Controversioal Changes to Monk

[IruruCece]

That aside, I agree with Dezzmont. And, I both think and feel.. that the aesthetic and identity of a Subclass is just as important, if not more important, than the game-play of the Subclass...

Hard disagree. Aesthetics mean next to nothing in a videogame if it is not engaging, and gameplay is what makes the vast majority of vidoegames engaging. We're not playing a walking sim here, we're playing an MMORPG.

Monk is literally the perfect example of why "Aesthetics over Gameplay" is a flawed argument. At best, an "aesthetic" should set the tone for the kit, but if the kit doesn't compel players to engage with that "aesthetic", it doesn't matter.

For years, Monk has been built around being the "speedy, combo-heavy job." Positionals emphasize that speed and mobility, demanding players stay in motion next to a single target in order to maximize their output. Greased Lightning was both the core mechanic of the job AND the reward for the player who stayed aggressive and maintained their combos. There was clearly an intended ebb and flow to the gameplay, a "build up" to maximum speed and strength.

But because players could "fail" to maintain GL, in many instances due to circumstances completely outside of their control, SE ultimately ended up cutting it, failing to actually address that singular issue which has been present since 2.0.

The thing is, the outward "aesthetic" of Monk is still present. It is still fast (permanently), it is still combo-driven (123, 456, 123, 123, 456, 123, 123...), it still has positionals (only one of which truly matters due to an outsized emphasis on our LEVEL 1 DPS BUTTON), we still throw chi around, we still have chakra generation (that is still RNG in nature on top having very unsatisfying things to spend it on), and our animations involve us punching and kicking things like monks in other fictional settings. None of that matters though, because fewer people are taking Monks into endgame content than almost every other DPS in the game.