Need help with MNK class

[Almalexia]

Well, you got me interested enough in ID to test it with a parser. I went toe-to-straw with some training dummies and here's what I found:

Conditions -
1) No DoTs; the parser does not read them accurately (no crits, Fracture is 30s cross-class, author-made algorithm)
2) No off-GCD skills or buffs except Invigorate
3) Always locked on; no cutting from back to flank
4) Open with Dragon Kick from the flank as the timer starts
5) GL3 buildup counts
6) 3 minutes, no survivors

ID+MNK rotation
DK > Twin > Snap (x3 to start for GL) > ID > ID > ID > repeat

At 2.05 GCD, I was able to maintain GL3 within a hairs breadth of it wearing off. This approach certainly is easier: 3 hits from the flank, 3 from the rear and repeat. There is no room for error here though - if you don't mash those keys, you will lose GL.

What ended up getting me around the 1:40 mark was TP--I ran out. After I used Invigorate, I ran out of TP again somewhere around 2:20. GL was lost and I had to rebuild GL from scratch. This impacted DPS, but as you will see, it wasn't as big a gap as it could have been:

MNK rotation only
DK > Twin > Snap > Boot > True > Snap > repeat, or alternate DK and Twin as desired

I will admit I goofed on this and misused DK/Twin once or twice. There is a ~2000 point difference between an ID rotation and strict MNK rotation; disregarding the discrepancy in auto-attacks, the difference is only about 1600.

I also ran out of TP on this rotation as well, around 2:00, but Invigorate saw me through to the end of 3 minutes. GL went uninterrupted.

I would love to compare these again when we can accurately measure DoTs, but the off-GCD abilities alone would be a fraction of a second I wouldn't risk on a tight, 6-step ID rotation. Nevertheless:

ID pros:
Simple rotation: easy to manage all buffs
Simple attack pattern: 3 from the flank, 3 from the rear

ID cons:
Unforgiving rotation: getting back to GL at 2s GCD is a close call every time
Stresses TP: not even Invigorate can get you far past 2:20 of solid punching
Specific positioning: missing a rear attack of ID will set you back in potency without advancing MNK forms

MNK pros:
Always advancing: sticking to MNK skills will always move forms forward, so it is safer to manage GL
Positional variety: MNK can use a different skill on demand to maximize DPS if the mob position suddenly changes

MNK cons:
Inconsistent rotation: you will have to bounce between different skills constantly
On-the-run: You will have to constantly move from flank to side in the middle of a rotation in order to maximize DPS

[enil]

Nicely done.
I feel like this sets a fairly nice baseline for additional discussion, I hope this shows you that ID is a very viable alternative.

TP seems like an issue for the ID rotation (MNK rotation has 6 extra GCDs), but there aren't many fights that will let you sit and DPS for over 2 minutes with no interruption. We should do additional 30 second/1 minute snapshots to compare. Also would Bard's Army's Paeon solve the TP issues and would it be worth the 20% dps hit for them.

You have higher crit rates overall for the ID rotation 12.1% vs 8.6% for MNK rotation (not including Bootshine) - regular rotation should pull out a bit further if crit rates were more normalised.

Is it possible to reach 1.7GCD with current gear? This means you can get 7 GCDS in 12 seconds allowing you to do a 4xID rotation. If you can't reach 2.0 GCD is it worth only doing a 2xID rotation? Better gear would give you alot more leeway on keeping GL up.