guard skillups and moon phase

i believe there might exist a relationship between moon phase and guard skillups

i will be observing and noting the moon phase % for each guard skillup i am fortunate to get

i found the following chart from this alla post

0% - 5% NewMoon = 3 days
7% - 38% WaXingCresent = 14 days
40% - 55% FirstQuarterMoon = 7 days
57% - 88% WaXingGibbous = 14 days
90% - 100% FullMoon = 5 days (43 days)
98% - 95% FullMoon = 2 days
93% - 62% WaNingGibbous = 14 days
60% - 45% LastQuarterMoon = 7 days
43% - 12% WaNingCresent = 14 days
10% - 2% NewMoon = 4 days (41 days)

in my preliminary moon phase note taking, i am finding that guard skillups are occuring more frequently during the new moon cycles

after forming this new moon theory, i started noticing that during full moon cycles, i can go for long stretches of 2-3hrs worth of effort with zero guard skillups

to date i skillup guard when i have time and my past skillups i'm sure have been during all sorts of moon cycles

but now that i have this new moon working theory in my head, if i find over time that guard skillups cluster during the new moon cycles ( 0% ~ 40% ) ... i will reconsider skilling up guard during full moon cycles and schedule skillup sessions only during the new moon cycles

moonphase / #guardskillups

02% / 001

03% / 002

05% / 005

10% / 001

12% / 003

19% / 002

21% / 001

24% / 001

33% / 001

36% / 003

38% / 005

40% / 001

76% / 003

if anyone would like to add to this data, just post a comment and i'll incorporate into my chart ^^

some of my alla discussions

here is a link to a link post i made on alla to some of my discussions on the monk forums

~ zen and the art of monk tanking ~

the following is an updated version of my origianl post on alla for my style of monk tanking

11.13.06

so you want to tank as a monk ay?

prepare yourself for some thrills and chills cause i think it's a kickass ride !

as of this posting my mnk is lvl54, my highest lvl on any of the three races of characters i play

every comment i have on mnk tanking is based on working theories that i continually refine as i experience more of the higher levels

i welcome any feedback either in this post or the post i have on alla

my views on what makes a good tank

- hate control ability
- damage mitigation

i believe that every monk job ability helps a mnk to tank

hundred fist (lvl 1)
boost (lvl 5)
dodge (lvl 15)
focus (lvl 25)
chakra (lvl 35)
chi blast (lvl 41)
counterstance (lvl 45)
martial arts I (lvl 1)
subtle blow I (lvl 5)
counter (lvl 10)
HP max up I (lvl 15)
marital arts II (lvl 25)
HP max up II (lvl 35)
kick (lvl 51)
HP max up III (lvl 55)
HP max up IV (lvl 75)

what sets one mnk tank apart from another will be their respective guard skill

h2h caps very fast after you ding and evasion caps without much effort if you tank

guard is another story in of itself, only the most dedicated monk tanks can maintain a high guard, let alone a capped guard

my suggestions on guard training:

equip as much +guard skill items as you can equip

-evasion if your target mob has problems hitting you

the working theory that i use when skilling up guard is to target T mobs relative to my guardskill for the most productive skillup sessions

for more detailed guard skillup comments read my post on "guard skillup mobs"


monks do not have the ability to pack on a lot of defense through equipment ... so i decided long ago to not try and swim against that current

i like to use equipment in this order when i tank in xp pt:

+enmity
+counter
+guard
+evasion
+agi
+acc
+att
+str

how i nail hate vs. IT-IT+ ... i equip low delay h2h (present preference tropical punches +1) with +enmity gear vs. VT ...

depending on how hard my DD's are hitting i might adjust by using a higher damage weapon ...

my preference leans heavily on a lower delay h2h with +enmity gear

vs. T or below ... nailing hate becomes a big problem for me ... the party connects more and hits harder, which doesn't allow my DoT hate to build up ... but T mob fights don't really last that long to significantly matter

i prefer to be the only voker in a party when i do party with a thf i still first voke and i have the thf sata onto another party member ... i have yet to have any problems holding hate when thf SATA's onto someone else ... i'm not saying i never lose hate with SATA ... but when i have lost hate a voke/boost cycle has seemed to get mob on me again

my tanking experience has shown me that the more you can have your +enmity gear activate, the easier it is for you to hold hate as a tank ... this is why i strongly recommend using a low delay h2h ... if you attack faster, your +enmity gear activates more which leads to easier hate holding ... more to come later

food i use

food choices for me always depends on the party:

if i'm in a party with DD's that push the envelope with high damage, i use dorado sushi (+3 enmity) just to make sure i hold hate

if i'm in a party with DD's that don't do that much damage, i experiment with attk food

i rarely use defense food

random strategy suggestions for monk tanking

* try and party with an able enfeebler, i cannot stress enough how debuffs significantly compliments any tanking job

* if you haven't tried offensive food while tanking ... i say give it a shot and see how it compares versus using defensive food

that's all for now ~ a big thank you for all those who have healed me and continue to heal me in the course of my guard training on ifrit: aniticus, anu, lanice, littoguy, roark, voicelessbass, kakia, squidy to name a few

jingy ifrit

guard skillup mobs

i've had a thread on alla for a while now where i post specific mobs where i or others have gotten skillups off of ... i have decided to move my list here to continue my updates ... ^^

if you want to add to this list ... make a comment and follow my format as best you can ^^

for the reader who wants suggestions on mobs to skillup guard with, there is no need to read all the replies in this thread, most of it will be ridiculous flamebait replies anyway ... just keep refering back to this first post i will update the list on this first post as i find other mnk's suggested skillup areas in this forums ONLY reply to this thread if you want add to the list i will list any suggested skillup mob only if the poster submits: current mnk lvl current guard skill # +guardequipmentused mob name ( be as exact as possible ) i will only list suggestions from ppl that have gotten .1 .2 or .3 guard skillups .4+ is basically 'over hunting' in my eyes and overhunting when training guard in my experience does NOT give the best rate of guard skillups i will not list submissions that are over generalized, for example: i'm a 75mnk with 80guard, i got guard skillups from 100-200 in boyada i am confident this thread will be trolled to subdefault so i will put this in my sig for those interested ^^ good luck with guard skills everyone at the very bottom of this post are random comments as i skillup MOBS THAT PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN SKILLUPS ON

15mnk 033guard +00guard tahrongi dhalmels jinghles
16mnk 035guard +00guard tahrongi dhalmels jinghles
16mnk 037guard +00guard bubumaru rarabs jinghles
16mnk 038guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
17mnk 039guard +00guard bubumaru rarabs jinghles
17mnk 039guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
17mnk 040guard +00guard bubumaru rarabs jinghles
17mnk 040guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
17mnk 040guard +00guard bubumaru goblin butcher jinghles
18mnk 041guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
18mnk 042guard +00guard bubumaru rarab jinghles
18mnk 043guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
19mnk 043guard +00guard bubumaru goblin ambusher jinghles
19mnk 044guard +00guard bubumaru rarab jinghles
19mnk 044guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
19mnk 045guard +00guard bubumaru goblin tinkerer jinghles
19mnk 045guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
19mnk 045guard +00guard bubumaru rarab jinghles
20mnk 046guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
20mnk 046guard +00guard bubumaru rarab jinghles
20mnk 047guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
20mnk 047guard +00guard bubumaru rarab jinghles
20mnk 048guard +00guard bubumaru sylvestre jinghles
20mnk 048guard +00guard bubumaru goblin ambusher jinghles
20mnk 048guard +00guard bubumaru goblin tinkerer jinghles
20mnk 049guard +00guard bubumaru goblin ambusher jinghles
20mnk 049guard +00guard bubumaru zu jinghles

28mnk 052guard +??guard yuhtunga jungle mandoragas randomerr

??mnk 059guard +??guard battalia downs orc nightraider Crouchingllama
??mnk 059guard +??guard battalia downs sabertooth tiger Crouchingllama
??mnk 064guard +??guard ?????? goblin pathfinder Crouchingllama
??mnk 064guard +??guard ?????? white lizard Crouchingllama
??mnk 065guard +??guard ?????? death jacket Crouchingllama
??mnk 068guard +??guard ?????? death jacket Crouchingllama
??mnk 068guard +??guard battalia downs orc nightraider Crouchingllama
??mnk 068guard +??guard battalia downs sabertooth tiger Crouchingllama
??mnk ?74guard +??guard promy 1st floor Crouchingllama

28mnk 075guard +??guard yuhtunga jungle mandoragas randomerr

??mnk 080guard +??guard SSG sahagin 1st tier LordDonblas
??mnk 080guard +??guard SSG opo-opo LordDonblas
??mnk 081guard +??guard SSG sahagin 1st tier LordDonblas
??mnk 081guard +??guard SSG opo-opo LordDonblas

71mnk 083guard +25guard Caederva Mire chigoes madrone

??mnk 092guard +??guard yuhtunga death jackets kinematics
??mnk 092guard +??guard yhoator mandragoras kinematics
??mnk 092guard +??guard yuhtunga goblin smithy kinematics
??mnk 093guard +??guard yuhtunga young opo-opo kinematics
??mnk 093guard +??guard yuhtunga white lizard kinematics
??mnk 093guard +??guard MDT gigas kinematics
??mnk 094guard +??guard MDT gigas kinematics
??mnk 095guard +??guard MDT gigas kinematics
??mnk 096guard +??guard MDT gigas kinematics

7?mnk ?98guard +??guard crawlnest death jacket shinjaku
7?mnk ?98guard +??guard crawlnest worker crawler shinjaku
7?mnk ?98guard +??guard crawlnest maze lizard shinjaku

75mnk 100guard +40guard SSG pond+ sahagins yaaggggggii

7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest hornfly shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest killer mushroom shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest doom scorpion shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest nest beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest soul stinger shinjaku

75mnk 120guard +24guard crawlnest caveberry anonymous

75mnk 120guard +40guard SSG pond+ sahagins yaaggggggii
75mnk 120guard +40guard SSG brook sahagin yaggggggii
75mnk 120guard +40guard SSG bigclaw yaggggggii
75mnk 120guard +40guard SSG vampire bat yaggggggii

7?mnk 120guard +??guard crawlnest death jacket shinjaku
7?mnk 120guard +??guard crawlnest worker crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 120guard +??guard crawlnest maze lizard shinjaku

62mnk 125guard +??guard ?????? orc gladiators kuroshikun

7?mnk 126guard +??guard crawlnest exoray shinjaku
7?mnk 126guard +??guard crawlnest soldier crawler shinjaku

50mnk 129guard +05guard garlaige siege bats jingy
50mnk 129guard +05guard garliage borer beetle jingy
50mnk 129guard +05guard garlaige fallen mages jingy
50mnk 130guard +05guard garlaige oil spill jingy
50mnk 130guard +05guard garlaige citadel bats jingy

7?mnk 130guard +??guard crawlnest blazer beetle shinjaku

50mnk 132guard +05guard yhoat telepoint worker crawler jingy

62mnk 132guard +??guard ?????? orc gladiators kuroshikun
62mnk 132guard +??guard ?????? shadowlord kuroshikun

50mnk 133guard +05guard crawlnest soldier crawler jingy
50mnk 133guard +05guard crawlnest doom scorpion jingy
50mnk 134guard +03guard garlaige citadel bats jingy
50mnk 134guard +03guard altep west cactuar jingy
50mnk 134guard +03guard crawlnest exoray jingy
50mnk 135guard +03guard yhoator worker crawler jingy
50mnk 135guard +03guard yhoator bouncer goblin jingy
50mnk 135guard +03guard crawlnest soldier crawler jingy

7?mnk 135guard +??guard crawlnest water elemental shinjaku

49mnk 136guard +03guard garlaige citadel bats jingy
49mnk 137guard +03guard garlaige citadel bats jingy
49mnk 138guard +03guard garlaige citadel bats jingy

7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest hornfly shinjaku
7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest killer mushroom shinjaku
7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest doom scorpion shinjaku
7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest soul stinger shinjaku

50mnk 139guard +03guard garlaige citadel bats jingy

7?mnk 139guard +??guard crawlnest nest beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 139guard +??guard crawlnest mushussu shinjaku
7?mnk 139guard +??guard crawlnest rumble crawler shinjaku

51mnk 140guard +03guard garlaige citadel bats jingy
51mnk 140guard +03guard zitah goblin robber jingy
51mnk 140guard +03guard zitah goblin trader jingy
51mnk 140guard +03guard zitah rock golem jingy
51mnk 140guard +03guard zitah hell hound jingy
51mnk 140guard +03guard kuftal robber crab jingy
51mnk 140guard +03guard garlaige chamber beetle jingy
52mnk 141guard +03guard garlaige citadel bats jingy
52mnk 141guard +03guard zitah goblin trader jingy
53mnk 141guard +03guard garlaige funnel bats jingy
53mnk 141guard +03guard w.altep lesser manticore jingy
53mnk 142guard +03guard w.altep goblin trader jingy
53mnk 142guard +03guard w.altep goblin poacher jingy
53mnk 142guard +03guard w.altep goblin robber jingy
53mnk 142guard +03guard w.altep desert beetle jingy
53mnk 143guard +03guard w.altep desert beetle jingy
53mnk 144guard +03guard w.altep desert beetle jingy
54mnk 145guard +00guard wajaoom colibri jingy
54mnk 145guard +03guard w.altep desert beetle jingy
54mnk 145guard +00guard crawlersnest helm beetle jingy

75mnk 145guard +40guard SSG brook sahagin yaggggggii
75mnk 145guard +40guard SSG bigclaw yaggggggii
75mnk 145guard +40guard SSG vampire bat yaggggggii
75mnk 145guard +40guard SSG marsh+ sahagins yaggggggii

54mnk 146guard +03guard e.altep desert beetle jingy
54mnk 147guard +03guard e.altep desert beetle jingy
54mnk 147guard +00guard wajaom colibri jingy
54mnk 148guard +03guard w.altep desert beetle jingy
56mnk 148guard +03guard w.altep tulwar scorpion jingy
56mnk 149guard +03guard w.altep lesser manticore jingy
56mnk 149guard +03guard w.altep tulwar scorpion jingy
56mnk 149guard +03guard quicksands helm beetle jingy
56mnk 149guard +03guard quicksands antican sig jingy
56mnk 150guard +03guard crawlnest water elemental jingy

7?mnk 168guard +??guard crawlnest exoray shinjaku
7?mnk 168guard +??guard crawlnest soldier crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 168guard +??guard crawlnest blazer beetle shinjaku

75mnk 170guard +40guard SSG marsh+ sahagins yaggggggii
75mnk 170guard +40guard SSG razorjaw pugil yaggggggii
75mnk 170guard +40guard SSG blubber eyes yaggggggii

7?mnk 170guard +??guard crawlnest wespe shinjaku
7?mnk 170guard +??guard crawlnest dragon fly shinjaku
7?mnk 173guard +??guard crawlnest water elemental shinjaku

75mnk 177guard +40guard SSG razorjaw pugil yaggggggii
75mnk 177guard +40guard SSG blubber eyes yaggggggii

7?mnk 178guard +??guard crawlnest mushussu shinjaku
7?mnk 178guard +??guard crawlnest rumble crawler shinjaku

75mnk 179guard +34guard boyada bark spider ???
75mnk 179guard +34guard boyada alroune ???
75mnk 180guard +34guard boyada bark spider ???
75mnk 180guard +34guard boyada alroune ???

7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest wespe shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest dragon fly shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest helm beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest crawler hunter shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest knight crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 195guard +??guard boyada bark spiders shinjaku
7?mnk 195guard +??guard boyada death cap shinjaku
7?mnk 200guard +??guard crawlnest helm beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 200guard +??guard crawlnest crawler hunter shinjaku
7?mnk 200guard +??guard crawlnest knight crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 210guard +??guard boyada moss eater shinjaku
7?mnk 210guard +??guard boyada mourioche shinjaku
7?mnk 213guard +??guard boyada bark spiders shinjaku
7?mnk 213guard +??guard boyada death cap shinjaku
7?mnk 220guard +??guard boyada moss eater shinjaku
7?mnk 220guard +??guard boyada mourioche shinjaku

??mnk 222guard +??guard wajaom woodlands saplings blubbartron

* shinjaku has a big list of ranges which i will keep seperate below, but will also incorporate in list above *

7?mnk ?98guard +??guard crawlnest death jacket shinjaku
7?mnk ?98guard +??guard crawlnest worker crawler shinjaku
7?mnk ?98guard +??guard crawlnest maze lizard shinjaku
7?mnk 120guard +??guard crawlnest death jacket shinjaku
7?mnk 120guard +??guard crawlnest worker crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 120guard +??guard crawlnest maze lizard shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest hornfly shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest killer mushroom shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest doom scorpion shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest nest beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 114guard +??guard crawlnest soul stinger shinjaku
7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest hornfly shinjaku
7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest killer mushroom shinjaku
7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest doom scorpion shinjaku
7?mnk 138guard +??guard crawlnest soul stinger shinjaku
7?mnk 139guard +??guard crawlnest nest beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 126guard +??guard crawlnest exoray shinjaku
7?mnk 126guard +??guard crawlnest soldier crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 168guard +??guard crawlnest exoray shinjaku
7?mnk 168guard +??guard crawlnest soldier crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 130guard +??guard crawlnest blazer beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 168guard +??guard crawlnest blazer beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 135guard +??guard crawlnest water elemental shinjaku
7?mnk 173guard +??guard crawlnest water elemental shinjaku
7?mnk 139guard +??guard crawlnest mushussu shinjaku
7?mnk 139guard +??guard crawlnest rumble crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 178guard +??guard crawlnest mushussu shinjaku
7?mnk 178guard +??guard crawlnest rumble crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 170guard +??guard crawlnest wespe shinjaku
7?mnk 170guard +??guard crawlnest dragon fly shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest wespe shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest dragon fly shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest helm beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest crawler hunter shinjaku
7?mnk 185guard +??guard crawlnest knight crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 200guard +??guard crawlnest helm beetle shinjaku
7?mnk 200guard +??guard crawlnest crawler hunter shinjaku
7?mnk 200guard +??guard crawlnest knight crawler shinjaku
7?mnk 195guard +??guard boyada bark spiders shinjaku
7?mnk 195guard +??guard boyada death cap shinjaku
7?mnk 213guard +??guard boyada bark spiders shinjaku
7?mnk 213guard +??guard boyada death cap shinjaku
7?mnk 210guard +??guard boyada moss eater shinjaku
7?mnk 210guard +??guard boyada mourioche shinjaku
7?mnk 220guard +??guard boyada moss eater shinjaku
7?mnk 220guard +??guard boyada mourioche shinjaku

* random comments started november 9th 2006*

after bing 141guard @52mnk (that's capped for lvl46), i found that my counter ability has once again improved ... on the next DC goblin, i had a string of 19x counters and evades ... 10 of those were counters ... i was hoping for counter #11 but the gob died :(((

during guard skillups from 140-144, i noticed a very loose pattern where i seem to notice more skillups during 0%-40% ... i saw skillups during 5% moon about 7 times ... another mnk that i chat in /tells with also skillups his guards now and then, he tells me he see's skillups in the moon cycle range in the 40's often ... i'm trying to make notes of day and moon cycle as often as i can, and so does my 75mnk friend, maybe in time some sort of pattern might develop ^^ ... during 140-144 guard i seemed to not get any skillups during 50%-100% moon cycle ... again please note that observation is more anecdotal than anything ... but the next time you get a guardskillup ... see if it's falling in my 0%-40% time frame ^^

rate my guns ...

Evolution

happy birthday ~