Advice on unarmored/light armored monk melee build with 2.0

[Blades of Vanatar]

Created a Meadow Folk Monk. Playing on Hard. I will create 5 more adventurers. Not looking to change race as I want a Human Robe wearer as my Watcher. Looking for advice as how to build a melee Monk in my frontline. Looks like he will be DPSish since I DON'T want to wear armors beyond Robes, for a RP feel. I haven't been using Monks.

 

Supporting cast will be... also not changing them. Looking for advice on how to build a DPS Monk considering the Per change to Accuracy.

 

Earth Godlike Pally - Sword And Board

Earth Godlike Barbarian - Reach weapon

Island Aumua Wizard - CC and Warbow

Savannah Folk Priest of Berath - Healer and Mace and Shield

Pale Elf Druid Lion Shifter specializing in Shock damage

 

Thanks!

[gkathellar]

I ran a heavy-armor monk through PotD with a Mgt 16/Dex 10/Con 10/Per 16/Int 10/Res 16 build, and I think it still would've been functional in light armor (I did actually switch to Vengiatta Rugia in the endgame, so at the very least it can manage with light stuff at high levels). Those stats in general will probably be better if you're playing with the 2.0 beta - the extra accuracy is easily worth the lost deflection to a character like this.

 

If you're looking to min-max a little more, you can dump Int without much loss, and toss the 7 points that nets you wherever you like. Maybe Perception and Resolve for conversation options, but really anything will work. Monks are in an almost unique position right now, in that they get something of value from pretty much every attribute save Int (which still isn't totally useless for them).

 

 

I DON'T want to wear armors beyond Robes, for a RP feel

 

I am obliged, on account of being terrible, to point out that this is a monk.

Edited August 8, 2015 by gkathellar

[Blades of Vanatar]

But it is not a HighFantasy RP Monk!

[Boeroer]

Then watch out for the Gwisk Glass robe that you get while bounty hunting. It's the best robe for frontliners in my opinion. It's superb, gives second chance and looks awesome. You don't need to use an adra dragon scale to wear a superb armour. If it comes to weapons, you can always use your fists or the speed enchanted staff Llawran's Stich which you can pick up early in the Endless Paths at lvl 3 (use the saber Resolition on the statue to gain access to the secret room).

[Nobear]

Then watch out for the Gwisk Glass robe that you get while bounty hunting. It's the best robe for frontliners in my opinion. It's superb, gives second chance and looks awesome. You don't need to use an adra dragon scale to wear a superb armour. If it comes to weapons, you can always use your fists or the speed enchanted staff Llawran's Stich which you can pick up early in the Endless Paths at lvl 3 (use the saber Resolition on the statue to gain access to the secret room).

 

Wow I had no idea about the statue, kind of a spoiler but I don't know that I would have ever figured that one out, gotta admit it's a clever secret.

 

As I've said before, weapon speed enchants don't work in the live game. If you read the 2.0 beta patch notes, you can see that one of the fixes is (finally) to make the speed enchants work.

[Boeroer]

I know. But 2.0 is coming and the speed mod bug will be fixed. Then it's a good early weapon. Quarterstaff looks good on a monk by the way. Other options for Style Police approved weapons are clubs and hatchets. Dual clubs will be better I think because there are better unique clubs than hatchets.

[Blades of Vanatar]

I have uploaded the Beta testing that was released on 8/5. The changes should be implemented????

 

Q-Staves seem fitting but have an attack speed of slow. I was hoping to use something faster. I just reached level 4. Using bare hands so far and kicking butt. But i do want to weapon up for tougher battles. About to tackle Raedric. Debating on choosing Peasant or Ruffian for the acc bonus. I like the sabre as there are no "oriental-ish" type weapons in the game. At least they are curved blades, plus i like stilettos. I also like the Hatchet-Club dual wield feel plus peasant gives unarmed bonus to acc. I also like blunt weapons like mace/flail. Lots of endgame options there.

[Nobear]

I have uploaded the Beta testing that was released on 8/5. The changes should be implemented????

 

Q-Staves seem fitting but have an attack speed of slow. I was hoping to use something faster. I just reached level 4. Using bare hands so far and kicking butt. But i do want to weapon up for tougher battles. About to tackle Raedric. Debating on choosing Peasant or Ruffian for the acc bonus. I like the sabre as there are no "oriental-ish" type weapons in the game. At least they are curved blades, plus i like stilettos. I also like the Hatchet-Club dual wield feel plus peasant gives unarmed bonus to acc. I also like blunt weapons like mace/flail. Lots of endgame options there.

 

Let me preface this by saying I know nothing about monks. But I have beat the game on PoTD, so I'm familiar with the unique weapons and how they play. Typically though, you want to choose one specialization, assuming you see five other talents you might like to have. Hatchets with clubs would require both peasant and ruffian. I chose ruffian for Eder when I had him as a tank, because you get one of each damage type of 1H weapon (slash: sabre, pierce: stiletto, crush: club), and you can enchant each weapon with different lashes and slaying enchants to make yourself even more versatile. There's a great unique stiletto you can get very early from a vendor in Gilded Vale, a great unique sabre from level 4 in the Endless Paths, and another great unique sabre and a great unique club from Act 3.

 

All that considered, if I were ever to play a monk, I'd be tempted to go peasant instead, which has unarmed, hatchet and quarterstaff. I don't know which is most optimal for the class, though.

 

Edit: And yes, the patch notes I was referring to are from the 2.0 beta that was recently released on Steam!

Edited August 10, 2015 by Nobear

[Boeroer]

If you like sabres on a monk then I would go for ruffian and use sabres and clubs. There are three good sabres in the game and also two clubs that are nice. The first one does bonus damage to stunned enemies - which is good because the monk has two abilities that can stun. The second is a superb draining club that inflicts -5 def on hit. All clubs have +5 acc. A good combination is also to use that club in the right hand and a hard hitting sabre in the left hand. First you hit more easily with the club an inflict -5 def. and then the sabre with more damage follows. It just looks weird... )

[Nobear]

If you like sabres on a monk then I would go for ruffian and use sabres and clubs. There are three good sabres in the game and also two clubs that are nice. The first one does bonus damage to stunned enemies - which is good because the monk has two abilities that can stun. The second is a superb draining club that inflicts -5 def on hit. All clubs have +5 acc. A good combination is also to use that club in the right hand and a hard hitting sabre in the left hand. First you hit more easily with the club an inflict -5 def. and then the sabre with more damage follows. It just looks weird... )

 

So do monks do more damage with weapons, even though they get a class bonus to unarmed?

[Boeroer]

No. The fists are great weapons by themselves if you just look at speed, acc and damage. But you can't have special enchantments for them. Things like draining, interfering, disorienting, stun on crit, prone on crit, marking, lashes, slaying etc. can't be put on your fists.