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View Full Version : Monk Twink Contest: Budget, Moderate, High End


mefdinkins
03-28-2012, 12:26 PM
Hi Everyone,

My triumphant return to EQ is going wonderfully and I am enjoying my time spent playing as a druid - much like I did in classic. In classic after 50, I created a monk alt.

My experience as a monk was always crazy - when I first got my hands on fungi/manastone for druid, I figured no harm in letting my monk borrow fungi. Then I liked monk more than druid so I sold off almost all of my druid's gear and was living large. Fungi/Tstaff/haste, etc. Eventually I sold my stuff and returned to my druid and my monk's gear was always odd - ei: 100k fungi tunic, 300p weapons; or 75k weapon but completely naked. For some reason I remember using Knuckle Dusters on my monk with FBSS at one time cause they looked cool, but thinking I could have used better alternatives for less plat.

So my question is: to get the most bang for your buck how would you twink a monk with ~2k, ~5k, or ~10k? You can make suggestions for any amount (100k, 500k) , or you can make suggestions for a budget set up (gear that will allow you to shine/solo/xp w/o opting to go to the next tier of more expensive gear) or you can give suggesttions for a high end set up. I have looked at the gear page on the wiki that has suggestions for gear pre-planar, planar and kunark, but I think it omits some of the great options now for an up and coming player.

Props goes to person with a setup that maximizes value and effectiveness of char. (EI: a monk that spent 100k on fungi but is naked, is probably not as good as spending 50k on tstaff, 10 on FBSS and 40 on other strong gear?)

I'll start with what I would try to get my hands on if I had ~2k, just to give an example. This is also pretty bad due to my lack of knowledge, but
Full Set of Wu's (~500p)
Wu's Trance Stick x 2 (~700p)
55hp rings (~250each?)
Random other gear I could find deal on in AH (for the last couple hundred plat)

CBG
03-29-2012, 09:56 AM
Here ya go:
First, Wu's is pretty good filler, but there's stuff you can get cheaper, or around the same price that is more effective.

Azure Sleeves - 50pp
Fine Silk Turban - 75pp
Obsidian Bead Hoops - 60pp/per
Drakescale Legggings - 75pp or so
Jagged Band, great for lower levels, 50pp; though the 5/55 are great
Foreman's Tunic/Lockjaw Vest - 100p
Symbol of Loyalty to Vox - 50-75pp, almost unmatched AC bracer/weight wise for monks

For weapons, don't get dual Wu's. You're much better with a Can of Tranquil or whatever the 12/25 one is with stats in off hand, and dmg bonus comes from best ration in offhand, fastest in main. This is a bit skewed at 35 when Wu's begin to proc.

As far as Wu's armor, I've currently got the Gi, boots, hands, collar, waist and mask, all of which are pretty good options for a lower level monk. Magic boots/hands aren't too easy to come by cheaply, so they are decent options.

Random note: 75pp and a werewolf claw will get you a nice set of 4 AC .3 weight 3DEX/AGI gloves from Karg Icebear - Lupine Scale Gauntlets. I had a set on Live, used them until planar gear.

Additional weapon note: 20-35 (Wu's proc), the 23/28 2HB from CoM is really killer. If you're lucky enough to have a FBSS, this really shines.

I tried to keep it pretty cheap here, going from your original 2K idea, didn't do any hypothetical budgeting. Feel free to get at me in game if you have any questions, and enjoy.

mefdinkins
03-29-2012, 10:52 AM
cool great help thanks!

CBG
03-29-2012, 02:35 PM
NP, what do I win in the contest?

mefdinkins
03-29-2012, 04:23 PM
free hugs -- hahah

The things I was really wondering were about like... best way to allocate your resources. Like when is it most beneficial to spend 10k on a FBSS.

Is 11K on FBSS + 500 Wu's quivering staff better than say - 9k on adamantite staff and whatever random thing you can get for 3k?

There is a lot of talk about best monk weapons -- all over the forum but I Was wondering what a good progression is -- how to best upgrade -- when to throw in FBSS -- and are those a priority over every other item?

Also like when should you throw down for Tink Bag? or Tink Bags?

CBG
03-29-2012, 04:40 PM
I never had a Tink bag myself, and I was always fine with weight. That said, some sort of bag is essential, for bandaids/shuriken. Shralok Pack and EE Bags are good for awhile.

Good progression is Wu/CoT and the 23/28 staff into RFS/IFS if money isn't really an issue. From what I understand, AC is pretty clutch here on P1999, and me being overweight makes me hate myself, but I'm pretty broke otherwise.

The haste/weapon debate is tough, as they are both essential to monk dps. Overall, if you can afford the FBSS, then buy it. I may hate you since I cannot, but that's off-topic :). FBSS+ Wu's will put out much more DPS than Adam Staff + no haste, regardless of how good the weapon maybe. Furthermore, when you can finally upgrade to something mean like RFS/IFS/TStaff, you'll be at a dmg/delay ratio of better than 1, which is when monk dps goes really crazy.

The whole monk thing is that it's never been one that has a set "best" thing, IMO. You need a balance of everything to be really effective.

I was kidding about the reward, btw. Though if you have a bracer/cape slot better than Cured Silk, I'd humbly fall on them.

Kender
03-29-2012, 06:43 PM
large soiled bag is good for bandages and throwing implements. 10 small slots. saves a bit of weight and means you can have like 8 stacks of bandages and not worry. 4 pounds of bandages weighing only 1 pound helps

oh and 5ac/55hp rings are the best investment you can get after a weapon. you should be able to get a pair for 450

fighting batons are cheap and nice to use, maybe a FB in main and a cane of tranquil on off hand. that'll see you right through to the 30's in the absence of funds to get better. later on, jade mace and knuckle dusters are nice. that's in the 4.5-5k range for the pair though unless you get a really god deal

Claax
03-30-2012, 02:38 AM
I second on Large Soiled Bag. 400-800 pp, will hold bandages/food/water/shurikens/anything small. Another option is to have a mage summon you bags and then duel someone each night before you log out(or ragequit when you die tragically). Can be a pain in the ass but will give you a whole lot of weightless bags.

A pair of 5ac/55hp wedding rings, if you get them for 450, is definitely worth it. Otherwise, it comes down to what you have to spend. Best bang for the buck is gonna be Wu's Quivering Staff. No competition if you ask me, none.

If you can get an FBSS, then the world is your oyster and it opens up a lot of different combinations. For armor, everything Cee said is a great investment. Especially Fine Silk Turban/Azure Sleeves/Foreman/Lockjaw. Go with Wu's when in doubt.

I would concentrate on weapons and those rings are no joke either. If you only have a few k, get WQS. If you have more, get FBSS and then save for an IFS or JM/KD, your choice.

Handull
04-09-2012, 12:29 AM
didn't read it all, but monk fists aren't terrible weapons. spending 100k on a fungi and 500pp on a wu's quivering staff and 9k on an fbss will get you to lvl 30+ extremely fast. as you level more the fungi is less effective, but still very nice to have.

wu's quivering is your best 2hb for the plat by far. its dirt cheap. tho you'll want something else for lvls 1-10 with the damage cap. AC is down in price and is very nice, even without the proc. imo get epic and AC, its not too hard to get :)

CrowsNest
04-13-2012, 11:54 PM
How about mid lvl/high end...have rings earrings cloak sash of dragon born sarnak mask and fungi + 26k to fill rest of spots and weps...ideas??

Deverell
04-14-2012, 10:13 PM
Fungi is by far the best thing you can have. It's the sole thing that lets you solo reasonably past level 30, and you'll be able to solo up to 50 without trouble with it. Without a fungi, it probably stops being worth your time around level 30, maybe 35-40 tops if you're otherwise heavily twinked.

2x 5/55 rings are a must. Probably the best value for money in the entire game, it's the first thing I'd buy with literally any class.

You want hp in general. It helps so much with mend and bind wounds, essentially translating into regen that way. If you get enough hp that you can safely kill a blue mob with 50% hp, you can solo without downtime. That won't last forever, but certainly through your 20s and maybe 30s. This means Hooded Black Cloak, Glowing Bone Collar, Diamondine Earrings or the 35hp ones if you wanna pay absurd amounts of money for earrings.

The rest of your armor isn't hugely important because raw stats matter very little and you can't get high AC in most slots. There's a few staples such as Azure Sleeves, but for the rest of the set, either go with Wu's or get yourself a set of Crescent armor from Dalnir. When I made a monk alt back when Kunark opened, I was able to get a level 1 monk down there, log him out, and camp the stuff with my level 50 enchanter. Any level 50 soloable class should be able to do it. A couple of hours tops and you'll have a full set.

IFS is the best bang-for-buck weapon, I think it's down to like 9k or so by now. If you have the money to buy whatever you want, obviously get a T-staff. I wouldn't bother dual-wielding until 45+, it can't match up to a 2hander until then. Get the best haste item you can afford, but for the purpose of soloing, it's less important than your weapon and hp gear.

mefdinkins
04-16-2012, 05:48 AM
I was wondering what you mean by - you wouldn't bother dual wielding till 45+? Right now I'm level 10 -- decently twinked, some of the stuff I just picked up myself, some of it I got in

Major pieces - Jboots (MQ'ed for these at level 1, I have to say I love em), FBSS, 55 rings, HBC, Exe Hood, Syth Hide Vest, Granite Bracer (I know the +stam stuff is pretty useless now).

I also picked up - Jade Mace x 2 and Wu's Quivering Staff.

So far JM is so much quicker / more DPS than Wu's.

I could try to get rid of the Jade Mace's and pick up a 'peacekeeper' or IFS but don't know when those will be worth it.

I was also wondering when random stuff like goblin skull shrunken earring is worth picking up? Price seems kind of steep for minor ATK increase?

Deverell
04-17-2012, 12:40 AM
Of course the JM is better than Wu's staff at level 10, the damage cap is preventing you from benefiting from a weapon damage of more than 10. Once you hit level 20, Wu's will be better for a while since your dual-wield skill will be so low that your off-hand rarely swings, maybe all the way up to your mid-30s.

Keep in mind that Wu's is a level 40ish item while JM is a level 50+ item, so it's more logical to compare JM to IFS or PB. Those two staves will probably be better than dual-wielding until level 50+, and then dual-wield would only be better if you have your epic or AC/SoS.

The reason 2handers are better until late levels is because dual-wield needs a high damage bonus in order to be worthwhile, and also because your off-hand swings don't trigger consistently until upwards of level 40. Even then, you'd probably need weapons with a better ratio than 1:2 because at higher levels you'll get triple attack which, I believe, can only trigger from your main hand and thus benefits 2handers more than dual-wielding.

If you compare two 1handers with a 1:2 ratio (JM, KD etc.) to a 2hander with a 1:1 ratio (which IFS/RFS/PB/T-staff almost have) at the lower levels where you haven't got a damage bonus yet, then you would have to succeed your dual-wield check on every single swing in order for them to even be equal. You obviously don't, so 2handers are better for a long time.

For all of these reasons, classes that can use 2handers tend to do more DPS that way than with dual-wield until about level 45 when the damage bonus has grown big enough to make a noticeable difference when you use a fast 1handers. This is true even for warriors and rangers, and moreso for monks who have access to much better 2handers. I probably wouldn't ever use weapons like JM or KD if I could afford an IFS, I'd want the 15/25 and 17/28 from AC and SoS before I'd care to dual-wield.