I see more and more debate over the solo farmers issue. Solo eles or solo warriors are not the main targets though, as people seem to usually bash on solo/invincible monks.
I'll be more than happy to show that most of the common assumptions against solo monks are controversial, if not, in some cases, totally false.
1- "It takes nothing to build an invincible monk and solo everything"
I won't go into detail here, but everyone knows that 4-5 superior monk runes are needed. That means a lot of money to start with. That could mean buying a second armor set as well, because if you want to play any average PvE with guildies or friends you'll need to change your gear again.
Secondly, you can't solo everything, you can solo some type of monsters, because too many health degen conditions, some interrupts, or just one enchantment stripper will take you down in a few seconds.
2- "It's too easy killing monsters that way, too fast, and you can get an incredible amount of gold/items
Too easy? This assumption, which is probably the most abused one, is contradictory in itself. First off, farming as a 105 monk does take some skill. We're not talking about a huge amount of skill, but it's different from farming Tengus. Killing 5 ataxes at the same time requires some timing and a high degree of attention, if not, in some cases, a bit of luck. It becomes fairly easy when you're used to it, but you still have to actively play your character in a decent way, while farming as people know it usually takes some robotic clicks here and there on the keyboard, rezone and repeat.
Therefore, here is the contradiction: it becomes quite easy killing monster this way, but to do it fast and get an incredible amount of gold/items you'll need skill, experience and attention. The more you kill fast and get huge amounts of loot, the less easy it is.
3- They generate inflation
This assumption is laughable at best. Did anyone check the price of ectos right now, instead of screaming like crybabies over the fact that you can't find monks to play in the UW because they solo it and they're meanie and unfair? The rare material trader was selling them for 14-15k two weeks ago or so, and now they're sold for roughly 9k. You can buy them from players for 8k lately. Now, if naysayers knew a bit of basic economy, they'd find that supply has increased, while demand is the same.
4- They're ruining the nature of this game: teamplay
False. Typically, the 105 monk has already finished the game at least twice, owns a good amount of money even before starting soloing seriously, and still plays with friends-guildies often, because let's say it, long farming sessions are terribly boring.
Not to mention the fact that the solo monk build is open to a huge number of tweaks, can be modified and customized in many ways. It has already generated a lot of valuable discussions over skills, cooldown times, and such. It's a little bit different from saying "play the Hell difficulty level, kill Mephisto again and again, and one day you'll have your Windforce"
In conclusion, I'm firmly convinced that most of this acid criticism comes from people who are very bad at the game or at farming in general, and bash on others for the sake of it. This game is open enough to be played and enjoyed in radically different ways, invoking the nerf bat over anything other people do and you can't do is silly.
Let me know what's your opinion on the matter.
M


I want to build one of these characters just inspite of you whiners. I have finished the game twice now and am looking to find a way to buy fissure armor. How else can you get that without farming somewhere? So the monk found a way to do it. Finally, there is ONE spot that the monk can farm effectively and some people have a problem with that. I ask you, Where do you farm? How about I start a petition to nerf your build and/or spot so you can't farm there anymore.