I need... something else.

Titus

So, I'm a longtime IRE gamer, and I tried out Lusternia a loooong time ago for a brief period.

The different plane system threw me and I either couldn't/didn't want to wrap my head around it as it's so different to the other games. I remember tinkering around with some Knight equivalent and enjoyed Smithing before switching to some kind of Mage class. That's all I remember.

In any event, after things fell through for me on something else, I find myself looking for something to dedicate some time to and I'm wondering if taking a second look at Lusternia is a good idea.

What're things like lately in terms of activity?

How stagnant is the player base?

How does combat vary between those two games and here?

To become an active PK combatant, what sort of minimum investment am I looking at compared to other IRE games like Aetolia/Imperian?

Since some classes require less investment than others and some strategies (at least in other games) require none, minimal, some, or buttloads of artifacts to pull off, I'll go ahead and list stuff I'm immediately interested in as far as combat goes.

I like damage.
I like timebomb classes. (Do this. Do that. Do this other thing. Person dies.)
I don't mind whatever archtype it is, so magick/physical/affliction are all okay, though I tend to shy away from heavy Affliction classes mostly. Having said that, I'm not opposed to them if they were put forward as one of the easiest classes to get involved with.

Those are just off the top of my head - I'll probably have more after I see some replies from you fine folk.

Svorai

Titus said:

What're things like lately in terms of activity?

We've just finished Lusternia's biggest event of the year: Ascension. During that, I'd say we were around ~200 regular people. We're certainly no Achaea in terms of numbers, but you will always find people. During peak times, our numbers hover around ~100-120 people.

Lusternia has a lot of regular PK (or at least conflict) events such as domoth challenges, weekly village revolts, 12-day-ly aetherflares, fortnightly wildnodes, and then your regular everyday 'come fight us' raids. There are a quizillion things you can do apart from these scheduled conflict things, but as far as activity is concerned: if you want it, you will find it.

How stagnant is the player base?

I've played for the last three years, and the playerbase (from my perspective) hasn't changed all that much. We've lost a few people, they've been replaced by other new people over time.

However, I don't really find this to be a drawback. Over that time I've not even met half of the playerbase, and know less than a quarter 'well'. The roleplay opportunities (if that interests you) are more diverse than any other IRE game imo, and I've been able to develop really interesting relationships with other players over that time. The skills available to you, the sheer size of Lusternia and the lore and quests you can do, will keep you occupied for a very long time.

How does combat vary between those two games and here?

I believe you'll find Lusternia is much more complicated than other IRE games. At least, this has been the feedback from other people who have come from other MUDs -- I've not played them. 

To become an active PK combatant, what sort of minimum investment am I looking at compared to other IRE games like Aetolia/Imperian?

Those who PK to win will need to invest a lot of time, for a start. We have 28 guilds, more than 70 different skillsets, a million afflictions... there's a lot to learn.

Most would consider a curing system to be standard if you want to be serious about combat. There are only a few systems that are 'top tier', though. m&m by @Vadi is considered the best supported system, which is simple enough for newbies, and flexible for experienced coders. It would set you back 80 credits. 

Depending on the archtype you choose, you'll want to transcend your three guild skillsets, and probably a few other skillsets. ~2000 credits, I suppose? You can be effective enough without being trans, but you probably wouldn't be able to do very well 1v1.

Warriors are deemed the most artifact-needy archtype (I've heard in excess of ~2000 credits for various runes?). With most others on par with each other. You could get by with a rune of gripping, shielding, absorption, and one that suits your archtype (demesne rune, or music rune, etc). And again, you don't *need* that.

The rule is, the more you have, the more you want. And I've bought a lot of things! I feel I was a competent enough support-person with just a rune of demesnes for a long while. 

Important: I feel I should disclaim all of this text by saying -- you will be more effective if you are a combatant who knows your skills well and what they do and when you should use them. A person who has artifacts and a system (like me) and doesn't use them to their full advantage (again, like me), won't see you become a star combatant. You do not *need* to buy artifacts to be a good combatant (unless, apparently, if you are a warrior). A system is something you'll need though. If you're a coder, you can do this yourself, but it will be an investment of time.

Since some classes require less investment than others and some strategies (at least in other games) require none, minimal, some, or buttloads of artifacts to pull off, I'll go ahead and list stuff I'm immediately interested in as far as combat goes.

I like damage.
I like timebomb classes. (Do this. Do that. Do this other thing. Person dies.)
I don't mind whatever archtype it is, so magick/physical/affliction are all okay, though I tend to shy away from heavy Affliction classes mostly. Having said that, I'm not opposed to them if they were put forward as one of the easiest classes to get involved with.

Lusternia is very group-combat centric. If you're looking for 1vs1 action, you won't likely find it often. Our skills, lore and mentality makes us mob together and try to out play one another. This means that in a lot of cases... you won't be using a vast array of your skills, no matter what archtype you choose.

I've heard warriors are the hardest archetype for new people to get into, for the cost of artifacts. 

Melders and -chemancers (mages/druids) are usually support people. They have timebomb skills. I have three instakills available to me as a druid, and a bunch of other, less awesome ways to kill people, as well. Most of my kills tend to be damage (when in a giant group focused on the same person) or gained by draining mana for an instakill. But I'm typically relegated to afflict/hinder/drainer/mover. And that's okay.

I can't speak for the other archetypes, having never played them. Most of our guilds focus on afflicting, though. Unless you're a monk/warrior and want to hit people's faces. 

Easiest classes to get involved with, though -- probably a bard guild, guardian/wiccan, or druid/mage. Probably in that order. Monks are confusing (but effective), warriors are costly (but effective).

Anyway, welcome! Lusternia is lots of fun. It's not the easiest game to get into, but we're a helpful bunch -- sing out and you'll get people falling over themselves to help out.

And then once you get it, you never leeeeeave!

Lerad

Titus said:

How does combat vary between those two games and here?

PK in Lusternia compared to other IRE games is rather different. The underlying mechanics and system is the same (bal/eq, large number of afflictions etc) but Lusternia has a few unique points that are not shared by the other IRE games. For one, what skills are general and what skills are guild specific are different (tarot, for example, is accessible by 2 different archetypes) so the basic minimum that you assume everyone has access to is different. Secondly, certain niche combat abilities are different, there is no tree tattoo or necklace of purity here like there is in the other three IRE games, but there is something we call "green/gedulah" which the other IRE games do not have, etc. Thirdly, some concepts which you're used to in other IRE games' combat scene is revised and changed here. Limb damage, for example, do not automatically mangle at certain levels, and they're called wounds. Venomlocks are also slightly different. And lastly, there's the power system, which is a sort of soft limit on how much burst you can put out at once, most powerful abilities use this resource.

I find it fun, mostly, you just need to get used to the differences.

Titus said:

To become an active PK combatant, what sort of minimum investment am I looking at compared to other IRE games like Aetolia/Imperian?

Minimum investment for PK depends on where in PK you want to take part in. If you're interested in arena duels, you'll want certain minimum skills, like the green/gedulah I mentioned, focus mind (yes, similar to the other IRE's) and a couple others. If you're just interested in group combat and playing a role with your city/commune mates in large scale fights, then you can drop some of those and concentrate on tri-trans, since group combat usually goes by damage, and those won't help against damage much. Generally speaking, getting all decked out to start is a little more expensive in Lusternia.

Titus said:

Since some classes require less investment than others and some strategies (at least in other games) require none, minimal, some, or buttloads of artifacts to pull off, I'll go ahead and list stuff I'm immediately interested in as far as combat goes.

I like damage.
I like timebomb classes. (Do this. Do that. Do this other thing. Person dies.)
I don't mind whatever archtype it is, so magick/physical/affliction are all okay, though I tend to shy away from heavy Affliction classes mostly. Having said that, I'm not opposed to them if they were put forward as one of the easiest classes to get involved with.

The "affliction class" style of combat that you understand from other IRE games belongs to the physical classes more than the magical ones here. Warriors and monks are generally speaking the only classes that try to achieve the Lusternian lock. At the same time, warrior damage is not particularly high. Unfortunately, these two aren't exactly the easiest to get into, as Svorai mentioned, warriors have a high cost in terms of artifacts if you want to get them. Going without artifacts is possible, but your choices become decidedly more limited. Monks on the other hand, have a fairly extensive system called "forms", where you plan out and create different combinations of afflictions/attacks before you fight. Not just before, but as actual preparation (like stocking up on cures). The downside is that the system can be fairly confusing to new players. You should give it a try and see how you like it, at least.

Magical classes are generally speaking the damage or timebomb classes, and most have one form or another of passives, that makes them sometimes supportive classes. Bards have a "song", which is a set of passive effects that follows them around, but only affects non deaf people. It provides benefits to allies who can hear, and afflictions to enemies who can hear. Their active abilities revolve around damage, with certain afflictions that are definitive of their style that causes health damage when the target uses another resource (mana, ego or power). Mages/Druids have mostly offensive passive effects that hit everyone in the room, but only a single mage can have these effects in a room - to determine who can put up their effects requires the mage to set up the room as their territory, and the mage that manages to do this while the fight is going on gives his team a big advantage. Their active abilities are aimed at doing this "territory grab" thing, or are otherwise supportive like Svorai described. Guardians/Wiccans are similar to entourage-based passive classes like the noctu/indorani, their passive effects only affect a single target they specify, and they differ somewhat between guilds on what their core strategy is.

Most archetypes (including warriors) have access to one or two instakills that are pre-requisite based, and some warriors have access to time-based instas. Monks all have different instas. Hope this helps.

Eldanien

Monks have the least investment to become PvP ready.  Artifacts aren't crucial, and of the three guild skills, Trans Kata specialization gives you 95% of the guild's offensive capacity.

Llandros

The planes are not that complicated. It's just like a building with 5 floors on it.

Astral

Cosmic

Elemental
Etheral

Prime

They are basically just different areas but stacked on top of each other instead of spread out. The vast majority of stuff happens on prime though so you will rarely need to leave it unless you choose to. Also, all the planes except prime are free pk so they can be a little dangerous.

The pk combat here is fairly complex with lots of strategy and unique mechanics. It keeps it fun and interesting though.

All guilds have several kill methods. You just have to pick the best one for the situation. If you always go with 1, 2, 3, kill then people will catch on and wreck you.

Cyndarin

@Llandros: Wiccans don't. They only have toad.

 

@Titus: I like damage.
"I like timebomb classes. (Do this. Do that. Do this other thing. Person dies.)
I don't mind whatever archtype it is, so magick/physical/affliction are all okay, though I tend to shy away from heavy Affliction classes mostly. Having said that, I'm not opposed to them if they were put forward as one of the easiest classes to get involved with."

Monks. Specifically tahtetso or shofangi. Minimal thought due to copy and paste generic kata forms so you don't even have to come up with your own strategy, momentum is essentially a time bomb that is virtually unpreventable and escalates to devastating effect, kill methods inherently involve hindering to a degree that your target can't really fight back or stop you, high damage potential especially in groups, with the proper scripting you only need a few macros, can be top tier without a single artie. Not coincidentally, those two are about as easy as PK gets. You just hammer a couple of buttons until they run away or die. Nekotai, glom's monks, are more affliction heavy which requires more thought and planning, and ninjakari are a middle ground between faceroll monk and affliction monk.

 

There's a long history of mediocre combatants soaring to high priority targets and spamming deathsight just by going shofangi/tahtetso. They're also horribly broken, but they still fit your criteria.

Lillie

I think I remember the website used to have a description of the planes that said it was more like an onion. I always liked that one. 
"The multiverse has layers, donkey! Like an onion!"
"Well, cakes have layers..."

But yes, same concept applies.

Ssaliss

Clearly, the onion simile is more apt. The universe stinks.

Enyalida

Nekotai have their stupid tricks too, but they are less time bomb and more 'inescapable attrition' than the other monk guilds.

Sidd

How can any class, much less Nekotai, be 'inescapable attrition.'

Elanorwen

My opinion, although some will say it's not as important or as well-informed as others' is that there is no inescapable doom. You just don't know how to escape it at the time. That said, you will find yourself in plenty of those situations as you are in the process of learning how to fight. And sometimes, the answers tend to be so simple, you'll be facepalming so hard at not having figured it out, you'll get whiplash.

In other words, what I wanted to say was... don't expect to get into Lusternia combat and be just a one-trick pony. That will never ever work. You might kill someone here and there, but it won't work with everyone the way you expect it to. Combat is not... "Do this, do that, target dies." There will be people you will fight who will focus on defending themselves if they're about to be overwhelmed. There will be people who will run when they feel they're not winning, and there will be people who you won't be able to kill on your own, and sometimes there will be people that will use what you do to try and defeat them against you. It's just the way it is, and I doubt anyone can claim that they can defeat absolutely every opponent in single combat.

Thul

If you're looking to be combat effective quickly, monk is a good option, but I'd take a look at bards as well. They do get a fair bit of burst damage off of their aurics, have some interesting effects, and all have a timed insta if you need that sort of thing. They come in six flavors, I hear that the Minstrels have an especially good community, and you get the opportunity to insert thinly-veiled pop culture references into the game.

Just... whatever you do, don't go warrior unless you're willing to drop some serious time and creds into it. I learned that one the hard way. Skills plus weapons plus armor plus weapon runes plus learning to deal with stances... If you really want to go physical on the cheap, that's what monks are for.

Sadly, Gaudiguch and Hallifax don't have their monk guilds yet, or even an ETA on any of them.

Current combat alliances are Glomdoring/Gaudiguch/Magnagora vs Celest/Serenwilde/Hallifax. Keep that in mind when you pick a guild, because especially in the combat crew, there's a whole lot of partisan bickering. Hope you've got a thick skin.

Eventru

Actually, I've always been fond of the theory that the planes exist in the same space simultaneously but on different planar waves, so to speak.

Realize the planes are massive, way more than they appear now. Originally the various sections of the Supernals were their own continents, previously, but were reduced to one area for defensive purposes. Raziela's gardens are probably hundreds or thousands of miles from Japhiel's mountain enclave, for example, versus Methrenton's citadel which is somewhere far away from that.

One could form an argument that planes are the same size as Lusternia itself - compared to bubbles, that are very small pockets of existence in the aether between planes. I always considered the onion metaphor to represent the escalating nature of the planar waves, not that the existence of the planes is that they're literally above. One must think beyond the literal - the most dense part of the onion, its centre, is the Prime Material, and as you pull away the lower waves you come to higher planes before coming upon nothing (ie the skin is like Astral). It's a poor analogy in that it implies a geometric shape, but there isn't one, I don't think. It's further encouraged by the nature of the astral plane (constellations) but they aren't actually constellations as Lusternians would know them.

I've always considered the universal construction of Lusternia's extraterestrial bodies to be similar to our own (see: Astrology).

Llandros

Well if he wasn't confused about the planes before......

Shaddus

I think a lot of these people are overstating what it requires to be acceptable at combat, especially in terms of cost. Yes, generally dumping a lot of credits into your character will make them better. Not always the case.


First off, Lusternia is -amazing- at the amount of things it gives out from time to time. Every month there's a new promotion or giveaway. It's not hard to get where you need or want  to be with just a modicum of investment, and if you join Celest and gain some rank, they even have a program where you pay a minimum of gold, and they buy you a system from the aforementioned Vadi.

As for a pk guild with a minimum investment, I'll have to agree with a lot of these guys. Monk guilds at trans spec are your best bet, though katas aren't exactly easy to competently string together.


If you want to check out our skills and other stuff in the game to see what sort of things we've added since you were last with us, feel free to browse this site:

 https://sites.google.com/site/xieltalnara/home


Edit: Also, if you're Titus ingame, your current guild (geomancers) is likely to gain some new skills in the next few weeks, so don't be afraid to stop back in and check us out.

Ssaliss

Y'know, I've always wondered about Astrology... Is Lusternia astrology heliocentric or geocentric? Because as far as I can see, neither model accurately describes how Astrology actually works... For instance, retrogradation only really happens in a heliocentric model, but if that were true, then retrogradiation wouldn't work like it does in Astrology (i.e. always in the same sign).

Shaddus

Ssaliss said:

Y'know, I've always wondered about Astrology... Is Lusternia astrology heliocentric or geocentric? Because as far as I can see, neither model accurately describes how Astrology actually works... For instance, retrogradation only really happens in a heliocentric model, but if that were true, then retrogradiation wouldn't work like it does in Astrology (i.e. always in the same sign).

Shh, you're messing with The Vision.

Eventru

Ssaliss said:

Y'know, I've always wondered about Astrology... Is Lusternia astrology heliocentric or geocentric? Because as far as I can see, neither model accurately describes how Astrology actually works... For instance, retrogradation only really happens in a heliocentric model, but if that were true, then retrogradiation wouldn't work like it does in Astrology (i.e. always in the same sign).

I'm not really familiar with the specifics of Lusternia's variation of astronomy and astrology, so I'm not really able to answer that. Not that I want to digress the topic too far, either.

Enyalida

It's both, depending on what ABs you read. There was a thread about it on the old forums. It's one of those things that hasn't been decided one way or another because different sources contradict. To quote an AB:

"Just as Sun is the centre of the solar system, so too does he represent the center of your being."

Xenthos

I seem to recall Estarra being enthusiastic when someone (Daganev?) described Planes as going -down- instead of up. Something about them being more of a building block, a definition of how the world exists.

It was an interesting way of thinking about it at least. It's definitely less of a physical displacement (because the general notion of Planes is that they overlay one another).

Ciaran

/derailed

Xenthos

Ciaran said:

/derailed

Hey, we like talking about Lusternia...

Silvanus

For one versus one combat (which is more rare then you might expect), you will require more credit investment then compared to the other IRE games. Some classes here can do quite a bit of damage, but there is more ways to heal yourself, other classes do a heavy amount of afflictions in a short period of time, while others as well rely on attrition, your preference can really just come down to what class/what skills you choose.

Most of the time, you will be in group combat, which is by far the more important one, and requires far less investment. All you need to be able to do is attack someone while still being able to cure. Combat here is far faster pace then other IRE games, and have a lot more passive afflictions, and larger range of combat to get lost in, as long as you can focus on the main battle and stay with the group.

Group combat happens often, its the central part of Lusternia's combat system and political system. Village revolts, wildnodes, Ascension, everything is based around group combat. Whichever class you choose, if you can survive long enough in a fight, you will be effective and be able to kill. If you were some Knight in other IRE games, you won't just be relying on DSL with paralysis/stupidity, you will be able to be far more effective.

Titus

Thank you all for your wonderful replies. Some more questions, if you wouldn't mind continuing to talk about Lusternia @Xenthos

Celina definitely got my attention with her praise of the Tahtetso and Shofangi monks and the mention of Ninjakari also cought my eye. My understanding of Lusternian monks are that they're weapon wielding fonts of badassery who function very differently from the monks in the other games. Since they've been presented as classes that are able to get involved and perform well with in combat with minimal investment, I feel that may be the way to go. So:

Can they bash well?

What are the instakills available to these three classes and what do they require?

Aside from those Instakills, what other kill methods are available to them - I'm guessing damage?

Another class that was also mentioned was Bard.

The only experience with anything music related I have is Bards on Imperian, which I'm certain are quite different. Could someone throw out some info on what these guys do?

It sounds like there are varying types of them, the same way there are monks. What are the differences?

Finally, I definitely prefer 1v1 combat as opposed to group. While I can accept that 1v1 is becoming more scarce across the entirety of IRE (except maybe Midkemia Online) which class out of the three mentioned monks and however many Bard types there are would you suggest with that in mind?

EDIT: Haha @Shaddus , this website is fantastic. It's even colored just like the game. Thank you!

EDIT 2: What avenues would be open to me to make money? There's always bashing for gold, which will be a staple, but I was wondering if there are any tradeskills that are guaranteed to return a profit if I work diligently at it.

EDIT 3 (Many edits!): Lesson pools are weird.

Llandros

In a nutshell.

Bards can put up a song with 9 different powers in it that are all going at the same time. They can help allies and hurt/afflict enemies.

They damage kill mainly but they do have a timed instakill.

They have great utility and are good bashers as well but there is one drawback. NONE of their attacks work on anyone who is deaf. So when you fight as a bard you pretty much have to blanknote your target after every second attack or so to keep them hearing.

If you don't like juggling your attacks like that you probably won't like it. 

The combat strategy for them is pretty straightforward and some think that makes them newbie friendly. I haven't been a newbie in longer than I care to admit so I'm hesitant to say one way or the other.

Edit: Bards will almost never pull off their insta 1 v 1. There are some classes they are really good against, and some they are really bad against. You won't steam roll the basin as a bard. I rather enjoy it though. 

Also, keep in mind that 'bards' and 'monks' are not all the same. Different guilds of the same archetype have significant differences as far as combat style and abilities depending what org they are in.

Elanorwen

A lot of questions, though I can possibly provide some answers there.

Monks are probably one of... if not the best bashers out there. It all depends on what you bash as critters with resistance to your attacks will obviously be harder to kill. On the off-side, monks do get a lot more critical strikes than other classes, so it can possibly even out a bit.

Way I understand it, I'm not that good of a monk conoisseur myself (so if anyone with better monk knowledge would like to step in and correct errors I make in the process, feel free), shofangi do have something similar to back-breaker throw... it's called crunch. You'd need to grapple an opponent's head before executing crunch and the more wounded that particular bodypart is, the better chance to kill your opponent. Essentially, the same way a warrior might swing a weapon at the head to execute a behead or crushed skull depending on their specialization. I'm unfamiliar with how hard or easy that is to execute.

Tahtetso need their opponent to be prone, i.e. sprawled on the floor, then they need to execute an ability that causes a specific affliction, one that only works for the instakill and nothing else and is cured by regeneration, then follow up with another attack that will destroy the opponent's heart, killing them instantly.

Nekotai's insta is called finalsting, essentially an accelerated version of crotamine that kills at a much faster rate than the regular poison itself, plus it has the ability to bypass poison resistances and immunities. Of course, you'd probably need your target blacked out or locked for this move to go through even with the faster poison tick.

Both Tahtetso and Shofangi are Harmony monks. As such, they have access to another instakill, called deathtouch, although the way I understand it, it is close to impossible to pull off. In essence, if your target is under 2/3 of their max health, mana and ego, you can kill them instantly.

All guilds obviously have the ability to damage kill, although don't expect it to happen in one:one combat much except against opponents that are lower in the levels.

As far as bards go, they are more of a support class. I haven't seen what they are like on Imperian, but overall they tend to shine more in group combat than in solo here. They have songs that afflict with various afflictions based on their class and also buff allies and their abilities, again based on class. There is a limitation to how many effects one can imbue in a bard song, specifically, the maximum effects you can have on it are nine... and, of course, they only work on targets that are not deaf. Bards do have the ability to break deafness for a bit, but most people will bring it back up as soon as they are able to do so. They also have the ability to prevent curing of certain afflictions at their location, essentially afflictions that help them work toward their kill. Powerspike, manabarbs, egovice, achromatic aura, all four of which work together with an ability that is specific to each bard guild to induce stun and deal damage, stun and damage going higher depending on how many of the four exist on the target, essentially allowing a bard to damage-kill an opponent.

Bards also have the option of picking tarot as a tertiary skill, which includes the soulless tarot you might be familiar with from other IREs that is a timed insta-kill, and each and every bard guild has another timed insta-kill from their songs that requires your enemy to be able to hear. Still, in single combat, it is not highly likely that you will be able to pull those off against experienced opponents.

Differences between the bard guilds are really in the way they afflict their opponents. For instance, a Magnagora bard has the ability to drain sustenance from their enemy, causing them to start going unconscious due to hunger, while a Gaudiguch bard has the ability to make their opponents more and more inebriated. Essentially, I'd say go to the XielTalnara site and look over the sub-specs of music to figure out what they do. Might be easier to do that than have someone try and explain it all.

In mind with solo combat, I'd probably recommend Tahtetso at present, possibly Shofangi... and maybe Minstrels for bards.

Enyalida

Every second attack for blanknote is a bit of an  extreme estimate. Depending on the attack and your speed bonus, you're looking at more in the 3rd-4th attack range.

Monks generally do not rely on their instant kills, as most of them aren't particularly good. Generally, monks won't need it!

This is a basic summary of how monks work:

-You get three 'action slots' per round of attack, two arm attacks and a kick. You'll learn lots of attacks that use up different types of balance, some even taking up both arm attacks at once (these are grapples). 

-You pre-make 'forms' using a built in storage/memory mechanic, including what attacks go in what order and what body parts they target. Then, you use the form on someone to automatically unleash that combination. You can also apply modifiers to forms, which change how all the attacks in that form work, in some way. Things like 'speed' (to speed up the balance loss of the form) or more guild specific ones.

-Each attack and modifier you add to a form has a 'ka cost' associated with it, as listed in their AB files. The form's total ka limits when you can use the form, via a mechanic called 'momentum'. Basically, if your form is too complex or powerful, you must build momentum before you can use it.

-Most forms you use will build momentum at a rate of 1 per round, maxing out at 5. If you don't make an attack for a few seconds after your last attack, you lose 1momentum per a few seconds. 

-Some special attacks will lower momentum as a balancing mechanic. 

-Parrying and stancing (ways to avoid/block physical attacks) are blocked by proning, so Monks tend to focus on getting an enemy prone and keeping them there, to mixed success. Being prone also adds a massive modifier to the amount of damage monks hit you with (used to be 20%+, it's down from there, to a number I can't remember, but still quite high).

The other basic thing to realize is that monks do both damage and wounds. Wounds are an attrition mechanic, they are cured by applying health (so you either cure the damage, or the wounds). All of your attacks will create some number of wounds on the body part you targeted with that attack, depending on your stats and the particular attack. The more wounds on a body part, the more damage you do to the victim when that body part is hit! Some effects also require or are powered up by the presence of wounds. 


So, generally monks will be spamming hindering abilities and quick attacks to raise their momentum, and then unleashing some 5 momentum powerful moves (Which often will drop their momentum a few, down to 3 or so), and then repeating until the opponent is dead. Some of the monk guilds will use curing locks to get there, others will just generally keep you down until they can build enough wounds to hammer you. The monk tert choices make it really hard (impossible for some classes) to hinder a monk or stop them from building up momentum, and once a monk has momentum, you generally need to just run away until their momentum winds down. 

Llandros

Wut? 

If you are just interested in pvp then seriously avoid Minstrels and Symphonium. They are still works in progress and are far from having a proven combat potential. The other specs are solid but very different. Some are tanky and some more like glass cannons. You will want to check them out if you are interested in bards.

Llandros

Enyalida said:

Every second attack for blanknote is a bit of an  extreme estimate. Depending on the attack and your speed bonus, you're looking at more in the 3rd-4th attack range.

No. No it's not. 

Blanknote averages out to be 6 to 8 seconds. You are not going to get 4 attacks in in 6 seconds. You have to be on balance and eq waiting for them to eat eawort otherwise you lose. Anyone following your advice would waste half of their attacks and hate you forever.

Eritheyl

Llandros said:

Wut? 

If you are just interested in pvp then seriously avoid Minstrels and Symphonium. They are still works in progress and are far from having a proven combat potential. The other specs are solid but very different. Some are tanky and some more like glass cannons. You will want to check them out if you are interested in bards.

Minstrelry is actually pretty solid, it's just a matter of people getting out there and showing off the potential. Kregarn has been fiddling with it, and it's quite deadly. LoralAria is...yeah, no. Not really suited for 1v1 unless you're able to just damage the crap out of someone. So, less than ideal for top-tier aspirations.

Alacardael

Yeah, Minstrels are fine for PvP. Svana used to devastate with it.