If we talk about Monks, we then expext a bald-headed guy who always meditates to achieve inner peace and has some skills on hand to hand combat or what they call as Kung Fu. Well, that's what I think of a Monk because of those darn good Kung Fu movies :D.
The Monk of Ragnarok Online 2 has the same characteristics as to what I have described. The only difference is, they are not bald! (well, if you don't choose to :D). They are melee class who loves hand to hand combat and does have strong physique. In fact, they can also be a tanker in the game and can deal good damage to enemies while doing that, making them a force to be reckon in Ragnarok Online 2.
However, before being that kind of force, you will need to know what are the best skills to include in your skill tree to become a monster Monk! To help you with that, I have decided to put up a guide which shares to you a detailed explanation on every monk skills and my opinion on what skill to get and what to exclude.
But before we go in with the Monk Skill Build, let us first discuss about Acolytes. As well all know, we need to be an Acolyte to either proceed to being a Monk or a Priest. Another thing why we need to discuss first about the Acolyte class is that when we transcend as a Monk, our skill will be reset! Meaning, all those skills that we have maxed on the Acolyte will be lost!
So, it's best that I won't invest any points on the Acolyte skill tree if I were to take the path of being a monk?
LOL :D. Of course not! You need to have skills when you are still an Acolyte if you want to level up fast in the game. Take note that sometimes, it's hard to find a party in the game especially when your a newbie.
So now, let's discuss the Acolyte skills you need to level up fast in Ragnarok Online 2 and transcend into a Monk.
Acolyte Skill Build for Leveling
Important Note: This build is only applicable when you decided to become a Monk.
Holy Light- Your main killing skill as an Acolyte. It has no cool down and has a 1 second casting time which can be your everyday skill. Plus, the damage is pretty decent when max and, don't forget that when you have your Asperio buff on, the next 3 Holy Light will will be critical hits. I highly suggest that you max this skill.
Lex Devina- This is rather a complicated skill to have as an Acolyte. When this skill is leveled to 2, not only that you will increase the damage dealt by this skil but also, you will have the option to land a critical hit to the enemy if its max HP is 20% (this is where the complication begins). And when you decide to level it to 3, you will increase its damage, the critical option will also be there and now, you will gain 3 Holy Waters (which you need for your Asperio skill) when you kill the enemy instantly with this skill.
So, the question now is: Is this skill worth to max or not?
Based on my experience and honest opinion, this skill can be beneficial to your especially at max level when it comes to leveling fast. This skill may serve as your finishing blow to the enemy but mostly, it's a big asset for you as it has the ability to acquire Holy Waters when you inflict a deathblow. Just make sure that your enemy's HP is at 20%.
But what about Aqua Benedicta? It can also let you acquire 3 Holy Waters with ease?
Well, you're right. But the fact is, Aqua Benedicta has a relatively long cool down (60 seconds). Take note that Lex Devina has 10 seconds cool down only and if you do use it correctly, then it will serve you well in your leveling.
So what's the final verdict?
Definitely max this skil for faster leveling purposes as an Acolyte.
Oratio- A damage over time skill. Even at max level, the damage inflicted by this skill every 2 seconds (for 20 seconds) is pretty weak. And, you are better off spamming your Holy Light than casting this spell and waiting for the enemy to die. I personally don't have this skill on my build when I am leveling my Acolyte.
Judex- This skill has the ability to stun enemies. However, the damage is pretty weak even at max level and personally, I don't have this in my build for leveling my Acolyte. I rather spend the points on somewhere else which can do more damage and killing the enemy fast than to stun them. Besides, you have your healing skill to let you survive any difficulties.
Blessing- Extra HP would be advisable when leveling. So, if you have extra points while an Acolyte, do spend it here on this skill for the additional 15% Max HP.
Increase AGI- It would be a good skill to max if the cool down would be lower than a hundred but, it's not! In my leveling journey, I stick with quests and sometimes, it's not that easy to travel especially when you haven't got the mount yet. That is why I use this skill SOMETIMES for mobility and besides, you need this skill to get the final skill on this tree to level up fast.
Ressurection- Some say that this skill must be max to lower its cool down time. However, when you transcend as a Monk, this skill becomes useless. Monk's are more of a tanker type which can dish out decent damage and not a healer/reviver. You can leave the healing part to the priest and besides, when your leveling as an Acolyte you won't often need this skill as the heal is enough for survivability. Better to level this skill to 1 for prerequisite.
Aqua Benedicta- You must get this skill of course to allocate points on your Asperio. Besides, it's a decent skill which replenishes your SP by 15% but the most significant feature of this skill is its ability to give you 3 Holy Waters which you can use for Asperio to work. The only downsie of this skill is it has long cool down and that is why I have suggested to max Lex Devina so you would have another option on gaining Holy Water when this skill is not available yet.
Asperio- Basically, this skill enhances some of your Acolyte skills. For 1 Holy Water, it will improve:
Holy Light: The next three attacks will be critical hits.
Judex: Stuns all the target hit by this skill for 3 seconds.
Resurrection: Instantly revive a target with Full HP
Heal: The next three hits of heal will be critical hits
Highness Heal: Increases its heal by 50% and the target recovers over 10 seconds the same amount of HP.
Important Note: This skill consumes one Holy Water which then improves one skill. That is why it is recommended to level this skill high (if you have spare points left as an Acolyte) as this will help you kill monsters fast, especially those high level ones.
Heal- Your primary healing skill of course and the one that mad Acolyte famous in Ragnarok. With this skill, you will definitely sabe a lot of money from buying HP pots. I highly recommend to max this skill for higher healing. And the good new is, it has no cool down which means you can spam it every time. Talk about a perfect skill for leveling and saving up money!
Renovatio- This will be your secondary healing skill. It's a skil which has no casting time, no cool down and it's very useful while active as your HP will be replenish over time for 12 seconds. However, I won't suggest to level this skill high. Just put 1 point on this as the percentage heal is enough for us to survive.
Meditatio- In a nutshell, this skill will increase your critical damage for the cost of your extra accuracy. I still need further testing on this skill as it's more complicated than it seems. Anyway, I don't really need this skill for leveling my Acolyte to 25 and besides, I will be short of points if I decided to get and max this skill.
But for those who want to know more about this skill however, I suggest that you go on to this
Meditatio Skill Explanation post. I have seen this from one of the RO2 forum which was originally posted by a member of the forum and, I have decided to share it on this blog so that my readers can easily access this information.
Highness Heal- Also, I don't have this skill in my build for leveling. Personally, the reason why I did not include this in my build is because I go solo in leveling most of the time. This skill can be great in group plays (and perfect for priest) as the heal percentage is pretty huge especially, when it is paired with Asperio. But do take note that our goal here is to reach level 25 fast and not to be a support of any team. And I think, I have covered enough skills for survivability and killing in my skill build, leaving this skill undesirable. Besides, you will be short of points and most of all, you won't need this skill when you transcend as a Monk.
So basically, my skill build for leveling my Acolyte to 25 is:
Holy Light- Level 5
Lex Devina- Level 3
Blessing- Level 5 (if you have spare points on this)
Increase AGI- Level 1
Resurrection- Level 1
Aqua Benedicta- Level 1
Asperio- Level 3
Heal- Level 5
Renovatio- Level 1 (if you have spare points for this)
With this skill build, I'm pretty sure that you will reach level 25 in no time.
After reaching level 25, you can now become a Monk and all your skill will be reset. Now, here is my b
est skill build for a Monk in Ragnarok Online 2:
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Monk Skill Build Explanation
Iron Palm- Do I need to discuss why this skill must be max? :). Well, you must not let the 50% additional defense pass by! Remember that you have chosen a melee class which only means you need to have as much toughness as possible to endure any attacks from both range and melee type opponents. So, you better max this skill.
Iron Mountain Attack- One of your everyday skill as a Monk that can deal decent damage to the enemy. It can hit 2 enemies in one single blow but here is the catch: This skill requires 3 Spirit Spheres to activate. So basically, you must ensure always that you have 3 Spheres at hand to make this skill work. Despite this what I call as hindrance to the skill :), I suggest that you max this. Don't worry about the acquisition of spheres as my build will ensure that you have enough spirit spheres every time you want to cast this skill.
Summon Spirit Sphere- This skill will let you generate 3 Spirit Spheres in an instant which is valuable for a Monk (just look back at the previous skill to see how important Spirit Sphere is). If it wasn't for the relatively long cool down, I would have max this skill. I suggest that you just leave this skill to 1.
Lightning Walk- A wonderful skill to have in PVP. We all know that all melee class have difficulties sometimes dealing with range class because of the distance. Well, this skill will solve that problem as this will let you jump in front of the enemy instantly and deal damage. However, I suggest that you just leave it to 1 as the damage increment is not that significant but, if you do have extra SP and you are a serious PVP player, then go leveling this skill further to lower its cool down.
Throw Spirit Sphere- One level is enough for this skill IMO. You won't use this skill for the damage but for the debuff. Take note that if you decide to level this skill further, only the damage will increase and the 10% additional additional damage inflicted to the enemy remains the same. That is why I suggest to level this skill to 1 only.
Spiritual Cadence- This skill lets you achieve the highest damage output a monk can gain even if you're investing half of your points to INTELLIGENCE. Remember that this skill has the ability to increase your attack power by two while you are investing on INT stat. So obviously, it's better for a Monk to have a balance STR and INT than to go Pure INT or STR. Let's say, it's good to invest 30 STR 30 INT and the rest to VIT as a Monk.
Shout- This skill is similar to Knight's provoke which will taunt an enemy to attack your character. Some say that this skill must be max but for me, I prefer leaving it to 1. Here is the thing: If you are needed to be a tank, there are skills for a Monk which draws a lot of Aggro and some can lure enemies towards you. Take note that the Stone skin can draw huge aggro while Earth Shaker and as well as Throw Spirit Sphere can be the solution for your luring problems. And based on experience, 20 seconds is enough to provoke and make a boss attack you until the very end.
Flee- I think this skill is lost :D. If you notice the skill tree of a Monk, most of it are defensive skill and not evasive. Considering that you have lots of defensive skill and you focus more on STR and VIT stat, do you still want to invest or max this skill for the 20% evasion? I think not! Better not get this skill as a Monk.
Protection Ki- This skill is superb in terms of tanking. This is one of the skill why Monk's can be considered as a Tanker type in Ragnarok Online 2. Just imagine what the 50% damage reduction can do to the damage of the enemy. Not to mention that you have other defensive skill! What do you think will happen to the damage of the enemy when you cast this all? :). Max this skill no matter what.
Important Note: You must have 1 Spiritual Sphhere for you to activate this skill.
Stone Skin- Increase in Max HP, Defense and Aggro? What more can you ask for a Tanking skill? Definitely max this skill. No doubt about it!
Quadruple Palm- Max this skill. This is one of your offensive skill that you can use most of the time. The damage is decent and also, it can generate 1 Spiritual sphere when use. Best to max this skill.
Drop of Grand Collapse- Compared to other offensive skills of a Monk, this skill has the second lowest damage. I suggest not to max this skill. Just leave it to 1 as you only need this as a filler skill and for the two spirit sphere acquisition.
Earth Shaker- This skill will let you send a shock wave into the ground which can hit 3 enemies. As I have said before this skill can be use for luring enemies towards you and as a matter of fact, it is one of the skill that I often spam to draw aggro. However, I don't recommend to max this skill as this is the number one skill in the Monk skill tree that has the lowest damage. Better leave it to 1 as an aggro generating and filler skill.
Ki Explosion- A must have skill and a must max skill as a Monk. This will let you gain a 30% bonus damage at max level which is pretty awesome. In addition to this, Ki Explosion is needed to cast your most IMBA offensive skill, the Guillotine Fist.
Important Note: Remember that this skill needs 3 Spirit Sphere to cast.
Guillotine Fist- Max this skill no matter what. This is your offensive skill which has the highest damage output to enemy. And not only that, an enemy hit by this skill will be stun for 3 seconds.
So, that's all about it. For questions, clarifications, recommendations and even little appreciations :D, just spend some time going to our comment box and share some words on my post Best Monk Skill Build in Ragnarok Online 2.
