Monk Needs a Complete Rework

[SpeckledBurd]

Could more traditional means also have sufficed? For instance,

• GL generates as much movement speed as attack speed, allowing us to better keep up with the added pace of positioning. (Total of 20% movement speed bonus when ramped up, up from 5%. Granted, this all would have to be changed with GL becoming "traits", but this is just for purpose of illustration for now.)
• Riddle of Wind returns as a zero-potency mobility tool, replacing Shoulder Tackle while Tackle is on cooldown, available once per Shoulder Tackle recharge period. (You can add to this backstep functionality when within melee range of a target, target-less dash functionality when no target is selected, etc., or just leave it equal to Shoulder Tackle as before.)

Would we still then need to copy Yaten and En Avant via separate buttons?

Boosting Monk's native movement speed further as an alternative to having better movement actions has a couple of problems. The biggest one is that it's trying to compete against skills that provide what amounts to instant movement with non-instant movement. If it's sufficient then Monk will fundamentally be able to Shukuchi constantly, but if it's insufficient then Monk still has the worst mobility of the Melee. The other problem is that moving at higher speeds makes positioning for certain more precise mechanics more difficult than necessary.

Riddle of Wind returning as a zero potency mobility tool is a better idea, but I don't see them doing that since they seem to have converted that concept into Charges. Really the best change they could make to Shoulder Tackle would be to revert it to how it worked in ARR by giving it a 10-yalm minimum range from the boss rather than it being a skill you have to hammer on cooldown (with them moving the potency to a new skill or just bringing back Steel Peak at a different potency and a 30 second cooldown). I frankly don't see a reason why there needs to be an incentive to use your gap-closer as DPS cooldown on Monk at least.

I also disagree that giving Monk a mobility tool identical to another job is a problem at all. Why? Well every "Normal" movement option is already implemented in some form on another job. Ninja already has a ground targeted teleport, Samurai has a backstep relative to an enemy, Dragoon has the backstep based on character orientation, and Dancer has forward dashes based on character orientation. That's basically the entirety of movement skills that can exist without the movement condition being just pointlessly unconventional. You could do something different but at that point you'd be sacrificing practicality for the sake of Monk having a skill that does something different, like having a 10 Yalm Back Step to the right. You aren't even gaining flavor at that point.

Frankly En Avant is the prime candidate for a skill to "copy" to Monk, because it's from a separate role entirely, on a Job whose playstyle is entirely distinct to Monk. Further, Monk having a forward dash fits well with an aggressive Martial Arts type, it doesn't matter that it already existing on an extremely different job shouldn't bar Monk from getting an equivalent.

Would this essentially mimic the previous version of Dragon Kick, or would there be something new? Are there any particular implementations that would stand out to you as exciting, functional, and "Monk-like"?

More or less. It could be something like a 5-10% boost to Crit or Direct Hit instead of it just being a second 10% damage up on the Monk to avoid redundancy with Twin Snakes.