Monk starter guide

Monk at a glance

Monk (MNK) is a Disciple of War job unlockable at level 30 as an upgrade from the Pugilist class and is a Melee DPS job.

• Role: Melee DPS
• First Appearance: *Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn* (Patch 2.0)
• Unlock Level: 30
• Armor: Striking

Unlock and early route

Guild: The Pugilists' Guild is in Ul'dah - Steps of Nald. Guild: Pugilists must specialize into monk once they reach level 30, and complete the quests Sylph-management and Return of the Holyfist.

• Keep the job quest tracker current while leveling.
• Use the official job guide for the current action list.
• Do not treat opener or rotation advice as final unless it is current-patch reviewed.

Gear and equipment

The monk is a disciple of war and wears armor "of Striking" (shared with Samurai) while using accessories "of Slaying" (shared with Dragoon, Reaper, and Samurai). They use fist weapons.

• Prioritize item level while leveling.
• At endgame, check role gear names and materia priorities against current resources.

Role basics

Monk belongs to the Melee DPS role. Learn the role responsibility first, then refine job-specific optimization after you understand encounter movement and cooldown timing.

• Tanks lead pulls, position enemies, and plan mitigation before incoming damage.
• Healers balance recovery, mitigation, and damage uptime.
• DPS jobs focus on uptime, burst windows, party buffs, and avoiding avoidable damage.

Current-patch caution

Job Gauge: Chakra and Beast Chakra Gauge

• Use the official job guide for live action names, levels, and tooltips.
• Use expert community resources for high-end rotations only after checking their patch date.
• Treat this page as a starter guide and source hub, not a Savage optimization sheet.

Related on TJPedia

Wiki: MonkGuides hub