Monks in Final Fantasy XIV are a job class that specializes in dealing with melee damage. They are one of the four DPS spots in a raid party. Monks are known for their highly flexible rotation and their ability to adapt to fights that have seemingly random downtime. They have two unique gauges that power their abilities: the Chakra gauge and the Master's gauge.

• Beast Chakra system
• Elixir Field
• Celestial Revolution
• Phantom Brush
• Brotherhood
• Riddle of Fire
• Riddle of Wind
• Meditation
• Thunderclap
• Anatman
• Buff Discipline Fist
• Form Shift
• Beast Chakra
• Foreign
• Powerful utility

Final Fantasy XIV  Monks have a plethora of actions they can use in their rotation. The core rotation revolves around nine GCDs that combo into each other. The first three of these GCDs are enhanced if the Monk is in their Opo-Opo form. These GCDs grant the Monk the Raptor form, with their own set of three GCDs. Executing any of these GCDs grants the Monk the Coil form. The Coil form has three GCDs, two of which deal increased damage when hit from the side or rear of the target.

 

 

Beast Chakra system

The Beast Chakra system is used to store up to 3 different chakras that you can then use to access powerful GCD abilities. You gain access to a powerful GCD ability by filling the master's gauge with the appropriate combination of beast chakras. You can then use Masterful Blitz to execute the GCDs. After using these GCDs, you gain access to Formless Fist, which allows you to enter your combo chain from any GCD. 

 

Elixir Field

You gain access to Elixir Field if you have three of the same beast chakras stored. This GCD does high damage in an area around the Monk and also opens a Lunar Nadi. The second special GCD is Rising Phoenix. You gain access to Rising Phoenix if you have three different beast chakras stored. This GCD does high damage in an area around the Monk and also grants you a Solar 90. 

 

Celestial Revolution

This GCD does less damage than the previous two and does not cleave like them. You gain access to Celestial Revolution by using two of the same base chakra and one different chakra. It grants you a Lunar Nadi unless you already have one, in which case it grants you a Solar Nutty. 

 

Phantom Brush

You gain access to Phantom Brush if you have both a Lunar and a Solar Nutty and have any combination of free beast chakras. Phantom Brush deals an enormous chunk of damage to its target and half of that to all enemies surrounding them. Your goal is to build your way up to using Phantom Brush by alternating between Elixir Field and Rising Phoenix. 

 

Brotherhood

Brotherhood is a red and white buff that increases the damage dealt to all affected party members by 5 for 15 seconds on a 2-minute cooldown. 

 

Riddle of Fire

Riddle of Fire increases your damage by 15 for 20 seconds. This ability has a 60-second cooldown and should be used on cooldown. 

 

Riddle of Wind

Riddle of Wind reduces your auto attack delay by 50% for 15 seconds. This ability has a 90-second cooldown and thus will desync from Brotherhood. 

 

Meditation

Meditation is a GCD that grants you one regular chakra after a recast time of one second.

 

Thunderclap

Thunderclap is your gap closer and movement ability. 

 

Anatman

Anatman extends the duration of your damage above Discipline Fist and your current Beast Form to their maximum and halts their exploration.

 

Buff Discipline Fist

If you have the buff Discipline Fist, which increases the damage of Boot Shine, then use Boot Shine. If you do not have this buff use Dragon Kick. Simply put, you alternate between these two GCDs with each cycle. If you're a Damager, if buff Discipline Fist has less than 5 seconds remaining, you want to use Twin Snakes to reapply it else you can use True Strike Probes for extra direct damage. The same concept of alternating between these two GCDs with each cycle applies here. 

 

Form Shift

Use Thunderclap before the pull to dash toward the boss, so that your GCD hits the boss when the timer reaches zero. Open with Dragon Kick if using a tank control arm pull drink here. Continue with Twin Strikes and late weave in Riddle of Fire. Finish your first combo with the Molish and weave in the Forbidden Chakra. Using this Forbidden Chakra is very important, as you are currently capped on your chakras, and your next GCD will generate another one. Start your second combo with Boot Shine within Brotherhood and Perfect Balance. Use Dragon Kick within Riddle of Wind, use Boot Shine again and finish Perfect Balance with another Dragon Kick. Spend your Beast Chakras on a Lecture Field and use another Boot Shine within your second Perfect Balance and use Twin Snakes, Dragon Kick and Demolish. Spend your last three chakras on Rising Phoenix. 

 

Beast Chakra

By understanding the Beast Chakra system and the available GCD and oGCD actions, you can master the Monk job in Final Fantasy XIV. Using the looping rotation, you can maximize your damage output while also taking advantage of all the available buffs and debuffs. With the right rotation and proper timing of your abilities, you can become a formidable Monk!

 

Foreign

Foreign has given us a great guide for the Monks in their rotation after the opener. Monks bring a powerful set of utilities to the table and a great way to maximize their potential is to use their gcd abilities in a priority graph as shown by Marasa. The priority graph includes Twin Snakes, Snap Punch, Riddle of Fire, and Brotherhood, as well as Perfect Balance which has a cooldown of 40 seconds. This means that you have one spare Perfect Balance to use every two minutes. In addition, you should use Form Shift from Elixir Field on Twin Snakes to maintain the rotation loop.

 

Powerful utility

Monks also bring some incredibly powerful utility, such as Mantra which increases the healing recovered from healing actions onto yourself and all of your nearby party members by 10 for 15 seconds. Riddle of Earth places a buff on you that reduces the damage you take by 20 on a two-minute cooldown and also places a heal over time buff onto you. Monks also have access to melee roll actions such as Second Wind which heals you for a considerable amount of health on usage, Leg Sweep which stuns a target if they are susceptible and Blocks Path which places a buff onto you and heals you every time you deal physical damage to the boss. Paint lowers the target's physical damage dealt by 10 and magical damage dealt by 5% for 10 seconds, and is great to combo with physical rate whites or hard-hitting tank busters.