Two Months In: Will You Reconsider GL IV?

[Blanchimont]

I think the problem with Riddle of Fire is that they fail to understand that there's more to the class than the damage numbers. The argument for it is always the damage numbers and it fails to consider the Monk class as a whole and the feel of the skill itself. The Monk class has been about building attack speed and ramping up damage, but since the Heavensward expansion, that was no longer the case. Instead, the skills seem to try to trade your speed for damage. This carried over into Stormblood and Riddle of Fire is just a cumulation of everything wrong with the design since Heavensward. Instead of giving us a way to keep it up longer, they try to get us to trade it for a single powerful blow, which is kind of useless. The long boss transitions have also made the class worse overall as they are forced to lose their stacks and Riddle of Earth is an awful skill that forces you to take a hit for it to count (the reason is whenever possible, you want to avoid damage).

In my opinion, the three stances are a failed concept and should just be abandoned. Just flat out give the Monks a base 5% damage buff since there's really no way to ever make Fists of Wind and Fists of Earth preferable as long as one gives damage and the other two do not. The same problem comes across for the the Riddles. Riddle of Earth only triggers upon taking a hit and is bare useful. Riddle of Wind is pretty much a never use. Riddle of Fire is something you use once your stacks reach max to boost your damage output even further.

You might as well make the chakras have a way to refresh GL stacks. It'll be much more useful. Purification would be a good skill to replace since we already have Invigorate.

[BucklesTrespen]

In my opinion, the three stances are a failed concept and should just be abandoned...

I can't agree more. I bring this up in other Monk threads too. The second a stance is given a damage increase - it is used exclusively. Choice is removed.

Purification giving 1-2 seconds per chakra spent would be a great addition. No need to use all five at once. Gives Chakra another use. This would also make Purification used likely every boss fight as we would boost the GL timer to make sure Riddle of Earth doesn't screw us over like it often does. (Riddle of Earth still needs an outright mecahnic change though. Needing to be hit is just plain dumb).