Monk Guide/A Realm Reborn
Rotations
Effective Monk rotations employ Greased Lightning to increase damage and skill refresh, and Twin Snakes to maintain its damage buff. To maintain Greased Lightning, the monk must rotate between attacks using Raptor, Coeurl, and Opo-Opo Form in order every 14 seconds. Since the global cool-down is 2.5 seconds, this means that you have no more than five ability uses in which to complete a three-ability cycle. As Greased Lightning decreases the global cool-down on your abilities, this becomes more flexible as you gain the traits to stack it, but as maintaining Greased Lightning is a deciding factor in your damage output, most rotation decisions center around keeping it up. As such, maintaining other GCD abilities such as Touch of Death have to be carefully worked into the rotation as to not break it and lose your precious stacks of Greased Lightning.
Levels 1-17 (Pugilist)
Bootshine -> True Strike -> Snap Punch is the basic rotation, and using Internal Release, Featherfoot and Touch of Death for tougher encounters. Note that none of these abilities change forms, so care should be taken to use these abilities without letting Greased Lightning expire. Also, both Bootshine and True Strike do extra damage from behind, and Snap Punch does extra damage from the flank, making positioning important for team fights.
- Haymaker is a good ability, but mostly only sees mileage while soloing. When in groups you'll rarely be taking the attacks to dodge, and the bonus for attacking from behind on other abilities outweighs the fairly high potency of Haymaker. As a bonus, applying Slow also removes Haste, so there's some situational bonus mitigation in there too.
Levels 18-25 (Pugilist)
Bootshine -> Twin Snakes/True Strike -> Snap Punch is the basic rotation. The damage buff from Twin Snakes lasts for roughly two rotations, so alternate between it and True Strike for best output. Fists of Earth provides useful, free mitigation, and so should be used. At lv20, traits allow Greased Lighting to stack twice, giving the monk greater momentum potential, at a mild risk of TP exhaustion.
- Make sure you have Fists of Earth up at all times. While it has unlimited duration, you'll have to reapply it after you change jobs.
Levels 26-30 (Pugilist/Monk)
Bootshine -> Twin Snakes/True Strike -> Snap Punch is still the basic rotation, but you begin to have some variety. However, the new abilities cost extra TP, making running out of TP a real possibility for the first time. Level 28 traits increases the damage buff from Twin Snakes to 10%, making it more important to maintain it.
- Demolish offers an interesting opportunity, because if it's up for more than 9 seconds, it is more powerful than Snap Punch, which it replaces in the rotation. To put it another way, A) if the target is going to last for more than 9 seconds, you should open with it, and B) if it's already been up for at least 9 seconds, it's paid for its opportunity cost. You should avoid refreshing it gratuitously, as that will cost you DPS, but that should be your yardstick for whether you should use it.
- For multiple opponents, you should be positioning to make the most out of Rockbreaker, as it has a good range and strong potency. It would replace Snap Punch in the rotation.
- When facing multiple spellcasting enemies, Arm of the Destroyer works very well. Even with diminishing returns from status effects, its feature as an interrupt is invaluable in the right circumstances. That being said, using both Arm of the Destroyer and Rockbreaker will deplete your TP quickly, and Arm of the Destroyer has a rather low potency, so it's best used strategically instead of constantly.
Levels 31-40 (Monk)
Bootshine -> Twin Snakes/True Strike -> Snap Punch is still the basic rotation, with even greater variety available. Additionally, Fists of Fire is now available for higher DPS, at the expense of the defense from Fists of Earth. While usage is situational when soloing, a monk should always have Fists of Fire up while in teams.
- For bosses, Demolish should be maintained along with Touch of Death. Don't forget to use Internal Release when you can make the most of it, as it received a buff from traits at lv36. The rotation therefore is Bootshine -> Twin Snakes/True Strike -> Demolish/Snap Punch
- For multiple opponents, the rotation continues to be Arm of the Destroyer -> Twin Snakes/True Strike -> Rockbreaker, though TP management becomes necessary at this point. Arm of the Destroyer should be dropped to Bootshine if TP usage needs to be reduced. Also, the range on Rockbreaker seems to be greater than that of Arm of the Destroyer, which makes positioning easier.
- Internal Release receives a trait buff to a +30% critical rate at lv36, bringing it from handy to essential. Make sure to work it in when you're not maintaining DoTs and buffs.
- Steel Peak and Shoulder Tackle provide the monk with good stuns, and should be used as interrupts when needed. Shoulder Tackle has the added bonus of moving you very quickly, which is especially useful when returning to a boss after dodging AoEs. As bosses are frequently immune to stuns, however, these abilities often see their best use on trash, to lock out PBAoEs or strategically taxing abilities like Paralyze or stuns.
- At this point we have three forms to choose from, between Fists of Earth, Fists of Fire and Fists of Wind. Since they share an off-GCD 3-second cooldown, you can change them dynamically as circumstances warrant. For example, keeping Fists of Fire up for trash and damage phases of a boss fight, switching to Fists of Wind to dodge AOEs, and Fists of Earth for unavoidable damage. However, maintaining rotations is complicated enough, so unless you need that little extra from Fists of Wind you'll generally be using Fists of Fire in groups and Fists of Earth solo. Also, the movement increase from Fists of Wind is a bit marginal for AOE avoidance, so you may be better off switching to Fists of Earth if you expect to get hit to be kind to your healers.
Levels 41-50 (Monk)
Bootshine -> Twin Snakes/True Strike -> Snap Punch continues to be the basic rotation, but is changed markedly based on circumstances
- For bosses, Dragon Kick (replacing Bootshine) should be maintained along with Demolish (replacing Snap Punch) and Touch of Death. Since it's a debuff, trash doesn't normally last long enough to make it worth not using Bootshine, but boss fights will benefit from the debuff to INT as much as the debuff to blunt damage resistance.
- Including the buff from Twin Snakes and Greased Lightning, this makes for five effects to maintain, along with employing Internal Release during stationary moments. This becomes quite difficult, and is where you have to develop real skill as a monk. Maintaining uptimes on your abilities while keeping enough situational awareness to dodge AOEs, deal with adds and maneuver with tanks is a big challenge. That being said, err on the side of caution. Eating an AOE to maintain your uptime will not be well received by your healer, and needing a Raise during a boss fight will not be well received by your party. If your choice is 'attack' or 'dodge', choose 'dodge', and keep enough situational awareness to do so. This will become easier as you learn specific bosses, but keep your priorities straight.
- At this point it becomes important to save activations of Internal Release for when you're employing direct-damage abilities or DoTs. Since Bootshine is an automatic crit, however, Internal Release is wasted on it. So, it's actually best used on cycles where you're applying DoTs or using Dragon Kick instead of Bootshine anyways.
- Perfect Balance will allow you to use any ability outside of its form requirements. It's frequently used as an opener to use Snap Punch -> Snap Punch -> Demolish and get three stacks of Greased Lightning immediately. While it's mostly an opener-only move with its 240-second cooldown, it's invaluable for getting straight to strong DPS.
- We've now received enough alternate abilities to have a good rotation whether flanking or attacking from behind. So far we've been presuming staying behind a target because the basic rotation is superior, potency-wise, but you can change your rotation to Dragon Kick -> Twin Snakes -> Snap Punch if you need to be on the flank. At top-tier play, monks can be constantly repositioning to have the flank while using Dragon Kick and Twin Snakes and be in the rear the rest of the time.
- All this being said, Bootshine -> True Strike -> Snap Punch is, at every step, superior in potency to Dragon Kick -> Twin Snakes -> Snap Punch, so a flanking rotation is need-only.
- Mantra is an important skill for tough boss fights. The people next to you are going to be tanks and other melee damage classes, who can take a real beating during certain bosses and phases. Its 120-second cooldown makes it strictly a clutch skill, but you'd rather regret using it than regret not using it.
- Howling Fist is a decent skill, and being off-GCD is always a plus. Its 30-second cooldown isn't bad, either, and its potency is good and doesn't gain or lose from positioning. It's also an AOE, which makes it useful in pretty much every pull. It's worth working into your rotation if you can manage it.
- One Ilm Punch is a circumstantially useful skill, but very useful in those circumstances. Since bosses tend not to buff themselves, when they do, you want to take it away. That being said, it has a subpar potency, so it doesn't warrant a regular place in the rotation (in place of Twin Snakes or True Strike). Generally best used against Haste or a damage buff.
- Steel Peak receives a trait buff at lv44, reducing the cooldown to 40 seconds. Between that and Shoulder Tackle at 30 seconds, you should be able to reliably lock down the worst abilities from your party.
Sample Basic Boss Rotation At Level 50
Cycle 0: Perfect Balance -> Demolish -> Snap Punch -> Snap Punch -> Touch of Death
- third stack of Greased Lightning at 9 seconds, Demolish at 11 seconds, Touch of Death at 27.5 seconds
Cycle 1: activate Internal Release + Dragon Kick -> Twin Snakes -> Demolish
- third stack of Greased Lightning at 11.5 seconds, Demolish at 18.5 seconds, Touch of Death at 20 seconds, Dragon Kick at 22.5 seconds, Internal Release at 7.5 seconds, Twin Snakes at 10 seconds
Cycle 2-3: Bootshine -> True Strike -> Snap Punch
- third stack of Greased Lightning at 11.5 seconds, Demolish at 11 seconds, Touch of Death at 20 seconds, Dragon Kick at 15 seconds, Twin Snakes at 2.5 seconds)
Cycle 4: Bootshine -> Twin Snakes -> Snap Punch
- third stack of Greased Lightning at 11.5 seconds, Demolish at 3.5 seconds, Touch of Death at 7.5 seconds, Dragon Kick at 7.5 seconds, Twin Snakes at 12.5 seconds
Cycle 5: Bootshine -> True Strike -> Demolish -> Touch of Death
- third stack of Greased Lightning at 9 seconds, Demolish at 16 seconds, Touch of Death at 27.5 seconds, Dragon Kick at 0 seconds, Twin Snakes at 2.5 seconds
You can see how the term "rotation" is used a bit more loosely than in some other classes or games.
As demonstrated, there are times where it's strategically acceptable to let an ability run down briefly to preserve rotation. For example, in Cycle 5, Dragon Kick runs out, and Twin Snakes will run out before they're up in the rotation again. However, since they would be in the next rotation, the effect would be marginal, in exchange for using the more powerful Bootshine and True Strike for another cycle.
Additionally, these times are conservative - you'll have a full three stacks of Greased Lightning right out the gate, for a 15% reduction in GCD for a 2.125 second cooldown. That being said, it can be difficult to adjust to the shifting GCD, so I've used the base GCD for comparison purposes. In reality, you're best off checking your buffs and debuffs every rotation to see what needs to be worked in, and otherwise making the most of the basic rotation.
More to come!
Tips and Tricks
Positioning
As you push higher and higher content and the difficulty rises, you'll need to get the most out of your abilities. Most of your ability uses are mandated by a rigorous rotation, so that flexibility is low. However, once you have a good grip on your rotation, you can work on your positioning to maximize the effectiveness of the skills you use.
Advice during leveling recommended staying in the rear at all times, which is the safe way to go. The regular and necessary use of abilities like Dragon Kick and Twin Snakes means that you can get a good increase in damage if you move to the flank for those abilities. Plus, since they're affected by Internal Release (unlike Bootshine), you'll edge a bit more utility out of that, too.
That being said, make sure you're not compromising. The auto-crit of Bootshine and the enhanced damage of Demolish from the back are excellent, and you don't want to lose them in favor of the other. Start experimenting during more static boss fights, like early Trials, to get some better DPS. Just make sure you're still in the back half of the boss's arc, to avoid some nasty cleave and AOE surprises.
Cross-class Abilities
Monks only get to draw on the cross-class abilities of Lancer and Marauder, but there's some good augmentation to be had if you're willing to spend the levels to get them (and the headspace and hotbar to include them). On the whole, the Lancer skills offer some good augmentation, while the Marauder ones are a more questionable contribution.
Feint, Keen Flurry and Foresight are good mitigation skills in a pinch. That being said, your role is DPS - you'll probably get mileage from these when soloing, but they're often not worth the opportunity cost or attention from your normal rotation.
- Foresight deserves a side note - while an off-GCD defense buff helps to mitigate AOEs, its bonus to defense applies only to physical attacks, so its use is still marginal.
Invigorate is a great skill. A free 300 TP in a pinch can help you maintain more expensive rotations, and its 120-second cooldown means it can see multiple uses in Trials and raids - where endurance becomes critical. If there's a single, no-frills must-have cross-class skill, get this.
Blood for Blood is a dicey skill to use. Lancers have better armor than pugilists, so they're in a better position to take more damage than we are. On the other hand, another +10% to damage is awfully tasty, and synergizes brutally with Internal Release. Go for it, just be cautious and use alongside Internal Release for maximum utility.
Skull Sunder shouldn't be used outside of the unlikely event of you tanking - in which case, you should switch to a tanking class to get all the benefits. Its potency is inferior to most of your Monk abilities in any case, so there's little cause to use it.
Fracture a decent skill on its own, but the DoTs Monks receive are better, so Demolish and Touch of Death have priority. That being said, with a net potency of 220, Fracture still trumps the potency of most other non-DoT Monk skills. As long as you don't disrupt your other maintenance, it's definitely worth adding if you have it.
Bloodbath has some fun potential. Queuing it up before a Bootshine with Dragon Kick up would be a nice plus, but its 90 second cooldown gives it limited mileage. That being said, if you have all your +damage up (Twin Snakes, Dragon Kick, Internal Release and Blood for Blood), it can really help take the load off of your healers, especially when bosses start dropping unavoidable AOEs. If you're feeling especially deft, you can use it to ignore an AOE to keep your DPS up instead of dodging. It also synergizes with Mantra for extra clutch utility.
Mercy Stroke also has some fun potential, with the same drawback - a 90-second cooldown means that you'll be using this every other pull at best, and its potency isn't outstanding. That being said, it's another off-GCD skill, so smoke 'em if you've got 'em.