Monk. Wow.

[Arunfrost]

<DIV>I haven't been playing EQ2 all that long - my main is a level 29 Barbarian Ranger, but I wanted to make a crafting alt that would <EM>occasionally</EM> adventure, so I rolled up a Monk.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now granted, it's the only other class I've tried besides Ranger, but.. holy cow!  What an amazing difference between the soloability of a Monk versus the Ranger!  As a (mostly) solo player, I'm starting to think I made the wrong choice for my main.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I know the Ranger's supposed to be a ranged DPS machine, and the Monk's supposed to be a tank, but - is it my imagination?  This Monk seems to put out waaaaaaaay more hurt than my Ranger did at the same level.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've also heard Ranger, as a class, isn't what it used to be, back when all the classes first emerged.  The Ranger forums are full of gimping and nerfing posts.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I just was wondering - is it my playstyle?  Does it just suit a Monk better than a Ranger?  Is it because of the gimping/nerfing of Ranger?  Or has the Monk always been so much tougher?</DIV>

[Nightt N'D]

<DIV>Hi Arun,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Welcome to Monkville! The monk is an extremely versatile creature. They can tank (to a point), they have good DPS, and are good at soloing. But best of all, they have al ot of fancy moves that make the ladies squeal with delight! Pick up a nice Bo and watch the love roll in!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Nightt</DIV> <DIV>70 Monk Unrest</DIV>

[selch]

Umm... no... it is not about gimpage...Monks were always better tanks than Rangers (so more durable), that's all. May be it is "archetype" difference that makes you suprised?Grab a berserker, pretty sure you might post very same suprise to Berserker boards, not Monk vs. Ranger, Zerker vs. Monk... <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Anyway, back to your question. It is pretty much illusion that Monk can do close DPS to Ranger and pretty sure that it is about your playstyle. Where Ranger DPS uproars is where they don't have to tank (includes solo) but in solo, we are close fighters, can stay alive more easier than ranger and THAT is where the illusion comes in about DPS. And not to mention SOLO mobs have low health values where you can't do any healthy DPS calculation before it is died. As Monks we have burst damage but if fight gets longer, there we loose our portion of DPS<p>Message Edited by selch on <span class=date_text>08-16-2006</span> <span class=time_text>11:37 AM</span>

[Arunfrost]

<P>I think you're right about the archetype difference.  I was fighting with my Monk last night, and .. you know how you get to a point you don't really even need to look at your bars.. you just <EM>know</EM> when you're getting down into the yellow, the orange, the red..  Well, I still had those timers in my head for my Ranger, and so when I thought the fight was just about over for me, I'd look up and see my Monk was still in the green!  Amazing!  So I'd stick with the fight (where I might've run to gain some distance with the Ranger), and actually win the encounter a LOT more often than I did with my Ranger.</P> <P>OK, granted I only took my Monk to 8th level so far and haven't left noob island yet.. but I'm comparing the encounters there with when I was there with my Ranger, and it's like night and day.  I finished every quest (I had to take my Ranger to 10th level before I could finish EVERY quest) and was soloing 5 or 6 fallen pirates simultaneously (for example) where, with my ranger, if I saw just two together, I'd cringe.</P> <P>Such a difference..</P> <P> </P>

[Nolomite]

<P>Also, consider that your monk probably has been benefitting from the gold you've earned with your ranger. All my later characters outperform my early ones, just because they are properly outfitted (& then some!) and have all their spell books waiting for them to ding.</P> <P> </P> <P>Not to rag monks in the least - mine was turbocharged when compared to the other fighters I played. But then again, so were the warlock and dirge. Again, they didn't have to scrape for good gear.</P> <P> </P> <P>Your playstyle does make a big difference - my duo-buddy can't play scouts to save his life, as he plays them in the same fashion as his monk. Monks are definitely tough, though, no matter how you play.</P> <P> </P> <P>EDIT:</P> <P>I just read your second post & saw that your monk is still a fledgeling - so my words on second-generation characters does not apply, not yet anyhow. Look forward to some seriously good surprises going forward, as monks are relatively cheap to outfit (leather is cheaper than metal).</P><p>Message Edited by Nolomite on <span class=date_text>08-16-2006</span> <span class=time_text>12:12 PM</span>

[selch]

Well, yes, that's because monks are tanks.On the other hand, in future levels, you will be red bar in a blink from green <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Galn]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Nolomite wrote:<BR> <P>I just read your second post & saw that your monk is still a fledgeling - so my words on second-generation characters does not apply, not yet anyhow. Look forward to some seriously good surprises going forward, as monks are relatively cheap to outfit (leather is cheaper than metal).</P> <P></P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>This reminds me of the time I put my lvl 43 Monk in all NPC vendor robes and cloth armor and took away his weapons. Gear doesnt mean as much for a monk as much as most people think. In a plain set of cloth armor, no weapons, all stats were really low and I was still able to solo a white con ^ solo mob. A lof of melee classes cant do that with a full set of decent gear. This just shows how much gear really means to Monks, not a lot. With my full set of leather and DW weapons I can solo yellow ^ mobs 2 levels up on me so its a little difference. Our fists are about the same as a Mastercrafted Two-hander for damage so they are fairly decent, and with only cloth armor on I had really sweet avoidance.<BR> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN> </P><p>Message Edited by Galn on <span class=date_text>08-16-2006</span> <span class=time_text>02:48 PM</span>

[RPZip]

Actually, our fists are close to a vendor-bought two-hand weapon, not a Mastercrafted two-hand weapon.Monks (and Bruisers) are very powerful soloers. The problem with playing a Ranger is that nearly all of your damaging attacks require you to be behind the mob... which is easy in a group, but is hard to do while soloing, and they suffer for it. If you want a real comparison in terms of soloing ability, try comparing a Brigand (or a Swashy) to a Monk/Bruiser.With that said... yeah, we're pretty amazing soloers. =p My Bruiser (former monk, betrayed to play with my friends on a PvP server) is currently level 58, and I can consistantly solo Heroic mobs two to three levels below me, as well as Heroic ^^ mobs a level above me. The number of tools at your disposal for both Bruisers and Monks is absolutely insane, and they all work well for soloing.Plus, with 8/8 into Relentless Strikes I outdamage Assassins and Brigands on fights less than 20 seconds or so, although after that my DPS tends to drop a bit while I wait for cooldowns to refresh. Brawlers as an archetype are very, very fun to use.<div></div>

[KazzySoJaz]

I think what makes monks the best at solo'ing is their ability to do very good sustained dmg through auto attack (of course dependent upon weapon selection) and their CA's allow them to be very good burst dmg also.I love my monk and I do not think I could play any other class, I have tried a troub, a dirge, a wizzy a templar, and a conj, and a swashy on pvp, they just do not equal a monk in fun (in my eyes)The only thing I dislike about my monk is that we are slowly losing our pull abilities (tsunami for example) and templar and pet pulls become more common place, but anyways, welcome to the world of the monk, it is a long hard journey with the best rewards <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />-Kazz-<div></div>

[The Mo]

Theres some advantages of being a monk.  They can solo well, rare leather is normally really cheap(rare wood is also keep for weapons), Feign Deah allows you end an encounter you would lose, later on they get many useful tools to sheild them from dmg. <div></div>

[Spidubic]

<DIV>I love my Monk. He was originally intended to be a third or fourth alt but has risen to the top of the heap and is now my main. I dropped my Pally at 22 because he did diddly damage and took more than he should have. Mainly because his armor was nowhere near top of the line. I have a Conjuror I play a bit who is 24. I love his pet but hate the cloth. I am not a distance fighter. The Monk and his hand to hand fighting style pulled me in and has not let go. He has so much going for him and fits my playstyle to a tee. With 72% Haste his fists literally fly making his auto attack very nice. I can time my skills around the auto attack pauses to maximize damage and power. And of course Invisibility is SWEET!</DIV>

[Ethelwo]

<P>I have a 70 Monk pretty well equiped with twin calamities and some descent armor. He solos well in dungeons and out.</P> <P>I also have a L51 Ranger I've been bringing up. He solos much better then my monk did at his age outdoors, but stinks in confined spaces.</P> <P>Rangers have once again been religated to the outdoors by SOE and all the good loot is indoors. They haven't learned a thing from EQ1. It doesn't bother me though, because I made the Ranger 3 months ago just to betray to Assassin at L57. The fastest way to level an Assassin is to make a Ranger and betray him later. Now Assassin dps is tops on raids. May as well go that rout to be a valued member of your raid group. Monks are ok too, but have to have the absolute best weapons to get middle of the Parse dps. Aslo Monk avoidance is zero on raid mobs, even with the best armor your going to be slamed alot. Mitigation on the other hand still helps on raids even when mobs are higher level then you are.</P>

[Novusod]

My first charactor was monk. Going through the island was a brease. My only mistake was that I roled him on a PvP server and when he got off the island he was always getting ganked. I managed to get him up to lvl20 before deciding to rerole something else on another server. I have a lot of alts and none were as fun as my first monk. I still play my monk and he is just about lvl23 now. I have never had any problem killing mobs. The PvP is another story. <div></div>

[The Mo]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Novuso wrote:<BR>My first charactor was monk. Going through the island was a brease. My only mistake was that I roled him on a PvP server and when he got off the island he was always getting ganked. I managed to get him up to lvl20 before deciding to rerole something else on another server. I have a lot of alts and none were as fun as my first monk. I still play my monk and he is just about lvl23 now. I have never had any problem killing mobs. The PvP is another story. <BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>hmmm I dont know what your talking about monks are crazy good on PVP servers, I watch my brother take out entire groups solo, and 1 on 1 he almost never loses.

[KazzySoJaz]

I have a swashy on naga, and well either I know what makes monks cry from being one, or the ones I have fought suck, cause I own em one on one...Monks are a good pvp class though, they are built solid and are the true jack of all trades in this game.<div></div>

[Marbus]

<DIV>Having numerous alts I've played almost every class in the game up to 16 or so trying to decide what to focus on. Initially I thought a guardian would be nice, then the first expansion came out and I sucked, even with all MC gear, I quit playing him and 30 and decided to heal for a while and take it easy with an Inquisitor. At almost 30 that was getting boring so I decided to start playing the monk I made for my son...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>After 2 days of real playing I knew he would soon by my main. Now with 2 small kids I don't get a lot of play time and when I do it's usually solo and that monk fits great for that. At the same level as my guardian he had half as many NPC kills... why? because the MOBs he was killing were all yellow while the guardian had to rely on blues for exp.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>My monk is almost 36 now and in full MC armor and weapons and Adept 1 spells for the most part (a few higher but not really). At this point I can solo just about anywhere and feel safe, I have tanked for a group in RE and even some Heritage Quest MOBs without inciden. IMHO the Monk is the greatest class in the game and definitely at least the second best to solo with (Necro being the best).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Marb</DIV>

[fre'do]

<DIV>get devastion fist and be amazed even more.  it is from bloodlines pack and it makes you even crazier and fun.</DIV>

[Iseabeil]

<DIV>I cant comment with 100% accuracy regarding monk vs ranger as I dun have a high level ranger of my own, I do know that my fianceé's ranger will solo better then my swashy on some stuff and worse on some, depending mainly on area, so Id say they are somewhat equal in soloability. Now my monk on the other hand will solo stuff that my swashie wouldnt think of tryin her hand at, they are both at 70/50 with monk in claymore equipment and a few master1's and adept3's and my swashie in mainly fabled and almost all master1. So with way inferior equipment monkey mouse will outperform swashy mouse with wide margin. Now, grouping is a diff matter, as is raiding, althou our main guild monk will push a dps thats close and occassionally above mine depending on group setups. As for rangers I cant really comment on how they are in group enviorment well, in raids they suffer quite bad and pay through the nose for it as well.</DIV> <DIV>From what it seems you enjoy playin your new monk, and if you are gonna need to solo a lot its a class Id really recomend, then again, Id recomend monk to pretty much anyone, as its a fun, powerfull and versatile class.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>