Guide:Invinci-Monk Guide

This guide is aimed at giving both a basic picture of what Invinci-Monking is as well as an in-depth look into all variations and techniques used in these tanking/farming builds.

What is Invincimonking?

Invincimonking is based on using enchantments to regenerate or completely mitigate all damage received. Some monks have very low health, while others have extremely high health, depending on the method used. There are 3 base invincimonks- 55s, SoA, and Spirit Bonders. Each has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages.

55 Monk

The 55 monk is the classic and the standard against which all other invincimonks are judged. A 55 monk is so called for its health- exactly 55 hp - which is achieved through the use of 5 superior runes and a -50 hp Cesta obtained from the Cities of Ascalon quest. The 55 health is needed to reduce all incoming damage down to 5 through the use of, traditionally, Protective SpiritCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Protective SpiritEnchantment SpellFor 5..19..24 seconds, target ally cannot lose more than 10% max Health due to damage from a single attack or Spell.10¼5 . Next, the remaining 5 points of damage are either negated with further protective spells such as Shielding HandsCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Shielding HandsEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, damage and life steal received by target ally is reduced by 3..15..19. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5..41..53 Health.5¼15 or Shield of AbsorptionNightfallMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of AbsorptionEnchantment SpellFor 3..6..7 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 5 each time that ally is hit while under the effects of this Enchantment.5110 , or healed over by means of health regeneration (usually provided by skills like Healing BreezeCoreMonk. Healing Prayers Healing BreezeEnchantment SpellFor 15 seconds, target ally gains +4..8..9 Health regeneration.1015 or Mystic RegenerationNightfallDervish. Earth Prayers Mystic RegenerationEnchantment SpellFor 5..17..21 seconds, you have +1..3..4 Health regeneration for each enchantment (maximum of 8) on you.10¼10 .

Advantages to 55ing

• Can take on a guaranteed 9-15 enemies.
• Massive health regeneration can counter mild to heavy health degeneration.
  • Certain variations (such as a Mo/D using Mystic RegenerationNightfallDervish. Earth Prayers Mystic RegenerationEnchantment SpellFor 5..17..21 seconds, you have +1..3..4 Health regeneration for each enchantment (maximum of 8) on you.10¼10 ) are extremely resilient to degeneration.

Disadvantages to 55ing

• Can take on at most 9-15 enemies.
• Traditional 55 monks using Healing BreezeCoreMonk. Healing Prayers Healing BreezeEnchantment SpellFor 15 seconds, target ally gains +4..8..9 Health regeneration.1015 for health regeneration are easily interrupted.
• Losing Protective Spirit is near-guaranteed instant death.
• Life stealing is deadly to 55s because it ignores Protective SpiritCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Protective SpiritEnchantment SpellFor 5..19..24 seconds, target ally cannot lose more than 10% max Health due to damage from a single attack or Spell.10¼5 's cap, sometimes resulting in instant death.
• Too much degeneration will result in death.

SoA Monk

A Shield of AbsorptionNightfallMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of AbsorptionEnchantment SpellFor 3..6..7 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 5 each time that ally is hit while under the effects of this Enchantment.5110 monk can theoretically also operate at much higher amounts of health, because the damage reduction from Shield of Absorption is cumulative. This means that the farmer will have a short time when Shield of Absorption is applied that they will take damage, but afterwards all damage is reduced to zero. This "startup damage" is usually reduced or eliminated using Spirit BondFactionsMonk. Protection Prayers Spirit BondEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, whenever target ally takes more than 50 damage from the next 10 attacks or Spells, that ally is healed for 30..78..94 Health.10¼2 , Mystic RegenerationNightfallDervish. Earth Prayers Mystic RegenerationEnchantment SpellFor 5..17..21 seconds, you have +1..3..4 Health regeneration for each enchantment (maximum of 8) on you.10¼10 , Healing BreezeCoreMonk. Healing Prayers Healing BreezeEnchantment SpellFor 15 seconds, target ally gains +4..8..9 Health regeneration.1015 , Watchful SpiritPropheciesMonk. Divine Favor Watchful SpiritEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, target ally gains +2 Health regeneration. That ally is healed for 30..150..190 Health when Watchful Spirit ends.-11515 , or some combination of the four. However, if these are not used correctly, the monk can easily die during this time period (as health regeneration is less effective with more health).

The same results can be achieved with Shielding HandsCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Shielding HandsEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, damage and life steal received by target ally is reduced by 3..15..19. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5..41..53 Health.5¼15 where you can run at a higher health. To keep it up all the time, certain condition have to be met as described here.

It is important to mention that Protective SpiritCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Protective SpiritEnchantment SpellFor 5..19..24 seconds, target ally cannot lose more than 10% max Health due to damage from a single attack or Spell.10¼5 must be cast before Shielding HandsCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Shielding HandsEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, damage and life steal received by target ally is reduced by 3..15..19. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5..41..53 Health.5¼15 or Shield of AbsorptionNightfallMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of AbsorptionEnchantment SpellFor 3..6..7 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 5 each time that ally is hit while under the effects of this Enchantment.5110 to achieve zero damage each time.

Advantages to SoA Monks

• Infinite number of enemies can be taken at once.
• Skills that work better when facing an extremely large number of enemies can be utilized.

Disadvantages to SoA Monks

• Shield of AbsorptionNightfallMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of AbsorptionEnchantment SpellFor 3..6..7 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 5 each time that ally is hit while under the effects of this Enchantment.5110 takes a whole second to cast since an update meaning it can be interrupted.
• SoA monks generally have 55 health and all the disadvantages that come with such a low amount of health.
• Life stealing is deadly to 55 hp SoA monks. If faced with Life stealing use Shielding HandsCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Shielding HandsEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, damage and life steal received by target ally is reduced by 3..15..19. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5..41..53 Health.5¼15 and increase health instead.

Spirit Bonding

The skill Spirit BondFactionsMonk. Protection Prayers Spirit BondEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, whenever target ally takes more than 50 damage from the next 10 attacks or Spells, that ally is healed for 30..78..94 Health.10¼2 heals its target for a large amount, but only if that target was about to take more than 60 damage. Note that the skill heals even if that damage was reduced before it actually hits the target. So, if a Fireball was about to hit its target for 119 damage, and that target had a protective enchantment that limited the damage to, say, 50 hit points, Spirit Bond's healing will still take effect, because the original damage was higher than 60. The skill Protective SpiritCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Protective SpiritEnchantment SpellFor 5..19..24 seconds, target ally cannot lose more than 10% max Health due to damage from a single attack or Spell.10¼5 is used to cap the actual damage taken so that it never exceeds the amount that the target is healed for. Then, the lowest possible armor is worn to make as many hits as possible trigger Spirit Bond's effect. Due to the nerfing of Spirit Bond it is not as effective as it once was. It is possible to die if relying on Spirit Bond and Protective Spirit alone. Shield of AbsorptionNightfallMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of AbsorptionEnchantment SpellFor 3..6..7 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 5 each time that ally is hit while under the effects of this Enchantment.5110 is usually taken as well.

Advantages of Spirit Bonding

• Spirit Bonders can operate at any health.
• Death penalty does not hinder their farming ability.

Disadvantages to Spirit Bonding

• Healing reduction is extremely dangerous since Spirit BondFactionsMonk. Protection Prayers Spirit BondEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, whenever target ally takes more than 50 damage from the next 10 attacks or Spells, that ally is healed for 30..78..94 Health.10¼2 will then heal for less.
• Life stealing can be dangerous in large amounts.
• Uses an extra skill slot compared to 55ing.
• Cannot take on very large groups (Spirit Bond can run out before recharge in this case).

600/Smite

A Spirit Bond monk (as above) can be paired with a Smiting bonder using Shield of JudgmentPropheciesMonk. Smiting Prayers Shield of JudgmentElite Enchantment SpellFor 8..18..21 seconds, anyone striking target ally with an attack is knocked down and suffers 5..41..53 holy damage.15145 , Holy WrathPropheciesMonk. Smiting Prayers Holy WrathEnchantment Spell(10..26..31 seconds). The next 1..8..11 times target other ally takes attack damage, this Spell deals 66% of the damage back to the source (maximum of 5..41..53 damage).10110 and RetributionCoreMonk. Smiting Prayers RetributionEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, whenever target ally takes attack damage, this Spell deals 33% of the damage back to the source (maximum 5..17..21 damage).-1102 to free the need for damage skills on the tank. The smiter does not need to gain aggro of the enemies to participate, and in fact usually stays well away from the 600 but within radar range to maintain the bonds. A hero is often used for the smiter role, but a human smiter is often simplest due to not having to micro SoJ and HW.

Advantages of 600/Smite

• Steady damage source that can be supplemented by damage skills on the 600 if the area being farmed allows. This allows for fast farming with no downtime on damage.
• Having extra skillbar space on the tank allows for more survivability options, and the smiter's extra skill slots can provide support to the tank.
• The smiter can carry resurrection skills such as RebirthCoreMonk. Protection Prayers RebirthSpellResurrect target party member. Target party member is returned to life with 25% Health and zero Energy, and is teleported to your current location. All of target's skills are disabled for 10..4..3 seconds. This Spell consumes all of your remaining Energy.105 to save a farming run if something goes wrong.

Disadvantages of 600/Smite

• Having a second character reduces drop rates, but this is usually compensated for the increased speed and safety of the farm.
• As with solo Spirit Bond invincimonks, Spirit BondFactionsMonk. Protection Prayers Spirit BondEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, whenever target ally takes more than 50 damage from the next 10 attacks or Spells, that ally is healed for 30..78..94 Health.10¼2 can be overwhelmed by too many foes attacking.

Skill Selection

The basic skill bar for all invincimonks is simple. It merely stops incoming damage with a way to keep health up.

Monk / Any Protective Spirit CoreMonk. Protection Prayers Protective SpiritEnchantment SpellFor 5..19..24 seconds, target ally cannot lose more than 10% max Health due to damage from a single attack or Spell.10¼5 Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional. Optional CoreNo Profession. UnlinkedOptionalOptionalOptional.   Template code

Every other slot can be filled with skills of your choice! Let's examine all the possible choices below:

Health Regeneration

Healing BreezeCoreMonk. Healing Prayers Healing BreezeEnchantment SpellFor 15 seconds, target ally gains +4..8..9 Health regeneration.1015

Shield of RegenerationCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of RegenerationElite Enchantment SpellFor 5..11..14 seconds, target ally gains +3..9..10 Health regeneration and 40 armor.15¼8

Mystic RegenerationNightfallDervish. Earth Prayers Mystic RegenerationEnchantment SpellFor 5..17..21 seconds, you have +1..3..4 Health regeneration for each enchantment (maximum of 8) on you.10¼10

These three are temporary, on-demand enchantments. They both provide lots and lots of health regeneration easily. Healing Breeze does have a longer cast time than Mystic Regeneration and requires a heavier investment in Healing Prayers compared to Mystic Regeneration's shorter cast time and larger regenerative effect. However, Mystic Regeneration limits a character to having a Dervish secondary profession.

Shield of Regeneration operates similarly to healing breeze but costs 5 more energy, gives a bonus of +40 armor, and is a Protection Prayer-based spell rather than utilizing Healing Prayers. However, being an elite, it does limit your potential ability to deal damage. If stacked with Healing Breeze, even the most massive of degen can merely be shrugged off.

Watchful SpiritPropheciesMonk. Divine Favor Watchful SpiritEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, target ally gains +2 Health regeneration. That ally is healed for 30..150..190 Health when Watchful Spirit ends.-11515

MendingCoreMonk. Healing Prayers MendingEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, target ally gains +1..3..4 Health regeneration.-1102

These are both maintained enchantments. They provide less health regeneration than either of the above spells but are far more easy to use because they are maintained (and thus don't have to be activated in battle). Watchful Spirit will provide +2 health regeneration regardless of attributes but Mending is better with heavier investments in Healing Prayers. Generally, if bringing Healing Breeze, you should bring Mending instead of Watchful Spirit.

Spirit Bond

Spirit BondFactionsMonk. Protection Prayers Spirit BondEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, whenever target ally takes more than 50 damage from the next 10 attacks or Spells, that ally is healed for 30..78..94 Health.10¼2

The very lifeblood of the Spirit Bonder is the skill it's named after: Spirit Bond.

Shield of Absorption

Shield of AbsorptionNightfallMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of AbsorptionEnchantment SpellFor 3..6..7 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 5 each time that ally is hit while under the effects of this Enchantment.5110

This skill forms the core of all SoA Monks. The monk itself is named after this skill.

Shielding HandsCoreMonk. Protection Prayers Shielding HandsEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, damage and life steal received by target ally is reduced by 3..15..19. When Shielding Hands ends, that ally is healed for 5..41..53 Health.5¼15

Since Shield of Absorption is very difficult to keep up, this skill and SoA can be alternated to keep a monk under perpetual damage reduction.

By taking Blessed AuraPropheciesMonk. Divine Favor Blessed AuraEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, Monk Enchantments you cast last 10..30..37% longer.-11022 and 12+3+1 on Divine favour with a +20% enchantment weapon you can keep this up almost forever.

Energy Gain Skills

Balthazar's SpiritPropheciesMonk. Smiting Prayers Balthazar's SpiritEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, target ally gains adrenaline and Energy after taking damage. (The amount of adrenaline gained increases depending on your rank in Smiting Prayers.)-1102

Essence BondPropheciesMonk. UnlinkedEssence BondEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, whenever target ally takes physical or elemental damage, you gain 1 Energy.-1102

These skills are very important. Each time you get hit, which will be very often, they give you energy. Consider bringing both, but at least one is needed for sure. Balthazar's Spirit is better than Essence Bond because it triggers on any damage, not certain types of damage.

Blessed SignetCoreMonk. Divine Favor Blessed SignetSignetFor each Enchantment you are maintaining, you gain 3 Energy. You cannot gain more than 3..20..25 energy in this way.210

When you have 3-4 maintained enchantments on you, Blessed Signet is there to help you get energy to start up Protective Spirit and Spirit Bond. Usually, after casting several pre-battle enchantments, you'll have very low energy. This is very useful for getting your feet off the ground, unless partied with a Necromancer using Blood RitualPropheciesNecromancer. Blood Magic Blood RitualEnchantment SpellFor 8..13..14 seconds, target touched ally gains +3 Energy regeneration. Blood Ritual cannot be used on the caster.17%522 or even Blood is PowerCoreNecromancer. Blood Magic Blood is PowerElite Enchantment SpellFor 10 seconds, target other ally gains +3..5..6 Energy regeneration.33%1¼ .

Bonetti's DefensePropheciesWarrior. Tactics Bonetti's DefenseStanceFor 5..10..11 seconds, you have a 75% chance to block melee and projectile attacks. You gain 5 Energy for each successful melee attack blocked. Bonetti's Defense ends if you use a skill.8

Consider bringing this skill for some energy gain. This isn't nearly as useful on a Spirit Bonder as on a 55 because a Spirit Bonder doesn't need the damage mitigation this skill provides. Also, when under heavy health degeneration, a Spirit Bonder needs to be taking enough damage to heal themselves. Essence Bond and Balthazar's Spirit are generally superior choices.

ChannelingPropheciesMesmer. Inspiration Magic ChannelingEnchantment SpellFor 8..46..59 seconds, whenever you cast a Spell, you gain 1 Energy for each foe in the area.5115

Since a monk is usually surrounded by enemies Channeling can give a monk a ton of energy or at the very least severely lower the cost of casting several high-costing spells.

Pre-nerf Spirit Bonder in action

Damage-Dealing Skills

Ray of JudgmentFactionsMonk. Smiting Prayers Ray of JudgmentElite SpellFor 5 seconds, target foe and all foes adjacent to this location take 5..37..48 holy damage each second and begin Burning for 1..3..3 seconds.10220

Because of a June 2009 skill balance, this skill now causes scatter in HM. Still works moderately well in NM.

Shield of JudgmentPropheciesMonk. Smiting Prayers Shield of JudgmentElite Enchantment SpellFor 8..18..21 seconds, anyone striking target ally with an attack is knocked down and suffers 5..41..53 holy damage.15145

The staple damage dealer of Invincible Monks is still the same. It is very powerful and strong, making it a solid choice for solo farming everywhere. Note, however, that if you are farming in Hard Mode, enemies that cannot be knocked down and fight in melee will flee until only three are engaging you at any point in time.

Judge's InterventionNightfallMonk. Smiting Prayers Judge's InterventionEnchantment SpellFor 10 seconds, the next time target ally receives damage that would be fatal, the damage is negated and one nearby foe takes 30..150..190 damage.5¼8

This skill is useful especially while farming a boss, and will trigger just like spirit bond - in other words, when you would have taken more than 55 damage, regardless of protective spirit.

Balthazar's AuraCoreMonk. Smiting Prayers Balthazar's AuraEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, foes adjacent to target ally take 10..22..26 holy damage each second.25225 Symbol of WrathPropheciesMonk. Smiting Prayers Symbol of WrathSpellFor 5 seconds, foes adjacent to the location in which the spell was cast take 8..27..34 holy damage each second.5230 Kirin's WrathFactionsMonk. Smiting Prayers Kirin's WrathSpellFor 5 seconds, foes adjacent to the location in which the spell was cast take 8..27..34 holy damage each second.5230

While once the staples of dealing damage, these three are no longer recommended. These spells cause continuous area of effect damage. Since an update towards the end of 2005, enemies will now flee when faced with repeated Area of Effect damage.

RetributionCoreMonk. Smiting Prayers RetributionEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, whenever target ally takes attack damage, this Spell deals 33% of the damage back to the source (maximum 5..17..21 damage).-1102

Since Spirit Bonders tend to have high health and get hit for high damage, Retribution can dish out some serious damage over time. It calculates damage after Protective Spirit, meaning Retribution does 33% of 10% of your health. This is 3.33...% and the primary reason for Spirit Bonders to push health as high as possible. This is useless for 55 monks and SoA Monks.

Spiteful SpiritPropheciesNecromancer. Curses Spiteful SpiritElite Hex SpellFor 8..18..21 seconds, whenever target foe attacks or uses a skill, Spiteful Spirit deals 5..29..37 shadow damage to that foe and all adjacent allies of that foe.15210

Spiteful Spirit takes a while to cast, but over time or against extremely durable enemies, Spiteful Spirit is very potent. Consider using it if you do not expect interrupts.

Spoil VictorFactionsNecromancer. Blood Magic Spoil VictorElite Hex SpellFor 3..13..16 seconds, whenever target foe attacks or casts a Spell on a creature with less Health, that foe loses 25..85..105 Health.10110

Spoil Victor is a hex spell that deals damage to a foe attacking or casting a spell on another foe with less health. It is effective on 55 and SoA monks because the enemy will always have more health than you. Due to it's fast destruction of a few enemies at a time, it is commonly used to farm bosses for greens.

Sliver ArmorFactionsElementalist. Earth Magic Sliver ArmorEnchantment SpellFor 5..10..11 seconds, you have 25..45..52% chance to block attacks and whenever you are the target of a hostile Spell or attack one nearby foe is struck for 5..29..37 earth damage.10130

The bigger the aggro gathered around the monk the more destructive this skill will become. It's problems include the short duration and the fact that its damage is affected by the armor of the foes. Furthermore, acceptable damage is only achieved with enormous masses of enemies meaning only SoA Monks can use this skill to its fullest potential.

Zealot's FireCoreMonk. Smiting Prayers Zealot's FireEnchantment SpellFor 60 seconds, whenever you use a Skill that targets an ally, all foes adjacent to that target are struck for 5..29..37 fire damage and you lose 1 Energy.10¼30

Every time you reapply a monk skill, which will be fairly often, it deals damage to all surrounding enemies. If using this skill, be sure to time your skills in 3 seconds intervals or more, or enemies will flee from you.

Holy StrikePropheciesMonk. Smiting Prayers Holy StrikeSkillTouched target foe takes 10..46..58 holy damage. If knocked down, your target takes an additional 10..46..58 holy damage.5¾8 Stonesoul StrikeFactionsMonk. Smiting Prayers Stonesoul StrikeSkillTouched target foe takes 10..46..58 holy damage. If knocked down, your target takes an additional 10..46..58 holy damage.5¾8

These work well with Shield of Judgment. Consider using these to take out heartier foes that require more damage to drop dead (and hopefully drop their loot as well).

ShockwaveFactionsElementalist. Earth Magic ShockwaveElite SpellAll foes in the area take 15..51..63 earth damage and are weakened for 1..8..11 second. Nearby foes also take +15..51..63 earth damage and have Cracked Armor for 1..8..11 second. Adjacent foes suffer the previous effects, take +15..51..63 earth damage, and are Blinded for 1..8..11 second.10115 Crystal WavePropheciesElementalist. Earth Magic Crystal WaveSpellFoes adjacent to you are struck for 10..58..74 damage but are cured of any negative Conditions. Each condition removed deals 5..13..16 damage.15¾15 Teinai's CrystalsFactionsElementalist. Earth Magic Teinai's CrystalsSpellTarget foe takes 20..36..41 damage. If target foe has a Water Magic hex, this spell strikes target and nearby foes for an additional 20..36..41 damage, and nearby foes also suffer Cracked Armor for 5..13..16 seconds.518

These three skills can easily replace the standard monk damage dealers. This skill set is extremely powerful in an area with exceptional amounts of melee attackers, like the Minotaurs in Elona Reach or the Mountain Trolls outside Droknar's Forge in Talus Chute. For more potency, consider using them as an E/Mo instead of Mo/E.

AftershockCoreElementalist. Earth Magic AftershockSpellNearby foes are struck for 26..85..105 earth damage. Knocked down foes are struck for 10..56..72 additional earth damage.10¾10

Particularly effective when used with Shield of Judgment, due to it's extra damage versus knocked-down foes.

Damage Vulnerability Skills

Only Spirit Bonders need to increase the damage they take to trigger spirit bond, so these skills are all useless for all other invinci-monks.

FrenzyCoreWarrior. UnlinkedFrenzyStanceFor 8 seconds, you attack 33% faster but take double damage.54

Elemental ResistancePropheciesMesmer. Inspiration Magic Elemental ResistanceStanceFor 30..78..94 seconds, You gain +40 armor against elemental damage, but you lose 24..14..11 armor against physical damage.1020

Physical ResistancePropheciesMesmer. Inspiration Magic Physical ResistanceStanceFor 30..78..94 seconds, You gain +40 armor against physical damage, but you lose 24..14..11 armor against elemental damage.1020

Any of these 3 stances can be used to make sure that your enemies do enough damage to trigger Spirit Bond. The general utility stance is Frenzy, as no matter the foe you are facing, it works, provided you cast Spirit Bond after activating it. The other two are for more specialized purposes. For example, in the Underworld, Grasping Darknesses do only 40 damage to you even when not wearing any armor. All their attacks are physical, so Elemental Resistance give you a low enough armor class to actually kick Spirit Bond into effect.

Healing SignetCoreWarrior. Tactics Healing SignetSignetYou gain 82..154..178 Health. You have -40 armor while using this skill.24

While using Healing Signet, your armor is lowered by 40, definitely low enough so that all enemies in high level areas will do enough damage to trigger Spirit Bond. The downside is that it has a recharge, and may thus force you to rely on Healing Prayers during the recharge, making the your attribute layout less flexible. However, what you can do is begin using this skill, then immediately cancel it using the "Escape" key, so that you can keep up the -40 armor benefit of this skill.

55 Monking in the Underworld

Enchantment Removal Protection Skills

Spell BreakerCoreMonk. Divine Favor Spell BreakerElite Enchantment SpellFor 5..15..18 seconds, target ally cannot be the target of enemy spells. 15145

Spell Breaker stops enchantment stripping spells, just like Spell Shield (below). In an Underworld or Fissure of Woe farming team, losing your Protective Spirit or Spirit Bond means certain death. Since you just have to tank the mobs while the other player deals the damage, spending your elite slot on a relatively carefree way to prevent enchantment removal is a good deal.

Shadow FormFactionsAssassin. Shadow Arts Shadow FormElite Enchantment SpellFor 5..18..22 seconds, you cannot be the target of enemy Spells, and you gain 5 damage reduction for each Assassin enchantment on you. You cannot deal more than 5..21..26 damage with a single skill or attack.5130

Possibly one of the most overpowered anti-spell enchantments in the Guild Wars arsenal. Non-spell skills that can strip your enchantments still do so, but those are few and far between. This can be maintained with Deadly ParadoxNightfallAssassin. Deadly Arts Deadly ParadoxStanceAll of your attack Skills are disabled for 10 seconds. For 5..13..16 seconds, your Assassin Skills activate and recharge 33% faster.1510 , unlike Spell Breaker, but caps damage based on your Shadow Arts level.

Leech SignetCoreMesmer. Inspiration Magic Leech SignetSignetInterrupt target foe's action. If that action was a Spell, you gain 3..13..16 Energy.¼30 Power ReturnFactionsMesmer. Fast Casting Power ReturnSpellIf target foe is casting a Spell or Chant, that Skill is interrupted and target foe gains 10..6..5 Energy.5¼7

Needed when solo farming and Spell Breaker isn't viable because you need the damage from a different elite, or when faced with enchantment removal by non-spell skills. Interrupt the stripping skill, and you'll live. Criteria to judge them include:

• Energy cost, an interrupt is no good if you can't use it when you need it. Signets work well here.
• Ability to interrupt non-spell skills, if necessary.
• Recharge.

A complete list of all possible interrupts can be found here, but the usual choices are placed above.

Miscellaneous Skills

Balanced StanceCoreWarrior. Tactics Balanced StanceStanceFor 8..18..21 seconds, you cannot be knocked down and you do not suffer extra damage from a critical attack.530

Some enemies have vicious knockdowns that can kill a farming run quickly. Either of these will prevent against such occurrences. Fleeting Stability is better because it can be kept up indefinitely. Balanced Stance, on the other hand, can not. Naturally, both of these restrict your choice of secondary professions.

Vital BlessingPropheciesMonk. Protection Prayers Vital BlessingEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, target ally has +40..168..211 maximum Health.-110¾2

If a Spirit Bonder, Retribution can do lots of damage, and if using superior runes to bolster the capability of your other skills, Vital Blessing can help you get the most out of Retribution.

Sympathetic VisagePropheciesMesmer. Illusion Magic Sympathetic VisageEnchantment SpellFor 4..9..10 seconds, whenever target ally is hit by a melee attack, all adjacent foes lose all adrenaline and 3 Energy.10120

Ancestor's VisageFactionsMesmer. Illusion Magic Ancestor's VisageEnchantment SpellFor 4..9..10 seconds, whenever target ally is hit by a melee attack, all adjacent foes lose all adrenaline and 3 Energy.10120

Consider adding one or both of these to deny the mobs you farm the use of energy and adrenaline skills.

Blessed AuraPropheciesMonk. Divine Favor Blessed AuraEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this Enchantment, Monk Enchantments you cast last 10..30..37% longer.-11022

Arcane EchoCoreMesmer. UnlinkedArcane EchoEnchantment SpellIf you cast a Spell in the next 20 seconds, Arcane Echo is replaced with that Spell for 20 seconds. Arcane Echo ends prematurely if you use a non-Spell skill.15220

Does Spirit Bond expire too fast? Maybe your Shield of Judgment dissolves before everything is dead, or Spell Breaker dies before those enchantment strippers do. Blessed Aura and Arcane Echo are here to help. Make those enchantments last longer using Blessed Aura, or use Arcane Echo to get an extra copy of your favorite spell.

Mantra of ConcentrationPropheciesMesmer. Inspiration Magic Mantra of ConcentrationStanceFor 1..31..40 seconds, the next time you would be interrupted, you are not interrupted.530

Glyph of ConcentrationPropheciesElementalist. UnlinkedGlyph of ConcentrationGlyphFor 15 seconds, your next 1 Spell cannot be interrupted and ignore the effects of being Dazed.5110

There are mobs with interrupts you need to counter. The glyph may work as a cover skill to draw the monster's interrupts, or will make your next spell uninterruptible if itself completes.

Life AttunementPropheciesMonk. Protection Prayers Life AttunementEnchantment SpellWhile you maintain this enchantment, target ally deals 30% less damage with attacks, but gains 14..43..52% more Health when healed.-1102

This skill will increase the life gain from Spirit Bond significantly with decent attributes. This will help you survive in places where the usual Spirit Bond healing is not enough.

Glyph of RenewalPropheciesElementalist. UnlinkedGlyph of RenewalElite GlyphFor 15 seconds, your next Spell instantly recharges.5110

This glyph will instantly recharge a skill. However, Glyph of Renewal is itself an elite skill limiting its usefulness. It can combine very well with Sliver Armor.

Equipment

Armor

For a 55 or SoA monk, your armor can be any level, except for Spirit Bonders, in which case the armor must be armor level 15 or below or in teams in which case, an extremely low level armor is advisable as well due to monster AI mechanics. Shing Jea Level Ascetic Armor, available from Kambei, Moon Ahn, or Nu Leng is optimal.

Spirit Bonders are different however. Spirit Bonder's reliance on extremely low armor levels means spirit bonders must have low level armor. Anything above armor level 15 is too much. The level 5 Starter Armor is the best for Spirit Bonders; however, Shing Jea Level Ascetic Armor, available from Kambei, Moon Ahn, or Nu Leng is fine. Try wearing as few pieces of armor as possible if you need to further increase the damage you take. Leg and feet armor provide additional energy regeneration, so are probably not expendable, but the energy bonus on hands and especially the chest piece (with its high probably of getting hit) might not be worth removing a piece of armor.

Runes

For 55 and SoA builds, use 5 superior profession runes (one of each, plus an extra one).

For Spirit Bonders, you will want the best Vigor rune possible, and whatever you need to boost your skills. Keep in mind that the higher your health, the higher the damage from Retribution and the more room to recover from the occasional hits that do less than the required 60 damage. If you have the space on your armor, consider bringing Vitae runes as well.

Weapons

For 55 and SoA Monks, a weapon of Enchanting and the -50hp cesta from the Cities of Ascalon quest is needed. Common green weapons of enchanting are the Totem Axe and Rajazan's Fervor, with the Spirit of the Forgotten providing ranged damage as well. The Flame Spitter is fine as well provided it is upgraded with an enchanting 20% upgrade.

For Spirit Bonders, your staff or wand and offhand can be anything, as long as it does not increase armor. That said, an enchanting weapon is tremendously useful, required even; any additional health is welcome, too. For solo farming, a cheap, starter's combination would be the Totem Axe and Wenslauss' Chalice. These increase enchantment length by 20%, give +45 to your health and a total of +17 energy (if you have at least 9 Divine Favor). The best offhand is Shen's Censure, which is smiting prayers-based and can give you a more powerful smiting spells with +1 20% to Smiting, as well as possibly halve the skill recharge of Shield of Judgment. As for 2 man farming, the Kaolin Protection Staff and Kepkhet's Refuge are excellent choices for 2 man groups where you are the tank. An excellent offhand to use, if staves are not wanted, is The Soulstone with it's +1 to divine favor, making Spell Breaker last a second more, giving you that cruicial edge, plus 20% chance for HSR for Divine Favor, making Spell Breaker recharge twice as quickly. However, clearly the best weapon for any type of farming as a Spirit Bonder is the Flame Spitter, which will reduce your armor by 10 while attacking, grant a 10% chance of half skill recharge, can be fitted with an axe grip of enchanting, and still leaves you space for an offhand, like Shen's Censure or Wenslauss' Chalice.

Usage

Now that you have all the skills and equipment, it's time to use them.

First, cast all maintained enchantments. Then use Blessed Signet to regain your energy back to maximum (or just wait, if you have energy regeneration left). Get near some monsters and cast Protective Spirit. Then, if a spirit bonder, activate your damage increasing stance, then cast Spirit Bond. Be absolutely sure to not cast Spirit Bond before the stance, otherwise the damage increase will come into effect after the Spirit Bond check and hence do nothing useful at all. If a 55 monk, cast your healing regeneration spell. Finally, if a SoA Monk, cast Shield of Absorption.

Congratulations, you are now invincible! Cast Shield of Judgment or a similar skill if you are afraid it would get interrupted later, then run ahead and make all those foes hit you. Recast Protective Spirit, the damage-increasing skill and Spirit Bond before they run out, apply whatever damage-dealing skills you have chosen, and make sure you're always fighting several monsters (otherwise you are likely to run into energy problems).

Farming Locations

• Blessed Griffons in Hard Mode at Snake Dance
• Trolls outside of Droknar's Forge in Talus Chute
• Minotaurs at Elona Reach
• Sand Drakes in Hard Mode outside of Elona Reach in Diviner's Ascent
• Vermin at Senji's Corner in Xaquang Skyway
• Undead in Hard Mode at the Gates of Kryta or at Bergen Hot Springs
• Hydras in Hard Mode at Skyward Reach
• Tundra Giants in Hard Mode at Snake Dance
• Stonescale Kirins in Hard Mode at Pongmei Valley
• Snow Ettin in Hard Mode at Griffon's Mouth
• Minotaur in Hard Mode or Normal Mode at Anvil Rock
• Jade Brotherhood in Wajjun Bazaar on either HM or NM, starting from The Marketplace
• Corsairs in Hard Mode just outside of The Astralarium for Colossal Scimitars

See Also

• Archive:Mo/any 55hp Farmer - Classic 55 for use vs melee foes using Shield of JudgmentPropheciesMonk. Smiting Prayers Shield of JudgmentElite Enchantment SpellFor 8..18..21 seconds, anyone striking target ally with an attack is knocked down and suffers 5..41..53 holy damage.15145 for damage.
• Build:Mo/any 55hp Farmer - Another 55 similar to the above but using Shield of AbsorptionNightfallMonk. Protection Prayers Shield of AbsorptionEnchantment SpellFor 3..6..7 seconds, damage received by target ally is reduced by 5 each time that ally is hit while under the effects of this Enchantment.5110 to reduce the damage packets to zero.
• Archive:Mo/any Spirit Bond Farmer - Solo 600 build with Spirit BondFactionsMonk. Protection Prayers Spirit BondEnchantment SpellFor 8 seconds, whenever target ally takes more than 50 damage from the next 10 attacks or Spells, that ally is healed for 30..78..94 Health.10¼2 , again using Shield of Judgment.
• Build:Mo/W 105hp Halcyon Farmer - 105 variant to the 55 which uses Hundred BladesCoreWarrior. Swordsmanship Hundred BladesElite SkillFor 15 seconds, whenever you attack with a sword, all adjacent foes take 10..22..26 slashing damage.525 to kill every foe at once.

Other Professions using Protective Spirit

• Build:D/Mo 130hp Farmer - Similar concept to the 55, but uses a scythe and Vow of StrengthNightfallDervish. Earth Prayers Vow of StrengthElite Enchantment SpellFor 15 seconds, whenever you attack a foe with your scythe, you deal 10..22..26 slashing damage to all adjacent foes.5¼20 to kill groups of foes.
• Build:E/Mo 330hp Sliver Farmer - 330 using Stoneflesh Aura and Earth Magic spells to kill foes.
• Build:N/Mo 55hp Boss Farmer - A Necromancer primary 55 using Spoil VictorFactionsNecromancer. Blood Magic Spoil VictorElite Hex SpellFor 3..13..16 seconds, whenever target foe attacks or casts a Spell on a creature with less Health, that foe loses 25..85..105 Health.10110 to kill just bosses for elite tomes.
• Build:N/Mo 105hp Farmer - Similar to the above but uses Spiteful SpiritPropheciesNecromancer. Curses Spiteful SpiritElite Hex SpellFor 8..18..21 seconds, whenever target foe attacks or uses a skill, Spiteful Spirit deals 5..29..37 shadow damage to that foe and all adjacent allies of that foe.15210 to kill groups of foes.
• Build:Rt/Mo 105hp Vengeful Farmer - Solo 105 using Vengeful Was KhanheiFactionsRitualist. Restoration Magic Vengeful Was KhanheiElite Item SpellHold Khanhei's ashes for 5..10..11 seconds. Whenever a foe strikes you in combat while you are holding Khanhei's ashes, you steal 5..29..37 Health from that foe.5¾20 for damage.
• Build:Rt/Mo 330hp Vengeful Farmer - Similar to above build but with 330 health to withstand more degeneration.

All of the archived 600/smite team builds can be found here