How i would fix monk if i had the chance.

[Delgear]

Lastly i want to talk about how i would revive the long dead days of the monk magical DD.

It starts ... you guessed it with a stance.
Formless strikes i always thought was a unique ability it was something most players overlooked until they really needed it ....

Lets change it to like all the others i have listed lock out counter stance, impetus, devastation(footwork), etc. now i would recommend making it convert some physical attack or all into magic attack just make sure that the levels of magic attack attainable are commensurate with a magic damage dealer .... we don't want this to be the highest magic damage dealer in the game ... we just want role flexibility for the monk ... so people don't say "Sorry this boss can't be physically damaged" and not allow the monk to come. Next like the other DD options on monk we want a "combo bonus" each consecutive hit will debuff the targets magic resist(will not refresh but can be overwritten by more hits) especially with monks high HP and as ive added to the class flexibility. monk will lose ... well ... attack in trade .. they will be losing all ability to do any real physical damage in exchange for their damage type always being magical .... this ability should also unlock a WS of each elemental damage type for ST and AOE but lockout the physical weapon skills. Its ok if these WS's are only stage 2 as the monk will be trying to magic burst on the third step of a sc or their own second step with chi blast.

Chakra :: Works like the counterstance chakra except it purges magical debuffs every few seconds instead of physical.

Boost :: after three stacks are achieved creates a 1m buff that empowers the next chi blast and resets chi blast cool down to magic burst and grants a HIGH base damage increase and Matt bonus to it.

Chi Blast :: all Chi blast + gear is doubled in effectiveness and raises the base damage of Chi Blast.

Focus :: In addition to accuracy each melee hit will stack up Matt until a spell is cast or chi blast is used.

[Delgear]

As some final notes, i think in general more "Stances" need to be created and they should be willful decisions to play a different way i think honestly composure is the best in game example already go ahead and make that a stance as well. all stances should have this in common on any job :: they lockout other stance options form the same job. they modify the way the class is played, they are undispellable, and they are a meaningful choice one equips around, and adapts ones playstyle to. Ill cover some more when i examine other jobs and put up my 2 cents.

I think by default on monk boost should be a "give up dps, enmity, etc." now for a greater effect later ... and the player should have to work them in to their rotation in a way they "don't cost too much" like in the example of the tank ... boost generates no enmity, it resets and slows down your attack round .... it has a cost in time .... but its there so if you have control of enmity, you can better heal yourself(with chakra).

I also think that each of these stances should be available before the subjob cutoff making monk a much more diverse and useful subjob. making it possible for any melee DD to use the formless strikes and be viable in a fight where physical damage is pointless or overly dangerous.

Mantra should be main job only level range its a unique buff no other job has and i feel if the amount given is substantial enough its a reason anyone might want a monk in the party even to dd as it may make the summoners and blm in the part a touch more survivable.

DT- i think is really too hard to get for some jobs and i feel monk falls into this category found it rather confusing that thiefs have the same DT- right at 99 - 119 range as you do as do dark knights who are supposed to be "Glass Cannons" but i want to do a excerpt on what ide change about darkknight anyway so ill cover that later.
Monk often at low gear levels has little to no access to DT- meaning alot of the undodge-able and unavoidable entry level end game encounters are near impossible for monk and lead to a lot of instant one shots on a job that really should be one of the tankier melee DD's and safer melee dd's to play.

Lastly if you like my content posted above or any of my others, please use it square even only some of it ...I am very interested in Game design ... i would love to switch careers into it if possible .... so if you do use it please credit me so i can use it as a reference ... or heck hire me i need money. Remember ... even though i am criticizing the game i absolutely love it ... there isnt a game ive played for more hours or gotten more enjoyment out of than this one ....

Thanks for all that you do.

[Delgear]

Forgot to mention i think monk should either one of the following in order of my preference ::
Be able to dual wield clubs, claws, fists etc. slower than nin.(like thf) to get the stat bonuses from offhand fist weapon.

Be able to equip grips and have stat scaling on their fist weapons to be commensurate with excellent 2 handed weapons like lionheart and ragnarok have them count as two handed weapons for interaction with SAM.

Stay programmed as they are but with at least 2 handed weapon stat scaling....

Monk has a serious problem due to how its weapons work it doesn't interact well with other jobs that it would sub, DA overwriting KA since you can't proc both on same attack and KA is better by gear and JP ... counter being almost last in defensive order ....(followed only by guard) cant parry .... with no native provoke (which i fixed with my proposal) pretty much limits them to /war or /dnc, with /SAM with a pole but there is no good pole weapons for monk past 119 baseline.

Subbing sam with a native provoke would open monk up for fights that need you to avoid melee auto attacks (endeath).

Monk also needs a better way to buff its measly Magic resistance .... even if its a specific sub ... what available by subbing either run or GEO is not enough either those jobs subjob additions to the formula need some buffing or monk itself maybe needs access to a touch more magic defense and magic evasion especially in "Tank gear"

[Delgear]

Forgot to mention that monk 2 hr is already completely obsolete .... most people just call it "regular attack speed" on all the other jobs in the game.

i would change the 2(1) hour to ::
Master of styles :: Gain all the benefits of monk stances for 30 seconds and none of the disadvantages.

(even before you have the stances)