Overview
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.
Unlock and Guild Information
- 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.
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.
History & Lore
The martial tradition of the Monk is inextricably linked to the history of Ala Mhigo, the mountainous nation to the east of Eorzea. Its origins lie with the Fist of Rhalgr, a monastic order devoted to Rhalgr, the Destroyer, one of the Twelve Eorzean deities. This order was not merely a religious institution but a school of martial philosophy. They developed a fighting discipline that sought to emulate their patron's destructive power not through brute force alone, but through the refined manipulation of the body's own latent energy, known as chakra.
The monks believed that by opening the body's chakra gates—centers of spiritual power—they could channel this energy to perform superhuman feats. Their combat style evolved into a fluid dance of three primary animal forms, each representing a different approach to battle: the grounded power of the Opo-opo, the swift precision of the Raptor, and the explosive fury of the Coeurl. Mastery involved seamlessly cycling through these forms to create an unending torrent of attacks.
The Fist of Rhalgr's influence waned under the reign of the tyrannical King of Ruin, Theodoric, who saw the order's strength and independence as a threat. He systematically destroyed the monasteries and scattered or executed their practitioners, nearly eradicating the art. This cultural devastation was compounded decades later by the Garlean Empire's conquest of Ala Mhigo. The few surviving keepers of the Monk tradition were forced into hiding, their knowledge becoming a secret heritage of the Ala Mhigan resistance.
In the present day, the Monk's arts are a symbol of Ala Mhigo's enduring spirit. Practitioners are often those with a direct connection to the fallen nation—refugees, children of refugees, or allies who have learned from the last masters. To become a Monk is to become a living repository of a nearly lost history, wielding the legacy of the Fist of Rhalgr not just as a combat style, but as an act of cultural preservation and defiance.
Current Mechanics
- Job Gauge: Chakra and Beast Chakra Gauge
Trivia
- The Monk's original job questline in A Realm Reborn involves assisting the Ala Mhigan refugee Widargelt in his quest to reconnect with and revive the lost traditions of the Fist of Rhalgr.
- The three animal forms—Opo-opo, Raptor, and Coeurl—are all native creatures found within Eorzea.
- In earlier expansions, the Greased Lightning buff was maintained manually by the player; letting it fall off was a significant damage loss. Its simplification into a passive trait was a major quality-of-life change for the job.
- The Monk's Limit Break, Final Heaven, is a direct reference to the signature move of Tifa Lockhart, the iconic Monk from Final Fantasy VII.
- The design of high-level Monk weapons often incorporates the theme of "unbound" energy, with glowing fists, swirling aether, or detached floating knuckles.
