Tarutaru MNK gear

[Pmet]

Ok so I'm a lvl 73 @3500 to 74 >< Tarutaru BRD and someone in my ls said "Hey lvl MNK to 71+ next so you can do a backflip with Asuran Fists" when i was looking for a new job to level. So i've decided to play MNK and i'm loving it so far although having to lvl WAR as well kinda sucks.

Anyways, I'm looking for some gear advice for my MNK as I lvl because I keep hearing different things a taru should do. My gear at lvl 21 is the best possible for any race but I'm looking more at lvl 30-40s. Like Taru RSE instead of Fuma for that extra 2 STR instead of +haste. I don't plan on being cheap with MNK so any advice would be appreciated :D

EDIT: I plan on getting myself a Scorp Harness as soon as I can wear it :D

[Rossb2k]

As a taru monk you're probably going to want to focus on more STR because that will be your major shortcoming vs the other races. For example, I would use sun rings instead of snipers and brown belt instead of life belt. Pick up accuracy on other slots such as your weapon (impact knuckles, AF1, spartan cesti come to mind) or neck (spectacles, grand temple knight's collar, peacock if you're an insanely rich bard) to round yourself out. Add some VIT here and there if you can. As i recall the taru RSE adds STR and VIT together, I'm not positive about this though.

For detailed options on what gear to get as you progress check the sticky'd thread (Monk FAQ) in this section.

[Pmet]

Yeah I've read Effen's FAQ and followed it so far but it seems to be aimed for the standard races for MNK (Hume, Galka, Elvaan). I was just curious as to what gear changes are best for a Tarutaru. Also, should i pick up 2x Sniper's Rings in case I need them or maybe just one to switch out with my +STR rings?

[Rossb2k]

It all depends I suppose. You have a high level job so you know what types of mobs you'll be fighting as you progress. The only times I can think of when accuracy was a real problem was around 61 against Toramas (crazy evasion but pretty weak defense - nice to have dual snipers here) or against those raptors in valley/terrigan. You also might wanna have them handy if you get dragged to gustav or KRT bones a few levels early. You'll hit them hard no matter what but their evasion will be high. So basically, having them is a nice luxury but not essential in my opinion. On midgard sniper rings are 650k+ so that's a pretty big investment.

Against those stupid crabs and beetles (on which monks suffer a damage penalty) you'll want as much added STR and attack that you can get your hands on.

[deliria]

At 50, my main focus for taru mnk has been +STR. Our RSE was a huge help for that, giving str in slots where not much else was worthwhile to me (namely legs, feet, and hands). I also have the luxury of being in a static with a brd, so I've let that handle my +att and +acc needs for the most part.

I picked up a Life Belt that I can swap in as needed, and am still trying to quest my brown belt, but in all honesty, I haven't needed the Life belt yet, though I'm sure that'll change post-50.

I can tell you though, when you start to stack up that +str and bust out 500+ dmg Raging Fists, you feel pretty good. I was told by a galkan sam in one of my parties a little while back, that I'm a "freakin midget on steroids"

[Sir_Spork]

STR is always your main focus. That's what Taru lack the most, to make them better Monks. Pump your STR first, attack second.

[Username2]

RE:

.... Ok lets skip all the guessing.
I'm a lvl 68 Taru mnk/war.
You shouldnt lvl a job just cause a WS looks cool.
We all Know WS "coolness" only last a very short time.

To all those who think we are gimped damage wise, my friends and I laugh at you.
First off, STR is your best friend.
Monk's are rated B in STR.
As long as you load up with all the +STR and eat the correct food you do damage just fine.
Dont over look +acc gear for STR. You need a ballance.

At low lvls use: 2 courage rings, purplebelt, Power Gi, Mercenary Hachimaki, Beetle earrings +1 ,This will last you a longtime.
SUB WAR! ,a mnk with a THF sub is the biggest POS.
I hit 2-5 times in a row often.(sometimes higher)
A thf sub will never do that.
ALLWAYS get the hardest hitting weapon, do not let low delay fool you.

Kotes till AF, AF till Pallas
I suggest Lifebelt over Brownbelt.
I use 1 Victory ring and 1 Sniper ring
I have +20 ACC (thats a pretty high number for a mnk)
I totaly think a Scorpian harness is trash (if your gonna buy it)
that thing works best for a THF.
AF seems to be the best gear till endgame.
This is kind of a crappy write up, but im a work right now on lunch.
I'll get back later if you need more help.
GL

[RPGweedsmoker]

i have a bit of advice that may help you...

switch your race...

im tired of hearing that it's "wrong" to "flame" taru mnks and galka whm's etc , but the undeniable FACT of the matter is you are intentionally going against the grain and will never be as sufficient as someone who choose galka, elvaan, or even mithra for god's sake.

this is not just a rant, it's more so saying...all mnks focus on the same equip for the MOST part irregardless of race...there's only so much you can put on...and that being said, you're "taru" mnk will wind up with less natural abilities that aid the job you're doing, and you simply will not have (via equipment) any opportunity to equal yourself out with a race that's meant for the job. You can try and come close, but it will cost TONS of gil and most parties arent going to invite you anyway...

seriously...ive seen and heard of taru mnks giving up entirely in the early 30's because of sitting in altepa for literally 3 weeks to sometimes a month (seriously) with absolutely no party invites...even when they begged people told them no. Not saying that this will happen to you...just warning you that it does happen to MOST taru mnks. i mean come on man...mnk in general is gimped through the 30's (changes after that though and most mnks rot waiting for a party through that period...and that's when they're using the right race and sub job (war always.../thf is not our job). With a taru mnk, you're basically serving no purpose in a party through the 30's...none. I couldnt even imagine what purpose you're serving through the late 20's...but because of these unfortunate facts, attempting to get invited to a party down the road for you is going to be about as productive as being a galka 40whm/20war with the seek sign up.

[RPGweedsmoker]

let me just add that any illogical nonsense put up by another taru mnk who is offended by my factual summary above needs to keep this in mind...

YES for god's sake, im aware that you can overcompensate for your race, with equip. What you CANNOT do is be better than the CORRECT race for that same job, wearing the best equip also...

i mean it's math guys...2+2 is never more than 5+2...that's it.

[Unholy Prince]

Past the 60s race doesn't matter very much, the difference are very minimal.

The guy didn't come here to be told to lvl a new char, he came for advice. Some people don't like to go through Genkai, kazham keys, Rank 5 and Zilart Missions over again. Assuming your profile is updated, you don't know the horrors of Genkai 1 and how much a pain in the ass it can be.

Why should he change races? Any person with a lot of money can make up for their differences. How many Galkans and Elvaans do you see with the best possible gear, stuff that takes millions to buy, on their first character? This guy probably will outshine every other melee he parties with.

I partied with a taru mnk in terrigan the other night. Parser results showed him doing about 23% of the damage. I imagine if we didn't have a rng and me as the blm in teh pt he'd be doing more. His acc and atk was better then any elvaan i've pted with. So ya, its fine and do able.

He was cute too ^^

[Pmet]

To clear a few things up:

I tried MNK on the advice of a LS member and I love it, doesn't matter why you start the job, if you like it then no problems. :D

Scorp Harness i will get by getting the claw drop off Genbu and having my LS's Scorp Harness crafter make it for me

As for the race decision, MNK will be my 2nd job. The fact is, I can make up for the differences in race by spending money for gear, I think i have about 200k on my MNK at lvl 21. Tell me how many Galka's, Elvaan's, etc can afford that on their first job? I pted with an elvaan MNK same level and I completely outdamaged him. He was complementing my gear and what not and he was a 65 THF too .

As for me sitting PTless a long time, if that happens that's fine. I've played a BRD, i know how finding a PT can be easy but I'm lvling MNK for fun and not to find PTs fast. Also, I'm a higher rank which has so far helped me get JPs to join my PT :D as well as i'm levelling with a lvl 75 Taru WHM turned PLD just gotta find a friend who wants to lvl BRD so that we'll have a good static going. Besides, making PTs is really easy, i can usually find friends or ls members with a job in that lvl range who'd love to level with me :D

Also, hit lvl 70+ and tell me race matters because a BLM with one of the best reputations on Alexander happens to be Galka. He's a JP BLM who has every elemental staff +1, wears RSE til he uses up that MP and then switches gear to AF/Black cloak and what not to deal more DMG, and out damages even some very well equipped Taru BLM that I know. Also he plays without a subjob.

Thanks for the advice tho,

My main concerns are mostly are Fumas better than RSE?
Brownbelt or Lifebelt?
Sniper's or STR rings or a combo?

I think i'm just gonna use a parser and compare all the combinations I can think of :D

EDIT: Rank > Race to most ppl looking to invite for a low level PT. I'd take a Rank 8 Galka WHM over a rank 2 Taru WHM any day of the week.

And a lvl 75 Taru BLM went MNK next and lvled it to 75 in the time i lvled BRD 60-75 or so. Not because he had the time to play more, but because lvling pre-50 is so fast and if you have money, know how to make PTs, etc you will go fast :D

[Jonishush]

Really, Unless you are a "Stat Freak" who thinks he/she is REALLY COOL BECAUSE THEY CAN OUTDAMAGE A MIDGET, and your not, well that doesn't apply to you.. but anyways. Yes stats do play a SMALL role but as they said earlier it doesn't matter much after 60 *Im not 60, Just quoting him >_>* I say, choose the character that you don't have a problem looking at their ass for the rest of your FFXI time, plus... Tarus do the cuteness panic!

[Effen]

Equipment for Taru is pretty much standard as other races. STR is always the stat that you look to increase when you are hitting a mob consistantly. Have as much accuracy bonus as you can to hit a mob on a level that you desire, then work on STR.

Scorpian harness is not a must, but it's definitely not "trash" as someone said. And you never know, you could get lucky and get a +1 like me. Sniper's ring will be nice, and if you can get a pair along with specs or peacock charm, then perhaps you could use brown belt instead of life belt.

As a Monk there are lots of matching you can do with equipment. If you have a bard in a static, everything changes too. So I have about 3 sets at any given time. A tank set, a Chi Blast set, and my regular set.

Taru is the worst race statistically, but that doesn't mean they cannot be great monks. But having said that, given the same equipment between a Taru and an Elvaan, there's no match. The difference might not be night and day, but it's noticeable.

But the main thing is to have fun, and like other races, Taru can have just as much fun.

[Mangotaru]

I'm pretty much in a similar situation... just a lot poorer.

I just hit 31 with Taru MNK, all my equipment has been STR based so far, since there's not much ACC gear yet. I still need to pick up RSE pieces, though.

Let me know what you find out about ACC vs. STR stuff for Taru. I don't know if I'll be able to afford Sniper rings, but Life Belt should be easy enough to get. I've also been seeing a lot of new Promethias crafted gear around for level 29/30 too. The stuff is very visually appealing, but I haven't seen enough on the market to check the stats, anyone know about this stuff? Is there more at higher levels? Is there any that's monk wearable that's better than the standard stuff? I'm too poor to waste 20-50k per piece to try it out, then lose the money when the price drops soon.... but maybe you rich people have an opinion?

I'm on Fenrir server... this place is kind of messed up. No one goes to Altepa at level 30, and I hardly ever see any high level gear for sale. Prices vary sometimes by 30% on just about anything from day to day. I guess the influx of European players has thrown the market into chaos somewhat?

I've had no trouble levelling and getting parties so far... the only real problem I've had is taking invites when I should have started the parties myself. Of course, I'm only level 31, up to that level things always seem pretty easy.

Oh well... I just started Bard for fun. Taru are more suited to that, I suppose, but I really miss meleeing and being able to provoke things. As bard, my party wiped out and there wasn't much I could do but stand around and watch everyone die, then run away since I had the least hate in the group as a backup healer... Where's the fun in that? I wanna hit provoke and get chewed up before the mages die, that way I won't feel as guilty!

Anyway, I was mainly just curious to hear what you find about gear. I'm too lazy to start over as an elvaan or galka or Mithra, but I've certainly thought about it during the low times, especially when trying to level WAR subjob.