Monk Needs a Complete Rework

[kujoestars]

Personally, I like the abilities themselves so far, but I agree with the sentiment that most do not flow well together, or even match up with the Job Quest thematically (so disappointed we don't learn any shadow chakra abilities that we see in members of the shadow sect; would kill to at least be able to use Shadow Punch like H'raha).

I disagree on the notion of monk being a 3-button class because I'm pretty sure you're supposed to rotate different actions for combo based on situation and what buffs are up, but it certainly gets repetitive enough I frequently spam Meditation to use Forbidden Chakra even when it's not optimal just to shake things up. That and the fact I like running literal circles around enemies and having it as a mechanic is what keeps me content maining as a Monk.

I guess first of all, I'd like to have Chakra actually tied in more smoothly. Maybe instead of making us spam Meditation just for one (1) moderate damage move, maybe it could be tied in to our Greased Lightning stacks instead? That way, it's not a semi-useless gauge indicating we have better dps and skillspeed. I am presently thinking perhaps for every max stack we gain (and every subsequent combo after that maintains it), we open up a chakra until it maxea out and THEN we can smack Forbidden Chakra or Enlightenment. I think this would really help make the Chakra-based moves fit into rotations more naturally, in addition to making the Lightning Gauge more useful.

The other thing I would like to see is maybe actually including shadow-based moves. What was the point of that entire story if we can't use the Shadow Sect techniques alongside Light Sect ones?

[3ureka]

snip

I think it’s definitely a missed opportunity to not delve into the Shadow Sect or why we only have 5 stacks of chakra instead of 7/14 as mentioned in the story (there’s even a title ffs). At this point, I’d be willing to let that go for a more cohesive vision of monk. Get more skills off of the “super-niche” boat.

[kujoestars]

I think it’s definitely a missed opportunity to not delve into the Shadow Sect or why we only have 5 stacks of chakra instead of 7/14 as mentioned in the story (there’s even a title ffs). At this point, I’d be willing to let that go for a more cohesive vision of monk. Get more skills off of the “super-niche” boat.

Same here, hence why I have a wall of text for my first suggestion, lol. If we can just have chakra more tied in with our mechanics, I'd be happy enough. Again, perhaps making it so we gain a Chakra level each time we hit a Greased Lighting Combo (maybe even after we max out our stacks so we have a bigger reason to maintain them?) would probably help smooth a lot of things down.

[3ureka]

Same here, hence why I have a wall of text for my first suggestion, lol. If we can just have chakra more tied in with our mechanics, I'd be happy enough. Again, perhaps making it so we gain a Chakra level each time we hit a Greased Lighting Combo (maybe even after we max out our stacks so we have a bigger reason to maintain them?) would probably help smooth a lot of things down.

Haha. Well, walls of text are pretty common 'round munk threads. :P

But in all seriousness, I agree. I don't know about all the exact specifications, but what I am sure of is that the generation / expenditure of chakra (among other things) needs a second look.

It's been a few months since I came back to XIV and even shorter since I started looking through the forums again. Idk if there have been any organized proposals from the community for future suggestions on monk. I'm not sure if that'll do much, but at least it's a good faith effort as opposed to just saying "SE has given up on monk" (or something along those lines).

[Mikey_R]

Idk if there have been any organized proposals from the community for future suggestions on monk.

Considering different people have different visions for what they want monk to be, ranging from simple changes, to Ninja like changes to complete overhauls, I doubt there will be a version everyone agrees on. Even I have my own ideas which are different to everyone else's which, while it doesn't change the fundamental gameplay, tries to make use of everything in Monk's kit, and brings back things that the job lost (I haven't posted it anywhere).

However, it is the things that are wrong with Monk as it currently stands that most people will agree need changing. Anatman is terrible to use, double RNG on Chakra stacks, fist stances etc. However, it will be whether SE listen to what is wrong and focus on changing it to make it better, or whether they stick another band aid over the top to the point where it just feels bad to play and unrewarding. This is my biggest worry.