Mercy Stroke - Necessary for MNK?

So far I'm using

Blood for Blood
Invigorate
Bloodbath
Fracture




Mercy stroke seems to be the only viable 5th option, but I really don't want to level up my Marauder....I really hate doing fates.


Is mercy stroke a necessity for progression content?

Mercy Stroke is reasonably useful but far from critical. Edit: I personally favor it because its use cases are particularly useful -- specific to killing adds which tend to have a high priority in terms of mechanics.

Level 26 or w/e for MRD is rather fast btw. If you haven't done your guildhests, do those -- you'll get almost instant pops and they reward a ton of XP. FATE spam in between: Aleport -> East Shroud -> South Shroud. Probably hit 26 in like 4 hours.

While you can only use it when they're below 20%, it's still a free extra 200 potency to weave between cooldowns, and most of the other cross class skills are kind of unnecessary like Foresight, Keen Flurry...outside of solo'ing you shouldn't be in a position where these would be useful. Then there's Skull Sunder, who the hell thought that'd be a good skill to make cross class? :P

It's not imperative to use, but it's better to have more damage than the other "lite-defense" skills. Impulse Drive is also worth consideration, throwing it into your rotations can help get those last couple of seconds out of Demolish sometimes, and from the rear it's 180 potency, so it doesn't slow down your dps. I never used to use it, but I've grown to consider it more useful than Bloodbath, which is ultimately just another minor defensive skill.

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Originally Posted by Nofacekiller

Blood for Blood
Invigorate
Bloodbath
Fracture

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Drop Bloodbath and get Mercy Stroke and Impulse Drive.

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Originally Posted by Aeliott

Impulse Drive is also worth consideration, throwing it into your rotations can help get those last couple of seconds out of Demolish sometimes, and from the rear it's 180 potency, so it doesn't slow down your dps. I never used to use it, but I've grown to consider it more useful than Bloodbath.

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Personally I've started loving Impulse drive and have started using it quite regularly in my own rotations.

As for Mercy stroke; While not necessary it is indeed a pretty potent off gcd direct damage ability.

Overall dps increase from Mercy Stroke is negligible, but the extra burst is useful in specific situations. I would recommend getting it.

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Originally Posted by Grembo

Drop Bloodbath and get Mercy Stroke and Impulse Drive.

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I do not think Impulse Drive is a viable cross-class skill. It provides a small dps increase short-term, but the TP drain makes it impractical and inefficient. Bloodbath is a much more versatile skill.

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Originally Posted by Mitski

Overall dps increase from Mercy Stroke is negligible, but the extra burst is useful in specific situations. I would recommend getting it.



I do not think Impulse Drive is a viable cross-class skill. It provides a small dps increase short-term, but the TP drain makes it impractical and inefficient. Bloodbath is a much more versatile skill.

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I understand what you mean, and that's why I never used to use it. In very long fights such as the Coil Turns I still don't use it, and Bloodbath is the only other worthwhile option - might as well add a bit of sustain to ease your healer's job. But still, when TP permits it's perfectly viable in my opinion. Not essential by any means, but viable. Matter of preference I guess :)

Generally speaking the only notable uses of Bloodbath that come to mind are:

1. Turn 2 pulsing damage from ADSboss.
2. Turn 4 Clockwork cleave.
3. Turn 4 spider AOE / random aggro (probably only ifwhen the Monk uses PB RB spam, because otherwise they probably won't pull notable threat).
4. Turn 4 possible rook damage. I think the healer would still heal, but BB could have a meaningful impact there.

In other situations the heal is generally too little / too slow to prevent your healer from healing you, which generally negates the effectiveness of Bloodbath.


I mean, the ability feels good to use, but in my experience when I take damage the healers heal it, even if I have Bloodbath / use it / they know I have it / will use it.

Edit: Oh, I guess T1 when Cad spits at you.

Right now i'm using:
Invigorate
Fracture
Impulse Drive
Blood for blood
Foresight

Though after hearing more about mercy stroke, I'll try dropping foresight for it since it doesn't increase my dps (though it's been helpful with dungeon trash since I end up tanking mobs half the time lol). I would still recommend using impulse drive as well because you'll find that in every time you do your 1-2-3 combo and need to reapply demolish, you'll have time to fit in 2 gcd's before needing to reapply it, so you'll need it for a filler while you wait cause you don't want to progress through your combo just yet, otherwise you'll clip demolish too early if you just keep going or if you snap punch instead then for a few gcd's you won't be keeping up demolish.

Fracture
Blood for blood
Invigorate
Mercy Stroke

Those 4 never leave my bars.

I swap between Bloodbath and Skull Sunder depending on what I am doing.

You may hate fates but at least marauders are like the best class to do them with (at least for the levels you'll need to get Mercy Stroke).

Mercy Stroke isn't necessary, but I think it's a nice addition to the toolkit. In the long term, the dps it adds is negligible but in the short term it's quite powerful.
Maybe your group is slow killing the first dreadnaught in turn 4, Mercy Stroke might make the difference.

You want extra damage in the last seconds of any of the Coil fights. It's not much overall, but it's an extra attack that's off gcd and the highest potency direct damage attack we have access to.

mercy stroke is pretty usefull when u have to down a conflag asap in t5 ^^.

Necessary no but you dont have many alternatives to increase your dps and mercy stroke, while neglicible for your sustained dps, can help to improve your burst.

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Originally Posted by Rochetm

I swap between Bloodbath and Skull Sunder depending on what I am doing.

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Dafuq bro.

Rooks? Why? What? >.>?

Lol/

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Originally Posted by Rochetm

I swap between Bloodbath and Skull Sunder depending on what I am doing.

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I am so confused x.x

Mercy Stroke is really great to have. Depending on the content your doing and who your going with. Its also really good in T4 on the dreads cause its free DMG and who doesn't like free DMG.
My setup

Mercy Stroke
Invigorate
Blood for Blood
Bloodbath
Fracture

Bloodbath is great. Its true that a mage can heal you, But Being able to heal yourself helps them out a lot. I use it in AK a lot if I take hate of a tank, Really nice in T2 on ADS since you can't dodge vaccum wave.

Incase some people don't know Crit hit effects Second Wind so I can heal myself for some pretty good numbers.

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Originally Posted by Arkista

Bloodbath is great. Its true that a mage can heal you, But Being able to heal yourself helps them out a lot. I use it in AK a lot if I take hate of a tank, Really nice in T2 on ADS since you can't dodge vaccum wave.
Incase some people don't know Crit hit effects Second Wind so I can heal myself for some pretty good numbers.

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It sounds good on paper but healers don't care, they see you drop by 1000 and toss you a heal so even if you can selfsustain yourself, they don't take risks.
I often heal myself to full with second with after taking damage but still receive heals.

It's "useful" but by no means necessary, it has a 90s cooldown, so you'll most likely use it once or twice per battle depending on the boss, there's nothing else to use in its place so it's kind of a "why not?" situation.

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Originally Posted by EasymodeX

Dafuq bro.

Rooks? Why? What? >.>?

Lol/

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Skull sunder is the highest threat ability I have access to. If I need to tank things I use it (see turn 4, hyrda, garuda).

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Originally Posted by Rochetm

Skull sunder is the highest threat ability I have access to. If I need to tank things I use it (see turn 4, hyrda, garuda).

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Why would you need a threat ability? To tank shit when your tank dies? As monk you should be second on the aggro easily without it.
Monks are not off-tanks if we happen to tank something it might work until a certain point but in that case aggro is the least of our worries.

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Originally Posted by Atreides

Why would you need a threat ability? To tank shit when your tank dies? As monk you should be second on the aggro easily without it.
Monks are not off-tanks if we happen to tank something it might work until a certain point but in that case aggro is the least of our worries.

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I gave you three examples of when a monk can tank. I cannot help you beyond that if you are unable to think outside the box.

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Originally Posted by Rochetm

I gave you three examples of when a monk can tank. I cannot help you beyond that if you are unable to think outside the box.

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But in those cases - where you're burning down an add that the tanks can't afford to turn to - you should have enmity just from smacking them anyway. 100 Potency is horrible too, may as well just do more damage (and get enmity from that anyway). It really is a waste of a cross class skill.

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Originally Posted by Aeliott

But in those cases - where you're burning down an add that the tanks can't afford to turn to - you should have enmity just from smacking them anyway. 100 Potency is horrible too, may as well just do more damage (and get enmity from that anyway). It really is a waste of a cross class skill.

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Good thing monks don't have positional attacks. Also good that when things are chasing ranged around we still do damage just like normal. If you think you can produce more threat with a 130 potency attack then go for it and I will continue being a moron with total control of adds. Not having bloodbath really hurts so there is that as well.

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Originally Posted by Rochetm

Good thing monks don't have positional attacks. Also good that when things are chasing ranged around we still do damage just like normal. If you think you can produce more threat with a 130 potency attack then go for it and I will continue being a moron with total control of adds. Not having bloodbath really hurts so there is that as well.

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The thing is we generate so much hate we wind up top in enmity anyways just from our damage alone, Sunder isnt really necessary except in maybe lower level content to pick up some slack if your tank leaves or dcs. Otherwise though proceeding through normal rotations puts you pretty high in enmity. Theres really no reason to ever take sunder.

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Originally Posted by Rochetm

Good thing monks don't have positional attacks. Also good that when things are chasing ranged around we still do damage just like normal. If you think you can produce more threat with a 130 potency attack then go for it and I will continue being a moron with total control of adds. Not having bloodbath really hurts so there is that as well.

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Hit garuda or closest sister to gain combo and keep GL3, and then snap punch or impulse drive, I never lose hate on sisters at garuda.

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Originally Posted by Cynric

The thing is we generate so much hate we wind up top in enmity anyways just from our damage alone, Sunder isnt really necessary except in maybe lower level content to pick up some slack if your tank leaves or dcs. Otherwise though proceeding through normal rotations puts you pretty high in enmity. Theres really no reason to ever take sunder.

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This.

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Originally Posted by Rochetm

I gave you three examples of when a monk can tank. I cannot help you beyond that if you are unable to think outside the box.

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I'd rather leave Skull Sunder inside the box tyvm.
I've done all the things you mentioned without the use of that garbage skill.
Getting aggro is the least of our worries.