The old Monk rotation is back

[Valence]

The only problems that I am having with the current state of Monk is how using DK as a starter isn't giving me an Opop-opo's Fury stack

This is because when you start a fight you're not in Opo form. Opo requires completing the previous form which is Coeurl, like all forms require completing their previous form as well. You need to start with Form Shift to get the Formless buff so that it counts the form no matter which skill you decide using (like after using a Blitz or Fire's Reply).

[Mikey_R]

... and the fact that you can store 2 Coeurl's Fury despite not being able to utilize it...properly? Not sure if properly is a good word to use, but I am finding it hard to be able to find a use for the second ball without breaking the 4-5-6 combo (Leaping Opo, Rising Raptor and Pouncing Coeurl).

Monk doesn't have a traditional combo system where action 1 combos into action 2. Instead, it rotates through Opo-Opo > Raptor > Coeurl > Opo-Opo ...etc.

In each form, you gain access to specific weaponskills (the exception is Opo-Opo as they are always available, they just don't get their additional bonus) and you can use whatever after whatever.

So, starting With Dragon Kick in Opo-Opo, you gain 1 Opo-Opo fury, then Twin Snakes for 1 Raptor Fury, then Demolish for 2 Coeurl Fury. You then spend 1 Opo-Opo Fury when you use Leaping Opo, then spend 1 Raptor Fury on Rising Raptor, then spend 1 Coeurl Fury on Pouncing Coeurl.

Back to Opo-Opo, Dragon Kick for 1 Opo-Opo Fury, Twin Snakes for Raptor Fury, then Pouncing Coeurl to spend the last Coeurl Fury. Leaping Opo then Rising Raptor to spend the fury then Demolish to gain 2 Coeurl Fury etc.

If you really want to a loop:

DK > TS > Dm
LO > RR > PC
DK > TS > PC
LO > RR > Dm
DK > TS > PC
LO > RR > PC

Repeat. Things will change around after blitzes so really, all you need to worry about is, do I have Fury for the form? If yes, spend it, if no, build it.

[Carighan]

You could argue that Monk has a fixed combo, it's just broken into three buttons that alternate a press each. Technically 6 buttons, but mechanically it's Opo->Raptor->Coeurl, and each has a move that for the next 1-2 times it is used upgrades into a different one, although mechanically you perform the same button sequence.

I wish they'd remove a lot of this "veneer" of complexity. Just make it three buttons that automatically alternate, or even better, remove the whole alternating thing and just give a potency boost if the fury is up. Since I also think positionals have lost all mechanical and job-design value with modern melee design and in particular modern fight design, I honestly could not care less if either positional is lost or both or whatever. And honestly if anything Monk ought to have face positions, in particular for our kick!

But it's a shame how little space for actual depth and complexity in job design there is, because everything is buried under this thick layer of "here, have 16 excess buttons that have no meaningful gameplay depth but we keep them around to pretend this is difficult to play". Monk is actually not the worst offender here, but it annoys me because the setup could be so cool if there were actual player decisions involved in each step of the combo, not just a fixed-and-slightly-hiddenbut-still-fixed rotation that could actually be 1-buttoned without loss of functionality (since Perfect Balance has no player decisionmaking either and could just itself become the 1-1-1 or 1-2-3 you next need to press when you hit it).