Did they change the second step in a patch? Its long ago I did look at it the last time. But I'm shure, spinning and syphon did have the same potency this time.
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A lot of groups just want the boost to overall raid dps that trick and litany bring to the table, but an exceptional monk is always an asset to the party because they're capable of high individual dps and also have dragon kick. A top tier mnk with a nin and mch is a dangerous thing. Mantra tends to get overlooked, and personally i want a monk in the party just for mantra. I feel like mantra's utility is typically underrated.
Some things MNK brings to the table:
- Traited Mantra
- Fist of Earth
- best melee AOE
- DK (assuming no DRK)
So, basically, MNK's main advantage is bringing defensive options and great AOE. The reason you'll often see people say MNK's not optimal is that if you don't need those defensive options then bringing a DRG in it's place is better gDPS (due to Litany and +BRD/MCH DPS).
However, if you don't plan on raiding hardcore world first then the DPS difference between DRG and MNK shouldn't matter. Every job in the game is viable for raiding, the only place where balance is absolutely key is in world first early prog because you'll want every bit of an advantage you can get. So if you enjoy MNK, play MNK.
Also, just as a side note, DK is also useful in the DRK/WAR comp - as an easy example in A1S you can DK the WAR's boss while DRK applies Delirium to the other. It's pretty niche, but it has it's places.