Effen's FAQ 1.05bFollow

Effen?s mini FAQ for Monks. v1.06

This is a guide to help all monks up to LV75. All the information is gathered from personal experience, or a lot of debate from numerous forums. Many of the most common questions will be answered.



1) Perhaps the most popular question... What should my sub be?

There are many different views on this and even more variants. However, the most effective jobs for a monk is a Warrior. Before you tell me how well you are doing with your Monk/Blm, Monk/Whm, Monk/Whatever... Let me explain that I'm not going to argue that you can level you variants and solo easily in the early part. It's not that hard to solo a monk of anything to LV20+. So please don't tell me how good you are unless you are at least LV30+. I do not doubt the playability and fun factor of a monk/variant. It's definitely fun to have a Monk/Rdm soloing mobs with spells and melee in the early part. But it's the later part that you will suffer.

There are of course some exceptions... If you plan on killing mobs solo for your entire life for maybe 18xp a pop later on, then yes, a monk of anything is good, do whatever you want and always be the 2nd choice if it comes to trying to get a spot in a group. Another scenario is if you have a perma Group that is willing to except that you are a handicap Monk. Yes, cast CureII might be fun, but when you have 1000HP... A CureII will not save your life, not to mention that Chraka does the same thing and with the recent change making it 5mins per cast, it is actually very helpful.

Thief is probably the only other decent sub for monk. Their stats are good, and with sneak attacks and trick attack at LV60, you will certainly do some decent damage, but remember, sneak only give you a critical hit on your first punch. So if you are doing Raging Fist or Asuran Fist, you will only get the effect on the First punch. So, it's still nothing compared to Berserk. Gill finder and treasure hunter bonus is very nice for farming though. At later levels 60+ it will become more useful with Trick at your disposal. Hate control is one of the main concerns at higher levels, and having the ability to Trick a Dragon kick onto a tank would be very helpful. Your overall damage will still be less than a War sub, but you can help a Nin or War tank gain more agro. However, due to the small amount you do per fist, sneak trick on a normal hit is far better with a class that has a 2 handed weapon like Drk/thf, Drg/thf or Sam/thf?

Having said that, a Warrior sub is still the most efficient and demanded in the early part. Def bonus makes you a great tank in the early part. A LV20ish monk can easily tank just as well as a Paladin or a Warrior, given that the monk has top equipments for it's level. Provoke is a must if you want to tank. And even in mid levels, you can be a great 2nd option especially with the mass HP you have, you can stay alive for a while even if the WHM is out of mp. But don't let the HP fool you, at around LV30+, you cannot be as good as a tank as a Pal or War due to the fact that they have more def. It's simply just not mp efficient to heal a monk. At this point however, berserk is a good skill to have. If you are not tanking, why not go for more damage? A monk with boost, berserk and some decent equipments can easily do around 300+ damage with Raging fist at LV41+. And gaining TP is never a problem for us with decent haste and dex. (edit: for more info on Monk Tanking, please read the Tanking part of this FAQ.)

At LV 60+ you could consider Samurai, but only after LV60 due to meditate. But before LV60 the extra TP you gain from a Sam doesn't even come close to the ability that a war sub would give you. And even after LV60, War is still the best sub for you. TP gain is nice, but too many WS = lots of hate. Your tank will not appreciate you spamming Raging fist. Many times, you will have to wait till your TP is 150+ before you can use your WS anyways. While a War sub will give you attack bonus at LV30. Remember, monk is like a DoT (Damage over Time). And after the latest patch with TP taking a big hit, a Sam sub seems to be less and less useful. Another thing is, as a Mnk/Sam, you will often run into situations where you don?t know what to do with the extra TP. You certainly do not want to spam it right in the beginning as that will make a very unhappy tank. So you wait till your tank has gotten decent hate, then you wait for the rest of your PT, so the time comes you use your WS. The Blm MBs, and wala, the mob is dead. Now you use meditate? then ask yourself, what am I going to use this TP for?

If you are still not convinced, read one of the following links to some other Sub Job FAQs.

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html?fjob=11&mid=1083636694679792427&num=31
by Stellus

or

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/jobs.html?fjob=11&mid=107810961970988013&num=0
by Resistance



2) Is Boost worthwhile? And what are some of the other Monk abilites?

This is not the best skill that a monk has in his early days, but it's also not bad. You get it very early and it's always good to have the ability to stack up your attack before your first punch or later on Chi Blast. At LV50+ you get about 30 attack per boost, and 40+ with AF Gloves. You can easily boost it up to around 500 if not 600+ for a Chi Blast, which deals around 150 damage. Boost is also excellent for Tanking. For more info on that, please check the tanking section.

As for end game higher level Monks, boost is very important as a Monk take a role of a Nuker when fighting HNMs that has high def/evasion. With MND gear, bard songs and perhaps WHM sub,you could easily get around 100 ish MND, and after about 12 boost, you will deal anywhere from 500-1000+ damage. That's a lot of damage / 3 mins even if you compare it to a BLM on certain mobs.

Monk Abilites:

Job Traits:

Martial Arts - Lv. 1 (H2H delay decreases)
Subtle Blow - Lv. 5 (Reduces amount of TP enemy gains)
Counter - Lv. 10 (Replaces enemy atk. with your own)
Max HP Boost - Lv. 15 (HP increase)
Martial Arts - Lv. 16 (Enhances trait)
Martial Arts - Lv. 31 (Enhances trait)
Max HP Boost - Lv. 35 (HP increase)
Martial Arts - Lv. 46 (Enhances trait)
Kick Attacks - Lv. 51 (Random kicks in your attacks)
Max HP Boost - Lv. 55 (HP increase)
Martial Arts - Lv. 61 (Enhances trait)
Max HP Boost - Lv. 70 (HP increase)
Kick Attacks - Lv. 71 (Enhances trait)
Martial Arts - Lv. 75 (Enhances trait)


Job Abilities:

Hundred Fists - Lv. 1 (Greatly reduces H2H delay)
Boost - Lv. 5 (Increases power of next attack)
Dodge - Lv. 15 (Increases Evasion)
Focus - Lv. 25 (Increases Accuracy)
Chakra - Lv. 35 (Small amount of HP restored)
Chi Blast - Lv. 41 (Never-miss ranged attack)
Counterstance - Lv. 45 (Counterattack up, defense way down)

Weapon Skills:

Combo - Lv. 10 (3-fold attack)
Shoulder Tackle - Lv. 40 (Stuns target)
One Inch Punch - Lv. 75 (Ignores defense)
Backhand Blow - Lv. 100 (Critical hit)
Raging Fists - Lv. 125 (5-fold attack)
Spinning Attack - Lv. 150 (Area Attack)
Howling Fist - Lv. 200 (Devastating Punch)
Dragon Kick - Lv. 225 (2-fold atk followed by sweep kick)
Asuran Fists - Lv. 250 (8-fold attack)



3) Where should I go at a certain level?

There are definitely a lot of alternative spots and areas that you can go, but this is just how I got to where I currently am. Take it as a suggestion.

I started in Sandoria, so excuse me for not knowing the other starting spots. But basically the first 10-12 levels don?t really matter, as all starting spots are decent and relatively easy to solo for a monk. I did it in Ronfaure and La Theine Plateau.

From LV12-20, Valkurm Dunes is a decent place, and you are bound to find a lot of other players making groups. Start off with those Sand Hares, and then slowly work towards clippers then gobs.

From LV21-25, you should already been to Jeuno and have your Chocobo License. So you can experiment with a lot of places, but the best place IMO can't be anywhere further than Qufim Island, which is a zone away from Jeuno Port. Those Fishes are great XP but beware of undead during nighttime. A good place to camp is near the entrance to the Delkfutt Tower where you can also set your homeport. When in doubt, just zone. IMO, what makes a good spot is one that has a decent escape route and with a decent amount of mobs.

From 25-28, spend some time in getting the Kazham keys from the airship pass. It's well worth it as you may spend the next 10 levels there. The first spot is just right outside of Kazham in Yuhtunga Jungle. Again, it's near zone and you get a decent amount of mobs to choose from. Start with those lil Mushrooms... Mandragand or something like that, then try some gobs. Chain Shrooms till TP is ready, then use it on an IT gob is always a good way to gain some good XP. Beware of the bomb from gobs though, they can do some serious AE damage, but they can also kill themselves.

From 28-33, Yhoator Jungle. Again fight near the 2 zone lines. Kill tougher shrooms and gobs. Don't worry about the liz, as they are not really worth it.

From 33-35, Garlaige Citadel. Yep, near zone once again, pull bats. Great xp and safe again.

From 35-49, Crawler's Nest. You can actually be here even earlier than LV38. Crawlers are great xp. The Beetle spot is also nice. "Balls Room" is relatively safe, but watch out not to accidentally have a liz targeted, or the battle can turn ugly. After these, at around LV45, you will need to head over to the lower section. The cave to the left of Beetles cave and fight some Soldier Crawler. Beware, unlike Workers, they agro. And so does the Exo that roams around that area. Exo is also good for some exp later on, but more importantly, you will need the Mold for the LV50 Cap quest. At around 48-49 go for Rumble Crawlers at the cave to the right side. Basically, hug right wall and you will see a bunch of Rumble Crawlers in a cave. Make sure you have sneak AND invis. Beetles are agro by sight. You can camp at the space between the Crawlers and Helm Beetles, which is deeper inside.

From 49-51, Garlaige Citadel, where you jump down the hole on the left side and camp at the stairs. You could fight the Beetles in that area. But beware of the bats on the stairs. Having a BLM is always a good idea for escape, as you are not fighting close to zone.

From 51-53, Crawler?s Nest. Helm Beetles, deeper in the Rumble Crawler?s cave.

From 52-54, Kuftal Tunnel. Basically crabs, crabs and more crabs. Fight near zone, or the sand-fall spot in the middle.

From 54-58, Boyahda Tree. It?s a bit of a maze to get to the camp spot, but you will be happy to find out that all the spiders don?t agro. The spot is at this Tree you will see with Knight Crawlers around a tree. You can fight Crabs and Crawlers.

From 58-60 Cape Terrigan. Just when you thought you are done with Crabs, you get more?
From 60-63 Quicksand Caves. Go to the entrance at the west part of West Altp. Fight near zone and kill Antica. Some of them casts some AOE spells, so if there?s another group camping that area, make sure you let them know and try to keep the distance as far as possible. There?s also a NM that spawns in there which will require about 2 full PT to kill.
From 63-65 Labyrinth of Onzozo. The camp spot is kinda hard to describe, but basically, you hug left wall, then hug the right wall, basically going north. The spot has a piece of stone on the ground that looks like a shell, and nothing spawns at that spot. Coeurl will be your best friend for awhile. They cast Para, so make sure the WHMes know to save the tanks. OSE a NM Coeurl also spawns there, unless you have a bard in your group, do not even try it.
From 64-66 Cape Teriggan. Sand Cockatrice. North part of Teriggan, pretty easy and a lot of them around that area, and decent loots too.
From 66-69. Boyahda Tree, here we come again. You will need to go into the deeper part now and have sneak activated. After the first drop at the old camp spot, keep going deeper and you will see a river. (not the first one where that NM Aqur spawns) When you reached there, you have 2 camp spots, one, you could go down the water fall and turn left and enter the cave on the right hand side which will lead you to a place with water around an island. You could camp in the water near the water gate. You fight crawlers there. And when you are around 68-69 you could take the Flies. An interesting behavior (bug) these crawler has is that at times they will stop right when they hit water. So it?s good when you pull 2 and want to split them up, but it?s also quite annoying having to pull twice in many cases. Another spot is just before you jump down the waterfall, instead of going down, hug right wall and you will see a cave full of crawlers, go in, turn right and you will be heading down a little, which you will arrive at a corner where you could camp. It?s not 100% spawn proof, so camp there with caution.

From 69-72 Dragon Aery. This is the next zone from Boyahda Tree. And basically, after you jump down the waterfall, turn right instead of left, and you will find a cave. It?s hard for me to describe how to get there, so check a map. You will be fighting Spiders and Flies, and camping near by zoneline.

From 66-70 Gustav Tunnel. This is a nice place for Monks as you will be fighting Bones. However, keep in mind that other melee classes will suffer in dmg. A LV3 Light chain would be great to use here. Red Lotus > Raging Fist > Spinning Slash would be very effective.
From 70-75. Den of Rancor, where you can fight those Lizzards near zone. They are pretty easy, but make sure you check if the zone is crowded before you go. It can only fit 1 PT 2 max. Kuftal Tunnel is another place with Tigers at lower level, then Cockatrice at higher level. To get to the camp spot, it is behind a stone that has a timer on it. It opens and closes from time to time. The stone is near the crab camp, the spot where you basically hug right wall to get to. It?s on the left side of that spot. Once you get behind the stone, make sure you invis yourself, there are numerous camp spots deep inside, it?s not hard to find a spot where nothing spawns. Cockatrice are awesome exp till 73 and they don?t link, which makes pulling them a breeze.
King Ranperre?s Tomb is also nice especially for us Monks. You have to go to a hidden tomb entrance, and basically hug right wall. You will find a secret wall on the right side. Sneak is needed. And behind the hidden wall is the best camp spot. You basically fight bones, dogs and the occasional ghosts. Make sure your PT can somehow get a LV3 Light SC going.
Ro?Maeve is also an excellent place to go. Again do a check before going, it can fit 4 PTs. Anything more, and you will make some ppl unhappy. You need a Moon Gate pass to get in. To get this pass you can either go there when it?s full moon or have someone with the pass open the gate for you. Once you are in there, look for a ???. It can spawn anywhere behind the Moon gate. Remember, there are two Moon gates, so if it?s not on the west side, check east. So basically run around from room to room pressing tab. You can find a room with no spawns pretty easily here. But before you go, make sure you buy some sneak potions. This is very important as mobs there have a huge magic agro range. You fight weapons in this zone, and golems if you run out of Weapons.

4) What stats should I concentrate on?

Accuracy is something you should look to work on first. Until you can hit a mob consistently, then work on your damage (STR/Attack). If you are hitting a mob for 0s and 7s? that means one of three things, 1, the mob is too tough for you. 2, the mob just cast a buff on itself and the RDM or BRD is daydreaming. If it?s neither then it would be 3, you need to work on your STR/Attack. This is rarely the case, but it does happen. For more info on the relation between STR, attack and other info, please go to this link:
http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40812&perpage=19&pagenumber=1



5) What are some good equipment for a monk?

Monks are pretty lucky in the early part, as they don't really need that much gil to buy their equipments. With the occasional Republic Knuckles, Martial Slacks... they are relatively cheap till around 40ish where you have to fork out the gil to buy some Jujitsu Gi, Brown Belt, Fume Kyahn. One item that I highly recommend and it?s worth all the gil or time to farm is Ochiudo Kote. It helped me tremendously with my damage. I?m still using these even after I got my AF Gloves. Generally speaking, look for items that?s +accuracy and +dex, until you get a decent to hit percentage, then work on +attack/str/haste.

Another question that's always asked is, "How good are Tropical Punch? " The 0 delay might sound nice, but remember, 0 delay doesn't mean there is no delay on your attack. It simply means there's 0 delay on your weapon, but you still have the delay that comes from H2H. The accuracy bonus is nice but at early levels, you don't miss that much anyways. And at later levels, that lack of damage will really hurt you. I prefer Republic Knuckles as to Tropical in the early part.

Delay is important, but not as important as Damage. With Monk's ability to increase attack speed with H2H weapons, it seems to me that damage will be more important in the early going.
The H2h DMG equation is:
Base damage: (HTH Skill) / 9.1 * 0.9 + 3
And the delay is adding the delay from your weapon to your H2h delay:
HTH Delay = 480
HTH Delay with MA I (Monk Lv1) = 400
HTH Delay with MA II (Monk Lv16) = 380
HTH Delay with MA III (Monk Lv31) = 360
HTH Delay with MA IV (Monk Lv46) = 340
HTH Delay with MA V (Monk Lv61) = 320
HTH Delay with MA VI (Monk Lv75) = 300

For more Dmg equations read this link:
http://www.moonlight.gr.jp/~el/ffxi/ab_calc.html.en

This is a pre LV40 list:

HTH:
Cesti(1), Ryl Ftm Cesti(10), Republic Knuckles (15), Impact Knuckles(32), Mythril Knuckles(38), Pata +1(48), Tactician Magician's Hooks(50) [Cross-Counters, if you have the money], Bone Pata+1(56), Spartan Cesti(58)

Comments: In the early levels, it doesn't really matter what you use. But once you hit LV15, I highly recommend spending some time to farm crystals or anything else to be able to afford Republic Knuckles. You will be using these till LV32 when you can use Impact Knuckles. Mythril Knuckles has more base DPS, but you are also losing 1 STR and 1 Accuracy. I just stuck with Impact till LV48 when I can use Pata +1. At level 50, you have a choice between Magician's Hooks or the infamous Cross-Counters. If you have the money, go for the CC. They are the best H2H weapons money can buy. (There are of course better weapons that drops from monsters and quests) If you don't wish to fork out the money, just use the hooks till 56 for the bone pata+1, and when you are 58, get the Spartan Cesti. They are usually half the price of a CC, but the DPS (damage per second) is comparable to a CC. It's slightly, and I do mean slightly less.

Head:
Bronze Cap(1), Hachimaki(8), Monk's Headgear(11), Merc. Hachimaki(20), Emperor Haripin(24), Merc Cpt Headgear(30), AF(56), Tiger Mask(70), Panzer Mask(72)

Comment: Monk does really get a lot of decent head equipment. The first decent head piece comes at LV24, but it also comes with a huge price tag. Is it worth the money? IMO, no. The additional dex bonus is not going to increase your total damage by that much. The evasion bonus is good if you are tanking, but all in all, not worth the 200-500k price tag. I would just use the Merc Captain headgear till AF, then Tiger Mask at LV70, this is also a great headgear for the Maat battle. Panzer Mask will be available at 72, so depending on situation, change them as you see fit.

Body:
Bronze Harness(1), Kenpogi(8), Power Gi(13), Beetle Harness(21), Merc. Cpt. Doublet(30), Jujitsu Gi(40), Shinobi Gi(49), Master Gi(55), Scorpian Harness(57)[If you have the money], AF(58)

Comment: Not much to say here. with the exception on Scorpian Harness. It's a very nice armor, but it's also very expenisve around the 4-8M range. So, if you feel like farming that much, go right ahead. Shinobi Gi is good if you wish to tank, otherwise, stick with Jujitsu Gi for the accuracy bonus. After that, you will be most likely using your AF till you get some of the NM drop armors.

Hands:
Battle Gloves(14), Fed. Tekko(25) [Optional], Hume RSE(27), Ochiudo Kote(34), AF(54), Alkyoneus's Bracelet(70) [depending on level, there is an entire series of these Bracelets and the vary in stats]

Comment: Well, this is one of the most controversial item for a monk. Is the Kote worth the money? For me, yes, especially at lower level. 20 attack is hard to find. Remember even if it's only a 5 dmg increase per punch, it adds up. It also increases damage quite a bit on WS. Most people who are disappointed with them is due to their high expectation. At higher level, some people wish to go with the AF, or the Alkyoneus's Bracelet series. STR is more important in later levels as you can get a lot of attack bonuses from other slots. Also depending on race, if you are a Mithra, you might want to forego some DEX for STR.

Legs:
Bronze Subligar(1), Sitabaki(8), Linen Slops(12), Beetle Subligar(21), Republic Subligar(25), Jujitsu Sitabaki(37), Shinobi Hakama(49), Master Sitabaki(53), AF(60), Rasetsu Hakama(72)

Comment: The first good leg piece comes at LV25. THe republic Subligar is one of the best offensive leg piece for a Monk. The +5 attack is definitely useful, especially when you can use them at LV25. If not tanking, you can keep these till AF+. (WARNING: Elvaan monks with subligar might cause some minor discomfort to other people). At 60, the AF is great, especially when you are tanking or even if you get aggro after doing a WS. At 72, you have the option of going with the Rasetsu if you are tired of the orange Burmuda shorts look.

Feet:
Bronze Leggings(1), Kyahan(8), Light Soleas(13), Beetle Leggings(21), Windurstian or Fed. Kyahan(25) [Optional], Merc. Cpt. Gaiters [if you don't have Wind or Fed Kyahan], Fuma Kyahan(39), Kung Fu shoes serie(51), AF(52), Rasetsu Sune-Ate(72)

Comment: Much like the Republic Subligar, you can get some attack bonus at LV25. Kung Fu shoes has hidden bonus which adds to your kick attack. But is it worth the price, that's debateable. For me, I didn't kick enough to justify spending that kinda money on them. AF with the DEX bonus is decent, and the 12 DEF is definitely an improvement to the Fume Kyahan interms of taking hits. Fuma will most likely still give you more DPS however. At 72, the Rasetsu is a decent option with attack bonus + DEF.

Belt:
White Belt(1), Purple Belt(18), Brown Belt(40), Life Belt(48)

Comment: This is another very debateable slot. Brown Belt VS Life Belt. If I had to pick one belt, it will be Life Belt without a doubt. I have always believed that, if you can't hit a mob, it doesn't really matter how fast you swing, or how hard you hit. Not to mention that the Life belt is much more affordable. But most experience monks will have both and switch them depending on the situation. If you have a Bard in your PT, then Brown belt will be more useful. This slot is a tough call, as it also depends on your other equipment. If you have a pair of sniper's ring and you are a mithra, you might not need the Life belt. So you will just have to experiment with the 2. It also depends on what mobs you are fighting as well.

Earring:
Beetle Earrings +1(21)... Coral Earrings(63)

Comment: nothing special here. Just get the +attack -evasion earrings according to level. And if money is not a problem, then get the upgraded version.

Necklace:
Spike Necklace(21), Peacock Charm(33), Spectacles(59), Grand Temple Knight's Collar(65)

Comment: This is one of the slots that you can either go cheap, or go very expensive. If money wasn't an issue, then Peacock Charm would be a no brainer. But since we don't have 4M lying around, Spike Necklace will do till around LV60 when you can farm for Spectacles or get Rank8 and hope your nation is leading, so you can get Grand Temple Knight's Collar. Note that
it only works in area that is NOT under your nation's control. So switch as you need. It's definitely a good option for people who don't want to fork out 1M.

Rings:
STR Rings [depending on Level], Sniper's Ring(40)

Comment: At lower level when accuracy isn't that much of a problem for monks, basically any addition STR will help. Some people choose to use DEX rings, but the increase in accuracy is really small that STR should in most cases be more beneficial. Sniper's Ring is available at LV40, but isn't really needed till around LV50 when you fight Chamber beetles or LV60ish when you fight Torama in Labyrinth of Onzozo.


Side note: I do suggest most monks to get the best equipment possible within reason. Getting a Peacock charm at LV33 is just out of the question for most of us. But farming for a Republic Knuckles is very possible. Kote is always nice to have, but it's hard to farm 400+ at LV34. So all in all, just use your own judgement. Do you want to be a great monk? Or do you want to be an average monk like all the other monks that might be looking for a PT at the same time as you? High level monks usually put their stat bonuses in their search comment, so having good equipment does help.



6) What?s the best race for monk?

This is another heavily debated topic on a lot of forums. IMO, there really isn?t one. If you look at the stats that matters to a monk, mainly Dex and Str; a Galka will have the same amount of +dex to an Elvaan?s +str. While a Mith will have a huge advantage at +Dex, which will come in handy in the mid levels, they do lack in Str. Some might say a Galka has the most VIT/HP, but if you are still tanking after LV40, your group has some efficiency problem. I would put these 3 races as the top. Remember, a monk?s ability can only go as far as their equipment, especially at later level. What an Elvaan Monk lacks in Dex (4dex at LV70 compared to a Galka) can easily be compensated with a +4 Dex item, and vice versa with Galka. My suggestion is that, pick one that you think you will like an enjoy playing. Unless you pick a Taru, they are all going to have their own Pros and Cons. But definitely not going to make you an inferior Monk at the end. For more info on stats for race, check out the follow link:

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~nhart/charstat1.html
-the calculator above is not 100% accurate, especially at higher level, so don?t use it as a bible.

added: After playing a Monk to 75. I can see how Elvaan will be dealing the most dmg at the end given that you have a bard to take care of the accuracy problem. When fighting HNMs and a Monk needs to melee, an Elvaan will out dmg other races. STR plays a very important role for a monk, and Elvaan excels in that department.


7) How does stats like Accuracy, Attack works in relation to Dex and Str?

The following link is an interview done with a Square-enix representative.

http://ffxi.crgaming.com/interviews/viewinterview.asp?Id=209

The word the used in this article is quite clever or BS depends how you look at it. It really doesn?t give much info or an actual equation to the stats. Generally speaking though, if you are looking for accuracy, go with accuracy. While dex also gives you other abilities like critical hits and it?s also an important stat for other jobs like Thf. Attack and STR would be damage, but how it actually works is still a mystery. Some say STR will increase your low-end damage and attack would be the top bracket damage, but from this link, it doesn?t seem that way.

?Attack raises your standard damage variance and increases the average damage given.?

?STR raises you damage curve itself and increases the maximum amount of damage given.?

?These values, along with the opponents VIT, defense value and weapon?s damage value, combine to determine the final amount of damage inflicted.?
The general consensus is STR will increase the maximum amount of Damage you can inflict, where Attack will give you a better chance of hitting a high damage within that range.


8) How do I level faster?

Key to fast experience is to make an efficient group. IMO, if the party is flawed, there are only so much "cooperation" you can do.

How do you make an efficient group? Well it depends on the situation. If you are fighting a certain mob, you want a certain jobs that deals good damage on it. For example, if I was fighting crawlers, then I would pick Drg over other Melee jobs, if I was fighting Bones, then I would pick Mnk. It really depends on what and where you are fighting. In some situations, you can make a very efficient group with 4 monks a bard and a whm. In some situation you might do a PLD, RMD and 4xBLM. It doesn't have to be balanced, but you have to be efficient.

Generally speaking though, most ideal situation will have a PLD or a rich Ninja as a tank. A WHM is almost a must at lower level hunting, but as you hit higher level, a BLM or RDM will heal just as good. A RDM or a Brd is a must to any efficient group, especially at high level. The decrease the down time which makes chain xp possible. Rng and Blm will be used for quick damage, especially when you need to finish that 5th xp chain.

FYI, XP Chain is capped at 5. Yes, I know you can go over and get #6 and above, but there will be no extra bonus gained. Hence the maximus XP you can gain is 300xp which is 1.5x of a normal non chained solo mob of 200xp.

9) How can I find a PT to join?

Due to the fact that we are not one of the "make it or break it" job classes, we will have to fight for the remaining spots of a PT. Generally speaking, a PT will consist of a Tank, a Healer and someone who will dispel and decrease down time (basically a RDM/BRD). Then you are left with 2-3 spots which will usually go to a RNG/BLM first for quick DMG against most mobs, then other melees will fight for the spots left.

If you are in a Perma group, congradulation, read no further, your problem is solved. But if you are not, make sure you make friends with the WHMes and PLDs around so you will get invited in the future. Equipment is also important to getting future invites. If people know you have good gears and you use food (Very important to use Kabob), they will probably pick you over someone else. But if they see you missing a lot, and dealing very little damage, your chances of being in the group will lesson.

We are already at a disadvantage of many misconceptions about monks. Don't make a bad name for Monks by being a cheap monk who doesn't keep up-to-date with their equipment or choose not to use food because you can't afford it.

10) Where can I raise enough money for the LV40 "ouch"?

Farming crystals at lower level is always a easy way to farm money. Work on your sub and kill mobs that are almost too weak to be worth while but still gives you crystals. Killing Orcs for fire crystal in Ghelsba is always a good way.

When you are higher level, you could farm Tiger fangs in Batallia, or Bees and Lizzard in Davoi for Beehives and Liz Skin. There are also a few NM spots in there that you could try your luck on. Jujitsu Gi and Legs are also drop there, but the NM and orcs around it is pretty hard for a LV40. For more detail, on the NM pos... check :

http://www.killingifrit.com
http://mysterytour.web.infoseek.co.jp/ffxi/us

If you are interested in fishing, read this post by VagusOdin

"You wanna know what the secret to making gil is? One word, fishing. For all you aspiring monks, learn to fish. The earlier you fish the better it'll make things later.

http://www.titanictus.com/viewtopic.php?t=15 <--- guide to fishing
http://www.titanictus.com/viewtopic.php?t=47 <--- guide to making money with fishing

I fished for moat carp to fund my gear, then used the gear to get into PT's. Then I eventually got fame to get all the teleport scrolls and RSE items and with that money used it to garden, mine and start rusty fishing. Farming is good gil as is hunting NM's, but its very inconsitent. Fishing will get you a steady flow of income and its really cheap to start.

If you think fishing is boring, its probaly cuz your in a boring LS, or oyur fishing in the wrong areas with the wrong bait/rod. If you use a macro for fishing on alt+1

/clock
/wait X
/fish

Fishing will be easy and you can read a book, do homework, watch tv or even chat with LS mate. The road to 66 is tough for a monk, but once you get there is worth it. A lot of level 66 players have problems making gil if you can believe that. Monks have a lot of tiems on there hands, might as well take advantage of it and fish. ^.^"

And interesting post from Resistance about farming and a brief desciption of a Monk's life:



11) How and where can I find my AF armors?

Again killingifrit.com and mystertour has a pretty good listing of all the AF. One minior correct on the Crawler's Nest Coffer key; it's dropped off Helm Beetles, not Rumble Crawlers.

For all the coffer spots, check

http://ls-eternalforce.net/html/index.html

Check the Japanese version for coffer spot maps, as the english version only gives you the regular map without the spots. A trick to find the map without learning Japanese is to roll your curser over and it will display the links name. Experiment with it a little, you will find the map eventually.

12) Can a monk tank?

There is a misconception by a lot of players that Monks can't tank. And in this post I'll explain and show how a Monk can indeed tank effectively.

I'm not going into too much detail at lower levels as we should know already that a Monk (with war sub) at lower level has similar Defense as other Tanks, with the added bonus of Dodge, high evasion and VIT along with HP makes a well equipped Monk an ideal Tank at lower level. Having high HP is not a bad thing. Some WHM believes that due to the Monk?s high HP, they become a MP sink, when it?s the low defense that?s sucking up their cure. HP itself is a good thing for a Tank.

The problem with Monk tank is obviously the low defense equipment in the mid level when you are using Jujitsu Armors. There are a certain levels that a Monk will not be able to tank efficiently. But the key to a Monk Tank is to choose mobs that are slightly lower in level. Fighting VT - lowIT mobs might seem slow exp to some of you, but if you chain them fast enough, the exp gain/hour can often be more than fighting IT-highIT mobs. And going for defensive gear like Shinobi armor with a pair of Phalanx Ring will help. But more importantly, is FOOD. Instead of buying Meat Kabob, you will need Fish Kabob for the Def gain. Boiled Crab is also nice, but I prefer more Def as Monk already have decent VIT.

I have been tanking for quite a bit to test how effective a Monk can tank at higher level (Post AF). Mobs that I have been tanking are Crabs from Boyhada Tree, Crabs and Pugils at Cape Terrigan, Antican in Quicksand Cave and Cats in Lab Oz.

At higher level, with full AF, food and defender, my def is very close to a PLD without using defender. But to compensate some of that, is my high evasion, dodge, guard and counter attack.

I'm not saying that I can take the damage like a PLD nor am I able to dodge like a blink Ninja. But what I do give is the ability to tank slightly weaker mobs but on top of that, I can deal more damage than a typical Tank, which reduces the time per fight. Holding hate is not a problem with boost and provoke, as well as the extra hits I land with counter attack. But just like other Tanks, if your PT isn?t co-operating, you will lose agro.

In certain situations, I find that having a Monk Tank is even more efficient than a PLD or NIN. When you are fighting mobs that just don?t hit that hard and with a high damage PT, you can often kill a mob before it deals too much damage on you. In such a case, the added damage and WS skill chain ability of a Monk is a plus.

All in all, I?m not claiming that Monk is the best tank in the game, but in certain situations, we can be very effective. And it?s up to the Monk himself to get the equipment that?s needed to be a good Tank.

13) How do I kill Maat?

We will all have to kill Maat sooner or later. But let me tell you, while it was very annoying to get those testimony for every attempt I made on beating him, it was one of the most fun and exciting experiences I have had in FFXI.
Here?s what I did:
Get to LV70. You can try Maat at LV66, but the chances of you beating him is very slim. Trust me, I have wasted 3 testimonies before LV70. When you are LV70, get a Tiger Mask, it helps.
Equipment: basically AF items, with Tiger Mask and Phalanx Rings (Sniper?s ring is an invitation for Maat to own you). Get some high damage weapon, I used Spartan Cesti. But a Opo Necklace and sleep potions, I brought 4.
When you get into the BCNM area equip AF gloves (if you are wearing Kote) and Opo Necklace. Then Boost once, and drink a sleep potion. Rinse and repeat till you have 100TP. You could try for more with more potions, but it just doesn?t give you that much more damage with Raging Fist anyways. After you have gained 100TP, change back to original equipment, and target Maat. Start the attack but from a distance, do not engage him yet. Activate Dodge and Focus (make sure you have AF on when casting Focus), then 100 Fist. Run towards him while pressing Chi Blast macro repeatedly once it?s shot, use Raging Fist. If you health is lower than 200, use Chraka (use it in the early part so you won?t have to worry about it later). After that just pray and use Raging Fist whenever your TP is at 100. With a little bit of luck you should win. I broke the record on my server at 3mins 48secs with 50hp left at the end on my 4 th try.
There are some people who claim after a certain amount of Counters you do on Maat, you will be given the win, but I have had 3 counters kicked in, and I didn?t get the win. So I just did it the old fashion way.

14) How do I get Asuran Fist?

The quest is started from the AF Galka in Bastok Port Restaurant. You must have H2H at 250 or over and LV71 to start the quest. He will give you a Trail weapon which you must use to collect 300 points. (1 point for regular WS, 3 points for LV2 Chain, 5 points for LV3 Chain). And you must use these on easy prey + monsters. Once the weapon is ready, the latent effect on it should be gone (mine never went away, but I just counted 60 LV3 Chains), then give it back to the Galka and he will tell you to go to Bostaunieux Oubliette in Chateau D?Oraguille (Sandoria). Before you go, it would be a good idea to get the map first. The quest is given in Mhura where you have to ride the boot till you see some Pirates and you need a Charm from it to complete the quest. For more info, check allakhazam. You will need a full alliance around 70+ to beat the WSNM, it?s a bone type monster. It is located at I-8, basement of Bostaunieux Oubliette. Remember to sneak yourself before dropping in, there are a few slimes waiting for you. Once you are in there, start heading towards I-8, you will somehow drop in an invisible hold somewhere on the way, and you will be in the basement where you just continue going towards I-8. Where you touch the ??? and the WSNM will pop. When he?s dead, go back to the Galka.

15) What is a Parser, and where can I find one?

A parser basically translates all the data that is recorded in your temp folder inside your FFXI directory into information you can read. So you could see a summary of damage by each player in the party. Please use it with caution though, as it's not 1005 accurate and it does have some bugs.

This is the link:

http://www.frontiernet.net/~Spyle/FFXI/ffxi.html

16) What Macros should I be using?

*Before we go into the macro set up, let me remind you that the /wait period will depend on your lag. So you might have to experiment with it, some will need /wait 2 or even 3 for the macro to be properly executed.

Typical Simple Macro:

/ja Provoke <t>
/ja Dodge <me>
...

These are simple macros which I will not going too much detail as I hope you know how to set these up.

Repeat Macro:

/ja Boost <me>
/wait 16
/ja Boost <me>
/wait 16
/ja Boost <me>
/echo Last boost.

Time Saving Macro:

/ja Dodge <me>
/wait 1
/ja Berserk <me>
/wait 1
/ja Focus <me>

I do not suggest using such a macro, but if you feel lazy, it does save you some key pressing. The problem with such a macro is that at times, you might not need all 3 to be activated. And Dodge can also be used when you are under attack. So you should use it when it's needed. And when you have AF, some of these macros will need to be changed as they require an Equipment Change Macro.

Equipment Change Macro:

/equip head "Temple Crown"
/wait 1
/ja Focus
/wait 3
/equip head "Whatever I was using"

Remember to experiment with the wait period, it's a little tricky at first to see what your connection will allow you to do for that day.

WS Macro:

/p [Asuran Fists] ---> <t> <tp> <call14>
/ws "Asuran Fists" <t>

In some cases, you might want to switch items just before a WS, or add a boost macro on top. But I like to do the boost and WS seperately as there are times when you just need to use your WS right way to connect the chain, and that split second could ruin the Skillchain.

Pulling Macro:

/p <t> [Found it!] <pos> [Ready!] ? <call14>

I PT with a lot of JPN player so I try to use the translator as much as possible for most of my /p macros.

Report TP Macro:

/p TP = <t> <call14>
/recast Focus
/recast Berserk
/recast whatever

Just a nice and simple TP line which most people prefer as it's clear and it gets to the point. The /recast will help you manage time and know when your the ability will be ready.


17) How do I train my Guard skill?

Just like Parry and other weapon blocking skills, Guard is not an easy skill to level up. And don't expect to max it out every level (at LV75, my Guard skill is only 140 atm). There isn't really any easy way around this but to just tank. You could ask to be the tank in Skill up PTs at higher level, or other farming events. You could take off most of your evasion + items and put on some - evasion items so the chances of using Guard increases. The level of the monster will depend on the level of your skill very much like skill level on weapon. But due to the the rarity of this ability being activated, it takes a long time to level it up.


18) What effects the damage of Chi Blast?

MND x Number of time boosted (AF Gloves will increase this number) x a random multiplier = damage of Chi blast

*This equation is merely an estimate and it's not 100% accurate.

Attack has absolutely nothing to do with the total damage. While boosting will increase your attack, it has no corelation with the final damage of Chi Blast.

Some MND gear:

AF Head piece, Pride/kirin staff, MND rings, Suzaku's Sune-ate are the main ones.


Edited, Wed Jun 16 17:40:00 2004 by Effen

Edited, Wed Jun 16 17:43:57 2004 by Effen

Edited, Wed Jun 30 13:55:38 2004 by Effen

Edited, Sat Jul 10 19:16:23 2004 by Effen

Edited, Sun Jul 11 17:21:28 2004 by Effen

Edited, Mon Jul 12 13:36:22 2004 by Darkflame

Edited, Tue Jul 13 10:29:20 2004 by Effen

Edited, Fri Jul 23 14:03:20 2004 by Effen

Edited, Sat Jul 31 02:48:38 2004 by Effen

Edited, Mon Aug 2 13:42:25 2004 by Effen

Edited, Mon Aug 2 14:34:05 2004 by Effen[quote

Edited, Fri Aug 6 20:12:32 2004 by Effen

Edited, Fri Aug 6 20:14:59 2004 by Effen

Edited, Mon Sep 6 11:36:54 2004 by Effen

Edited, Fri Oct 8 11:18:53 2004 by Effen

Edited, Fri Oct 8 12:02:53 2004 by Effen

Edited, Thu May 5 21:41:00 2005 by Kaolian

as always, very nice.

the updated link for killingifrit is: ffxi.killvoid.com

Actually, it is fine. Did you try the link?

Imode, but those are all on the allakhazam site. And most of them even have it's own lil msg forum.

Ok question:

Everyone remember the great experience we get in kazham fighting mandragoras? IMO they are arguebly my favorite type of mob I ever faced. They don't do much damage, they have weak defense, and basically they're weak to all types of elemental attacks. And I remeber getting like 200exp per kill with little down time. from lvl 20-30. I remember even chaining them easily until I reached lvl 33.

Ever since kazham I don't think I ever heard of people trying to fight mandragoras again. Any reasons why? Well I realize there is a lack of variety of mandragoras in the game I think. But recently looking them up.

I see mandragoras listed in Boyahda. They're around lvl 60+. Can a party of 52s get good experience fighting them? Or is the area have too many things that aggro? Or are they just really hard? or has no one ever tried it?

I hate fighting crabs. I wouldn't mind fighting mandragoras or bats.

I made a guide for equipment.

I never really made a guide for subjob. I made like an in depth comparison though. I'll try to hook you up. Maybe I'll fix it up and you can create a link to it.

^^

Exorays are 51-54. A group of high 40s should be ideal to deal with him as exping source.

you can take exos around 45. make sure you have a good tank and you point the exos away from mages. whm needs silena

red lotus blade -> raging fists against exos

Exos can be xp'ed from 45-47ish. Beyond that they start to drop into T range. I would really recommend a different place tho. Exos just have several insane specials. Silence gas will do 200-400 dmg in AoE. And they have one line AoE (forget the name, similar to poison breath from crawler/fly) that one shotted our pld and rng for 500+ dmg. Frog kick for 150-250(pld) 250+ (anyone else).

At 50 you can just crush these things. I went with a full PT of 50's, myself 2 drg, brd, whm, thf. The tanking was done by whoever used WS last. penta/raging for 500-600 easy. Regular punches in the 50-70 range. You can pull them so fast you will easily exhaust the whole exo room. And fusion does very well against these guys if you can manage it.

Can we get this Stickied?

I'll double check it again. I didn't write that part. But it's not really that important. I just skipped that and waited for Republic Knuckles.

Imo- pulling is just something we're not meant to do. However, if you gotta do it, pebbles or tathlums or chiblast is the way to go. No provoking and no running up to something and hitting it. You will come back dead.

Even with counter gear, I consider counterstance to be an absolute deathwish. I don't even use it when farming because unarmored, things I farm usually hit me for around 60-80 damage and 40 armored.

A vote for me is a bump for this thread.

The problem with that is you might lose the mob to your competitive pullers. If you are camping one of the non popular spots, then yes, it would be fine. But can you imagine camping Mands in the Yhoater jungle? Someone would have voked it before you could even engage it.

For me, I do a lot of pulling myself. But I simply just voke. And yes, I'll be tanking most of the time. Pebble is just too expensive, and Chi Blast is not always up.

Wow, thanks Shiia, didn't realize I missed the requirement in my FAQ.

/bump

Effen great info. i been a mnk from the start of my ffxi about 2months ago and im at the lvl50 mark now. but, i just like to coment that just recently(i say around lvls 44-48) i was tanking and it was not by choice either it was only because there were no plds,nin or war around to invite. the party included a whm/smn,rdm/blm,blm/whm,thf/war,sam/war and me mnk/war. i wasnt to keen on being a tank but i thought i might as well be. now dont get me wrong i have all the uber stuff so i thought that i might be able to pull it off. so the party started and well we all gain 4 lvls as previously stated and ppl where amazed at how i was able to keep hate and also take the brunt of all punishment delt too. i'm not trying to knock on your advice i tell ppl in parties now im no tank and will not be one either. but, the ppl in that party was shocked that i could hang with a pld in tanking at such a lvl. plus, the xp chain we were getting was 5 at the most and four if mages had to heal and noone died also in this makeshift party too.

i thought that i might say this because the mnk tanking is true for lower lvls but at higher lvl.....ouch is all i got to say.


please dont flame its just my experience from tanking at such a high lvl.

thx for the info, someone sticky this thread! who do we need to talk to get that done?!

I can't believe this isn't stickied yet! <hint>
Sheesh.

How come in your suggested equipment you dont mention Bastokan Subligar for the leg slot? I think they are a very good item to have and are probably better than the mrc cpt hose if u aren't tanking.

Maybe giving the FAQ some color and some bold formatting would help make it easier to browse through. Most stickied items I see always have some kind of good formatting. Each question should maybe be Bold and Yellow. This seems to be the best looking format for a header considering the blue background of these forums.

Also, some further organization of content might make it easier for readers to go through it. Instead of saying "Perhaps the most popular question... What should my sub be?" you could probably say "What is the best subjob for Monk?". And instead of saying "Is Boost worthwhile? And what are some of the other Monk abilites?" you could probably change it to "What abilities does Monk offer?" and just have a little section on Boost within it. The section on where to go at certain levels, although great and very informative, could probably be removed since it is not monk-specific and can easily be found in the main forums. The same goes for the "How do I level faster?" section. The best race for a monk section should probably come right after the best subjob section too.

Just my 2 gil.

Great post :)

Edited, Tue Jul 13 02:15:34 2004 by AlucardSC

About leveling 66-69 in Boyahda Tree:

I don't think its a bug. All creatures that track by scent have a chance of that happening if you pull them through water. Or it is at least a Boyahda-wide problem as I've had it happen when we were pulling Robber Crabs and more recently Moss Eaters and Steelshells. Moss Eaters weren't for xp but to keep the chain going for the Skimmers before we were able to handle the Steelshells quickly enough.

Can't really think of any other xp spots off-hand that require pulling through water. So I'm not sure where else you would really see this behavior.

Hey SHINWEI

I think your signature broke the thread.

Can you shorten the line with all your jobs so we dont have to scroll right and left?

Ah nice, this was finally stickied. I gave up writing anything on this forum, but it's nice to visit. ^^

Well, quite frankly... All these race debate doesn't make that much of a difference at the end. It's mostly for bragging rights really when an Elvaan says they can out damage any other race given the same equipment at high level. Hume is capable of being a great monk, but it's up to you to make it a great monk, not the race.