Fixing a character on its 20th life

[BigErkyKid]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Seeing the extend of power creep and game imbalance after this monk attempt has disappointed me enough to take a break from questing. I appreciate the effort of linking stuff and bringing your own builds to the table!

[elcagador]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Seeing the extend of power creep and game imbalance after this monk attempt has disappointed me enough to take a break from questing. I appreciate the effort of linking stuff and bringing your own builds to the table!

Meele Monks aren't that bad, I think you are too much focused on FoTM builds, which are a little more powerful but I wouldn't say is totally imbalanced, a well build and geared Monk can still be very good and play skills and knowledge still affects performance in EE. (you can have a well geared Paladin for example but without some skills or knowledge it will be very hard to solo high EE quests while a good skilled player can solo the same EE quest with a Barbarian for example).

Check for example this guy video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL-wY2eZ9_I, it was pre u23 but still Monks have a good sinergy with master blitz, also divine crusader, Gmof, or even sentinel for some tanking with high ac, dodge, decent prr, heal amp + renewal and cocoon, and decent dps.

[BigErkyKid]

Meele Monks aren't that bad, I think you are too much focused on FoTM builds, which are a little more powerful but I wouldn't say is totally imbalanced, a well build and geared Monk can still be very good and play skills and knowledge still affects performance in EE. (you can have a well geared Paladin for example but without some skills or knowledge it will be very hard to solo high EE quests while a good skilled player can solo the same EE quest with a Barbarian for example).

Check for example this guy video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL-wY2eZ9_I, it was pre u23 but still Monks have a good sinergy with master blitz, also divine crusader, Gmof, or even sentinel for some tanking with high ac, dodge, decent prr, heal amp + renewal and cocoon, and decent dps.

He is using the old blitz and mortal fear on helpless mobs (surely you know about that). I have played monks before, as I said, and I do strongly feel they have fallen behind by a ton. What may save them is using tier 3 TF, otherwise just with sense weakness and balanced attacks they are really not worth it compared to say bards or paladins.

There is a reason why people focus on FOTM builds. They are simply more powerful. I strongly suggest you try a u23 monk between levels 20 and 27 and you come back here and report how you do in EE. A melee mostly monk build, that is, not some weird exploit (tree build, wolf build or a monckher or shuriken thrower).

People keep saying it is player skill but if the toon doesn't hit hard enough there is no skill that can save it. Monks don't hit hard enough COMPARED to other possibilities right now. Anyway, not up for a fight, just felt like responding.

[Robbenklopper]

I really like Monks. This didn´t changed over all the Updates and nerfs. I adapt and arrange as best as i can with the given possibilitys and my flavor. Thats also why i only do pure builds.
Monk at the Moment is more a "supporting" character. Was better aeons ago. Will and can never be top dps of course, that´s left to the other melee-classes in roleplaying, but a precise killer with good dps and good viability.

You have the good times and the bad times. Barbarians are still having their bad times, and fighters/palas have very good times. At the Moment.

[Ayseifn]

Since acrobats are too low DPS for you then that only leaves a /5 cleric tree build or monk archer. Throwers feel pretty weak when levelling them up so I wouldn't recommend that and every thing else I can think of will be worse DPS than an acrobat.

[Teh_Hobgoblin]

Play a Druid or a Pally, they make better Monks than Monks.

[Daitengu]

I really like Monks. This didn´t changed over all the Updates and nerfs.

Oh they did change in critical places. Most of these changes came with the Enhancement overhault:
a) importance of choice between light and dark lessened greatly (depending on pov this could be seen as positive)
b) ToD was nerfed to uselessness
c) Ninja Spy speacializes on weapons
d) void strike only available as a tier 5
e) extreme bias towards earth stance

Besides that EiN was nerfed and yeah well QP.

They changed a lot for the worse and my preferred style (unarmed charming[needs void strike] ninja in a non earth stance) is not even possible anymore or at least the sacrifices are too much to consider.

[BigErkyKid]

Honestly, one wonders how many people have simply quit playing because they destroyed their preferred playstyle for years. Tanks, for instance. Or barbarians. Truth is that monks are behind now. Sure, uber geared (meaning tier 3 TF) capped monks with epic completionist may still be viable and good. But even then they are probably still weaker than other melee toons.

It has tired me that they keep messing with balance (not to restore it, mind you, but to break it in a different way) in a game that just needs more content. I'll be watching it from behind the barrier until they come to this realization.

[Ayseifn]

Honestly, one wonders how many people have simply quit playing because they destroyed their preferred playstyle for years. Tanks, for instance. Or barbarians. Truth is that monks are behind now. Sure, uber geared (meaning tier 3 TF) capped monks with epic completionist may still be viable and good. But even then they are probably still weaker than other melee toons.

It has tired me that they keep messing with balance (not to restore it, mind you, but to break it in a different way) in a game that just needs more content. I'll be watching it from behind the barrier until they come to this realization.

No kidding.

Remember when TWF khopesh wielding rogues were the highest DPS but also the lowest survivability? Or what about when barbs DR and higher HP pools meant they were great for raiding melee DPS? Remember when 90% of end game was either undead or devils and demons? That was pretty cool for paladins, they were pretty relevant in raids but no where near overpowered for general questing.

Oh and tanks, yeah I had one of those pre MotU. Finally got fully geared and could tank EE LoB without ever getting that bad crit debuff as long as we had a bard to debuff with a few spells. So +1, 2, 3, 4(?) dodge items, 6 protect, 6 nat armour, best tower, best armour, fighter PL, a bard for me, a FvS for the rest and we could crush it. Not long after I got fully specced for that MotU dropped, paladins were worthless and so that toon got left on the scrap heap. Even now it's only at level 26, I've made a whopping 6 levels on that toon since MotU and it might never hit cap. The paladin buffs are great no doubt about it, but my main is so far ahead now in PLs I really don't want to go back to that toon anymore.

Speaking of, remember when you only had to run a toon up to cap for them to be viable raiders? Doubt that'll happen again when the cap goes up, +45AC before percentage buffs, 195HP before percentage buffs, 36 PRR and the like make the idea of making even a 3rd life tank laughable now. Throw in +6 stat tomes, +5 skill tomes(intim) and other P2W stuff and not many people will be rolling up dedicated tanks ever again just to help buddies with raiding.

[JOTMON]

Honestly, one wonders how many people have simply quit playing because they destroyed their preferred playstyle for years. Tanks, for instance. Or barbarians. Truth is that monks are behind now. Sure, uber geared (meaning tier 3 TF) capped monks with epic completionist may still be viable and good. But even then they are probably still weaker than other melee toons.

It has tired me that they keep messing with balance (not to restore it, mind you, but to break it in a different way) in a game that just needs more content. I'll be watching it from behind the barrier until they come to this realization.

More than a few have quit the game because their builds became subpar and they didn't want to completely redo their toons that had served them well for so many years.

Hopefully the volatile changing of mechanics will subside and focus will go back to making content for all levels then those that just wanted to play endgame will get some endgame content.