Monk Needs a Complete Rework

[VentVanitas]

While I did say that theorycrafting was my weak point, the discussion of Chakra has interested me, now that GL is presumably not going to be a concern after the rework.

There are some suggestions that I do like, and I think MNK could benefit from. Specifically, SpeckledBurd's comment about how Brotherhood and Riddle of Fire can be merged for effectively no difference on the rotation as a whole, which I think is a great QoL idea. One less button bloating the hotbar, though I would not also mind giving them very slightly different uses so it would be a good idea to execute them at different times. (As Shurrikhan also suggests)

Hypothetically speaking, if there were a free button made from Brotherhood/RoF's merging, we'd have a new slot to take up anything. My suggestion? Another way to spend Chakra. This is in the scenario that Chakra remains largely the same, but the gaining of the resource is different, but consistent. (Whether it be through hitting Coeurl Form skills, reaching certain potencies, etc.)

And I don't mean a skill like Enlightenment. Perhaps it could cost two, or even one chakra? (Depending on how Chakra is gained in future patches) This would have to come at the cost of Forbidden Chakra being on a longer cooldown with a higher potency however. Make it a tool that can increase the potency or other effects on any weaponskill, similar to Hissatsu: Kaiten. Call it Leaden Strikes, and remove the Leaden Fist feature from Bootshine, all the while giving Dragon Kick a new function. (Perhaps a self crit/direct hit buff, which was also suggested by SpeckledBurd?) With this the job could potentially take a direction more about managing Chakra and learning how to best spend it before and after every TFC.

I can see this sort of kit being a lot more digestible if there were also an independent weaponskill like Touch of Death. A buffer for moving into positionals as well as a break mid rotation to think about what to do next with your Chakra. Not only that, but it can be seen as an indirect way to handle resource overflow. Albeit, not a solution, but something to ease that gaping wound until it's addressed properly and more importantly, by someone with a better understanding of Monk.

The official job guide says that Chakra is used by Monks to "perform extraordinary physical feats-" would a hypothetical skill such as Leaden Strikes not give that statement more truth? After all I like to view as spending Chakra (your "aura" essentially) to empower your moves as "Monk-like" as that's how it exactly functions in the job quests, for Monks other than us that is. Though I won't pretend that this scenario isn't flawed itself or that other suggestions aren't better. After all I did say theorycrafting wasn't my forte, as well as everybody having their own idea on what direction the job should go. I'm more than okay with people destroying the heck out of this post if it means more healthy discussion of the job is made.

[Shurrikhan]

Hypothetically speaking, if there were a free button made from Brotherhood/RoF's merging, we'd have a new slot to take up anything. My suggestion? Another way to spend Chakra.

While, depending on its implementation (and, slightly, on our Chakra-per-minute), I too would like to see another Chakra skill, let's note that we're not so strapped for space that we'd need a merger just to allow for that.

As mentioned before, I'd prefer to remove Meditation and Form Shift as buttons, providing their benefits continuously/granularly and passively over time not refreshing the GCD, largely because that'd mean TFC and Enlightenment could be freed to be used at any amount of Chakra, thus relieving our banking/timing issues.

If we go the route of having more to our Chakra skills than just a ST and AoE filler skill each, it'd be cool to see some bonuses to each such that they're variably best used at low or high Chakra, situationally (i.e. based on sync in relation to key GCDs in rotation and/or key CDs macrorotationally) but still consume all available Chakra.

For instance, a skill which, alongside its damage, generates a buff at value regardless of Chakra expenditure would want to be used at low Chakra while maintaining that buff. Alternatively, if the duration of the buff still varied with Chakra, then it'd still be worth rushing out before another hit that makes good use of it. This would of course pair best with a more predictable (i.e. not abnormally RNG-based) version of Chakra generation.

Alternatively, you could have one of those Chakra skills drain Chakra over time or per weaponskill to vary things up that way.