What skills pre 20 if any do you keep using?

[Gykon]

I am trying to plan and only try to upgrade things that I will use over longer term. What abilities if any, from fighter/brawler do you guys keep around? What if, any, other monk skills are considered keepers? I am assuming that some keep for a long time, but I may be wrong. I just am afraid of buying an upgrade for something that gets used for 5 levels, etc. Things that are going to be used as long as possible would give a much better return, I guess. Thanks <div></div>

[Computer MAn]

I still use rapid swings on raid mobs as it is the only one in its line that can hit one. I dont use any others. <div></div>

[Gykon]

Well the more that I think about it, most skills in EQ2 are replaced as they dont scale at all like EQ, they just are x value for ever. Skills you want to keep would have to never be obsoleted, so things that are weird or different, certainly not attacks, etc. <div></div>

[Gaige]

<P>As of now  I use rapid swings on raids also.</P> <P>They are changing the spell system though, to make adepts---masters a much better upgrade, and also now the mana cost will *not* raise as you upgrade; just the damage/effects.</P>

[woo]

<P>--> !!<STRONG>rapid swings</STRONG>!! <---</P> <P> </P> <P>staggering stance is also a good 1, you will use this to 40.. or even at 50 depending on your 40 trait choice.</P>

[Lareal]

The above are correct, at 50 I pretty much use only 2 pre-20 skills: Rapid swings(Because it works on raid mobs), and toughness(Cause it's cheap mitigation. Not much but it does help a bit). But if you're looking for a skill you'll use as you level: Brawler's Stance. I used this till 44 when I got Spider stance. To hell with those other stances 99% of the time. You get a LOT less beat up using Brawler's. Lareal <div></div>

[IrulanDunedanc]

Is Brawler's Stance really better to use than Sweeping Crane?

[Lareal]

  Just my opinion, but I liked Brawler's stance much better. BS increases Defense and Deflection, Sweeping crane Defense and Tranquility. SOE(don't ask me to find the thread please) stated that a great portion of a Monk's avoidance comes from Deflection. Sweeping Crane may have been intended as an upgrade, but it only too me a few times using it to switch back to BS.   Try it out for yourself on similar mobs, use BS on a few mobs solo, then SC. Then try it duo or in a small group, bith tanking and in DPS mode. Unless I was sure I wouldn't be aggro(as in working with a MT I trusted lol), I stuck with BS.   Using BS I never, had a problem soloing like I hear some Monks do. There was never a level where mobs were too hard for me. Not saying I was soloing white ^^, but Orange solos, and later green ^^ were usually no problem.   I'd like to hear from others what their experiences were also, what stances they use and when etc. <div></div>

[OgApostrap]

<DIV>Brawlers stance is definetly better then sweeping crane.. less hit to offensive and better add to your defense... Unless they make being a level higher at tranquility better then like 3/5 of a level higher or whatever in defense, use brawlers ;o.</DIV>

[stfields]

<P>Rapid Swings for raids.</P> <P>I use Staggering Stance when tanking for the AGI boost.  I use Transcendent Vision when buffing another tank.  God, I wish I knew what Tranquility+ really did though.</P>

[bonesbro]

I switched to Crane and relied on the Karmic Focus line to boost my deflection for the first few seconds of battle. <div></div>

[Grabaan]

Like most here, I use Rapid Swings on raids. Grabbing adept 3 or higher of that skill helps tremendously on certain raids, especially ones where the mob is immune or highly resistant to crush. Using Rapid Swings on say Dryak, while wielding a cestii to deal slashing damage, helps raise your DPS against him. These extra hits help make up for the higher-damage crushing based attacks (Icy Talon) rendered useless by his high crushing mitigation. <div></div>

[joliver]

At level 31, I'm still using quite a few.  Bruising strike, rapid swings, Beslin's Still Mind, Wind walk, flying kick, lol, even toughness.  Dont know if that helps. <div></div>

[Gaige]

<P>Tranquility makes all of your combat arts hit/buff for higher values.  Gaining 5 points in tranquility is like being a level higher.  That is why when you use TV on someone, your green CAs turn grey.</P> <P>I'm not sure if this affect will continue after the spell revamp, since spells will no longer grow with level.</P>

[IrulanDunedanc]

<DIV>That'd kinda make Tranquility boosts useless then, wouldn't it?</DIV>

[Sotaudi]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Gykon wrote:<BR>I am trying to plan and only try to upgrade things that I will use over longer term.<BR><BR>What abilities if any, from fighter/brawler do you guys keep around? What if, any, other monk skills are considered keepers? I am assuming that some keep for a long time, but I may be wrong.<BR><BR>I just am afraid of buying an upgrade for something that gets used for 5 levels, etc. Things that are going to be used as long as possible would give a much better return, I guess.<BR><BR>Thanks<BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>One factor that has not been mentioned:  Mentoring.  If you expect to do any mentoring, there is no such thing as an obsolete skill.  If you are level 50 with all your level 30 to 50 skills at Adept 1 or better, then mentor down to level 22 where those skills cannot be used, you are not going to be any less dead if your group wipes because you never bothered upgrading those level 10 - 20 skills past Apprentice 2 because you figured you would never need them later on.  And your level 50 armor and weapons, which were scaled down for mentoring, will cost just as much to repair as if you died on a level 50 guild raid.</P> <P>So for my level 13 Monk-to-Be Brawler that I started this weekend, I plan to do the same thing for him that I did and am doing for my Ranger and Illusionist.  If the ability can be upgraded, I am upgrading it to at least Adept 1 even if I could not find the art at Adept 1 before it greyed out.  My Illusionist (level 34) has only a couple of skills through level 50 that are not Adept 1 and scribed or in the bank, and my Ranger only has something like seven more to have all his through level 50 scribed or in the bank.  And I am constantly on the markets looking for the ones I am missing.  My brawler already has three or four Adept 1s scribed and two or three in the bank, and he will have a bank full as well as he progresses.</P> <P>If you expect to do mentoring, then put your priorities on getting skills that will still be useful in the upper levels, but do not neglect ones that are obsolete later.  If you mentor down, it sure is nice to have the extra effectiveness on those arts.</P><p>Message Edited by Sotaudi on <span class=date_text>06-13-2005</span> <span class=time_text>02:38 PM</span>

[stfields]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Gage-Mikel wrote:<BR> <P>Tranquility makes all of your combat arts hit/buff for higher values.  Gaining 5 points in tranquility is like being a level higher.  That is why when you use TV on someone, your green CAs turn grey.</P> <P>I'm not sure if this affect will continue after the spell revamp, since spells will no longer grow with level.</P> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>That makes good sense.  So, if I were to examine a combat art like... Icy Talon and it says 600 dmg before using TV, it might say 630 dmg after using TV?  <BR></P>

[Gaige]

<P>Perhaps, depending on its con color to you.  What it also does is make you hit in the upper ranges of the damage range, instead of the lower.</P> <P>Like my long greyed out rapid swings adept 3 says max hit of 130, and I normally hit it, because of how long ago I mastered it.</P> <P>So yes, your idea is correct.</P>

[Jenj]

<P>Tranquility does not raise your damage description, it just turns the color 1-notch down. Anyway, skills to use, upgrade post 20:</P> <UL> <LI>Rapid Swings: Tier-2 spell which works on raid mobs, other arts in the line dont.</LI> <LI>Quiet Purity, Striking Cobra, Biting Mantis: Tier-4 spells with no upgrades.</LI> <LI>Dragon Stance: Tier-3 stance that outperforms Dragon stance. This stance will actually raise your weapons skills higher than Quiet Purity (2-3 points). So if your in DPS mode, drop Winding Dragon and Spider Stance. Quite Purity will give your 10% dps.</LI> <LI>Staggering Stance: You could upgrade for the extra points in agility but I believe TV is a better defensive buff for the monk.</LI></UL> <P>-Jenjer</P>

[Tobe]

Wild Swing & Taunt -> fighter HO.   I still use these at 34 and will probably use them occasionally at 50. They make for nice,  cheap damage, especially when you are low on power.    I had success using this for the AOE HO on the gnolls in Splitpaw. Also, even if you're using higher level abilities to forward the HO, finishing it with level 3 taunt when you're in DPS mode means you're less likely to pull hate from the MT. <div></div>

[Tazdrag]

<DIV>+ tranquility DOES do something.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dots from Flying Dragon, Waking Dragon and so on, do more damage per tick with higher tranquility</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Try it out for yourselves and you will see.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Karakka</DIV> <DIV>Lucan DLere</DIV>