Monk Tanking guide to Lvl 30

[laicram]

Monk Tanking guide to Lvl 30

Note from the author: I made this guide when I was a very new player, and I was upset that the popular idea was that monks could't tank - when I knew different! =P It's a honor to be stickied in this forum. A year later, I've added some new sections, and changed the closing a bit. New readers: I hope you find some of this info useful. Old readers: I hope you find the new changes amusing =D


Purpose of this guide
To increase awareness of a Mnk's ability to be main tank at early levels. There are methods discussed in this guide where your defense can be equal or better than the standard War or Pal tank. Intended for new Monks - most Mnk30+ have already missed the boat on this.
Sub-War is a must for Provoke.


Why tank? (Revised)
1) A monk is not limited to just "damage dealer" at early levels. If you can afford both DD and tank equip, you can assume either as needed. Versatility = faster leveling.

2) Skill up your guard. A Mnk's guard skill becomes harder to raise the higher lvl you get. Why not train guard in PTs while you are still a viable tank at early lvls?

3) To utilize your defensive abilities. At lvl 15, Wars have Berserk, while Mnks have Dodge, Counter, and HP up. If you have superior defense (more on that later), you can be main tank and free up the Wars in your Party to use Berserk.


Not for everyone...
If none of the reasons above call out to you, by all means, disregard this guide. Building a Damage Dealing monk is well-documented and widely practiced. It is the inevitable path of the Monk.

However, if you choose to build/equip a Mnk for tanking til 30, you'll find yourself alot more busy, in control and more responsible. Again, not for everyone...


Doesn't my Defense suck?
No! Mnks gain equivilant armor (to war and pal), just a few lvls later. Look below. It begins at Lvl 10 when you get Voke. (Mnk10/War5)

10-16 Harness. War and Monk are the same
17 Lizard. Wars are better.
18-20 Cotton Gi. You can match Lizard. (One point less than Liz)
21-23 Beetle. Equal to War.
24-28 Chainmail.
29 Soil Gi. Same def as Chain Mail.
30-34 Centurion.
35 Padded Harness. Equal to Centurion.
36 Silver Mail.

There are many points along the path where Mnk armor is just as good as War armor. At times they are not, but there are ways to still be superior.


Equip Def Up.
Tanking is all about the Def number. When equipping to tank, you must invest entirely on def up. Here are the items you want.

Leather Ring (def +1)
Stamina Rings (vit +2)
War Belt +1 (vit +3, hp+4)
Bomb Ring (def +2, hp +15)
Dharmel Mantle
Legionaire Subligar (vit +1)
Tiger Stole
Wolf Mantle +1
Giga Bracelet (def 9, HP+, Str+, Dex-, Agi-)

I prefer Beetle Earring to Shield Earring. Got plenty of HP, and the extra damage helps keep the hate better. The Federation Gi Set(lvl25) is uber, but not listed here cuz they are 40k a piece =O

Correct def gear is the first step. These items alone can make your defense better than most Wars. But if it doesn't...


Food - the great equilizer.
Boiled Crab and Fish Kabobs. They place your defense way above all others. They sell for 5k-6k a stack. The duration is quite long. No whining about the price - this is what you need to the best tank in the group. Learn how to make gil on another guide. Or, don't tank.


Commitment to Excellence, and The Real World vs A Perfect World.
Ppl will say "Pal + Food > Mnk + food". Well, duh. The reality is, I have never seen anyone use def food during my lvling to 30 - which I've done 3 times already. Sure a Mnk can't beat a War or Pal in better gear + food, but these ppl are rare. It's more likely you'll be PT'd up with a bunch of broke-@$$ noobs =D That is why, if you adhere to a commitment to excellence with food + equip, you will have the best def of the group 99% of the time.


Opposition and Blind Prejudice.
A monk built to tank is uncommon, so if you choose this path you will encounter plenty of opposition. No one expects a Mnk to have 40+ more def than the standard tank. But when you got the best def, no one can argue with your numbers - you've earned the right to tank.


Some tips:
- Carry both tank and attack gear. You can quickly assume either role - which is handy when no other tanks are LFG.
- Don't bother tanking with a Pal in the PT. Even if you beat his defense, a Pal does not contribute well as an attacker.
- When tanking, uses your skills with a rhythm to keep the monster's hate. Example: Voke + Boost, Boost + Focus, Boost + Dodge, etc. If you know how to cancel skills, use Boost + Berserk + Weaponskill, then cancel Berserk.


(New!) Issues with Guard. Do you need it?
Guard is a "A" rating skill that is often neglected by new Mnks. It doesn't "skill up" unless you are being hit. A Mnk that levels very fast creates a problem for himself. Evasion caps very quickly, and actually HANDICAPS his attempts to bring up his Guard skill later. He dodges alot, and it becomes frustratingly slow to advance his guard skill.

One could argue that you don't need guard if you never tank. I'm of the mind that I want every aspect of my Mnk to be bad@$$, so I'm very mindful of my Guard. Obsessive soloing is required to bring your guard skill up. Tanking early on shaves some time off you will spend skilling up guard - if you care about it.


(New) Watch out for Pugils!
When tanking from 10-30, the only mobs you need really need to worry about are pugils that do a hi-damage special attack. The only way to survive it is the have the right tank gear and food, AND have the healer keep your HP no lower than 70%. Talk to your healers beforehand. Believe me it sucks when you die to a massive special attack and the mages scream, "See? Monks can't tank!!!" =/ Both Mnk tanks and healers have to do their part.


Tank past 30?
The def gap between Mnks and Wars/Pals begins to show around 40. And, I heard ppl actually start using def food this high up =O Tanking stops being practical at that point. But, it doesn't hurt to have Def Equip + Food around just in case.

A Mnk30/War15 gets Berserk (+ focus). To me, this is when a Mnk can stop tanking, and truely become a Damage Dealer.


Closing
War61 (and climbing) is my main job, but as MNK I tanked from 21 to 50, every chance I got. Here is my Mnk Tank experience in a nutshell: I found it stressful arguing with every random EXP PT that I could tank. However, once the PT would settle in, there would be no more arguing. That's because we would still exp chain 3-4 mobs in a row before resting. (For new players: you only have 60 seconds to kill a mob to make a 5-chain). If your PT can make 4-chains, you are a "functional" tank. In closing, I'd even say that's a "good" tank.

[DJplaeskool]

Excellent post.
Should be required reading for all monks under 40.

::removes adhesive backing and applies to top of board::

[Voyager]

There's an additional way to work on your guard skill, if you neglected it at lower levels.

When you are working on your War lvls for your sub, or working on another class that's a dedicated tank, go fight bone monsters, and unequipe your weapon.

It's not as crazy as it sounds.

With your previous Monk experience, chances are your HtH skill will already be maxed, giving you a pretty good chance of hitting, and Bone monsters are so extremely vulnerable ot HtH that even bare fists do serious damage. Additionally, you can even keep your shield equiped, so you don't even lose the defensive bonus of the shield.

So, you end up, blocking, guarding, evading, and doing mass damage, even though it looks a bit strange seeing a Warrior or Paladin beating on something with his bare fists.

In fact, I'm pretty much of the opinion that any time one is fighting a Bone type monster, one should just use HtH weapons, even when one isn't a Monk. The difference in damage is just to large to ignore. The only problem is so few people bother to learn HtH skill, that noone can actually hit with it when they are using it.

Harry Voyager

[Nataka]

I just have one question, as the thought seems to appear a lot. Why exactly DO you need guard leveled? I mean, I leveled warrior to 30, and I never got parry very high.. Also, monks dont really need guard later, do they?

Also, typically if you have a warrior in the party, even if he's in Yhoator with lizard, he provokes it when the main tank gets hit like, once. I was the main tank in a party in Yhoator due to mybetter defence, but I couldnt keep aggro because the other warriors would always provoke it @@;



EDIT: Also, I hardly ever guard at all, even when I solo. So how exactly is it going to raise if it never works? Xx I'm 21 and guard is only level 16.. (it was level 12 when I was level 13 I think, and it barely worked then either..)

[modnar]

Nataka, I guess you hit it right on the head when you say: why do we need guard leveled? And an easy answer is to say: We dont...

But that same answer goes to the following questions:

1) Why do we need high Vitality?
2) Why do we need evasion?
3) Why do we need dodge?
4) Why do we need counter-attack?
5) Why do we need counter-stance?

Well, the answer might be complicated, and it might be not. I might be wrong about the answer, I might be right... but I am not sure I want to give an answer because I just started (lvl28 mnk/war).

All I want to say is: those are a handful of traites that help alot if you are getting hit...

Why?

In that question, lies the answer.


PS:
(sorry about acting as the old wise man... could not help it)

[laicram]

Hello! I'm honored that my guide got a sticky. I'll do my best to flesh it out and be objective as possible.

About training guard. I raised my guard up to 69 before leaving Yhaotor. I see it working. The argument is, "Why train it, if I'll never tank at later lvls?"

The best answer I can give is, if you trained guard at all, that it still comes in handy. PTs still need a Mnk/War to setup Sneak + Trick attacks. You may need to voke a linked mob and hold it's attention. In these instances, the higher the guard, the better.

The last scenario, is that there are no tanks around at all. It's what I was saying earlier - ppl form their arguments around "Ideal" or "Perfect" circumstances. You never know what you'll have to work with when you get out there. Which would you rather be:

Mnk1, who has Defense Gear + Food rdy to equip if he has to tank? Or...
Mnk2, who has just Attk gear, in a PT of 5, waiting for a tank?

It's not just about "Knowing your Role", but preparing for situations that you have moderate control over.

[Nataka]

Well, in my experiance, typically warriors dont even let warriors tank (Some dont let paladins tank.. they just voke at random times), so since I probablywont be able to keep hate on myself if I AM the tank, how should i level it before I leave yhoator?

[Abydos]

Great info! I'm new to the forums, so please excuse me if I mess this up. I originally started leveling my MNK as a sub, but am having too much fun with it. I train in Valkurm and often times find myself in the role of tank due to having more HP than anyone else in the party and/or random circumstances as you mention. As it stands, my 15 MNK is just as good (if not better) tank than my 20 WAR due to guard, evade, and counter. I notice that some of the suggested equipment on your list is too high for me right now, and was wondering if you had any advice on alternatives? Thank you for the great guide

[xphantomx]

Just a quick question to bust out my confusion, does guard contradict with counter/stance?

[laicram]

Nataka,
Yea, I'm familiar with the multiple vokers scenario. Communication is key. "Ease up on the vokes plz. I have the best def so let me take the hits." Be sure to always use your voke the moment it's rdy.

If you're almost out of Yhaotor, you can train guard later by returning to Yuhtunga at lvl 35+ to solo mandras and gobs. Monks that didn't tank can catchup on guard by soloing here.


Abydos,
There's some cheaper food the gives +10% def. Boiled Crayfish. I don't know the actual cost per stack, but it's bonuses may be enough to put your def over the top within your group. Croumangue in San d'Oria Port actually sells it. (Thanks ffxi.allakhazam.com!)

I do believe that a Mnk planning to tank requires more preparation. A War can buy a set of lizard armor and just go. I urge Mnks to go "over the top" with extra gear and food to make the statement clear: We're here to tank, and we do as good a job - if not better.


xphantomx,
No, guard and counter do not contradict each other. Here is my understanding of the def skill process:

1) You get attacked.
2) Evade gets calculated.
3) If evade fails, then counter and guard get a chance (not sure which is first)

What's interesting, is that excessive evasion+ gear and dodge spamming actually hurts your training of guard. Because if you evaded, guard never had a chance to activate. Since I'm tanking to train guard, I only use dodge when I'm pulling a mob far from camp or when I'm in a tight spot.

[antony]

ElvaanWHM,inmyopinion,willneverbeefficientenoughtobeanefficientWHM,efficientlytarutarualsomakehorrificWHMs:the incredibledamageoutputisovershadowedbytheirsmallMPpool:youcanhardlyseeitLOLgalkamakealrightWHMs,theyhavemassiveTPbutnotenoughMPtomakethecutHumeisreallythewaytogo,withanaverageofTP,HP,andMPtomakeforawellbalanced,wholesomeWHMLOLChocoboknightsarethebestjobchoiceforameleejobbecauseyougettokeepyourchocboallthetimewhileyourideyourchocoboElvaanWHM,inmyopinion,willneverbeefficientenoughtobeanefficientWHM,efficientlytarutarualsomakehorrificWHMs:theincredibledamageoutputisovershadowedbytheirsmallMPpool:youcanhardlyseeitLOLgalkamakealrightWHMs,theyhavemassiveTPbutnotenoughMPtomakethecutHumeisreallythewaytogo,withanaverageofTP,HP,andMPtomakeforawellbalanced,wholesomeWHMLOLChocoboknightsarethebestjobchoiceforameleejobbecauseyougettokeepyourchocboallthetimewhileyourideyourchocoboElvaanWHM,inmyopinion,willneverbeefficientenoughtobeanefficientWHM,efficientlytarutarualsomakehorrificWHMs:theincredibledamageoutputisovershadowedbytheirsmallMPpool:youcanhardlyseeitLOLgalkamakealrightWHMs,theyhavemassiveTPbutnotenoughMPtomakethecutHumeisreallythewaytogo,withanaverageofTP,HP,andMPtomakeforawellbalanced,wholesomeWHMLOLChocoboknightsarethebestjobchoiceforameleejobbecauseyougettokeepyourchocboallthetimewhileyourideyourchocobo

[roycrom]

I'm lvl 20 mnk now and I've never been the tank.

I have a couple of questions. (however much of a noob it'll make me look )

How do I provoke? I dont have this skill (Like warrior provoke).

How do I keep the hate?

Sorry if this sounds too simple but from the first post on the list it sounds like I'm missing something.

[Valdaar]

Antony is your spacebar broken?

(Sorry for derailment but i must know >.<)

[laicram]

roycrom,

It's briefly mentioned in the guide that "sub-war is a must". You have a good point, tho. If the first job you pick is Mnk, you can't assume tanking duties until lvl 18 at least - when you complete the sub-job quest.

Random Tip: If you're gonna be lazy about your sub-job, plz lvl it to War15 at least. So at Mnk30 you can use Berserk. Otherwise, your Mnk30+ will be totally gimped. And don't forget War10 Def Bonus for tankin =D

[sweetooth]

WAR

Yes, I just read this post, and though I am familiar with the game, I was thinking there would be strategies to hold agro or something as a Monk at lower levels in this Thread, especially as it is Sticky.

If you can Edit this so that it is more clear ( though I got it when I read the sub war part) I'm sure it would help all the n00bies coming here that haven't a clue about the game.

That is a problem I see with alot of the guides I read, they make assumptions about the level of knowledge the reader has about the game.

Here's something I wrote in another thread, feel free to cut and paste it if you want;


If you want to be any kind of melee, start as a Warrior.

In lower level parties a tank is always needed, and with time constaints, getting into a smaller grp can be easier, and with the kids playing, some have no patience to wait.
A team of 4 will be more interested in the few members they have filling useful roles in a party, like tank and healer.

Only Warrior has Provoke. Monks Weaponskill at 10 in hand2hand; Combo, does nice damage and may get you hate for a second, but it's not provoke.

My late night partner in the game is a mnk, I've played in tons of parties with him, we are both now 16 (though I have 3 characters and tons of levels between all of them), and he is always low on the list of wanted jobs.

Start as warrior, and learn to provoke, and make macros for it and attacking in the lower levels. Check the Warrior Forums for info on that.

When starting an attack on a Mob, you have to be Right next to it for the battle to start with a normal or H2H weapon, whereas Provoke is a short ranged ability, so it helps to start a battle and bring the mob to you.

After a few levels, get a Bow, (At level 10, Royal footmans bow) this has more range, and even if you miss, the mob will be pulled to you so you can engage, unless it's a mage type mob, then they'll Nuke you with magic, but they will stop roaming, so you can run up and engage easily.

Warrior will teach you about being a Tank and a melee; and the differences between the two.

Keep leveling up and get your subjob quest as a warrior, then you can have a Warrior as a subjob and have provoke on whatever other melee job you want to try, making you just as wanted. With having gotten to 18 as a Warrior, you will have a maxed subjob in whatever other melee you choose as you make your way to level 30, where you can do quests for the Advanced jobs if you so choose.

People love Mnk/war, as they are a great damage dealer, and can also voke if needed. With war subbed, you will get into groups as main tank and as damage dealer with the added ability to save the mages by pulling the mobs to you with voke if the main tank doesn't have it recharged at the time.