Few Questions from an aspiring Monk

[Tanners]

Me and a friend are leveling our way up to 99. We just started a few days ago but our planned duo is MNK and WHM. I like the idea of monk tanking but i want some advice on Tanking at level cap but also tanking while leveling.

1. Should i avoid evasion? I know it will override my chance to guard but im not sure which is more valuable. Also is there a clear stat priority when it comes to tanking for Monk.
2. Which Magian should i build first?
3. Are there any specific pieces of gear (not magian) i should seek that are easy to obtain as a fresh 99.
4. What atmas should i hunt at 99.

I tanked as a Ninja on my old character during 90 cap so i know about abyssea and how the game works generally but i could use some monk specific advice. Thanks.

[Mirage]

Guard is less powerful than evasion. You might be thinking of counter. It is hard to get your counter rate as high as your evasion rate, so while a low evasion rate with countering will lead to more damage dealt to the mob, you will also take more damage. I wouldn't intentionally gimp my evasion rate unless I knew the healer would have no issues keeping me alive.

Counterstance will help your counter rate, but the damage you take when you do get hit will be a lot higher. You should take care when using it, and against certain mob types, it should probably not be used at all, such as iron giants, shinryu, and other mobs with frequent/constant-TP moves, or extremely strong physical TP moves.

As for atmas. Gnarled Horn, Sanguine Scythe, Apocalypse, Razed Ruins, for starters.

Until you get a magian,empy, or whatever, Brawny Adargas will do as an all right weapon.

[Tanners]

Thanks for the advice. In your opinion what would be the best magian to build. Should go STR, EVA, or -PDT first? Ideally ill have all of them eventually.

[Plasticleg]

Thanks for the advice. In your opinion what would be the best magian to build. Should go STR, EVA, or -PDT first? Ideally ill have all of them eventually.

No use to build either of those. Just buy a brawny adragas (it has Damage taken down on it) and crank out Chloris buds for your Vere.

For specific gear, Black Belt. I really don't care for reasons against not getting it. If you ever want to take the job seriously, you will make a black belt.

Having various gear sets for TP > WS > and Damage reduction, are also very beneficial.

Look on getting your gear haste to add up to 25-26% when you add it up; more smacks >> faster TP >> more ws >> more damage.

Make a damage taken down set (or two) to macro in for when those NMs are readying a TP move.

Also make a set or two for your weapon skill of choice, for differing situations.

IIRC, Gnarled Horn atma should be all you need for evasion in abyssea. Evasion caps at about 80%, so stacking obscene amounts beyond the atma, really isn't helping yourself.

I'd also lurk at various other community sites for this game, 100% certain there's good information that can be more specific on making your duo work.

[Tanners]

Thanks for the advice. Good news to hear that Brawny Adargas can hold me over. Is Verethagna easy enough to get that i should pursue it before working on a Spharai? Spharai is my dream just because of wanting one ever since i started back in 2004, so even if it may be inferior to a Vere(im not sure if this is the case) i still want one heh.

[Plasticleg]

Thanks for the advice. Good news to hear that Brawny Adargas can hold me over. Is Verethagna easy enough to get that i should pursue it before working on a Spharai? Spharai is my dream just because of wanting one ever since i started back in 2004, so even if it may be inferior to a Vere(im not sure if this is the case) i still want one heh.

Vere should be what you focus on as your DD weapon, and Spharai is more for the defensive aspect. Both are your best/only real choices. It's quicker and generally easier to farm up the 50 Chloris/50 Uldasti/75 Dragua items for Vere 90. Only thing is that you'll probably want to level/skill up WAR (AH weapons are ok for farming your H2H items) because you're going to want to hit a RED proc on the mobs.

Only way I'd reallly see Vere being the lesser to Spharai would be against mobs with a ridiculous critical damage/rate defense.

Oh, and it's over9000 times easier to 95 Spharai than it is to 95 a Vere; 1500 heavy metal plates.

[Mirage]

If you're taking both to 95, the price will be pretty similar. If you would be satisfied with a lv90 empy, however, vere will be a lot cheaper.

If price wasn't an issue, I think I would take a Spharai over a Vere.

[Tanners]

I was looking at some leveling gear, do you guys think Avenger's Earrings would be a good investment? +1Counter and theyre not unique.

[Mirage]

During leveling, I wouldn't bother too much with that. You'll generally level on pretty easy stuff anyway.

[Babekeke]

As far as evasion goes, if you're always with a WHM, you'll generally be /war, and when I /war, I always ride all the timers, including aggressor. Using aggressor lowers your eva, so you get hit more, but by upping your acc, you have higher chance to counter. Add to this the fact that you also have perfect counter, you won't get hit enough to matter agains most regular-type mobs (like mirage said, avoid counter tanking on TP heavy mobs though).

There are some relic and AF pieces that are definately worth investing in. Priority wise, I'd say AF body and relic hands. +2 the relic hands, then get them augmented (assuming you merited invigorate).

[Tanners]

So should i build an Evasion or a -PDT set for these TP Heavy mobs, or both?

[Mirage]

Both :3

Maybe a hybrid too, with both as much eva and pdt as you can put on at the same time.

Well, to be fair, most things that are viable for you to duo with a whm won't have extreme accuracy, so you might not need a whole lot of eva to reach the cap of 80% anyway. For a lot of content, it might be best to just focus on pdt.

[Caketime]

With a pocket WHM you don't even need to bother with the Evasion and -pdt sets save for when you get to 99 and have made considerable progress through Abyssea. Even then, if your WHM has half a functioning brain you've got nothing to worry about, and if you're ever in a situation where something is hitting you that hard you've likely got fanny/fool's tonics at the ready. For everything else, there's cureskin. :3

Seal NMs go squish. Have fun with that.

[Mirage]

Yeah, most stuff is unproblematic. However, for some NMs, you really want a MDT/MDB set. Even if you've got 4000 hp, some mobs like Rani can fuck you up. I've seen it nuke for 3000 damage to a monk with 5/5 shellra5 on him, for so to follow up with a magical TP move right afterwards.

Additionally, PDT can mitigate some damage for certain reduce-to-critical HP attacks, like ironclad's ballistic kick. It is very relaxing to see your tank be left with 900 hp after a ballistic kick instead of 150.

[Babekeke]

With brawny and Black Belt, you'd already be pretty much full-timing -10%PDT which is quite nice anyway.

Other particular items of note are: Augmented Dark rings from abyssea konschat gold chests (max 6% each) or Defending Ring (10%). Twilight Torque (5%) or Wiglen Gorget (6% -PDT +6% MDT). Either Fugacity Beret (1% PDT 12 eva) or an augmented Genbu's Kabuto (3% PDT 8 eva) or Arhat's Jinpachi +1 (6% PDT). Augmented Kirin's Osisde (5% PDT 7 eva) or Arhat's Gi +1 (9% PDT). Melaco Mittens (3% PDT). Molluska Mantle (5%). Darksteel Subligar +1 (3%). Plumb Boots (5%) or Darksteel Leggings +1 (2%). Colossus's Earring (1%).

Also Sheltered Ring is worth noting, as it will make 5/5 Shellra 5 give 29% -MDT, meaning you only need 21% to cap it. It also gives 1% regen while equipped if you're going for an idle set too. If you are, both Genbu's Kabuto and Kirin's Osode can be aug'd with regen as well. Note that these aug's can take a while and cost quite a bit to get.

If you can't get hold of any of the -PDT items, replacing them with Kacura/+1 for eva is a good second best.