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Final Fantasy XI
Monk Guide v 0.8
Last Updated: 03/17/04
Copyright (c) 2004 Andrew Bertino (neonoven)
abertino@nc.rr.com


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Table of Contents |
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I. Copyright Information
II. Version History
III. Introduction
IV. Creating a Monk
V. Being a Monk
VI. Job Abilities & Job Traits
VII. Available Equipment (Incomplete)
VIII. Weapon Skills & Skillchains
IX. Main Job & Support Job (Incomplete)
X. Acknowledgements and Credits


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I. Copyright Information |
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I know most people don't read these, but it needs to be done. I hate having
to write this just as much as you do having to read this. I wish this wasn't
needed, but we have people out there today who would just steal anything just
to call it their own. Anyway, enough said about that, on with the legal stuff.

This document is under copyright (c) 2004 Andrew Bertino. This FAQ is for
private and personal use only and in no way should be reproduced. You have
permission to download and print this document, but for non-commercial use only.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Final Fantasy and
Vana'diel are registered trademarks of Square-Enix Co., Ltd.

This FAQ is only to be posted on the following sites:

http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.order-of-judgment.com

If you wish to post this FAQ on your website please contact me via e-mail at
abertino@nc.rr.com

Ok, it was short and I'm sure I missed something there and I'll probably be
sued, but hey who isn't getting sued these days? Now on to the FAQ!


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II. Version History |
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Version 0.1
01/06/04

I began starting the FAQ and I setup the table of contents. I also finished the
copyright information, introduction and I began this version history section.

Version 0.2
01/07/04

I have finished the Creating a Monk section and have begun working on the Being
a Monk section and I should have the up and running shortly.

Version 0.4
01/08/04

I have finished the Being a Monk section and have started working on some of
the other sections. This shouldn't take me too much longer to do and you should
see more information soon.

Version 0.6
01/09/04

I have finished the Job Ability & Job Traits section and have started working
on the bigger part of this FAQ known as the Available Equipment section.

Version 0.7
01/13/04

I decided to skip the Available Equipment section for now and work on the Weapon
Skill and Skillchains section. The weapon skills part is completed, but the
the skillchains will take more time as it is a very confusing process. I will
probably finish Main and Support Job before Equipment as well. I also fixed a
few things up and added some new things sent to me by email.

Version 0.8
03/17/04

I haven't updated in quite a while as I have been busy and have been continually
looking for a new job. I have added some new tips and corrected some errors. I
have also decided to skip finishing the skillchain section for now that way I can
give myself more time to get it right. So, I decided to move on to the Equipment
List. I have started the weapons for now and I will have the whole Equipment List
completed by the next update.

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III. Introduction |
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I was kind of bored one evening and I was somewhat disinterested in my other two
characters, so I decided to create a third character for myself. With my previous
characters in Bastok and Windurst, I decided I would have one character in each
beginning city. So, I chose San d'Oria as my initial city for this new character.
Since San d'Oria is home to the Elvaans I decided I would follow my pattern of
using the home race of the initial city and I created an Elvaan. Now my Elvaan
needed a job. Which one was I to choose? I've already played as a Warrior,
Red Mage, Thief, and I have tested all the other jobs numerous times. I had
previously tested the Monk job and both mages, but I never really got in depth.
So, it was a decision between those three jobs. I thought for a moment and I
decided that since I have been a Red Mage before I have hypothetically used
both White and Black Mage jobs to a certain extent, so I chose Monk as the job
for my new Elvaan Lavien. So, I was content with my decision as a Monk and I was
eager to find more information about Monks. So, I browsed several websites and
found some information about Monks, but to my curiosity there was no dedicated
FAQ on the job of Monk. So, that is the humble beginnings of this FAQ. Let's
just say I'm filling in the void of missing character guides. I saw it unjust
to leave the Monk job out the loop. I mean there were guides all over the place
for being a Thief or Red Mage, so I felt the Monk job deserved a little attention
too. Anyway, now that I'm done preaching on the importance of job equality
let's move on to the actual useful part of this FAQ!


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IV. Creating a Monk |
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So, you have decided to create a character that will be using the Monk job. What
is a Monk you ask? Monk is a job that Final Fantasy has been using since its
origins. Since the beginning, this job has never altered and has always been the
same. Monks are brutal fighters who use their fists to punish their enemies. They
have extremely high HP compared to all other jobs and are superior in Strength
and Vitality. They are quite useful in parties as they can deal major damage,
especially while in lower-leveled parties. Monks wear light armor instead of
heavy armor and they commonly equip claws or knuckles. You can leave your Monk
with bare-fists, but it's highly recommended that you use claws or knuckles.
Now since you know a little bit about Monks you can read on and determine how
to create your Monk.

Before you rush through the character creation section and just choose any race
you should understand what races work best with being a Monk. As I'm sure your
probably aware of, there are 5 different races in Final Fantasy XI. The races are
as follows: Humes, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Mithra, and Galka. So, five different races
to choose from, but which race best fits with the job of a Monk? There are a
few factors in determining which race is the best to choose. First off there are
certain races that indeed are better at being Monks, but in no way should you
feel obligated to follow the best race. If you want a 2 foot Tarutaru to punch
the crap out of stuff, feel free to do so. Really when it comes to character
creation it all really depends on what you want. You can make your character
whatever you wish, just remember the sole purpose of the game is to have fun.
Now, if you want to be as knowledgeable as possible when choosing your race for
your Monk then you have come to the right place.

Strength and Dexterity are important stats to keep up with when playing as a Monk.
With good Strength, you can hit hard. With decent Dexterity, you can continually
pound on your opponent with effective quickness. The more Dexterity you have
the faster your fists of fury will be. With these two stats high you will be a
very decent asset to any party. Agility and Vitality are also quite useful to
have, but they are more important when soloing. In a party these stats aren't as
important as you will most likely have the luxury of being healed from a White
Mage and you will be protected by Warriors who will keep the monsters at bay.
Since Monks can never learn Magic, Intelligence and Mind are not really important.
Some races also have higher HP when chosen as a Monk.

So, with all these factors which race is indeed the best to choose when becoming a
Monk? When it comes down to it the Galkan race is number one in being Monks. They
have more HP as a Monk then any other race and they also have an edge in Strength
and Vitality. Galkans also have great Dexterity. Elvaans are a close second though.
They have higher Strength and Vitality, but have slightly less HP then the Galkans
do. Elvaans also have less Dexterity then the Galkans do therefore both Galkans and
Elvaans would make great Monks as they are equally gifted. Mithra and Humes are also
quite alike. Mithras are mostly balanced, but have a higher hit rate as a Monk then
any other race. Humes are totally balanced and have a nice mixture of attack and
defense. Finally, if you are bold and want a decent challenge then choosing a
Tarutaru as a Monk is for you. Tarutaru are quick, but lack attack and defense.
They also have the lowest HP of any race. So, when choosing a race for a Monk they
would go in this order: Galka, Elvaan, Mithra, Hume, and finally Tarutaru. Like I
said before though, just because Galkans make the best Monks, doesn't mean you have
to go out and create a Galkan Monk right away. Choose a race that best fits your
interests. If you interested in a challenge then choose a Tarutaru Monk. If you
want a slight challenge, but want it still to be easy then you should choose
maybe an Elvaan or Mithra. The decision is entirely up to you.

If you are into numbers then you can use the following table to determine which
race you think is the best to use.


---------------------------
Initial Attributes Table |
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attribute | Elvaan | Galka | Hume | Mithra | Tarutaru |
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hit Points(HP) | 35 | 38 | 33 | 33 | 29 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Points(MP) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strength(STR) | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dexterity(DEX) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vitality(VIT) | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agility(AGI) | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intelligence(INT) | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mind(MND) | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charisma(CHR) | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you would like to determine the attributes for another job, race or level you can
use this handy calculator by DJ Loki and 348. You can view this calculator at the
following address:

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~nhart/charstat1.html


The table below compares the growth of a Monks attributes to that of other jobs.
For example, Monks have the highest HP, so they will also have the highest HP
growth when leveling. The scales is from 0 - 5, where 0 being none and 5 being
the greatest growth. You can also use the key below to see how a Monk's
attributes compare to other jobs.


0 - None
1 - Bad
2 - Fair
3 - Average
4 - Good
5 - Great


------------------------------
Attribute Progression Table |
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Attribute | Comparison |
---------------------------------

---------------------------------
Hit Points(HP) | 5 |
---------------------------------