Need some Advice on Monks + Subjobs o.O

[Unrealistic]

Well,
I started off as a BLM, but after leveling to 7, i realized that In this game, a mage won't be my idea of fun. THere are tonnes of Melee classes to chose from and only one offensive Mage as such.

Anyhow, i decided to go with a Monk as a main job, which was my first preference as a meleer anyway.

Now my question is, are they viable? I mean, do they get groups easy? Since they're on the same Damage table as a Warrior, why would i want to go Monk?

I was considering Warrior/DK/Pally or Thief/Ninja or Monk/Thief and finally Monk/Warrior.

Any feedback on the above combinations (preferably a comparison) would be mucho appreciated.

And yes, i do know the basic way of how they work. I have read the Gmefaqs FAQ and done alot of research on my part. But the thing is, i need Player feedback, hence i'm turning to ya'll.

Please help out an FFXI'ian in Need :angel:

[RadiantDarkness]

They do not get groups easier, because everyone wants a provoker and a tank, which monks are not since they have lower defense.

[UnnamedGalka]

They do not get groups easier, because everyone wants a provoker and a tank, which monks are not since they have lower defense.

On the contrary, a MNK can compliment a party quite nicely.

MNKs have an insanely high amount of HP to compensate for their mediocre defense, so they can indeed tank when needed.

And not to mention that MNKs are also superb damage dealers. At high levels, their grapple attacks, combined with the ability to counter and kick, can make them even more powerful than DRKs.

[CamTheMan]

can make them even more powerful than DRKs.

No foolin?

[--e]

I'm only up to lvl 18, so I'm hardly as experienced as many of the pros on the boards, but I've been pt'ing for 6 levels now. Its important to understand that monks are /not/ one of the essentials in a party. They can't heal, and they can't provoke. Because of this, relationships become important. Every time I log on, I have a number of people /tell me with a greeting. I never have any issues, because I have a number of new friends that either have room in their party for me, or have friends that do. Past 15 soloing isn't really an option, so make connections! Network!

What many other classes don't realize is that a well equiped monk really is a big help in the group.
1. Most of the time I'll get through battles without getting hit, because we draw just a little less hate than WARs, but do comparable damage.
2. As UnnamedGalka pointed out, we have boatloads of HP, so we can tank for a bit in emergencies. Just make sure the mages back off of nuking and mass-healing, because we suck at controlling hate.
3. We have a number of abilities with two different weapons that makes us pretty versatile in skillchains.
4. Because we don't draw hate, and we have crazy HP, dex, evade, counter, and guard, we are a WHM's dream. We hit a lot and don't get hit ourselves, giving them one less thing to worry about. Also, our shoulder smash cancels gob bombs, whirl claws, and other AE attacks, which are a WHM's nightmare!

These are just a couple ways we make a great addition to parties, I'm sure people will add more. The bottom line is if you play your class well, your gonna get the invites.

If you're really concerned about not getting invites, take a WAR to 18. They /are/ essential. When you hit 18, sub WAR to your MNK and you'll have your voke! guaranteed invites up the wazoo. Plus, the WAR's def jacking abilities complement nicely, too.

--e

[Pilsbane]

I don't know about the higher levels but when you hit 18 you should go back and get AT LEAST level 5 warrior and use it for a sub. Being able to provoke adds a lot of value to your job. It shifts you from damage only to being damage and a back-up tank.

Maybe its just coincidence but the monk/warriors I see are usually grouped and the monk/whm-blm-rdm-drg-whatever are usually still seeking.