Monk's skill Riddle of Earth is useless

[Paolito]

I agree... I was kind of hoping for a skill where we can weave Tornado Kick in our rotation without losing the stacks for the expansion but nooooo, instead we got Tackle Mystery... it truly is a mystery imo.

[RyuDragnier]

It's for unavoidable attacks in raids and for raid mechanics. You can't hit the boss, you're going to lose GL, but wait, you pop Riddle of Earth, get hit by the damage from the mechanic and have full GL timer again. It's useless OUTSIDE of raids, but in them it will be a massive godsend.

[MercuryD]

I mean, I use it for soloing... Sometimes...

[Fireselecta]

Well, this skill is not used 50 times per fight that's true... BUT, in the new Ex primals (the only true relevant content actually), you'll find a good use for it. here is a concrete example :
- In susano, after the sword phase (dps check), use it right before susano hit the ground with his sword. This will allow you to go back at him with GL3.

Sorry to say, but in raids, where dps is actually important (ok susano Ex is a joke for an extreme primal), this skill might become one of your best friend

[Slayeur]

Personally, I can appreciate the existence of Fists of Earth (and the new RoE) from experience with using the buff Fists of Earth regularly pre-SB during situational events that could not be helped such as, but not in the listed order:

1. Oh no! That boss cast is going to eat me! ><
2. Healer! BRUH! heals plz! *thinks A12-N green-mark-spread mechanic).
3. Soloing great numbers or soloing SB content.
4. I'm not a tank! But these mobs... they keep poking me! TANK! BRUH!!! DO YOUR JOB!!! ><!!!!
5. I hate to be lazy with any class, so I use the utilities to the max.

[Slayeur]

(cont...)
Slayeur - The Featherfoot Advocate. R.I.P.

Featherfoot and Fist of Earth allowed me to solo the add boss in A11-N because the OT had died. Yeah, I know... normal modes, but damage is still damage, and I wanna live o.o For the record, I have also been in successful savage parties and used the abilities all the same. My schedule does not allow static raid time, so */sulks* a hardcore casual I be XD

I'm with everyone on the disappointment of NOT receiving a more DESIRED new ability to use, but I also appreciate the survivability utility SE has given MNKs. Myself and random party/non-random party members has owed epic wins to Fists of Earth. So, on this one, it is just the perspective of the individual.

Fists of Wind - Great disconnect and reconnect uses (GL refresh the faster you reconnect with the boss)

Tornado Kick - used whenever possible for disconnects and killing blows & shamelessly: ACT meter wins XD

*feels hopeful for the future of Monk*

[deonfoxfangs]

- In susano, after the sword phase (dps check), use it right before susano hit the ground with his sword. This will allow you to go back at him with GL3.

This is literally the one example in the expansion where it seems like you can use it as intended (and I may be remembering incorrectly but Perfect Balance should be close to off-cooldown by then as well). It's also worth mentioning this happens AFTER you are forced to drop stacks before the sword phase starts (and, surprise, RoE can't help you). It's useless in Lakshmi EX, the ult's transition is much too long and you don't even take damage. There are no other forced drops in that fight to use it on.

I've also already ran into at least one situation that required me to get hit by a dodge-able AoE to keep stacks in the Royal Menagerie. Not EX/Savage content but the poor design philosophy still applies.

[wereotter]

Riddle of Earth, in my opinion, isn't a terrible or useless skill, but definitely not something that is useful often. If they wanted this skill in the game as-is, it should have been the level 62 skill rather than 64 so that at least you can be a bit hardier in the field when getting argo from random enemies or running fates, which so far has been the only time I've used it apart from having shitty tanks that can't hold agro on dungeon bosses.

But once you're not running things solo, this skill is pretty much crap. Tanking reduced damage on stack mechanics that hit repeatedly isn't that useful unless you went into it with low health since your healer is going to have to use the same AOE heals regardless of if you're in Earth or Fire stance, but it does mean reduced DPS considering if you're using Riddle of Earth, you're not in Fists of Fire.

[Meui]

I've also already ran into at least one situation that required me to get hit by a dodge-able AoE to keep stacks in the Royal Menagerie. Not EX/Savage content but the poor design philosophy still applies.

Are you talking about that one really big attack he does that pushes everyone back? Because that's what I did, too. I'll be the only one standing in it with RoE going - and I can't help but feel silly. If the damage is unavoidable, sure okay, but when you have some of us monks purposely eating damage to preserve our GL3 from dropping? It really does just feel like poor design.

[SpeckledBurd]

This is literally the one example in the expansion where it seems like you can use it as intended (and I may be remembering incorrectly but Perfect Balance should be close to off-cooldown by then as well). It's also worth mentioning this happens AFTER you are forced to drop stacks before the sword phase starts (and, surprise, RoE can't help you). It's useless in Lakshmi EX, the ult's transition is much too long and you don't even take damage. There are no other forced drops in that fight to use it on.

I've also already ran into at least one situation that required me to get hit by a dodge-able AoE to keep stacks in the Royal Menagerie. Not EX/Savage content but the poor design philosophy still applies.

This seems to be pretty much the most common way for Riddle of Earth to function, and more often than not the game gives you it's universal sign for "No, you shouldn't do that" by giving you a vulnerability up debuff.

Riddle of Earth as a solution to Monk getting completely screwed by phase changes is just asinine, it only works as its supposed to a very small minority of the time, since it usually either doesn't work because there isn't an AOE, the AOE comes out too late, or requires you to play like an idiot.