Blitz monk should not be the way forward for the job

[IruruCece]

Anatman is a tool that was originally made to preserve GL, and now it's been hamfistedly been turned into preserving the twin snakes buff, and all it has going on for it is a neat pose I guess. It still falls into the trap of "button designed to preserve a buff" and leaves the door open again for SE to keep inserting stupid skills "to preserve a buff", when frankly that is the absolute last thing the job needs on its bars and is the same trap the job fell into with GL. Rather than buttons to preserve a buff players will naturally refresh in combat (and can quickly re-apply themselves through their normal rotation or during PB), I'd much rather see a return of some OGCDs we regularly weave in and also wish to time within our burst phases. Maybe this can be reliant on Chakra, maybe they're just normal cooldowns, maybe they unlock during specific stances, any of those would be better than the current set up for me. I'm certain better players could fart and come up with something better than even that garbage I typed out.

The Blitz system, as it has been implemented, effectively cuts off the return of OGCDs unless they make new ones whole cloth. That is likely not going to happen mid-expansion. Ultimately, I feel the cost of just throwing in some new fancy animations for a system that still doesn't feel complete or even good to use was far too high, but the job is stuck with it as is for at least two years. I have no faith that SE can make it better without ripping it all apart. Again.

[Powercow]

That said, I actually do like the current Monk quite a bit more than any iteration of the job other than Heavensward from a pure gameplay perspective, even if I think there's quite a few things that could be improved about it.

Yeah I kinda dig it too. I think it plays like a slower TK Monk, and it definitely has flaws (why, oh god WHY is Chakra overcapping so hard for SE to fix?) and it definitely needs a little something in between Blitz windows, but otherwise it's quite fun. Lot of weird little optimization moments.

Slap Chakra generation and a Form Shift onto it, so that it doesn't lock out other uses of the GCD during downtime, and it basically would be that already. And I don't think you'd want to make it a server-tick channel you want to fish for, which tying further power to it would likely cause. Extra power sounds great until you're balanced down for gaining it and its usage is pure clunk (see ShB Anatman openers).

Yeah, unless they plan to actually rework the entire system (again), or completely change how Anatman functions, I don't wanna see it be a DPS boosting ability. Maybe give it a HoT or some damage reduction or something to spice it up a bit, I dunno. As it stands it's incredibly boring.

[wereotter]

Yeah, unless they plan to actually rework the entire system (again), or completely change how Anatman functions, I don't wanna see it be a DPS boosting ability. Maybe give it a HoT or some damage reduction or something to spice it up a bit, I dunno. As it stands it's incredibly boring.

Personally I kind of like the idea that anatman gives monk a tool to operate as the counterpart to dancer and improvise. If the monk activates anatman, the monk is holding its form, and maybe slowly generating chakra stacks, but all party members in range also take reduced damage. That way monk has the instant speed, mid combat healing increase while dancer has that for shields, and monk has the must stand still damage reduction while dancer has that for increased healing.

[Gemina]

Only issues I have with current MNK through lv89 are Anatman and SSS, which have just carried over from ShB since they remain unchanged. Other than that my problem is Rising Phoenix is so satisfying to use that it has made Elixer Field chopped liver. I would have much rather this skill be overwritten to become Phantom Rush instead of Tornado Kick; or gave the lunar nadi something else entirely.

Oh, and I strongly dislike losing blitz due to no target. Makes me very angry.

[Shurrikhan]

Oh, and I strongly dislike losing blitz due to no target. Makes me very angry.

You don't anymore. That was already changed. None of the AoEs have to hit to give Nadi or Beast Chakra.

[MidnightWonko]

Okay, so I just tried figuring out how Monk works in Endwalker.

Thanks, Squeenix, I hate it. Way I see it, you did Monk dirty, just like you did Dragoon dirty in Stormblood. Stormblood DRG was such a wretched rotten frustration sammich on stale bread that I gave up on my main job for an entire expansion, placing myself weeks behind everyone else while I had to rotate to an actually FUN job! New Monk is convoluted garbage. I ain't playin' that crap. At least the pre-EW Monk positionals were UNDERSTANDABLE, even if they were rather active.

[Shurrikhan]

Okay, so I just tried figuring out how Monk works in Endwalker.

Thanks, Squeenix, I hate it. Way I see it, you did Monk dirty, just like you did Dragoon dirty in Stormblood. Stormblood DRG was such a wretched rotten frustration sammich on stale bread that I gave up on my main job for an entire expansion, placing myself weeks behind everyone else while I had to rotate to an actually FUN job! New Monk is convoluted garbage. I ain't playin' that crap. At least the pre-EW Monk positionals were UNDERSTANDABLE, even if they were rather active.

What's so convoluted about "one form only" vs. "one of each form"?

[Dyvid]

IDK, I don't main monk at all and really just leveling it for mount achievement. Having said that I do wish they would have kept Grease Lightning and Positional themes alive in the "redesign". I personally think it feels like a knockoff Ninja than a brand-new Monk.

-Grease Lightning should have just been a trait that gets you to 1.5 GCD which would give people a job that plays faster than other melee.
-They should have redesigned hit box for this expansion to combine Front & Rear due to battle designs (Zodiark, Anima, Endsinger, etc...) along with a player left and player right hit box.
-After that they could have better copied FFVI Blitz where the input would be based on position rather than WS (L, F/R, R) (L, L, F/R) (F/R, L, R).

[VentVanitas]

Actual directional inputs for Blitz just like Sabin would've been hilarious, but I highly doubt they would ever dare do such a thing with how they like to babyproof everything. On the contrary however I feel like using MNK's forms as the "inputs" for Blitz was too obvious of a choice not to do, even if I do have problems with how it is currently implemented (keyword being Blitz, not Nadi).

In any case, playing a lot of PvP MNK since 6.1 dropped has made me wish Meteodrive was a real skill. It's the closest thing we'll ever get to a real suplex.

[Amh_Wilzuun]

No Monk is not a copy of Ninja now. Trick attack window is very rigid, with some extra stuff thrown in during even minute cooldowns. Monk blitz window has more variance, with the even window being a different beast than the odd window and having more variance in the burst window than many DPS classes currently in the game right now.

I can commend the rework for being an extension of one of MNK's original core design concepts, which is the form combo system. OG monks enjoy the flexibility of forms with multiple options for combo follow-ups at once? (to an extent) New PB expands on that flexibility letting you do any three GCDs without combo requirements for solar windows (yes there is an optimal order but sometimes that can change in the chaos of battle and it's the concept that matters). I think new PB is a smart extension to a historically GCD focused job. I'm surprised people are pointing criticisms at the blitz system with it's skill expression rather than what actually needs some improvement, that being elements outside of that:

I think that ROE is an unexciting mit that is left over from 5.4 when it was a second true north. It's both uninteresting but also overpowered, giving you 3 charged of 6 seconds of high mit. You have it for every almost raidwide and whatnot since it's so generous and as a result it becomes busy work that is used too frequently. Sam and RPR's mit is used less often but has more interesting effects with more flavor. Literally just copy ROE from PVP, I don't see why it couldn't work in PVE. Monk already has mantra so healing is a part of the job theme already. It would be fun to be awarded a heal for popping it on large unavoidable damage.

Also ROW being reworked into something part of the rotation could be cool. Maybe something you earn stacks and as a reward you get either higher movement speed or higher auto attack like the current version but it's not just a CD.

And chakra overflow like c'mon.

Anatman should increase chakra gauge toon and it's honestly golden. I don't think it really matters if that overlaps with gaining chakras one by one during downtime, they would both have their uses. It's just annoying trying to fill up your chakra meter and then your disciplined fist runs out before you can press anatman.