Monk Artifacts

Tandrin

I recently made the return to monk class and have forgotten some of the best artifact buffs for the class after a few years away from being one.  At this point, I have built up about 950 credits and 250 dingbats.  Looking for advice on how to use them since I am already omni-trans with a number of trades skillflexed trans.

Obviously, your standard artifacts (RoA, Crit Hit, etc.) are valuable, but what other artifacts offer a particularly important buff to monks?  Given the different treatment of monk weapon statwise and for which artifacts can be attached, is it wise from a cost perspective to fully upgrade runed weapons?

Lerad

Runed weapons for monks are useful but only as that occasional, additional edge in top-tier combat. The bonuses artied monk weapons provide is minimal. You'll definitely be better off with them than without, but sometimes, not by a noticeable margin. A possible exception is the bleeding runes, which can help Shofangi and Nekotai significantly.

Your best artifact investments as a monk will likely be those artifacts that are all around useful for everyone. Golden soap, pig's nose, spectacles of clairvoyance, RoA, h/m/e boost etc.

Cyndarin

Kick consumes your balance, so no. No easy prones. Other than beast spit mantakaya.

Monks get large % increases to their damage. For instance, prone gives a large increase, ciritcal wounds gives a large increase, sensitivity gives a large increase. It's a large part of what makes monks so insanely cheesy. It's all % based, and it stacks. So what will be a small increase to your basic attack damage (elemental runes) will result in much larger increases when they are prone with a critical limb. Since cutting and blunt are the most commonly protected damage types (mainly due to armour), elemental runes will up your base damage by a small amount. 

Tandrin

As a follow-up question, I have a custom beast and may be switching around my trainings and/or adding some inherents.  Any suggestions on beastmastery abilities that work particularly well with monk combat?

Svorai

I'd imagine trampling would be useful, as monks can get people prone - could complement Stomp? Poisons might be more reliable than, say, HypnoticGaze, particularly if you use poison as a monk.

Cyndarin

Trampling isn't terribly useful for anyone solo. Beast spit can be useful for monks.

Elementals are good for monks, especially because their damage scaling is so bananas.

Tandrin

Yeah, I can see why trampling wouldn't be good solo.  Is kicking worthwhile to get your opponent prone where more damage is done by a monk or is the chance of success too low to be practical?

I don't totally understand what you mean by damage scaling.  Can you elaborate Celina so I can understand what you mean about elemental runes?

Jaamil

I disagree that trampling wouldn't be terribly useful. Particularly considering that if they don't notice the prone, why not trample and take out a possible +3 limbs? Also, it will compliment stomp, since stomp is most effective when they are proned, and stomping the head for a cracked skull. If you're going to be a monk, do not rule out trampling, it will serve its purpose best if the target is already proned moreso than assuming or guessing that they -may- be proned and wasted a beast balance for the fail. Though yes, if you are, hypnoticgaze/beast spit/trample/amnesiacloud as suggestions to mix, but of course consider the training amounts.

Lerad

Trampling takes both beast balance as well as normal 4sec balance on neutral. On a single target, you have a chance to break 3-4 limbs, usually. If you're exceedingly unlucky, maybe less.

As a monk of any kind, you are usually hitting at 3.5-4sec balance neutral, if you put in the speed modifier, that's 3-3.5sec neutral. If you're a +bal race (which you should seriously consider if you are not), you'll be hitting at 3sec or less. For most monk guilds, at the lowest momentum, you can give up to 4 afflictions (inclusive of poison, so shrugging etc applies). Maybe less, maybe more, depending on your guild. If you're at a higher momentum, you will obviously be able to do more. If a target is prone while you have balance, a monk form will do additional damage, and will bypass both stancing and parry.

I'm sorry, Jaamil, but I think going with a monk form is probably going to out-do trampling in most, if not all, 1v1 situations. Trampling will be useful in group combat if you're confident your team can prone multiple targets at once, or if you have someone else who can benefit from having you just spaming trample over and over on the target they are hitting, and thusly keep them prone. Otherwise, no, it's not useful for a monk. (Or most other classes, probably, but I can't say for sure.)