18 replies to this topic

[JustGabe]

If you're planning to become a Monk you probably think it doesn't matter how you build your Acolyte since you'll get a Skill Reset, but it's always helpful to know how to properly build your Aco to get the best of it and level fast (and even probably fall so in love with the Aco that you may consider getting a second char as a Priest!), so here's my share of experience after testing some different builds and play styles.

If you read the guides you'll find the set of skills that you should max out, but they rarely address the order at which you should max out your skills, and that's exactly what I'm gonna address here.

For starters, most guids will ALWAYS tell you to max out first your Holy Light and even Lex Divina, however I found it easier and faster to use your skill points to get Aspersio as soon as possible. Let's say that instead of using your first 4 points to max your Holy Light for 39% dmg, you use them to get access to Aspersio and get criticals, your Holy Light would do 54% dmg for the next 3 attacks, and since the first 6 levels are very easy to achieve you can max out your Aspersio for a cooldown of only 20 sec. meaning that you would do 3 criticals and 3-4 normal attacks while waiting for the cooldown.

At the beginning this is a HUGE difference in damage output, because if you max out your Holy Light you would do 39% dmg, but then it will take a lot of time to reach for that Aspersio skill and get criticals.

Second, if instead of maxing out your Heal (and even before maxing your Holy Light too!)you max out your Renovatio first, you will save A LOT of time and SP and level up even faster, because you would only use 10 SP to heal 22% every 2 sec. for a total of 132% WHILE YOU'RE STILL ATTACKING, instead of healing only for 43% and having to wait for the cast time and animation to finish. I've played many times as Aco and from my experience even the mobs from Southern Plains won't do damage higher than the heal you get from Renovatio.

All this is achievable with only 9 skill points, then you would max out your Holy Light and you'll start leveling so fast and smoothly that more than once you'll even be surprised that you run out of SP (even with the use of Aqua Benedicta!).

Next, for the last skill points I advice to max out your Heal and Blessing, trust me by the time you have maxed out your Heal you'll be near Wolves Cave (the 1st big dungeon), and as a healer you'll have no problem getting a party and you'll be expected to be a FS Aco which I strongly advice.

So, in retrospective this is how you'll build your Aco:
Lv 2 - Increase Agility
Lv 3 - Ressurection
Lv 4 - Aqua Benedicta
Lv 5-7 - MAX Aspersio
Lv 8-14 - 1 point on Renovatio and then 1 point of Holy Light until you max both
Lv 15-18 - MAX Heal
Lv 19-22 - MAX Blessing
Lv 23+ - After this point you can choose any skill you want, but I strongly advice to get Highness Heal instead of maxing Lex Divina, mainly because the damage you get from Crit HL is high enough to even kill most mobs with 5 HL making LD kind of useless, and making Blessing more valuable because of the SP boost you get (and that you'll need due to the non-stop killing you'll do), and also because you'll be more useful for the dungeons.

Finally, DO NOT BECOME A MONK AS SOON AS YOU HIT LVL 25, instead wait until lvl 27 or even 28 if necessary for 2 very good reasons:

FIRST by the time you reach lvl 25 I'm pretty sure you will still have to complete both Izlude Cave and Sea God Temple, and like I said earlier you'll have an easy time finding a party as an Aco rather than as a Monk.
SECOND if you change into a Monk chances are you won't have suitable equipment for your Monk, and the leveling will be way harder, which is why you want to complete both IC and SGT first to get the statues and exchange them for equipment with the NPC cats found in Izlude Village and the Mermen Campment for some cool Monk equipment. Then you'll be ready to be a Monk.

Now that's it for leveling your aco but, what is the most suitable job for a Monk?
Again, the general concensus says that melee classes are better played as Alchemists, this is not necessarily true. I've played a Monk as both an Alchemist and a Chef and found the Chef's healing food and boosts just as helpful as the Alchemist's crafted potions, the difference is about playstyle, if you just love to level up a bit faster, then the Alchemist's potions will be better suited for your needs, but if you're not in a hurry and don't mind waiting 30 sec. to refill your HP, then a Chef will do a great job for you, and also the big advantage of a Chef over an Alchemist is that you'll save A HUGE LOAD OF MONEY, because a single Salad can refill from 60%-70% of your total HP, but with the potions you'll need A LOT of them to cover up the HP lost.
Also, it's not true that a Chef is hard to level, it's just that you don't use its skills as much as the Alchemist and hence the impression that it doesn't level that much. Another myth is that the Chef's have the problem that within an area of aggressive mobs, they can't rest, but this is also not a problem since 95% of the mobs you encounter are passive and in areas where you're dealing with aggressive ones there are always spots where you can rest.

Edited by JustGabe, 14 May 2013 - 03:29 PM.

[Kolma]

Honestly though, Alchemist and Chef are good for every single class, I'm playing as an Artisan though so once I get to 25 I should be able to make a good bunch of my monk equipment right there and then.

As for the dungeons, that seems reasonable but won't people be wanting a priest instead since they're more likely to be going Full-Support AKA 'The one build that everyone will want you to take and then love you for'?

The rest of the post is truth though, Aspersio is so good and having a button that gives me crits on demand makes me a very happy person, shame I'll lose it on class change.

Edited by Kolma, 05 May 2013 - 01:00 PM.

[JustGabe]

As for the dungeons, that seems reasonable but won't people be wanting a priest instead since they're more likely to be going Full-Support AKA 'The one build that everyone will want you to take and then love you for'?

Not really, one of the main reasons parties are stalled is because they have problems finding healers, and in the build I gave earlier you have lv 5 Heal, lv 3 Aspersio, lvl 3 Renovatio and even lv 5 Blessing (and most probably lv 1 Highness Heal) which are the pillars of a FS-aco, so even if you're a lv 27-28 Aco (which other players will find it weird), as long as you know how to do your job you won't have problems finding a party at all (I once logged in, the game wasn't fully loaded, and I had already got an invite ). So, Priest or not, you'll still be the most wanted party member like if you were the hottest girl/boy in your school

Edited by JustGabe, 07 May 2013 - 05:39 PM.

[Alejown]

Im actually at lvl 13 and Im finding the leveling process WAY too tedious, I dont know If Im going the wrong places, but I've done all the quest chain till prontera, btw the Aspersio + Holy Light is AWESOME at leveling.

Any tips would be nice guys, thanks in advance

[Beexy]

Cheers for the guide bro!

[Harkoa]

Finally, DO NOT BECOME A MONK AS SOON AS YOU HIT LVL 25, instead wait until lvl 27 or even 28 if necessary for 2 very good reasons:

FIRST by the time you reach lvl 25 I'm pretty sure you will still have to complete both Izlude Cave and Sea God Temple, and like I said earlier you'll have an easy time finding a party as an Aco rather than as a Monk.
SECOND if you change into a Monk chances are you won't have suitable equipment for your Monk, and the leveling will be way harder, which is why you want to complete both IC and SGT first to get the statues and exchange them for equipment with the NPC cats found in Izlude Village and the Mermen Campment for some cool Monk equipment. Then you'll be ready to be a Monk.

I have some questions for this... I've read the "dont change at 25" thing in a few monk guides now, but I have some concerns about it.

First being skill points. Wont you lose skill points by waiting to change? I'm unfamiliar with the mechanics of the game at higher levels and misc things, so for all I know if I change at 27 I'll already start off with 27 points since its a full skill reset, but I'm worried if I assume that, and in reality it ends up being I change at 27 and I get refunded 25 points instead, and then +1 for each level afterwards, thus losing out on 2 points.

Second is, is Izlude Cave and Sea God Temple an instance or simply a map you quest on? And if it is an instance, is it possible to duo your way through it, or do you need a full blown party? And, are they necessary to complete? Again, my concern here is that you'll need a full party, which I probably will go my rounds with about doing, and then I wont get these "statues" that will result in the new monk gear. And then I'll be questioning what other methods I'll have to obtain new monk gear and how soon I could go about those methods.

I know they're strange concerns, but if anyone has answers it'd be greatly appreciated and will give me some peice of mind =) Especially since I'm finally getting close to the job change level...

Edit: ok so upon reading more forums posts and such, I've learned that Izlude cave is indeed a dungeon. So new questions! XD

I dont really see how anyone would want a lvl 2x-28 Aco in a group for it (especially since all the forums I've read, people have difficulties defeating the dungeon unless you have an amazing healer and/or the group knows what to do with adds and so forth), so let's just say you can't complete it up till your job change at 28 for example. What other ways are there to get Monk gear without using statues? Can't you simply get new gear the same ol' questing way? Does that happen way late and nowhere near before level 28?

And for people who want to Main Tank on their Monks, is there a fancy informative website out there that has videos of the instances so you have a way to study the instances before actually entering one? Or even just a run down description of the bosses?

Sorry for the novel x_x and thanks in advance!

Edited by Harkoa, 07 May 2013 - 08:52 PM.

[Rebirth]

Hmm nice call on the not changing jobs right away. probably get the two wep/armor from statue trading THEN advance

[kohppa]

Good tips - I'll definitely apply it while leveling. Thank you so much

[pollenpetal]

Thumbs up!

[JustGabe]

I have some questions for this... I've read the "dont change at 25" thing in a few monk guides now, but I have some concerns about it.

First being skill points. Wont you lose skill points by waiting to change? I'm unfamiliar with the mechanics of the game at higher levels and misc things, so for all I know if I change at 27 I'll already start off with 27 points since its a full skill reset, but I'm worried if I assume that, and in reality it ends up being I change at 27 and I get refunded 25 points instead, and then +1 for each level afterwards, thus losing out on 2 points.

Don't worry such thing won't happen, I've personally changed my Monk until it was lv 28 and all the skill points were refunded

Second is, is Izlude Cave and Sea God Temple an instance or simply a map you quest on? And if it is an instance, is it possible to duo your way through it, or do you need a full blown party? And, are they necessary to complete? Again, my concern here is that you'll need a full party, which I probably will go my rounds with about doing, and then I wont get these "statues" that will result in the new monk gear. And then I'll be questioning what other methods I'll have to obtain new monk gear and how soon I could go about those methods.

I know they're strange concerns, but if anyone has answers it'd be greatly appreciated and will give me some peice of mind =) Especially since I'm finally getting close to the job change level...

They are dungeons similar to Culvert from Mt. Mjollnir but way harder because you have to complete them with a party. Solo'ing them is not possible due to the huge HP the mobs have there and the bosses found. They're not strictly necessary to complete in order to do other quests storyline related, but they are highly recommended because of the equip you can get there and because some quests will give you some "stone pieces" that you can exchange to some cat-looking NPC for some neat equip. If you're lucky enough, sometimes the bosses will drop even better equipment for your Monk.

Edit: ok so upon reading more forums posts and such, I've learned that Izlude cave is indeed a dungeon. So new questions! XD

I dont really see how anyone would want a lvl 2x-28 Aco in a group for it (especially since all the forums I've read, people have difficulties defeating the dungeon unless you have an amazing healer and/or the group knows what to do with adds and so forth), so let's just say you can't complete it up till your job change at 28 for example. What other ways are there to get Monk gear without using statues? Can't you simply get new gear the same ol' questing way? Does that happen way late and nowhere near before level 28?

They'll accept your lvl 27-28 Aco because Priests aren't that abundant and because the difference in healing power is minimal at such levels, also Izlude Cave and Sea God Temple aren't that hard, so an Aco with maxed support skills (Heal, Blessing and Renovatio) can do the job almost as good as a Priest.

About other ways to get the Monk gear, you'll be getting more thru quests just like any other class or by mobs dropping some if you're lucky.

And for people who want to Main Tank on their Monks, is there a fancy informative website out there that has videos of the instances so you have a way to study the instances before actually entering one? Or even just a run down description of the bosses?

Sorry for the novel x_x and thanks in advance!

I don't really get this question...but you could try searching in youtube, there are a couple of videos of Monks tanking and even solo'ing Khara bosses (which are FAR from being easy)

[Harkoa]

Thanks for the answers JustGabe =) And yeah youtube videos is basically what I meant, I was just hoping there was some centralized website somewhere with those kinds of videos and/or strategies, advice, etc.

And for the aco question, I didn't max my support skills because I didn't plan on leveling as support and I knew I'd be getting a reset later. I did max heal and blessing however, but only got level 1 in renovatio. The bigger issue is my confidence in healing a party lol, if I felt confident I could do that effectively I'd be looking into priest more than monk, but maybe I don't fail as badly as I think I do XD

Thanks again =)

[Exvee]

I surprised you don't mention Oratio. It's optional and although I'm making hybrid priest, with Max Renovatio and lv 1 Oratio I almost never use potions and healing except if you're mobbed by aggresive monsters. Oratio will DoT most monsters while same time Renovatio heals you, in 20s you can also combo it with holy light and divina.. No need to max but definitely recommended to pick at least lv 1.

[RevLoveJoy]

Here`s a cool tip;
Use Resurrection 10 times successfuly before you change class into a Monk.

[JustGabe]

I surprised you don't mention Oratio. It's optional and although I'm making hybrid priest, with Max Renovatio and lv 1 Oratio I almost never use potions and healing except if you're mobbed by aggresive monsters. Oratio will DoT most monsters while same time Renovatio heals you, in 20s you can also combo it with holy light and divina.. No need to max but definitely recommended to pick at least lv 1.

It's a good option, yeah, but I didn't mention it because to be honest I haven't tested it, so I can't really tell you if a lvl 1 Oratio will help you level faster and if it's worth it or not. But from my experience I think it's definitely worth a try, since that extra damage is always welcome.

Here`s a cool tip;
Use Resurrection 10 times successfuly before you change class into a Monk.

But how do you plan to use Ress x10 to begin with since it has a HUGE cooldown and all your party members will expect you to do your work properly and not let them die?

Edited by JustGabe, 10 May 2013 - 12:48 PM.

[Exvee]

It's a good option, yeah, but I didn't mention it because to be honest I haven't tested it, so I can't really tell you if a lvl 1 Oratio will help you level faster and if it's worth it or not. But from my experience I think it's definitely worth a try, since that extra damage is always welcome.


But how do you plan to use Ress x10 to begin with since it has a HUGE cooldown and all your party members will expect you to do your work properly and not let them die?

Let's say when you need healing or restocking Aspersio you can throw Oratio to monster so monster still got damage when you cast heal/aqua/asper.. Useful when you fight tough monsters that has 2k+ HP when you busy healing the mini-boss/boss already suffer damage that you can finish with your moves when you ready or simply they die from Oratio

For res, I think he refers to resurrection Khara when you need to cast it x times but Monk won't pick it anymore when you job changing..

Edited by Exvee, 10 May 2013 - 03:38 PM.

[Shneibel]

Let's say when you need healing or restocking Aspersio you can throw Oratio to monster so monster still got damage when you cast heal/aqua/asper.. Useful when you fight tough monsters that has 2k+ HP when you busy healing the mini-boss/boss already suffer damage that you can finish with your moves when you ready or simply they die from Oratio

For res, I think he refers to resurrection Khara when you need to cast it x times but Monk won't pick it anymore when you job changing..

I can confirm oratio help against some mini boss monster (or those with 2k+ hp) but oratio is optional, you can leave it at lvl 1 or lvl it up, is up to preference, it help you spare 1 or 2 HL if you think it worth it

My usually combo is Aspersio + HL and heal with Renovatio is enough to keep me alive and kill mobs fast (I ll miss those 3 skill if I switch to MNK and those 3 skills are what give me a hard choice to be MNK or priest)


edit: this guide need to be pinned, it work and it help a lot

Edited by Shneibel, 14 May 2013 - 01:24 AM.

[JustGabe]

(I ll miss those 3 skill if I switch to MNK and those 3 skills are what give me a hard choice to be MNK or priest)

Lol, I know, I fell so in love with the Aco playstyle that I'll definitely make a Hybrid Priest.

[Zweialca]

Hi guys im kinda new in RO2. I just started playing for 2 days. This thread by "JustGabe" is very informative. So i was just thinking whats the best stat for this build? Hmm maybe INT/VIT/AGI (from the most important stat to the least). Can syou guys give me a more detailed stat value like for max lvl 25? like 30INT/30VIT/20AGI . sorry for this silly question guys i just dont wanna waste any skill points and i have no idea what to make for my aco for support. This RO2 is really different from RO1 i suppose. Thanks and eagerly waiting for a response. ^_^

[Greven79]

Do you know that the last reply was posted on 15. May 2013 ??? That's more than outdated (but not necessarily wrong).

 

Personally, I would level Reno first and than rush towards Aspersio.

 

Keep in mind though that increasing Holy Light from 266% to 392% means an overall damage increase of ~47%. So it's either 50% more damage for every Holy Light versus 3 times double damage instead. However, there will be enough time without combat to make Aspersio the better skill and strangly enough costs no extra SP instead, so your overall consumption stays low.

 

Of course, he is right that noone forces you to change your job as soon as possible and therefore you can 'enjoy' the heal skills a bit longer, but currently you get a full set of monk gear when you change your job, so at least that's not an argument.

 

For the stats:

You get a free stat reset wihen you change your job (become a monk), so you can go for INT early on and then switch to whatever stat you prefer as a monk. Due to the high one-shot ratio, you might either go STR (to one-shot) or VIT (to avoid being one-shotted), but INT should be forbidden for monks later.

 

Check the stat bonuses when you become a monk, because they change as well!!!!

 

So good luck and hope you enjoy the game