Ninja or Monk?

[Lonestar77]

I'm evaluating a melee dps job to have some different gameplay (actually got MCH AST DRK SMN), but I can't decide between Monk and Ninja.

I saw a lot of good comments on Monk, mainly focused on his great single target dps, while I see very few threads on Ninja, most of 'em old and pointing out a dps issue in endgame content.

Anyway, I must confess I'm more curious about Ninja job... so I'm calling Ninjas and Monks to clarify differences, pros and cons of both classes.

Thanks in advance

[garret_hawke]

Compare to monk ninja as less positioning to do (2) but it has the lowest dps among melee which is compensate by ninja utility (trick Attack, Goad, Smoke bomb). In terms of speed both are fast dps with monk been a bit faster (not sure my mnk is only lvl 20). Then monk compensate his positioning with high dps but no much utility (dragon kick and mantra).

[Aeliott]

Ninja's a very respectable job, if you're more interested in that go for it! They both have similar speed GCDs, only Ninja is less positional-centric. Their personal damage is lower than monk's (well, everyone's is in most cases), however Trick Attack is probably the single best raid skill in the game. While their openers can be annoying sometimes, especially based on Huton timers and when tanks pull, generally they have an easy to grasp priority system (though they can be tricky to master, but so can most jobs!). Not only that, but they don't require any major set-up so are good at burning adds. Aggro tools are handy too, not to mention Goad to help sustain your fellow physical DPS.

Monk is easy to understand, not many buffs and such to keep track of, though when almost everything is positional, and Dragon Kick and Twin Snakes fall off quite easily from having to leave (people only mention GL but it's not hard to keep up in most cases), it can be tricky to be perfect with. But because of their great sustain it's pretty forgiving. You'll be constantly moving around and always doing something, even if it's charging Chakra and/or form shifting on downtime in a way that's optimal. They have good defensive utility with traited Mantra (raid-wide Convalescence) and an innate Int-down on enemies.

Both are great, and both bring useful tools to the team.

[Thunda_Cat_SMASH]

Ninjas are generally on the lower end of the personal DPS spectrum, but outside of a couple of positionals, they're generally considered easier to play than monk. However, if you have much latency, it's arguably the worst class to play... though they fixed it before, mudra lag remains a potential problem even now.

[MahoSenshi]

Monks are nicer in dungeons and PUG groups. Ninjas are more in demand for statics.
(It's always DRG/NIN for melee, even with latest buff)

[Aeliott]

Hmm. World first A7S and A8S had MNK over DRG. I would assume for their superior sustain and defensive capabilities? Besides, I don't think optimal job comps are something someone should be stressing over unless they intend to pursue getting hardcore content down as fast as possible. Countless MNKs are beating savage along with every other job, there's really not enough between them to make it influence your choice, imo. I think this is the best balanced DPS have been since 3.0.

[AsunaStrife]

Hmm. World first A7S and A8S had MNK over DRG. I would assume for their superior sustain and defensive capabilities?

A8S monk happened due to Mantra, yes. But that was early in the content with a huge spreadlo being needed for certain mechanics. People should have caught up with gear and vit no left hand items by now so that it doesnt really matter too much anymore. People have pretty much nailed down the differences between the 2 classes, just go with whatever you feel interested in most. Both classes are fun and both are definitely useful in raids, though Ninja is probably the more demanded job in statics.

[Quor]

MNK probably has the overall highest skill ceiling in order to get the most out of the job. It's very difficult to master, but the payoff is the best DPS in game.

NIN is more forgiving, and has good DPS as well as brings better overall utility. The skill ceiling is a bit lower, but it's also less hectic to play. MNK needs to be constantly moving, and that can be exhausting for some people.

[Lonestar77]

I come from Machinist, so I really know how stressing can be sustaining a good dps (i223, but I don't have a static so no Savage...).

I'm giving a shot to Ninja, that's my final decision

Thanks for all replies

[QuinRaines]

Monk is the best and always will be

/thread