MNK - how do these things work?

[Duffman]

I had a MNK at 15 for the longest time. I'm only really leveling my
ultimate main job SAM at the moment but it's part of a static that
meets only once a week. So I got a little bored and got MNK to 16 .
Compared to 20k per level, 15-16 was a real snap!

I've been in the game awhile and have seen Mnks in groups but
I've never really focused on what they do. I'm not sure how far I'll
take MNK. It just depends on many things.

I was just curiouse about 2 main things.
1) What is the role of a MNK in a party (DOT?)
2) What attributes to focus on; gear-wise?

I'm guessing that it's pretty straight forward. It's probably classified
as a DD and sometimes a tank? never? always? Focus on +Accuracy
and +Str.


Right or Wrong, What I did in the dunes was fun.
I first-voked (used to that by now) and kept spamming boost and voke.
Throw in the occasional SC and the mob was stuck to me. I haven't
seen that many mnk tanks so that may be a "no-no" but it was fun.

 

[Kurgon]

I was able to tank in a pinch through Jungles (mandies/crabs not too bad gobs/pugs hurt like a mother, especially screwdriver) but typically was in the role of backup voker. Monks are a DoT class and the main focus is Acc, Dex, Str. Common saying is that boost = 1/2 a provoke. (I am in no way sure of that statements validity) When I am tanking even as a War/mnk I'll throw in a boost 15 seconds after my provoke to help keep hate.

For the most part you'll never see any one line of text saying Entermonksnamehere hitting for an insane amount of damage but if you add up all the damage from a fight you'll see that monks can shine. At least if the monk has decent equipment and the group isn't fighting IT+++ mobs.

 

[Faedryth]

Well I think for the first 30 levels, Monk can tank well enough. You must have the right gear for it, but I think they can have the highest +Evasion gear at that point with Emperor Hairpin, Scentless Armlets, etc. Or you can load up on +Vit gear and be a take the hits type of tank. With counter and a Warrior sub it is viable.

Really Monks are not in the early and mid game what they are in later game. At 55+, a decked out Monk is close to a Ranger in DOT, with perhaps Barrage and the more powerful Sidewinder/Slugshot giving them the edge. But I have seen Monks hit for 40-50 a HIT, so 80-100 damage a round, when they have Warrior subbed with Berserk. Add into that Double Attack and Kick Attack, and Monks are crazy.

As for gear, Haste and Accuracy. Brown Belt is really important to a Monk. 8% Haste may not seem a lot, but it adds up. At 40 a Monk is looking at having Ochidoes Kote, Brown Belt, and Jujitsu Gi for starters. That will run you about 2.2 million right there. Unfortunately, if someone doesnt have said things, they are not going to get as many invites as someone who does. I invited Mephs once because I knew he was decked out, and he TOTALLY formulate my opinion of what a Monk should be, and the next 3 parties I had I invited Monks - all were very well equipped I was happy to find. But it is one of the MOST expensive jobs by far. At 50 you are looking for Cross-Counters and Scorpion Harness at 57. That brings you up to 10 million. Of course, you dont HAVE to get them, but when you do a Monk really comes into its own.

But past 30, all you will ever be is DoT and endgame a Chi Blast bitch is what I hear for Gods and stuff. I had considered Monks capability for tanking with their ungodly amount of HP and Vit, but even will all the evasion gear you can find, I dont think it will match Pld or Nin potential.

Hope that helps out some..

Fae

 

[Kurgon]

While I think for the most part Allakhazam is mainly full of flame bait anymore I still highly suggest this thread.

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html?fjob=11&mid=1087244426955813153&num=277

It hasn't been updated to reflect new armor types (Voyager Sallet, ect)or recent price inflation but it is still fundamentally sound. I find myself following a lot of the suggestions within this guide but you should still be willing to stray if you see fit.

 

[Reauland]

Just wanted to throw this out there:

Are you aware that Boost actually stacks? :shock:

I didn't know this for a long time, til someone told me to try it. So Boosting at every opportunity (when waiting for the next pull to arrive, eg.), can actually drop a sizable chunk of damage right off the top. ^^b

 

[Skaw]

First bit of advice I have to give, is try to quest for your own brown belt at some point in time. You'll need to do so anyway, as the quest is a prerequisite for the Black Belt quest, and the Brown Belt itself is the 4th and final trade-in item.

2nd is, despite what these people are telling you. Cross-Counters are not a realistic item for a mnk to have at level 50. That money is better spent elsewear. And since the Temple Cyclas comes with Accuracy+5, you can skip over the Scorpion Harness. I did, and not once was whined at for not having one.

As well. MNK AF is one of the best sets(stat wise) that you'll find. I carry around 4 of the 5 peices, since Boost, Focus, Dodge, and Chakra are used regularly, so having your inventory capacity maxed out is a good idea. Unfortunantly Relic Armor isn't the same way for MNK, and the only peice you should really concern yourself with getting are Melee Gloves, and possibly Gaiters.

 

[Kurgon]

2nd is, despite what these people are telling you. Cross-Counters are not a realistic item for a mnk to have at level 50. That money is better spent elsewear. And since the Temple Cyclas comes with Accuracy+5, you can skip over the Scorpion Harness. I did, and not once was whined at for not having one.

Never said to get them. I farm a lot but I would never buy these unless I had a couple high level jobs and just had the money to throw away.

 

[Duffman]

great posts guys (and gals if any). Thanks.
Yep, I was aware of Boost stacking way back when I got 1-15 but
I would get unlucky and miss my first punch while the rest connected.
Though that didn't happen last time. Unless something changed in the
patch I THINK that the boost can stack up to 10 times before the first
one wears off, but can't remember.


anyhow, I have a lot of distractions to take up all of my time. I don't
want to belittle any job and call it a distraction, so I won't. But when I
get bored, I can slip on the knuckles and punch for awhile. That's fun.
Honestly, at this point, I don't see me taking that as an endgame job
but who knows what will come? I still need to get SAM there first then
I can decide what else to invest in.

Thanks for the answers. I hope they helped others who may have been
looking to level MNK as well.

 

[Skaw]

2nd is, despite what these people are telling you. Cross-Counters are not a realistic item for a mnk to have at level 50. That money is better spent elsewear. And since the Temple Cyclas comes with Accuracy+5, you can skip over the Scorpion Harness. I did, and not once was whined at for not having one.

Never said to get them. I farm a lot but I would never buy these unless I had a couple high level jobs and just had the money to throw away.

Eh, I had just woken up. I meant to type "Despite what anyone will tell you" but somewhere between the toast in my mouth and running to the bathroom to hop in the shower, I don't know what happened.

 

[Faedryth]

Yeah I heard there is something called Legionaires Knuckles too, I think they are quested? But you dont NEED CC like i said, but they are the uber equip at 50.

Fae

 

[Jagster]

I'm just asking this out of curiousity, I don't really play monk but I'd like to hear a response. Now I know str,acc,and haste are the major concerns for this job, although this job favors many many more stats, those 3 seem to top all.

My question is about brown belt and lifebelt. Haste + 8% and str+5 or whatever it is sure is a great thing, but does it really offset losing acc+10, acc+10 is a very large chuck of acc to lose for any job at any level. Does it vary from enemy to enemy and level differences? Or do you mix it up and use lifebelt then switch to brown belt during focus? Do you give up attk+ food which can be about +60 to +100 attack for accuracy food and use brown belt and depend on the str+ from sole sushi and brown belt to cover for the attack+ loss?

Whatever it is you guys you all do, I'd be interested in hearing responses to learn more about something I haven't experienced.

 

[CubsWoo]

Get both Life and Brown and hot-swap depending on the mob choice. I personally prefer Life + 2x Sniper's + Mithkabob/Curry for food, but when I have Focus up I swap in Puissance Rings and the Brown Belt for added damage.

Personally, I think MNKs were meant as a steady DoT contributor, more for low ITs and high VTs. We don't have the spike damage of a RNG (or even a DRK, I see DRKs at 50 getting in single hits for 100+) but when they go whiff, whiff, whiff and you're constantly hitting for 60-90 a round, it's a really nice feeling. As an example, I was barely beating out the DRK in my pt in TP and we were just about even in DPS.

The caveat here is that I was 50 and he was 52. Draw your own conclusions. ^^

 

[Skaw]

MNK does become the top dollar in DD, but it takes a lot of effort, gearwise. I have two Emnity- Merits, and still draw hate from Ranger, Dragoon, and Dark Knight. Until the Ranger does Slug Shot anyway.

 

[Duffman]

nice question Jagster, thanks cubs for the answer.
I don't think my mnk will be that high but you never know.

I've finally started using macros where equipment is swapped out.
It just wasn't a necessity until a few levels back. I bet lots of jobs
get that; especially bard.

Dinky was a brd (IRL friend) and he said it was nuts with all of the
equipment swap macros for all songs.

 

[Bajaratt]

The normal setup I use is Temple Cyclas(AF body), brown belt, 2x snipers, and sole sushi food. I carry my life belt with me for mobs with just tons evasion. Without the life belt, I'm hitting around 70-75% accuracy without focus, and about 90-95% with focus. I can outdamage anyone but ranger's consistantly, and I've still managed to outdamage rangers in individual fights before. Don't expect to see big damage per hit, but when you can get 4 hits in a single attack round, that damage adds up fast.

You will definitely want to quest the brown belt, since the black belt is by far the best belt in the game. The quest requires rare/ex items that drop off of behemoth and adamantoise (100% chance if the god form), so it's a bitch to get, but it's worth it.

Monk also has some of the best abilities in the game, I think. You get free evasion boost, accuracy boost, healing, attack boost and a ranged attack all in one job. Unlike the warrior abilities, where you sacrifice something to boost something else (defender, berserk, aggressor), monk loses nothing. Also, chakra will remove paralysis, poison and blind along with healing you, assuming that it isn't eaten by paralysis.

 

[Mephs]

I'll tell you one thing, having a bajillion acc really won't make you any more amazing than the "average" monk. Believe me. All in all I used to have a real pimp getup, SH+1, sniper+1, I sold them back and bought NQs just cause I need money for other things. I'll be blunt. I still hit the same as I did before I scrapped those.

Now granted not everyone will have the same gear, but if you have the money to throw down, by all means cap off where you can. That means paying 8mil for that extra 2 acc where necessary, but cap it off if you can. I use PCC instead of life belt, and this allows me to use brown belt for the haste and STR, which I think is worth the 15+mil price tag since the only other neck piece choice we realy have is spike. Of course, spectacles are just as good, only what, 3 or 4 acc less than PCC overall. If you can't get specs or PCC though, life belt may be a better choice to make up for that loss in ACC from the neck slot.

MNK may look like another "just run up, auto attack, and go take a crap" job but a truly good MNK player is attentive at all times and has gear swaps to accomodate changes in battle. Knowing how to balance your job abilities to suit the fight also adds lots of effectiveness to playing it. Knowing when to hold hate and when to go soft is also a valuable thing to putting yourself ahead of "the average MNK". Choice of sub dependng on WS layout and hate management (when to go THF over WAR, for example), and party layout. Will the PLD be able to hold hate (do we have a THF or not?) Will it be necessary for you to tank at any time? First voker? Better break some more heavy DEF gear and use defender while doing that first voke. No defender up? Dodge and throw on evasion/counter gear to possibly lighten the amount of hits and/or counter.

The average MNK also just levels to the top without taking full advantage of the features we're given. Sure we can't use heavy armor, so does that mean we can't tank? Hell no. High HP, the counter ability, B in evasion (I believe that's the 3rd best evasion rating of all the jobs?), perfect hate holding capability (pure pain in direct damage!), and enough job abilities to spam for those extra hate spikes. But a lot of people also tend to overlook GUARDING skill... which might seem like a waste of time, until you see what it can actually do, and how often it kicks in when capped. You ever recall those times you fought MNK beastmen, expecially the higher up ones, and felt like some strikes were barely scathing them? It happens a lot, and that is what it is like to have capped guarding skill, with extra boosts from the AF and whatever else you might have (guarding torque, as an example)

Levelling Guard, of course is extremely difficult to do alone, especially as you get higher up in it. Using lots of guard skill up gear as well as finding a decent area to farm can level it without making it seem like such a chore. Just farming some mobs will level it as you go. But there's always the power levelling way to do it, which will remain my little secret for now ... my guard skill is still relatively low but I know what to do now if I want to give it a significant boost in a few hours, and plan to do so as I level so that I'm more than just your average MNK =]