I know that long ago monks faced a cap on the amount they could carry without facing a penalty. Is that still the case? If so, what is the limit and does it ever go away?
I believe it depends on what ur strength is. I started loosing AC when my weight went from 35 to 36 after testing with various heavy items on me. and my strength is 1224 at level 100. That should at least give you an idea of how it works, hell it may not even be strength that effects it and maybe its just 35 to 36 changes it for all.
I was actually able to find a pretty killer chart on Monkly Business: Level range Weight limit 1-14 14.9 15-29 15.9 30-44 16.9 45-50 17.9 51-54 18.9 55-59 20.9 60-64 24.9 65-69 26.9 70-74 28.9 75-79 30.9 80-84 32.9 85-95 34.9
The thing to remember is if you're not tanking or taking hits, it doesn't really matter that much, since it's AC that gets hurt by weight. Everything else stays the same, so you don't lose any DPS or anything, just defensive AC. So at lower levels, it's generally recommended to use a tank merc, so being over weight usually isn't a problem, as the merc will do all the tanking other than the initial pulls. Also, it's a not a huge loss for a few stones of weight, if it's just from looting stuff. If you're tanking, then it's different and AC rules. Yther Ore.
Can always splurge on a wt redux bag and keep the heavy stuff in there as well. There's also AA to reduce the wt of your stuff (packrat I think). There's some really nice wt redux bags in the marketplace if you're willing to spend the SC, or there's also some really nice ones in bazaar for sale. If you stick to 10 slot bags, they're much much cheaper than if you find bags with > 10 slots. Leatherfoot Haversacks were great in the day, and there are many other options (let me know if you want help searching for some cheap ones). My monk currently uses wt redux bags and has the packrat AA, and comes in at 15 wt. Way below the limit and I don't ever think about it (so it's not a big problem later on, in regards to it "going away").
Thanks for the advice. I actually had a 24 slot 100 redux bag waiting for me in my /claim. Along with a ton of other stuff that. I have no idea what's what with most of that stuff. But in the process I did learn that I've got available veteran rewards. Not to shabby. I'm currently lvl 14, so I'm a LONG ways away from getting packrat. I am currently using a cleric merc (but I also have some merc contracts in /claim which I guess means I can have two with me). So I'm thinking about tanking a bit with merc, then suspending him to get some healing from my cleric. I'm going to hit Najena tonight, or SoRo crocs. So far I'm geared up fairly nicely and with the double SOE dollars going this weekend, I may just flop for the full set of defiant once I get to 25. I did ask in another thread about the Hero's Journey quest line and there are a few pieces that I'd like to grab. (Namely belt) Would it be best to get +5 lvl of the restriction and then go back for it?
I wouldn't worry toooo much about gear until higher. Monks do pretty well without it. You'll just end up replacing it quickly. Below lvl 50, I'd really consider tank mercs. They will not only take the damage, but are pretty good dps as well. Won't need a healer. They can almost powerlevel you up to lvl 50-55, at which point switching to cleric is better, as you can tank and have AA open up to make you better at it.
Really? Just grab a tank merc, let him grind me? Ok... but that feels like cheating. At my lvl I'm only able to get a J1, is that right?
You don't have to use him, but it is a huge help. Do whatever you feel is most fun. I just think tank merc will get you leveled faster. Yes, J1 is best you can get right now. If you have some friends that are higher and can help you, you can get J5, but there's a level gap you have to fit in depending on their level. Probably around 70 you can shoot for that (I think they can shroud down to level 80-85 to get the tasks, then unshroud to do them). J1 mercs will do very well in the meantime though.
Generally the only time you really have to worry much about the weight limit are the lower levels; if you get too much gear you will actually go over it; though you have to be fairly overweight to really feel the loss. At higher levels you tend to get more into monk specific-ish gear combined with WR bags that make it so that you're never really near the cap. It would be around the 60-70 range where you'll start not having much trouble staying under the weight limit. Especially these days since you have huge WR bags and can put bags in bags.
