IiPunch - Monk Guide

Funny that they talk about DPS and not staying in any type of hybrid.... Sounds to me like they dont need hybrid because they suck at MNK and dont have hate xD.. also LOL wut DRG and WARs are NOT a last resort... inviting a MNK to a segment farm is...

Is str better for howling than vit? on stuff like back piece and herc gear?

Since Howling is a 50% VIT and 20% STR, I typically stack VIT. Although it might be more beneficial to stack STR if under attack cap.

Simon release the updated Spreadsheet already! /slap

I need to test some things, like Mpaca head should be a nice second place compared to Adhemar+1. Worse in terms of pure damage, but it offers PDT and Acc, so it can be used in those sets in its place.

Also wonder if Nyame B has a place somewhere for some WS, if not BiS at least second best?
Could be nice to save a couple of inventory slots here and there.

Technically VIT is 50% and STR is 20%, but there is also fSTR which is around 1 dmg per 4STR, so its like additional 25%STR mod. So with fSTR in mind its 50% to 45%. So the difference on 30VIT cape to 30STR cape would be 1.5 base damage, which is 0.38% more damage if attack is capped. If attack isnt capped 30STR is 1% ahead. If you have room, you can make both and use VIT one for minimal gain if you know you are capping attack.

Once again what I posted is not a hybrid set. Hybrid set swaps are in description of that set. My set is still DPS oriented, but with slight adjustment for survivability in slots where you gain marginal dps with glass cannon build and sometimes you get no dps gains at all switching to what this guy believe is a max damage set.

MNK Spreadsheet

I really dont have much time those days, because of RL, so let me know about all the errors you can find. Some less used WSs are still not updated and if I recall correctly I have never touched Boost since it was updated, so it probably has completely wrong functionality.

Keep in mind I haven't made it, I only update it with new stuff, so there might be some old errors I haven't found yet.

Ok so thanks to Simon's updated Spreadsheed I performed some tests.
Would love to discuss with the rest of you to see what you think of it, if I did some mistake etc.
My goal was to check new gear to compare with my very old sets and see which options were better than what I currently have.
I tested mostly
Tatenashi R15
Mpaca R20 (R0 is not really far away from R20)
Nyame B R20

Testing Scenario
Ammos
Howling Fist
Raging Fists
Tornado Kick (Footwork up)
Victory Smite (Impetus Up)
Victory Smite (Impetus down)


So, comments?

Not sure if WoC is the right target. It has super high stats. He is designed with vorseals and escha temps in mind. For example Gaol NMs aren't even close to WoC. Have you checked if you was capping accuracy in all sets?


Herc with 5% crit damage is better I think, even without any STR.

You also need to remember that sometimes one piece of gear might be better than other, but if you change rest of the set situation changes.

Lastly the most important thing. When you compare WS numbers and use items with multiattack or store TP you can't only look at WS number, you need to also look at avg TP (weaponskill tab) at which WS is used (unless you force es usage at 3000tp). Some pieces might show 200 WS damage less, but avg TP you WS at might actually be like 50 tp less and that piece could actually be stronger.

I forcefully capped acc. Habit of mine, always do that in all of my tests.

I'm sure u're right about Herc with capped regular augs, or even better with DM augs, but despite me having a couple of really nice pieces (which I use here and there) I tend to avoid stuff that relies so much on luck and randomness in my tests, I was more interested in stuff that can be obtained aside from luck factors.


Absolutely agree, it's like that most of the time.
I tried several combinations, not just "piece by piece", but of course I couldn't test every single possible combination, which is exactely why I came here to look for criticism and things I might have missed or done wrong.


Yes, this is very important.
I tried to consider this aspect when doing my tests, cross-referencing nubmers with the right cells in the various data sheets, but of course it's likely I missed something, and again it's exactely why I came here to hear what other people think of the lists I've made.

Yeah I understand thats why I added "even without STR". Getting just 5% crit damage is really easy. Its not a matter of luck, just a little time and maybe few hundred k gils max.


200TP Bonus is just that strong. Add 200TP bonus manually and see what happens :)

From the looks of it once you get all 5 pieces of mpacas to R 20 they pretty much cover everything from tp to weaponskill. Monk is the closest any job comes to being able to use a static grid. Apart from moonshade, the ammo and a weaponskill cape or 2 none of the accessories change, and even the orb +1 is viable fulltime. Throw in 5/5 malignance for magic eva needs, Bkikku +1 for impetus, and Anchorite Gaiter's +3 for footwork tornado and you could tote around just 22-25 pieces of gear and be nearly optimal in almost any scenario. Smite has the biggest gap between some of the mpaca's pieces and their alternatives, but even then the difference is pretty minimal.

And before anyone decides to pick this apart and argue about X subtle blow situation or Y gear in Z situation, or tate body, adhemar gloves +1, or kenda +1, or any of the other common alternatives please don't. I'm just making a general observation here. Since sheol gaol's release inventory issues and the need for having many jobs geared has been a big discussion point. Even when mpaca's loses the sheet shows it isn't by a lot. Some jobs require two or three times as much gear as monk does before you feel you're playing them well (ranged and pet jobs especially). I'm just impressed how non-gear intensive monk is compared to some of the other classes is all. It's quite friendly on the wardrobe.

Monk has always been that way. It's idiot proof. That's why it was so popular. Not because it was/is particularly great, but a blind monkey can play it and excel without a single gear change.

This is not really true. WAR with Sakpata are much closer. Mpaca has low meva. Sakpata has everything for both TP/WS and for survivability.

I agree with your general point, and the above comment in particular highlights an area where I find MNK is different than most jobs: in most cases, aside from Bhikku Cyclas +1, almost none of the JSE armor is absolutely vital. As someone with 15 well geared endgame jobs on my main character, I am very used to putting my AF/relic/empy armor on the Porter Moogle for all but the 1-2 jobs I am currently playing or keep ready full-time (I always have all my NIN stuff, for instance) . For MNK, I have far less stuff that I feel is a "must" to pull out than I do on other jobs.

Yes, you can certainly optimize with stuff like AF shoes for footwork (depending on weapon, you might not even care if, say, you wanna use Verethragna and spam V.Smite), pull out pieces for JA duration boosts (AF head for focus, relic legs for hundred fists) or effect enhancement (relic head/feet for Penance/Mantra, AF body/relic hands for chakra)... but let's be honest, none of that is overwhelmingly necessary for the vast majority of situations.

Other jobs tend to have more stuff that you just can't leave behind. Almost all of the DDs have a couple key JSE WSD+10% pieces (way less important to MNK), extremely relevant TP gear (WAR AF legs/feet, SAM hasso hands, etc.), or stuff that enhances absolutely vital aspects of the job (NIN empy feet for extra shadows, THF TH+4 hands, COR roll duration hands, etc.).

If you already stuck some multiple job armor in a wardrobe, particularly Malignance and Mpaca (and maybe throw Kendatsuba in there too for those who also play NIN or SAM) - you're basically good to go on MNK, at very close to maximum capability, by just grabbing empy body and heading out.

Yeah, most jobs need sets for 3 or 4 different purposes and in many cases several weapons and usually wants at minimum 5-8 JSE. Bard, cor, rng, summoner...hell almost any mage come to mind. But the majority of monk's needs are covered in just a couple of pieces, and any given alternative isn't that far off. Some jobs almost mandate you set aside 50-60 (or more) pieces of gear in your wardrobe for them, but monk can function at close to peak capacity with only a few fill ins here and there. That's not to say it won't benefit from having extra stuff, just that it doesn't feel it needs a bunch of extra stuff like most jobs do. With the current inventory crunch that's kind of refreshing to see.

I use more than 8 JSE if you're only counting neck and capes...

MNK isn't a gear whale like BRD or SMN and it has far more crossover gear with other jobs unlike RNG. That said, the difference between bare bones and fully kitted out is just as substantial as it would be on most any job. There are things you flat-out can't do without the gear to support it and MNK is actually pretty flexible when it comes to utility.

Following the line of thought started by Melphina, I'm goin back to the lists I put in my previous post and I'm wondering:

Which pieces can I skip because they create an inventory+1 because I get no use out of them on any other of my jobs and provide a minimal increase over other options?


So to get back on my initial question: What can you skip?

You still need some Kendatsuba, because you want 75% subtle blow set with MEVA and 5/5 Malignance won't support that. I would say body and head should be enough.

This is the TP set I posted few pages back.

ItemSet 368631

This set provides 75% Subtle Blow

It has description if you click it, but since most people don't I will list swaps here.

Impetus: Bhikku Body +1
Footwork: Anchorite's Gaiters +3
MEVA: Malignance Legs/Gloves/Boots/Head, Kendatsuba Hakama +1
50% PDT: Malignance/Mpaca's Body, Staunch Tathlum +1

EDIT: Also I have different feeling about augments on Mpaca. 5% PDL on legs is essential. 5stp on body is really great too. 10% skillchain on head is less relevant for monk, but if you want to use it for Vsmite then its really great to have.

Also going back to WS sets. Subtle blow is something worth considering there too. Mpaca legs has 5%, so you ideally want 10% more. Thats why, for Howling/Raging/Tornado its good to mix herculean hands/feet and Kenda hands/feet or at least use one Kenda in those slots to almost cap SB or use Kendatsuba body to fully cap SB.

Ofc capping SB isnt needed, but its one of the most useful perks of MNK after all.

Again not true. You can use 5/5 Sakpata's, 3 rings, 4 earrings, 2 ammo, 1 belt, 1 neck, 1 weapon and 2 capes and be done. Then from JSE you need AF+3 body, Relic+3 feet/hands/head. Thats all. Everything else is only needed if you want to be versatile and flexible, which is something extra.

The thing about adhemar and malignance, orb, moonshade, and rings is that you're going to be carrying them around anyway if you play any of the other jobs listed on them. And I agree with simon here



I also feel like 7% triple attack damage on the hands is equally amazing. The only two Mpaca pieces I feel less satisfied TPing in are the head and feet, and those are the two slots where kenda fills the gap. So for bare minimum I'd say this

Main (1 piece) - Karambits, godhands, and vert are all fantastic
Ammo (1 piece) - Orb +1
Head (4 pieces) - Kenda +1, Mpaca, Malignance, Adhemar +1
Neck (1 piece) - JSE
Ears (4 pieces) - Telos, Sherida, Schere, and Moonshade
Body (3 pieces) - Bhikku +1, Mpaca, and Malignance
Hands (3 pieces) - Mpaca, Malignance, and adhemar +1
Rings (2 pieces) - Gere, Niqmaddu
Cape (3 pieces) - TP cape, 10% WSD, and smite
Belt (1 piece) - Moonbow +1
Legs (2 pieces) - Mpaca and Malignance
Feet (4 pieces) - Anchorite +3, Kenda +1, Mpaca, and Malignance

R20 Nyame could fit here too, but currently most people don't have it augmented so I don't factor it too heavily (yet). And nyame also falls into the "every job wants it" category. Obviously more weapons are better than 1, there are more capes beside the big 3, ammo swaps are nice, and tatenashi and herculean is a thing. But if you wanted to trim down your wardobe size I think those are the biggest essentials in the kit.


I think herculean, tatenashi, and coiste bodhar are all on the list for most skippable pieces. Herculean especially is going to be phased out by R20 nyame once people start augmenting it, and mpaca's is surprisingly close to tatenashi so if you wanted to try and trim some space that's where I'd start. Kenda body, hands, and legs are also viable cuts in lieu of R20 mpaca.

10%WSD cape on monk is only useful for Relic WS or magic WS with Staff, so its not really needed. STR/DA cape can really be the only cape you can use if you want, for both TP and WS.


Not sure what you mean here. NyameB is mostly a meva/DT WS swap for MNK. It wont beat Herculean, Tatenashi, Kendatsuba or Mpaca in sets where they are best.

Sechs asked what pieces were most cuttable if you were looking to trim down your wardrobe size, and I think herculean fits into that category. That was all I wanted to convey. Tatenashi is very close to mpaca on the spreadsheet too and I'd consider it a candidate because it's pretty specific to monk and the alternatives are so similar. I also agree that the str/DA cape is the most essential and you could get by with just it. I've looked at other jobs in the same way in recent months too. There's a lot of versatile gear that many jobs can use that comes so close to pieces with one specific use that if you really need to, you can find effecient ways to make space.

I understand it, but Kenda/Mpaca already serve as substitute for Herculean/Tatenashi. Nyame wont add anything here :)

I think people forget about the Subtle Blow on Herc pieces too when they're looking for ways to throw them out of WS sets. Looks like you already mentioned that a few posts back Simon, but it's still a pretty big deal when you're solo and throwing out a bunch of WS.

I think Kendatsuba is a bit reduntant on MNK, like I said before. If not all pieces at least 3.

Sadly I won't be able to sell my Kenda+1 because I still kinda want 5/5 for my NIN, ergo removing it from MNK doesn't really give me an inventory space gain.

Herculean (I totally agree with you Melly, at least for MY Hercluean) falls in the same place. I could avoid it on MNK but then again other jobs need them so not really an inventory gain.

Tatenashi yes, I can and will skip it.
Mpaca on the other hand is very cool but atm it doesn't "replace" old pieces entirely so it's, very very regrettably, just an Inventory+ for me, and it's quite a pain sigh.

Thankfully I gained several inventory slots on all jobs through Nyame B R20 5/5 so I'm good I guess. Hope that new inventory repository from SE is coming before the end of the year >_>

Subtle Blow on WS sets is... not exactly a priority for most people, and is absolutely something that to me should be on the "what can you skip" list. Not useless, but certainly not a vital thing.

And I say that as someone who sees clear value in having a SB+75 TP set. But that's TP gear, I'm FAR less concerned with whether my WS set has a lot of SB.

Personally I just have a different set for when i need capped Subtle blow in WS.

I mean, yeah, if you're making optimal sets for every kind of niche use... sure, maintain a Subtle Blow WS set. Not saying it has absolutely no utility. But if we're answering the question of stuff that's skippable (or a good target to reduce some inventory strain) because the value it adds is limited, gear that you're using for SB on WS is pretty much the definition of that, unless the entire reason you use MNK is overwhelmingly focused on using the job for solo DPS/low TP feed strategies.

I'd say that for most people, when low TP feed is relevant, SB+75 in TP set and remember to use Chi Blast (with Relic head & Penance merits) is plenty sufficient.

Going to agree to disagree here, especially when the raw damage gain for losing SB pieces isn't massive.

I overwhelmingly use MNK for solo/solo DD situations. Sub 25% losing 11 SB on your WS while multistepping might be more of a problem than you think. Obviously this doesn't apply in group content where everyone else is already feeding.