and some yellow 2-3 up heroics when we are on the good side of gear upgrades (like now, right after a MC armor upgrade) and then do blues and greens when our gear is behind (like at 60).</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">My questions:</span></p><p>1. How can I handle mobs that stifle/stun/mez?</p><p>As we are moving up in levels we are encountering more mobs that mez/stifle/stun me and then chew through her while I am trying to recover.  I have been using Will of the Sky (and bought downt that AA line) but the reuse time is too slow for it to save us.</p><p>2. Other than mitigation, what are the best stats for tanking?</p><p>I have been using mostly MC gear (dragonhide at my current level) and then whatever we come across for other slots.  I've been balancing str/sta/agi but have not paid much attention to +defense, +parry, and +vs.slash/pierce/etc.  How useful are each of these?  How much of a difference do those stats make?  How would I best prioritize these?</p><p>3. Tanking AA setup?</p><p>I've gone AGI and WIS on the brawler tree.  AGI for +defense and altruism (the latter has saved us many times as a duo).  WIS for the AE dps (to help with aggro on groups of mobs).  Aggro has been ok, but not great.  In the Monk tree I have been going down Body, taken both Will of Sky modifiers, enhanced heal, max skin like mountain.  </p><p>Other key advice for tanking?</p><p>I realize that much of this was probably covered in threads linked to the FAQ, but none of those links now and I've tried fixing the links using the message ID numbers but that only produces errors.</p><p>Thank you all for your insights, experience, and help.</p><p>-Cata</p></p>

[Couching]

<p><cite>CatamanderEQ2 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">My situation:</span></p><p>My play style is 100% duoing with my wife's Fury.  We are both currently level 63.  We can do white and some yellow 2-3 up heroics when we are on the good side of gear upgrades (like now, right after a MC armor upgrade) and then do blues and greens when our gear is behind (like at 60).</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">My questions:</span></p><p>1. How can I handle mobs that stifle/stun/mez?</p><p>As we are moving up in levels we are encountering more mobs that mez/stifle/stun me and then chew through her while I am trying to recover.  I have been using Will of the Sky (and bought downt that AA line) but the reuse time is too slow for it to save us.</p><p><span style="color: #3366ff;">Let your wife cure you. As a healer, she needs to cure the group member as fast as she could. </span></p><p>2. Other than mitigation, what are the best stats for tanking?</p><p>I have been using mostly MC gear (dragonhide at my current level) and then whatever we come across for other slots.  I've been balancing str/sta/agi but have not paid much attention to +defense, +parry, and +vs.slash/pierce/etc.  How useful are each of these?  How much of a difference do those stats make?  How would I best prioritize these?</p><p><span style="color: #3366ff;">Hp, sta, parry, deflection, defense are good to get. Agi? Don't worrya bout it. </span></p><p>3. Tanking AA setup?</p><p>I've gone AGI and WIS on the brawler tree.  AGI for +defense and altruism (the latter has saved us many times as a duo).  WIS for the AE dps (to help with aggro on groups of mobs).  Aggro has been ok, but not great.  In the Monk tree I have been going down Body, taken both Will of Sky modifiers, enhanced heal, max skin like mountain.  </p><p><span style="color: #3366ff;">If I were you, I would get str, agi and int line for leveling up. At your level, there isn't too many mutiple encounters if you know how to body pull. </span></p><p>Other key advice for tanking?</p><p><span style="color: #3366ff;">The hardest part for healer to keep a monk up is spike damage. A good monk knows when to use tsunami/mend/temp mitigation buff for spike damage.</span></p></blockquote>

[Morrolan V]

<p>Agree with what Couching says.</p><p>Also:</p><p>You asked about + vs Crush/Pierce/Slash items.  These are VERY valuable for a monk tank, as they directly increase physical mitigation, and we benefit greatly from them since our armor does not take us (far) into diminishing returns on mit.</p><p>To handle stun/stifle/mezz - a healer who is quick on the cures certainly is key.  If the mobs are throwing uncurable stuns or stifles on the pull (more common in TSO, but still around at lower levels), have your wife cast her heals over time on you, then have her pull the mob.  She takes the incurable effect, you grab the mob with heals running, stifle/stun clears, and she catches up on heals.</p>

[CatamanderEQ2]

<p>Thanks much for the advice.  I have respec'd down the Str and Agi line and am working the Monk AA now for tanking stuff (aggro and defensive abilities).</p><p>One <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>question about gear:  Given that my weapon choices tend to be MC or Legendary, am I likely to do better bare-handed?  I have read a ton of threads on this but it seems to have changed a number of times.</p><p>Thanks again, folks.  I really appreciate the help.  Reading through the old threads here gets really confusing (esp. if I go back to 2005).</p>

[Junaru]

<p>I would suggest investing AA points into the skills that add cure for all kinds to our cure skill. Wont work on mez but root/stifle and stuns should fix.</p>

[Turb]

<p>Bare handed isn't an option any more really.   Just go STR with weapons.</p><p>There are (cheap) potions that can give you 10s immunity to various control effects.</p><p>Sadly it's our bruiser cousins that get the 25s (or so) control immunity ability.</p><p>When I'm healing a brawler on my druid (warden) I'm keeping my heals over time running continuously and using the two 'up front' heals to cover spike damage.   When your monk hits L52 you get Tsunami which also helps with spike damage.    Also look at which of your skills stun/etc a mob, and always try to keep one available to use.</p><p>Good luck <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Eugam]

<p><cite>CatamanderEQ2 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>1. How can I handle mobs that stifle/stun/mez?</p><p>As we are moving up in levels we are encountering more mobs that mez/stifle/stun me and then chew through her while I am trying to recover. I have been using Will of the Sky (and bought downt that AA line) but the reuse time is too slow for it to save us.</p></blockquote><p>Healer should cure whenever possible and stop damaging the mobs until you are back. Her razorcoat on you should keep the mobs on you. It wont get better for the next 17 levels and later on. Well, you always have a chance for group feign dead. Another option would be that your wife betrays to warden. The two heal pets are very useful to bridge stuns and similar situations. Actually a tree, spores and procs from a melee warden can be life or dead in a duo setup with greyed hotbars.</p>

[Betchemin]

<p>I have been following this with interest as I am almost in the same boat (a couple of levels behind you). 61st level with 6st level Fury companion.</p><p>My AA choices were WIS and INT. I find the AoEs of the Wis line useful in grabbing group agro. It is especially useful when Pystachio (the Fury) decides it is time to cast Rain of Fire, something she does all to often.</p><p>I am currently happy with the INT line but planning on moving to the STR line when GU51 goes live.</p><p>Have not met that many mobs that mez, stuns seem to last too short a time for me to lose agro.</p><p>Kit we have gone MC all the way. Do not thinke there have been more than about 10 items in the entire time we have been leveling that have stuck me as upgrades in terms of armour. Jewelry seems to be better for drop upgrades, however I can normally expect to still have at least 1 MC ring by the time upgrade to the next tier.</p><p>Will of Sky: I do not think I have ever cast this. Either this means I am a very bad monk, or she is a very good Fury. I make no judements. When fighting the really bing named, things like "The Magolemus" DPS seems to be our biggest issue. I have gone minutes in long fights with no power to speak of. So I tend to concentrate on Str, + to Crit and +Combat</p><p>Hope this helps, and hope wou are having as much fun as we are.</p><p>Seshat</p>

[Moonrite]

<p>I'm lower lvl then you, my aa is Str 4/4/8 Int 4/4/7 next aa will get my last crit aa under int. With the new changes I think these give the best boost to your dps than the sta/wis procs.</p><p> Agi I'm not too worried about, cause I go through my power pretty fast as it is, so I'm focusing on being able to do more with what I have rather than doing things faster.</p><p>I'll eventually go Str 4/4/8/8 and Int 4/4/8/8 finishing str first cause the deflection bonus is the highest defensive bonus of all the #4 brawler lines. I'll probably max the piercing proc Sta #3, and have enough left to get one rank in the ae knockdown Wis #2.</p><p>Though I don't have any aa in monk lines now, I'm looking at the aa the reduce power costs first atm, but I may respec out of those if they don't work out.</p><p>As for stuns, etc. Fury needs to watch for impairement icons under your name, and cure them asap. It's a fast spell to cure, and cheap to cast, additionally, under druid sta line is a skill that can proc a short duration stun immunity on target when a beneficial spell is cast, that 'may' help out if it's maxed. Considering you two are always grouping together, it may be worth looking into. If it turns out to suck, you can always respec out of it.</p>

[Eugam]

<p><cite>Seshat@Runnyeye wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>IWhen fighting the really bing named, things like "The Magolemus" DPS seems to be our biggest issue. I have gone minutes in long fights with no power to speak of. So I tend to concentrate on Str, + to Crit and +Combat</p><p>Seshat</p></blockquote><p>You dont use a power leech adornment on those looooong fights ? Past #51 you most prolly will need a bit power to taunt once in a while.</p>

[XunSarak]

<p>I disagree that the AGI AA line is useless. Currently I am spec'd in str, int (full crit) and AGI (largest reuse timer decrease) with a few points in WIS.</p><p>After heals and Tsunami in the Monk tree everything else at this point goes into the shadow grp.</p><p>lvl 80 Monk - ButcherBlock</p>