[pathwriter]

The Way of the Monk
- A Guide of Sorts -


Introduction

The Monk is the master of the unarmed martial arts of Vana'diel, a blend of the San d'Orian tradition of the Davoi Monastery and the Galka martial artists of Bastok. They excel in producing fast yet powerful strikes to quickly dispatch an enemy and are armed with an array of abilities to enhance both their attacks and their defensive capabilities. A Monk is a strong addition to any party as well as an adept solo player.

The path of a Monk through Final Fantasy XI is neither the easiest nor the fastest. It requires patience, dedication, and, above all, a love of the job and what it can do to reach not only level 80 but also an unparalleled degree of strength and excellence. While certainly not the most difficult melee job to play, the finesse required for Monk to reach its fullest potential can provide a worthy challenge. If you are interested in dealing heavy front-line damage while retaining the ability to operate solo, Monk is an excellent option.


The Basics

As a Monk, you will spend most of your time using hand-to-hand weaponry to enhance the natural strength of your fists. A new player will notice that, unlike swords and axes, hand-to-hand weapons increase your base natural damage and delay, which is to say, they give +damage and +delay rather than merely setting your damage and delay directly. What this means is that in the hands of an experienced Monk, the same weapon will attack faster and hit harder than when equipped by a less experienced Monk.

The primary stats a Monk focuses on are STR (Strength) and DEX (Dexterity). STR relates to damage caused and DEX relates to both melee accuracy and critical hit rate. Of lesser importance to a Monk are VIT (Vitality), AGI (Agility), and MND (Mind). VIT affects your ability to take damage, AGI affects your ability to evade or guard blows, and MND relates to both magic resistance and specialized damage caused by the ability Chi Blast. Secondary stats important to a Monk are Accuracy and Attack. Accuracy's effect should be self-evident and the same is true of Attack. Further, Evasion has a role to play in a Monk's career, though it is generally not important in XP situations.

In general, a Monk should try to find a balance between Attack, Accuracy, and STR between his gear and food. No one stat is overwhelmingly more important than the other two and excessive amounts of one will lead to diminishing returns and reduced effectiveness. STR is the least of these, though, as it affects hand-to-hand damage far less than other weapons. Additionally, while DEX may provide Accuracy, it is best not to try to substitute DEX for Accuracy as it requires far more of the former to achieve the same result as the latter. In terms of how STR is related to Attack and how DEX is related to Accuracy, 2 STR will produce a gain of 1 Attack and similarly for DEX (based on independent research). Considering that the only items with significant enough DEX to exceed similar items available with Accuracy exist at level 70+, it is best to simply focus on Accuracy when you are failing to hit your target.


Job Abilities and Traits

Monk receives one of the largest collections of Job Traits and Abilities in FFXI. A new Monk would do well to learn about them and how to use them to their fullest potential.


Abilities

Job Abilties (JA) must be activated to be used.

-Hundred Fists
Obtained: Level 1
Duration: 45 seconds
Cooldown: 120 minutes
Description: Speeds up attacks.
Notes: Hundred Fists is the two-hour special ability of the Monk. It gives the effect of maximum Haste (approximately 70%) and speeds up attacks to be effectively constant for 45 seconds after activation. Managed properly, this is one of the most devastating abilities in the game and can save not only a Monk's life but also his party's lives in an emergency situation. Treasure and love this ability. This used to reduce spell recast timers by 50%, but the December 2005 patch removed this.

-Boost
Obtained: Level 5
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Description: Enhances the power of your next attack.
Notes: Boost is an enigmatic JA in that its cooldown timer is significantly lesser than its duration. The reason for this is two-fold. In the first, Boost will only affect a single attack and wears off immediately thereafter. In the second, it can be stacked to cause greater effect. In an XP or solo situation, stacking Boosts is not advised as, in order to stack, one must not attack. Boost increases Attack by ~12.5% per use and is best used immediately prior to Weapon Skills. When using Temple Gloves, Boost increases Attack by ~18%. If one is tanking, it can be used to provide a constant influx of enmity due to its short cooldown. Boost has a secondary impact on Chi Blast that will be discussed later.

-Dodge
Obtained: Level 15
Duration: 2 minutes
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Description: Enhances evasion.
Notes: As the description implies, this JA will increase your ability to evade attacks. Used judiciously, Dodge can be potentially life-saving. It is theorized that Dodge gives +20 Evasion and Temple Gaiters' enhancement increases this to +30. Temple Gaiters need only be equipped during activation for this enhancement to activate, the improvement will remain even after switching to other footwear.

-Focus
Obtained: Level 25
Duration: 2 minutes
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Description: Enhances accuracy.
Notes: Focus will give you a 2 minute burst of Accuracy. Focus gives a base Accuracy bonus of +20, this increases to +30 when Temple Crown is equipped during activation. It is not necessary to wear Temple Crown to sustain the bonus. Good Monks quickly learn how to save and use this ability for maximum effectiveness.

-Chakra
Obtained: Level 35
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Description: Restores a small amount of HP.
Notes: Chakra will restore an amount of HP equal to your current VIT x 2. It also cures the Poison and Blindness status ailments. Certain items increase and expand this effect later in the game. Chakra is helpful to the farming ability of a Monk as it allows him to avoid having to rest as frequently as he otherwise would. It is also highly effective for removing certain status ailments and restoring some HP when a healer is otherwise occupied.

-Chi Blast
Obtained: Level 41
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 3 minutes
Description: Releases chi to attack an enemy.
Notes: Using this ability, a Monk releases an orb of spiritual energy at an enemy. It is a naturally ranged attack and is well suited to claiming a target while outside of melee range. It is an instantaneous attack. It is not suitable for extended pulling due to a relatively long cooldown time. Two factors affect damage caused by Chi Blast: MND and the number of Boosts stacked before use. At higher levels when fighting powerful NMs, Monks may Boost repeatedly for just under 3 minutes (to a maximum of 12 Boosts) and release Chi Blast for a powerful burst of damage. Chi Blast does not produce TP though it can be absorbed by Stoneskin. Certain very high level creatures can reduce the damage dealt by this attack, but it is generally unresistable. The generally accepted cap for Chi Blast damage is MND x 10, but this relies on having fully 12 enhanced Boosts and certain variable factors.

-Counterstance
Obtained: Level 45
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Description: Greatly weakens defense but increases your chances of counterattacking.
Notes: It is an understatement to say that this weakens a Monks defense. In fact, it removes all defense boosts and strips a Monk down purely to his defense bonus from VIT. In return, though, he will counter attacks against him with greater frequency, increasing base Counter rate to approximately 45%. In general, the counterattacks usually do not outweigh the loss of defense, particularly in that they increase enmity.

-Footwork
Obtained: Level 65
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Description: Makes kicks your primary mode of attack.
Notes: This sets your base Delay to 480 (unaffected by your weapon +Delay) and causes all attacks to be made as Kicks. 480 Delay results in 13% TP gain per strike. Haste will reduce your Delay but Martial Arts has no effect. Grants a 10% bonus to Attack. This ability only works with Hand-to-Hand attacks. Weapon skills are still performed with your Hand-to-Hand weapon except Dragon Kick and Tornado Kick which base their damage on your boots. Kick Attacks will proc, causing occasional "Double Attacks." Double Attack may stack with this ability. Hundred Fists will override but not cancel the ability.

-Mantra (Merit)
Obtained: Level 75
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Description: Increases the max HP for party members within area of effect.
Notes: This is a merited ability that grants a boost to your party's max HP. It initially grants +4% Max HP and additional merits increase that a further 4% each to a total of +20% max HP with 5/5 Mantra merits. This will not grant any HP, so a Cure spell is necessary to fill the new maximum. This is a situationally useful ability, particularly for short events that rely on Souleater damage.

-Formless Strikes (Merit)
Obtained: Level 75
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Description: While in effect, melee attacks will not be considered physical damage. No effect on weapon skills.
Notes: Your strikes become non-elementally magical but lose some potency, hitting for only 75% normal damage. Additional merits increase damage dealt by 5% for a total of 95% normal damage with 5/5 Formless Strikes merits. This is also very situational. It allows the Monk to deal damage to targets that resist or are immune to physical or blunt damage, including Paladins that have used Invincible. There are a limited number of scenarios in which this is needed and as damage can be resisted like any other source of magical damage, it will not necessarily help against high level notorious monsters.

-Perfect Counter
Obtained: Level 79
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 1 minute
Description: Allows you to counter the next attack directed at you.
Notes: Contrary to the description, this ability can force a counterattack against several attacks. On average, it will last between one and three attacks before wearing off. This is generally sufficient to ensure a cast of Utsusemi: Ichi goes uninterrupted, though it also serves as a potent but limited short-term defense when lacking shadow clones. Perfect Counter is subject to the Accuracy check that applies to all counterattacks, thus a minimum of 5% of all Perfect Counters will "miss," thus causing you to take damage. Effects that impact Accuracy, such as Flash, will significantly impair Perfect Counter. Additionally, Perfect Counter appears to force a critical hit for counterattacks.


Traits

Job Traits are passive and, thus, active at all times.

-Martial Arts I
Obtained: Level 1
Description: Increases speed of hand-to-hand attacks.
Notes: This will reduce the base delay of hand-to-hand attacks from 480 to 400. There are five upgrades to this trait but this is the most significant. A player lacking this trait will attack very slowly when unarmed and slower still when armed with a hand-to-hand weapon.

-Subtle Blow I
Obtained: Level 5
Description: Reduces amount of TP gained by enemies when striking them.
Notes: When a player hits an NPC, that NPC gains the same TP the player gained plus 3 extra points. For a Monk (or Ninja), this can be a dangerous situation due to the speed and frequency of attacks. Therefore, a degree of subtlety is needed. Subtle Blow I reduces TP gain for a mob by 5%. On gear, this would be indicated as Subtle Blow +5. Thus, if a mob would gain 10 TP from a strike, it will instead gain 9.5 TP.

-Counter
Obtained: Level 10
Description: May cancel a target's attack with an attack of your own.
Notes: When an enemy attacks, there is a chance his blow will be nullified and you will attack him in return. This does not affect delay nor is it subject to TP gain. Counter damage is based on the Monk's damage, not his target's. Counter's activation rate is a function of one's Counter rate (base 10% from the job trait, enhanced by Counterstance and +Counter gear) and Accuracy. If your Accuracy is lacking against a given target, you will Counter their attacks less often.

-Max HP Boost I
Obtained: Level 15
Description: Increases your maximum HP.
Notes: This is fairly self-explanatory, you gain 30 extra HP. This trait's effect is enhanced as the Monk attains higher levels of experience.

-Martial Arts II
Obtained: Level 16
Description: Increases speed of hand-to-hand attacks.
Notes: Reduces base hand-to-hand (H2H) delay by 20 to 380 delay.

-Subtle Blow II
Obtained: Level 25
Description: Reduces amount of TP gained by enemies when striking them.
Notes: As above, further reduces mob TP gain by 5% to a 10% TP reduction.

-Martial Arts III
Obtained: Level 31
Description: Increases speed of hand-to-hand attacks.
Notes: Reduces base H2H delay by 20 to 360 delay.

-Max HP Boost II
Obtained: Level 35
Description: Increases your maximum HP.
Notes: As above, you gain 30 additional HP.

-Subtle Blow III
Obtained: Level 45
Description: Reduces amount of TP gained by enemies when striking them.
Notes: As above, further reduces mob TP gain by 5% to 15% TP reduction.

-Martial Arts IV
Obtained: Level 46
Description: Increases speed of hand-to-hand attacks.
Notes: Reduces base H2H delay by 20 to 340.

-Kick Attacks
Obtained: Level 51
Description: Occasionally delivers kick attacks when using hand-to-hand weapons.
Notes: When fighting unarmed or with H2H weapons, you will occasionally unleash a kick at the enemy as a free attack. Kicks do not affect delay but do give TP (based on weapon delay). Kick damage is based on unarmed damage although items exist which increase its damage. You cannot kick while using a club or staff. Kick Attacks I has a 5% chance of occurring during a given attack round.

-Max HP Boost III
Obtained: Level 55
Description: Increases your maximum HP.
Notes: As above, you gain 60 additional HP.

-Martial Arts V
Obtained: Level 61
Description: Increases speed of hand-to-hand attacks.
Notes: Reduces base H2H delay by 20 to 320 delay.

-Subtle Blow IV
Obtained: Level 65
Description: Reduces amount of TP gained by enemies when striking them.
Notes: As above, further reduces mob TP gain by 5% to 20% TP reduction. Fourth and final improvement to this trait.

-Max HP Boost IV
Obtained: Level 70
Description: Increases your maximum HP.
Notes: As above, you gain 60 additional HP. Fourth and final improvement to this trait.

-Kick Attacks II
Obtained: Level 71
Description: Occasionally delivers kick attacks when using hand-to-hand weapons.
Notes: As above, increases the frequency of delivering a kick attack. This increases the activation rate of Kicks to 10%. This is the second and final improvement to this trait.

-Martial Arts VI
Obtained: Level 75
Description: Increases speed of hand-to-hand attacks.
Notes: Reduces base H2H delay by 20 to a final base of 300 delay.

-Penance (Merit)
Obtained: Level 75
Description: Adds an effect to Chi Blast that inhibits an enemy's TP accumulation.
Notes: When using Chi Blast, this will reduce a target's ability to gain TP. Its initial duration is 20 seconds and each additional merit adds another 20 seconds, coming to a total of 100 seconds of effect with 5/5 Penance merits. The effect acts as Store TP -25 in that it reduces a target's TP accumulation by 25%. This is situationally useful when dealing with an enemy that has dangerous TP attacks and is likely to gain TP rapidly. Due to the limited applications available for Chi Blast, the uses for this trait are similarly limited.

-Invigorate (Merit)
Obtained: Level 75
Description: Adds a Regen effect when using Chakra.
Notes: Upon using Chakra, the Monk will regenerate 10 HP every 3 seconds for 24 seconds, which each additional merit increasing the duration by 24 seconds to a total of 120 seconds of effect. HP restored is thus 80 per merit and 400 with 5/5 Invigorate merits. When solo, this can be a powerful boost to Chakra as a means of staying alive. In a grouped situation, however, the Invigorate effect can be overwritten by the White Mage Regen spells, including the substantially weaker Regen I.

-Tactical Guard
Obtained: Level 77
Description:Grants bonus TP when guarding an attack.
Notes: When an attack is guarded against, a little more TP than usual will be earned. Given the low activation rate of guard and that blood-tanking is generally discouraged by game design, this is an inconsequential bonus.


Skills

Hand-to-Hand: A+ skill, 301 cap at level 80
Staff: B skill, 275 cap at level 80
Club: C+ skill, 255 cap at level 80
Throwing: E skill, 215 cap at level 80

Guard: A- skill, 294 cap at level 80
Evasion: B+ skill, 281 cap at level 80
Parrying: E skill, 215 cap at level 80

Some notes with regards to skills:

As a Monk, you will use H2H weapons primarily. Staff skill has some use, considering we have access to some of the best staves in the game and both Full Swing and Retribution are powerful one-hit weapon skills. Stacked with Sneak Attack and with their full damage modifiers at 300% TP, a Monk with a powerful Staff such as a Primate Staff can do extremely high damage. This is not commonly done, though, as Howling Fist and Dragon Kick are strong weapon skills. Club skill and Throwing are purely incidental and of little importance, though it should be noted that Monks can achieve the final quested weapon skill for Club (Black Halo) as well as those for H2H (Asuran Fists) and Staff (Retribution).

As for defensive skills, Monk has the third highest Evasion in the game, thus we make excellent solo players. Guard skill is, by far, the hardest skill in the game to level, which is unfortunate as its effect is substantial, reducing an enemy's damage by half or more. Hand-to-Hand does not allow a Monk to Parry, nor do Staves or Clubs allow a Monk to Guard.


Weapon Skills

For the sake of this guide, I will cover the basics of Hand-to-Hand weapon skills. As a note, all Hand-to-Hand weapon skills are at least two strikes, even if they do not appear to be.

-Combo
Obtained: Level 10 Hand-to-Hand (Level 4 Monk)
Description: Delivers a three-fold attack. Damage varies with TP.
Notes: Description says it all. This is the most utilitarian weapon skill to use until gaining Backhand Blow or Raging Fists.
Elemental Property: Lightning

-Shoulder Tackle
Obtained: Level 40 Hand-to-Hand (Level 13 Monk)
Description: Stuns target. Chance of stunning varies with TP.
Notes: This is not a weapon skill to use for making skillchains, but it can be quite useful for fighting mages and interrupting their spells. It can be occasionally used to interrupt a dangerous TP attack, but be aware that the mob is likely to use the attack again immediately after the Stun effect wears off. In this case, Stun is very brief.
Elemental Properties: Water, Lightning

-One Inch Punch
Obtained: Level 75 Hand-to-Hand (Level 24 Monk)
Description: Delivers an attack that ignores target's defense. Amount ignored varies with TP.
Notes: This weapon skill requires Monk (or Puppetmaster) to be the main or support job of the character. Despite the description, this weapon skill is rather weak without substantial TP. Don't use it.
Elemental Property: Darkness

-Backhand Blow
Obtained: Level 100 Hand-to-Hand (Level 33 Monk)
Description: Deals critical damage. Chance of critical hit varies with TP.
Notes: A decently damaging attack for its level, this can be used in place of Combo until you learn Raging Fists.
Elemental Property: Wind

-Raging Fists
Obtained: Level 125 Hand-to-Hand (Level 41 Monk)
Description: Delivers a five-fold attack. Damage varies with TP.
Notes: This weapon skill requires Monk (or Puppetmaster) to be the main or support job of the character. This is the bread-and-butter weapon skill of the mid-level Monk. Learn to love this attack not only for its damage but also because you'll be using it for a solid 20 levels before getting a new alternative. Thankfully, it is powerful and scales well.
Elemental Property: Lightning

-Spinning Attack
Obtained: Level 150 Hand-to-Hand (Level 49 Monk)
Description: Delivers an area attack. Radius varies with TP.
Notes: If for some reason you are fighting several enemies at once, this weapon skill can help to take a chunk out of their HP simultaneously. Unfortunately, an area effect can be as much a liability as a boon and the damage itself is rather unimpressive. This will eliminate shadows and replications, though, which can be useful when fighting Ninja and mage-type targets.
Elemental Properties: Fire, Lightning

-Howling Fist
Obtained: Level 200 Hand-to-Hand (Level 60 Monk)
Description: Damage varies with TP.
Notes: This weapon skill requires Monk (or Puppetmaster) to be the main job of the character. A powerful attack, its skillchain properties are quite different from previous weapon skills. For the first time in 60 levels of XP, a Monk is able to participate in the once-hallowed Distortion renkei, albeit as an opener. This is a strong WS to use regardless of skillchain and performs well against targets with high defense.
Elemental Properties: Light, Lightning

-Dragon Kick
Obtained: Level 225 Hand-to-Hand (Level 65 Monk)
Description: Damage varies with TP.
Notes: Essentially the same as Howling Fist though with a far more impressive animation and, more importantly, the ability to open and close Light renkei. As with Howling Fist, only main-job Monks and Puppetmasters can use this skill. This attack is affected by Kick Damage boots when under the effects of Footwork.
Elemental Properties: Fragmentation (Lightning/Wind)

-Asuran Fists
Obtained: Level 250 Hand-to-Hand (Level 71 Monk)
Description: Delivers an eight-fold attack. Accuracy varies with TP.
Notes: This weapon skill can be quested upon reaching 250 H2H skill. Only Monks may learn this weapon skill. Among the most reliable attacks in the entire game, Asuran Fists will strike an enemy eight times in the space of a few seconds. This is the signature move of the Monk. Despite the description, it is not a particularly inaccurate attack, but it is recommended to retain Accuracy gear when using it to ensure maximum contact with the target.
Elemental Properties: Gravitation (Darkness/Earth), Fire

-Ascetic's Fury
Obtained: Level 75 Monk (Quested)
Description: Chance of critical hit varies with TP.
Notes: Similarly to Asuran Fists, Ascetic's Fury is gained by a quest. In this case, a Monk must acquire a pair of Burning Fists from Nyzul Isle Investigation and then undertake a quest to eventually acquire this weapon skill. It is generally inferior to Howling Fist but can perform rather well against particularly high-level or defensive targets.
Elemental Properties: Fusion (Fire/Light), Light

-Tornado Kick
Obtained: Level 300 Hand-to-Hand (Level 80 Monk)
Description: Delivers a twofold attack. Damage varies with TP.
Notes: This acts as essentially as an upgraded version of Dragon Kick and is the bread-and-butter weapon skill of a Footwork build. Its damage is often impressive when coupled with Kick Damage boots and Footwork. It also tends to renkei easily with other weapon skills.
Elemental Properties: Ice, Lightning, and Wind


Role

A Monk's role in an experience party is to be a primary front-line damage dealer. In this role, a Monk is expected to balance the use of his abilities, produce heavy amounts of damage-over-time, announce TP, and skillchain. A prudent Monk will learn to judge when to start a skillchain, if he is the one starting it, based on the remaining life of the target and the likely damage to be done by the skillchain, renkei damage, and magic burst (if any). It would behoove a Monk to learn the renkei chart by heart.

Secondary role for a Monk is as a tank. This can be in a primary or back-up role, depending on level, target, and support job. Monk/Warrior is an adept tank for the first half of the game, rivaling or exceeding Warrior/Monk in many cases. At level 37, it's often considered best to let the professionals (Paladin and Ninja) take over as primary tanks. However, with an exceptionally high VIT rating (A+, same as Paladin), Max HP Boosts, and several defensive traits and abilities, a Monk is capable of tanking in emergency situations. If, for example, a linking or aggressive mob were to spawn too close to a mage in the party, the Monk would do well to Provoke or otherwise taunt the mob until it can be pacified with Lullaby, Sleep, or Repose.

The third and final role a Monk will fulfill is that of using Chi Blast against extremely powerful HNMs and the Gods of Tu'Lia and Al'Tiaeu. In general, it is recommended that a Monk sub White Mage for this role not only to increase his MND but also to provide a variety of spells to increase his survivability and aid his comrades. When using Chi Blast, it is important to remember that the powerful burst of damage (which can go from 1,000 damage up to nearly 2,000 on rare occasions) produces a huge amount of enmity and the constant Boosting necessary to use Chi Blast regularly will only add to the problem. Monks do not generally Chi Blast in this manner anymore.

Please note, Chi Blast is best used against creatures which can not be fought effectively with melee. It is not recommended to focus on gear for this ability at lower levels nor to Boost repeatedly between pulls as it can wreak havoc with enmity. In general, this method of dealing damage is currently limited to solo kiting kills.


Support Jobs

In many ways, what job a Monk selects as his support job will dictate what role he fills as much as his main job does. Monk has a variety of options available.


Warrior

This should be the first support job a Monk takes and it is the most damaging. Double Attack and Berserk provide powerful increases to damage-over-time and are essential for a damage-dealing Monk. The following are the major abilities gained.

-Provoke (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 10 (Warrior 5)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Notes: Primary taunt, produces a large amount of enmity, focusing the mob on the user.

-Berserk (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (Warrior 15)
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Notes: Increases Attack by 25% but decreases Defense by 25%. One of the best abilities in the game. This works and plays well with Focus. Some Monks prefer to cycle Focus and Berserk to have one damage boost active at all times, others prefer to combine the two to greater effect than they have separately.

-Double Attack (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 50 (Warrior 25)
Notes: Occasionally attack twice in a round. This has a chance to activate on all normal hits but cannot activate on Double Attacks, Triple Attacks, or Kick Attacks. Provides full TP and can activate up to twice during Hand-to-Hand weapon skills. This has a 10% base activation rate.

-Defender (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 50 (Warrior 25)
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 3 minutes
Notes: Increases Defense by 25% but decreases Attack by 25%. This can be a useful lifesaver when one is the focus of unwanted aggression but is generally not best used in an experience situation. Since it cancels out the effect of Berserk, it can be used to temporarily restore one's Defense rating and later canceled so as to avoid canceling Berserk. This ability is of limited usefulness to a Monk who is tanking as reduced Attack equates to reduced damage and, thus, reduced enmity.

-Attack Bonus (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Warrior 30)
Notes: Increases base Attack by 10 points.

-Warcry (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 70 (Warrior 35)
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Notes: Produces a burst of enmity similar to Provoke and increases the Attack rating of nearby party members by a ~5%. This does stack with Berserk but does not stack with Boost, nor does it stack with Warcry from other party members. This is often used when a burst of enmity is needed and Provoke is unavailable.


Dragoon

An unlikely support job, it is the best non-tanking support job for Monk from 20 to 30. With the proper equipment, it can serve as an alternative to a Warrior support job from level 30 to level 50, but it is best abandoned after level 50 in favor of Double Attack. The items that make the most of this support job are Wyvern Earring (Level 30, All Jobs, 5% Haste when subbing Dragoon) and Wyvern Mantle (Level 30, All Jobs, 6 Attack when subbing Dragoon). Surprisingly, this support job can hold its own at higher levels with the added advantage of less direct enmity generation and no Defense penalty. These are the abilities gained from this support job.

-Jump (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 20 (Dragoon 10)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Notes: An instant attack in which the user jumps into the air and strikes his enemy from above. Damage is based on weapon damage and the user will gain TP from this attack. Jump damage is essentially a weapon skill with an fTP of 1.0 and a 50% VIT stat modifier. Basically, it inflicts normal damage plus a bonus from VIT, which works in a Monk's favor. With Hand-to-Hand weapons, both strikes are counted.

-Attack Bonus (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 20 (Dragoon 10)
Notes: Increases base Attack by 10 points.

-Accuracy Bonus (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Dragoon 30)
Notes: Increases base Accuracy by 10 points.

-High Jump (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 70 (Dragon 35)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 3 minutes
Notes: A higher jump attack, this causes approximately normal damage and sheds a small amount of enmity on activation. This is useful both as a form of TP gain and in that it will reduce one's enmity by approximately 33% on activation.


Thief

A secondary damage-dealing support job, this is not as powerful as a Warrior or Dragoon support job but it is recommended for farming purposes. In some situations, the burst damage from Sneak Attack stacked with a weapon skill can be quite effective, but it is generally inferior to the damage-over-time that is Monk's specialty. These are the major abilities gained from a Thief support job.

-Steal (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 10 (Thief 5)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Notes: Allows the player to steal an object from a target. Useful for acquiring Beastcoins when killing Beastmen, but generally not very helpful elsewhere. This can miss.

-Gilfinder (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 10 (Thief 5)
Notes: Increases the amount of gil enemies will drop by 50%. This only affects enemies which actually drop gil.

-Evasion Bonus I (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 20 (Thief 10)
Notes: Increases base Evasion by 10 points.

-Treasure Hunter I (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (Thief 15)
Notes: Increases chances of a creature dropping items. This is the primary reason for subbing Thief when farming.

-Sneak Attack (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (Thief 15)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 1 minute
Notes: Makes the next attack an automatic critical hit that cannot miss as long as the user is directly behind the target. Best stacked with a weapon skill. Since Sneak Attack only affects the first strike of a weapon skill, it is best used with single-strike weapon skills or, in the case of Monk, two-strike skills such as Backhand Blow or Dragon Kick.

-Flee (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 50 (Thief 25)
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Notes: Increases movement speed by 100%. As implied by the name, this is most useful for escaping a dangerous situation. Flee will usually remove Weight and Gravity effects.

-Trick Attack (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Thief 30)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 1 minute
Notes: Transfers the enmity produced by the next strike to the person in front of you, assuming you are standing behind a party member. Will not affect people outside your party and will not increase damage for a non-Thief. This is best used when stacked with Sneak Attack so as to transfer the enmity of a weapon skill to someone else, preferably the main tank.

-Evasion Bonus II (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Thief 30)
Notes: Increases base Evasion by 12 points in addition to the gain from Evasion Bonus I for a total of 22 additional Evasion.

-Mug (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 70 (Thief 35)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 15 minutes
Notes: Allows the player to steal a small amount of gil from enemies carrying gil. This does not affect gil dropped by the mob and can miss.


Ninja

This sub provides no offensive upgrades to Monk but substantially increases its defensive portfolio. Utsusemi, a ninjutsu technique which protects its user from harm, combined with a Monk's high Evasion rating allows Monk to effectively fight and defeat powerful foes and occasionally tank at higher levels. This high survivability has made Ninja a common support job for high level parties. When soloing strong creatures, Ninja is often the best support job to employ.

Ninja has no Job Abilities whatsoever as a support job, as Innin and Yonin are restricted to Ninja as a main job only. It does have four Job Traits, however. Dual Wield does not affect Hand-to-Hand weaponry, therefore it does not affect a Monk. Subtle Blow from Ninja does not stack with a Monk's natural Job Traits. Resist Bind, like all "Resist Status" Job Traits, is minimal. There is this, though:

-Stealth (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 10 (Ninja 5)
Notes: Decreases chances of an enemy detecting your presence. Essentially, this slightly reduces the aggro radius of mobs, which can be surprisingly helpful when fighting in tight corners. It seems to work best for avoiding aggression by sound.

Ninja does have ninjutsu, magic-like techniques which expend special tools to produce certain effects. As a note, ninjutsu will not cause a creature aggressive to magic to attack, as it does not consume MP. Interruption rate is determined by Ninjutsu magic skill which, being a support job, will generally be too low to effectively resist interruption if struck in combat. These are the most important jutsu.

-Tonko: Ichi (Ninjutsu)
Obtained: Monk Level 18 (Ninja 9)
Casting Time: 4 seconds
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Tool Used: Shinobi-Tabi
Notes: Renders the caster invisible.

-Utsusemi: Ichi (Ninjutsu)
Obtained: Monk Level 24 (Ninja 12)
Casting Time: 4 seconds
Duration: 10 minutes
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Tool Used: Shihei
Notes: Produces three replications (shadows) of the caster which will absorb physical or magical damage and disappear. Area-effect spells and attacks can eliminate some or all replications. Managed correctly, this spell allows the caster to perpetually avoid damage by shunting hits to their replications. Ranged attacks in certain areas will automatically wipe out a replication. When struck with area-effect physical attacks, the number of replications destroyed is affected primarily by Ninjutsu magic skill.

-Monomi: Ichi (Ninjutsu)
Obtained: Monk Level 50 (Ninja 25)
Casting Time: 4 seconds
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Tool Used: Sanjaku-Tenugui
Notes: Reduces the noise the caster produces, granting the effect of Sneak.

-Tonko: Ni (Ninjutsu)
Obtained: Monk Level 68 (Ninja 34)
Casting Time: 1.5 seconds
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 45 seconds
Tool Used: Shinobi-Tabi
Notes: An improved version of Tonko: Ichi, it has a faster cast time and longer duration.

-Utsusemi: Ni (Ninjutsu)
Obtained: Monk Level 74 (Ninja 37)
Casting Time: 1.5 seconds
Duration: 15 minutes
Cooldown: 45 seconds
Tool Used: Shihei
Notes: An improved version of Utsusemi: Ichi, this produces replications significantly faster but with the drawback that the spell recast time is increased by 50%. In a main-job Ninja, this spell produces four replications. Unfortunately, when cast as a support job jutsu, it produces only three replications.

Some Monks may find that using Kurayami: Ichi (causes Blindness), Hojo: Ichi (causes Slow), and Jubaku: Ichi (causes Paralysis) can occasionally enfeeble a target. Given the low INT rating that a Monk has combined with low Ninjutsu magic skill, however, success against strong enemies is low.


Dancer

As a melee-oriented healing job, Dancer allows a Monk to employ its rapid TP gain as a means of keeping himself and his party alive. This may be a viable alternative to the Ninja support job in parties where a Monk needs to mitigate damage he receives. It is an incredibly powerful support job while solo and enhances tanking ability by way of restoring one's own HP and use of Animated Flourish. These are the abilities granted by the Dancer support job.

-Drain Samba I (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 10 (Dancer 5)
Duration: 2 minutes
Cooldown: 1 minute
TP Cost: 10 TP
Notes: This returns a percentage of each successful melee strike against an enemy as HP. In spite of its name, this is not a Drain effect and does no damage of its own. HP restored is a function of attack delay and damage dealt. Additional effects, as from Boreas Cesti, will cancel out Drain Samba's effect.

-Curing Waltz I (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (Dancer 15)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 6 seconds
TP Cost: 20 TP
Notes: This restores some HP instantly to the target and is slightly modified by one's own CHR and the target's VIT. It is approximately analogous to Cure II.

-Evasion Bonus (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (Dancer 15)
Notes: Increases base Evasion by 10 points.

-Quickstep (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 40 (Dancer 20)
Duration: 1 minute initial
Cooldown: 15 seconds
TP Cost: 10 TP
Notes: Reduces the target's Evasion, success of the attack is based on Accuracy. Initial application reduces Evasion by 8, additional applications reduce Evasion by 4 more points to a maximum of -24 Evasion. Duration is increased by 30 seconds with each use of Quickstep. Provides 1 Finishing Move.

-Animated Flourish (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 40 (Dancer 20)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Notes: This Flourish will Provoke the mob as the Warrior ability, though it produces slightly less enmity. Costs a minimum of 1 Finishing Move, but will consume 2 if available.

-Spectral Jig (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 50 (Dancer 25)
Duration: Variable
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Notes: Grants the user the immediate effect of both Sneak and Invisible, it lasts at least 30 seconds and rarely longer than 60 seconds. Sneak must be canceled or wear off to re-apply Spectral Jig. It has no cost.

-Accuracy Bonus (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Dancer 30)
Notes: Increases base Accuracy by 10 points.

-Box Step (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Dancer 30)
Duration: 1 minute initial
Cooldown: 15 seconds
TP Cost: 10 TP
Notes: Reduces a target's Defense by 5% on the initial application and by 2% on each additional to a maximum of -13% Defense, duration follows the same pattern as Quickstep. Success is dependent on Accuracy. Stacks with Quickstep. Provides 1 Finishing Move.

-Curing Waltz II (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Dancer 30)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 8 seconds
TP Cost: 35 TP
Notes: A stronger version of Curing Waltz, HP restored is analogous to Cure III.

-Healing Waltz (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 70 (Dancer 35)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 15 seconds
TP Cost: 20 TP
Notes: Removes a status effect from the target.

-Reverse Flourish (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 80 (Dancer 40)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Notes: Converts Finishing Moves into TP. This is best used with 5 Finishing Moves (a total use of 50 TP) to regain 60 TP.


Dark Knight

Dark Knight as a support job is essentially a weaker version of a Warrior support job. The Monk gets greater Attack Bonuses as passive traits but loses Berserk in favor of Last Resort. Dark Knight spells are highly resistable when cast by a Monk. Use of this job combination is best for major fights that need to be finished in a short period of time. Souleater in conjunction with Hundred Fists can produce thousands of points of damage if a Monk is Cured rapidly by support magi. Follows are the noteworthy abilities gained from the job.

-Attack Bonus I (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 20 (Dark Knight 10)
Notes: Increases Attack by 10 points.

-Last Resort (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (Dark Knight 15)
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Notes: This acts in much the same way as Berserk by increasing Attack and decreasing Defense. Its duration, however, is 1/6th that of Berserk and it produces a major enmity spike. This is generally reserved for use just before a weapon skill in conjunction with Boost, but the massive increase in enmity from Last Resort, Boost, and a weapon skill can create havoc for a tank.

-Attack Bonus II (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Dark Knight 30)
Notes: Increases Attack by 12 points in addition to the gain from Attack Bonus I for a total of 22 additional Attack.

-Souleater (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Dark Knight 30)
Duration: 1 minute
Cooldown: 6 minutes
Notes: Converts 10% of one's current HP into direct damage with each strike. However, as a support job ability, only half the HP lost is converted to damage. Considering the high HP and fast strikes of a Monk, this can be very damaging to both the Monk and his target. Combined with a multi-hit weapon skill like Raging Fists or Asuran Fists, this can be devastating. While it is technically impossible to kill oneself using Souleater, the enmity generated by the increased damage can certainly finish the job. Souleater damage is generally unresistable in much the same way as Chi Blast.


Samurai

This was once the strongest support job available to a Monk due to the huge amount of TP gained when using Asuran Fists. Unfortunately, changes to TP gain from multi-hit weapon skills have reduced this to a lackluster third-string support job. Hasso and Seigan stances are included in this description but are generally not accessible to a Monk. Samurai offers these abilities. Samurai does offer some synergy with a Footwork build, but survivability is an issue.

-Store TP I (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 20 (Samurai 10)
Notes: Increases TP gained by 10% point per strike. It is the complement of Subtle Blow. This affects the first two strikes of H2H weapon skills but does not affect successive strikes.

-Third Eye (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (Samurai 15)
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 1 minute
Notes: Open your third eye and predict the movements of your opponent. This ability allows the user to anticipate and dodge the next physical attack directed at him, including weaponskills, even those with multiple strikes.

-Zanshin (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 40 (Samurai 20)
Notes: After missing an attack, you have a chance of attempting to attack again. Zanshin does not work with Hand-to-Hand attacks.

-Hasso (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 50 (Samurai 25)
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 1 minute
Notes: Grants a bonus to 10% bonus to attack speed, 10 accuracy, and 3-5 STR when using two-handed weapons. Hand-to-hand weapons are not two-handed weapons, so it is only usable with a Staff.

-Store TP II (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Samurai 30)
Notes: Increases TP gained from Store TP I by a factor of 5%. This equates to a total gain of 15% additional TP.

-Meditate (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 60 (Samurai 30)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 3 minutes
Notes: Generate TP for several seconds, to a total gain of 60% TP. A main-job Samurai gains 100% from this ability.

-Seigan (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 75 (Samurai 35)
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 1 minute
Notes: When using two-handed weapons, this stance will enhance the effects of Third Eye. The cooldown on Third Eye is halved while Seigan is in effect. In addition to automatically evading the next blow, there is a chance that you will retain the Third Eye effect and/or Counter the attack. The chance of Third Eye wearing off increases the longer the ability is in effect. This is an excellent defensive stance significantly increasing the effectiveness of Third Eye. As with Hasso, though, it only works with two-handed weapons and, thus, is effectively useless to a Monk.

-Sekkanoki (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 80 (Samurai 40)
Duration: 1 minute or next weapon skill
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Notes: Causes your next weapon skill performed within 1 minute to consume only 100% TP. This can be used to perform two weapon skills in rapid succession so as to create a skillchain.


White Mage

The support job of choice for Chi Blast, White Mage has some added benefits. Having access to Teleport spells can make short work of quests and missions requiring lots of legwork but minimal fighting. Additionally, while not as powerful as Monk/Ninja, Monk/White Mage does have some solo strength as a result of certain defensive spells. These are the major abilities gained from this support job.

-Divine Seal (Job Ability)
Obtained: Monk Level 30 (White Mage 15)
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Notes: Doubles the potency of the next Cure spell cast. This does affect Curaga but does not affect Regen or Raise.

-Auto Regen (Job Trait)
Obtained: Monk Level 50 (White Mage 25)
Notes: Regain 1 HP every 3 seconds.

In addition to various healing spells, protective spells (Protect, Shell, Bar-element), teleports, and status cures (Blindna, Paralyna, Silena), White Mage offers several spells worth noting.

-Blink (Enhancing)
Obtained: Monk Level 38 (White Mage 19)
Casting Time: 6 seconds
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 10 seconds
MP Cost: 20
Notes: Produces two shadows which may absorb a physical or magical attack and dissipate. Shadows will not always absorb an attack, unlike Utsusemi.

-Stoneskin (Enhancing)
Obtained: Monk Level 56 (White Mage 28 )
Casting Time: 7 seconds
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 30 seconds
MP Cost: 29
Notes: Encases the caster in living stone which can absorb damage directed at the caster. Damage absorbed is based on Enhancing magic skill and MND at the time of casting. This will absorb damage of any kind, even spiritual attacks like Chi Blast, Souleater, and Spirits Within. With extremely high MND and/or Enhancing Skill, this will cap at 350 damage absorbed before failing.

-Reraise (Healing)
Obtained: Monk Level 66 (White Mage 33)
Casting Time: 8 seconds
Duration: 60 minutes
Cooldown: 1 minute
MP Cost: 150
Notes: Gives the caster the ability to Raise automatically upon death for the duration of the spell. While the XP lost is high compared to higher levels of Raise/Reraise, it beats having to Home Point or wait for someone to Raise you, which may be difficult or impossible in a major fight.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the best race for Monk?
A: Whichever race you want to play. Elvaan ultimately has the best stats for the majority of Monk activities (high STR, VIT, and MND) whereas Tarutaru has the worst stats, but the important thing is to enjoy your game and your character. If you like Mithra, play Mithra. You may be slightly out-damaged by a Galka or Elvaan Monk, but the difference between races is fairly minimal in the long run.


Q: What subs should I absolutely have?
A: At least Warrior and, by the time you reach end-game and are involved in a end-game-oriented linkshell, White Mage. Ninja may be a high priority for most end-game XP and merit parties. Thief has some uses but is not especially impressive except as a farming sub. All others are basically optional, though all are certainly fun to play.


Q: Are there any other support jobs I should have?
A: It never hurts to have access to other jobs. Red Mage is a watered down version of White Mage as a Monk support job. Paladin is even further watered down, but has access to Auto-Refresh. Scholar allows a Monk to cast spells competently using Light Arts and Dark Arts but limited MP, even with judicious use of Sublimation, makes this a situationally weak option. Beastmaster is an interesting support job in that Charm is based on the actual level of Beastmaster. This means that to effectively Charm, one would do best to level Beastmaster to 75, in which case it would be better to simply play as Beastmaster instead of using it as a support job. Bard, Summoner, and Ranger have nothing particularly useful to offer Monk.


Q: What can Monk solo?
A: My general rule of thumb is that with a Ninja sub, anything under level 70 should be fair game for a level 75 player, particularly with Signet or Sigil. Without Utsusemi: Ni, I'd stick to mobs 10 levels below your current level. Without a Ninja sub, sustainability can be relatively low. Even if you can kill a level 65 mob, it may require half of your HP or more and result in massive downtime waiting to heal it. Dancer is the exception to this in that it is similarly efficient to Ninja, particularly against targets that attack rapidly. Monks are capable of soloing certain HNMs, such as Serket and, reportedly, Behemoth. If you get a competent mage partner, many battles can be handled readily as a duo.


Q: How does TP work?
A: TP is accumulated by giving or taking damage. The key difference lies in how monsters and players accumulate their TP. Whereas players generally get ~2% TP per hit taken (5% TP from offensive magic), mobs actually get the same amount of TP from a strike as the player gains by dealing it plus 3%. For example, if a Dark Knight hits a Goblin and gets 14% TP from it, the Goblin just gained 17% TP. Mobs do not seem to get bonus TP when they land a hit, though, and generally gain ~6% TP as mob Delay is pretty universal.

What does this mean? In a party situation, very little. With multiple people striking a target, it will gain TP very rapidly and be able to use it frequently.

Understanding TP is important, however, when one is soloing. Subtle Blow IV will roughly equalize TP gain, such that the mob gains exactly as much TP as you do. If you avoid taking hits (and thereby giving the mob TP), you can accurately gauge how much TP a mob has at any given moment. When a mob has more than 25% of its maximum HP remaining, it tends to wait until ~150% TP to use a TP attack (weapon skill). This can be used strategically. You can invoke this attack by using a powerful attack of your own, such as Raging Fists or Asuran Fists. On the other hand, knowing when to anticipate a possible Goblin Bomb or 1000 Needles can leave one ready to use Shoulder Tackle as needed.

Aurik has an excellent post of research on Subtle Blow and TP gain: http://ffxi.killvoid...ts&q=110691&d=0


Q: How do I nuke with Chi Blast?
A: You want to maximize your MND stat and you need your Temple Gloves. Temple Gloves increase the numerical multiplier of Boost's effect on Attack but they also increase the hidden multiplier of Boost for Chi Blast. With proper timing, a Monk can stack 12 Boosts before unleashing Chi Blast. As mentioned previously, damage on Chi Blast is capped at roughly MND x 10, so if you have 75 MND with an additional 50 MND from gear, you'll max out at ~1250 damage, but actual results may often be lower.

When it comes to using Chi Blast, be aware that Boost creates a moderate amount of enmity and Chi Blast in and of itself is a major enmity spike if done properly. Keep Stoneskin and Blink up as much as possible, or Utsusemi if you prefer to sub Ninja.


Q: What stat affects [weapon skill]?
A: STR. Period. I know that is not the actual question being asked, but that is the answer to the question. Yes, VIT affects damage dealt by Dragon Kick and DEX affects damage dealt by Raging Fists, but if you want to increase damage done, increase STR. The only time that one could increase damage without sacrificing something better would be to equip Genbu's Kabuto for SATA Howling Fist/Dragon Kick, assuming one does not have a Shura Zunari-Kabuto.

The real modifiers for weapon skill damage and damage in general are Accuracy and Bard. Even when you have enough of both, the minute gains from primary stats will still be irrelevant.


Q: Do I need Ochiudo's Kote?
A: Yes. Ochiudo's Kote is a new Monk's introduction into the realities of the game. A Monk is only as good as his gear and some gear is difficult or expensive to obtain. There is skill involved in how gear and abilities and support jobs are used, but it will be equipment that determines the bulk of damage dealt.


Q: Do I need [some other item]?
A: Use your best judgment and the search function. Some items, such as Kung Fu Shoes, are luxuries that don't necessarily justify their price for the benefits they offer. Other items, such as Cross-counters, are worth the investment but not requisite. And some items, like Jujitsu Gi or Ochiudo's Kote, are best viewed as basic equipment and should be acquired absolutely. Prioritize and think before creating a thread about it.


Q: Do Dune Boots affect Dragon Kick?
A: After extensive testing, no. It's a logical question, but Dragon Kick is affected by stats and weapon damage only.


Q: How does the +8% Haste on my Brown Belt work?
A: It increases your attack speed by 8%. Rather, it decreases the period between swings by 8%, though it does not affect TP gain. It also decreases the recast period of a spell by 8%. It does not increase spell-casting speed. Haste increasing factors are additive. If you have a Brown Belt and a Walahra Turban, you have a 13% Haste modification. Further information on Haste can be found in [a href="http://www.killingifrit.com/forums.php?m=posts&p=2802184" target="_blank"]this thread[/a].


Q: Which gorget should I get from sea?
A: Look up the WS in question above and note its elemental properties. That is which one you should get. If you wanted a gorget for Dragon Kick, for instance, you have a choice of Thunder or Breeze. Gorgets work best with one-hit WS (all H2H WS strike twice due to the off-hand, though).


Q: My Temple and Melee attire enhances my job abilities. How do the enhancements work?
A: At base, Focus is +20 Accuracy, with Temple Crown, it gives +30 Accuracy. The same effect occurs with Temple Gaiters and Dodge. Temple Cyclas enhances Chakra by allowing it to cure Paralysis and healing VIT x 3. Melee Gloves increase Chakra's multiplier by .6 (e.g. Temple Cyclas + Melee Gloves = VIT x 3.6 HP healed) and cures Virus. The effect of Melee Gaiters on Counterstance is not fully understood but appears to increase Counter's activation rate by 10%.


Q: Can I macro-switch my AF when using Focus or Dodge?
A: Yes, enhancement bonuses from Monk armor are retained even after removing the item that granted that bonus.


Q: How can I increase my skill in [something]?
A: First and foremost, target creatures that are somewhere between Even Match and Very Tough relative to your current skill level. It seems that Tough monsters are generally best for training, but anything up to Impossible to Gauge can give a skill-up, just as long as it is Even Match or better. If trying to increase an offensive skill, make sure to use enough Accuracy to actually hit the creatures you are fighting. If training a defensive skill, with the exception of Evasion (which should cap naturally), equip AGI, decrease Evasion, and find items that improve the skill in question. For a Monk, this means Guard. However, Monk can train Parrying when using a Staff or Club.


Q: Should I level Staff or Club skill?
A: In light of the changes to Howling Fist and Dragon Kick, Full Swing is no longer particularly necessary to Monk. Club skill is completely incidental. Level them at your option.

[Belzebu]

Ask a mod to sticky this and to un-stick effen FAQ.
Good job man.

[Yasmine]

excellent post. nice and clean.

[Algeron]

Q: What's the best equipment I can get?
A: Warlock's Tabard, Sorceror's Petasos, and Retributor

Err.. ok...


I would have given a list like this:

Dune boots, Destroyers, Kirin's osode, Byakkos Hydate, Peacock Charm
etc. etc.

>.> But I guess thats just me...


=P

[Omegavegeta]

Great stuff man.

Things you may wanna add when you get a chance.

Purple/Brown Belt quests. It is my belief that the "way of the monk" is put to the test on these quests (no rhyme intended). If you can't do these quests, it is my belief that you may not be cut out for monk.

AF levels/quests.

AFII

WSNMs/quests

But great stuff rate up! Oh, wait, wrong forum...

[Esvedium]

Fantastic stuff! /cheer

[Zeroalpha]

/clap

[Altoc]

As said very nice thread. Hopefully your efforts won't go unoticed and people might actually read it.

Maybe instead of making it a sticky we should just take turns bumping it....

[Parshias]

Stoneskin and Blink last roughly 5 minutes before wearing off naturally, while Phalanx last for about 2 and a half minutes.

[Rocklee]

:DNice~!

[Cowardlybaboon]

Really great info. It's really nice to have all the basic stuff all in one place. Seems like you were really careful not to say anything that hasn't been 100% proven. It would also be a huge amount of work trying to compile all of the mathematical info we have gone over. I learned a number of things from this thread. Only one correction I have, not sure whether I am right or wrong, but I have heard that Dragon Kick is actually a 3 hit WS (under sneak attack in the Thief section). I would like to run some numbers using auriks thread about damage numbers (probably using maat as reference because he has the same stats as us) in order to prove whether Counterstance actually outweighs its defense penalty with no gear on.

And Algeron, he was kidding about the mage gear. I am pretty sure that stuff is AF from various mage jobs.

Who wants to bet there's an O-kote thread, a race thread, and a Maat thread in the next 2 weeks!

I'm kinda with Altoc on this one, take turns bumping lol. But in reality, it needs to be stickied.

[Blink]

I read it, good stuff. I didn't see anything about Temple Gloves increasing boost from 12.5% to 18% and it also increases damage done by Chi Blast. Removing the gloves after boosting ( usually for +mnd gloves ) does not diminish the effect. I did see the af glove chi blast thing mentioned in the post. But you might want to spell it out clearly. Some people lack the ablility to understand things that are implied.

Now there needs to be an FAQ that explains the what has happened in the last year so I'm not wrong about so many things that used to be. ;p

[shinjaku]

Awesome ^^

[pathwriter]

I'll look into adding the info for the quests for kenpo belts and Artifact armor. There's really no information for Relic worth mentioning, but a quick write-up on obtaining Asuran Fists, Retribution, and Black Halo couldn't hurt. Give me some time, I ended up spending several hours on it last night because I was hating myself for not having finished a project I started months ago.

Parshias, I appreciate the numbers. Normally, I'd just load the game up and test it myself, but I couldn't and could not locate the numbers I wanted on any site. Of course, I don't help myself by relying on Japanese sites, either.

As for Dragon Kick, I assure you that it is two strikes, only. After over a year of using the weapon skill and because I consider TP to be the most important thing in the game for any melee to understand, I am very certain of this. Double Attack and Triple Attack can proc on it, though, so it's possible to land a three-hit or four-hit Dragon Kick. Actually, it should be possible to land a six-hit Dragon Kick but I think the code prevents Indra Katars from proc'ing more than once per weapon skill, so the absolute maximum is practically capped at five-strikes: Initial strike, triple attack, triple attack, secondary strike (because it's a Hand-to-Hand attack and follows similar rules as Dual Wield), double attack. If anyone does that, I hope you've got a change of underwear handy, I know that when I've landed a four-hit Dragon Kick with my Ninja sub on I've been stunned.

Are you sure the increase from Temple Gloves is 18%? I got a lot of my numbers back when I was still in the game and apparently lost a lot of them. I'd be inclined to believe that Temple Crown and Focus would follow the same growth pattern, just because SE is rather consistent in that regard, but I'm not sure. I was a little surprised when I saw that Boost without Temple Gloves is 12.5% rather than 15%, actually. Does anyone know the exact numbers for Warcry, by the way?

[Algeron]

Cowardlybaboon :


And Algeron, he was kidding about the mage gear. I am pretty sure that stuff is AF from various mage jobs.

lol you missed it so let me type it again..

=P



Great guide btw

[Cowardlybaboon]

I forgot to post this, but you just reminded me Path. You seem to be the only person on the planet that understands Mob TP gain really well, as well as Subtle Blow. You've even mentioned that you can actually tell when the mob should have TP, and put your shadows up at the right times. I find that to be pretty amazing. I think you would be doing us all a HUGE favor if you could either add to this or write up a separate guide about that.

Oh and btw, come back to the game, we need people like you making discoveries!

[Blink]

I'm pretty sure that it's 18%. You're intial number of 12.5% matches what I always thought. It would take me awhile to find the references that I used and I haven't played in a long time so no account to do any actual testing.

[Elladan]

Very well done

[Kaliden]

nice, very well put together

[Return of Zektar]

small addition to the information about focus: you said it was best to use at chain #4, which I agree with. if you use it right at the beginning of chain#1(in conjunction with Berserk) both of them become available again at the beginning of chain #4. this is how I always used berserk+focus in regular party setups.