"Monks in 2.2 and beyond" is, first, an all-encompassing look at the class and second, a simple thread meant to be a resource for anybody interested in playing or improving the fabled MNK. Language will be kept bare and understandable for the most part, and i'll be sure to include lots of random ramblings until i can sort out a good way to run this thread!

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1. Introduction, Class features [CLS1]
   technical and non-technical. learn about your capabilities as a party mate!
2. Opening Rotation (from Perfect Balance) [OPB1]
   with video
3. Gear to get, reasoning [BIS1]
4. Stat weights [STA1]
5. Example gear sets [GEAR1]

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Without further ado however, here's an introduction to the role, the class, and what to look forward to in this thread:
━━━━━⋯[CLS1]

Your Monk (MNK) in 2.2
Congratulations on leveling up to 50!!
You are now granted the opportunity to use many of MNK's stronger skills.
Dragon Kick (DK) grants increased damage to you and a summoner's ifrit.
Perfect Balance (PB) allows you create the perfect opener to each fight in the game (more on that later).

Given that the class is now regarded as one of the stronger Classes available as of 2.1, it's easy to take its strength for granted. Prior to the patch however, many viewed playing as difficult or taxing on the player. Stacks would fall off easily, it would take more effort than other DPS counterparts to deal the same damage in many fights (including but not limited to: Titan EX, Ifrit EX, Turn 5, Leviathan EX). In many communities outside of North America this may have been overlooked but from within our server structure it seemed like a niche class at the time.

With the added patch, increased damage and added stack retention (Greased Lightning, or GL), limelight was brought to the class once again and players started picking up a once unpopular class as a pet project or as a new main.
You are now looking at the newer and more improved version of the previously available class, but what i want to highlight is that it was always quite strong regardless of how views were like, or how general play was received by others. Overall damage was only increased by a small bit, and GL3 could be kept throughout all fights if time and care was given to it. This did not however remove all of the frustration that was brought about with the new content, or with the newly available play-style of the class.

Let's be honest, melee classes are bread and butter with your tanks. They provide support and necessary damage to meet the requirements for clearing mechanics and making good time in a fight. Theory is not my strong point, but your average melee class in FFXIV:ARR does moderate to high damage from beginning to end. In this thread, i will attempt to highlight ways you can increase your damage from regular ideas and conventions as well as highlighting things you can think of as a MNK of the future!

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Your class features as a MNK are:
◆Some of the highest single (and AOE, sub-30s encounters) damage output in the game. Arguably the highest in fights where you can stand and deal.
―You may only be compared to DRGs in fights that constitute heavy team-play (Ifrit EX, Turn 5, Turn 7, Turn 9) where they thrive with their BRD buffs, non-positionals, and leniency with stacks and debuff timers. Most of the time, SMNs are your main competition in the brute-force damage departement, but many view the MNK as slightly stronger of the two.

◆Strong utility in end-game as self-sustaining damage dealers (DD) and good mobility. Mantra is a good healing buff, especially when Convalescence is popped at the same time.
―Mantra provides 20% healing increase to everyone in a short melee range and is a 5% buff of the same nature to anyone using it as a cross-class skill. That is, at base value, +100 health regained to a Cure II that hits for 2000, or up to +400 when a MNK uses it. It is a good utility skill on a 2-minute cooldown where fights often last 4-12 minutes total.

◇The Negatives to the above-mentioned "self-sustaining' aspect of MNKs is that with a high Skill Speed (SS) property, they are heavily reliant on a BRD to provide Army's Paeon for longer fights.
―MNKs may usually be strong and independent with cross-class skills available to them (Invigorate, Blood Bath), but increased Skill Speed spells disaster for sustained fights (Turn 1, Turn 5, Turn 6, Turn 8).
It's with this that having a BRD who is willing and knowledgeable is necessary in sustaining 100% uptime past the 3:30 to 4 minute mark.
Please be responsible with your own TP regardless. Use invigorate early (@540-600 TP remaining) and often (twice before running low in 100% uptime situations as in Turn 8) as practice for good play.
―In the future, more and more (SS) will be available to MNKs as well as having it as an overall stronger stat. Make friends with your local BRD, and prepared to bring flowers to raid ( ! )

◆Efficient with less gear than other DPS counterparts, and not dependant on immediate drops. However, MNKs scale extremely well with weapon upgrades (WDamage) and overall upgrades to STR and other stats. This is because of their innate ability to attack at a base GCD of about 2.1, or down to 1.8X seconds.
―As i often like to say, MNKs with good weapons and good knowhow can often perform better than their gear suggests. I would go as far to say that someone 10 ilevels above could be hard-pressed to stay on even footing when comparing raw damage. A MNK with Wave Patas and general i90 gear (meeting accuracy requirements for 100% hit) can net 350-370 DPS in Turn 6 (Second Coil).

◆With strong and fast play, you're encouraged with faster and harder hitting. It is a very high-paced class that rewards careful and meticulous play. However, it demotes careless or otherwise uneducated play and represents only moderate damage in that way.
―With this reasoning, MNKs are generally bad as progression-only classes in the very newest content. Their damage is marginalized as moderate because each fight requires a specific rotation of skills, and an understanding of each fight mechanic for the MNK player to be able to capitalize on every little detail. On the flip side, should you ever come closer to mastering a fight, MNKs are generally stronger over time (with comfort)–made visible with good and consistent damage numbers.
―Time is a commodity to DPS gamers (albeit, more usually means something is more forgiving). While most other damage dealing (DD) classes deal more damage with shorter fights (with buffs and buffed damage taking up most of that time), MNKs deal the more or less the same amount throughout the entire fight–the kicker being that their startup time is often viewed as their weakest, including phase-changes or opportunities for the player to lose Greased Lightning III (GL3) stacks.

With that being said, let's move on down with where everything is started, the MNK rotation / opening.

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⋯[OPB1]

Perfect Balance (PB) opens up. (something more graphical later)
Please try to create a mental image of how each of these combos flow practically.
You won't know how this goes until you try it on a dummy, trust me!

GCD dependant attacks are highlighted bold
things you can fit between attacks are generally added with a ＋plus＋ sign or remain unbolded.

☀              o p e n i n g              ☀
Perfect Balance 》Demolish 》
Blood for Blood ＋ Snap Punch 》
Internal Release ＋ Snap Punch ＋ Howling Fist 》
Dragon Kick ＋ Steel Peek ＋ Snap Punch
☀               e n d                ☀

This is now a slightly deeper look as to why things flow the way they do.
Please keep in mind, you have the duration of Perfect Balance to do all of this near-perfectly–That's 10 seconds from pressing PB.

Same formatting will occur except your gambit or attacks taking place directly after the opening will be added.
【START】PB 》(1)Demolish 》 BFB ＋ (2)Snap Punch 》 Internal Release ＋ (3)Snap Punch ＋ Howling Fist 》 (4)Dragon Kick ＋ Steel Peek ＋ ★Snap Punch 【END】
Video

(1)Demolish is a strong DoT even without Greased lightning or the upcoming buffs.
Has no buffs, 310 (240+70) base potency, applies first stack (GL1).
Potion of Strength around here for heavy front-ended damage. Lasts 15 seconds.
*At this point, Perfect Balance (PB) is at 9 seconds left.
(2)Gain second Greased Lightning buff (GL2).
Has BFB buff @<20s and ticking.
*(PB) is at 7.5 seconds.
(3)Gain final stack (GL3). Buffed Snap Punch (at 2 in a row used now).
Has BFB, Internal Release and ticking at nearly the same pace. This is the reason why you use BFB first of the two for BRD, DRG, and MNK.
*PB is at 5 seconds.
(4)Dragon Kick and making use of max stacks (@GL3).
Your second-to-last Snap Punch which already applied GL3 ensures the next part of your moveset is near-maximum damage (buffed all across the board).
Dragon Kick is squeezed in to buff your next Snap Punch to the very brink. An off-GCD is added (you have two available) which is also buffed to the same amount. I generally prefer (and it is shown in the video) using Steel Peek before Howling Fist as opposed to how the opening is described, but both ways are good and fine.
*PB has 3 seconds left.
★Snap punch is squeezed in to round off the end of the opening.
*Squeezing is an understatement. Prior to this attack, your time left on (PB) is at 1 second maximum. Mash this button to ensure this Snap Punch comes out!
This Snap punch is your highest potency attack at this point and is the chaos dunk that Michael Jordan wishes he could perform. Please make sure this comes out and evens out your entire rotation without fail.

Now that you can start from scratch again, try starting with
Dragon Kick ＋ Twin Snakes ＋ Touch of Death ＋ Demolish
The reasoning behind this is quite simple. (PB) does not convert your stance for you, but allows you to use and benefit from stances at will. That means Dragon Kick applies even if you don't have the appropriate stance up from Snap Punch or Demolish. It also means that by the end of (PB) and the final Snap Punch, you're left at scratch with BFB running and no stance.
―Dragon Kick from the flank is the highest potency attack you can deal at this moment given those conditions, on par with your only other alternative which is a Bootshine from the rear. The only difference is, Dragon Kick doesn't require movement and can be queued up freely right when (PB) ends.
―Twin Snakes is an obvious follow up as you did not benefit from it during your (PB) opening, but can do so starting now! It combos straight out of Dragon Kick.
―Right around this point you will be wondering why Demolish comes up again so quickly, or why Touch of Death (ToD) with its huge 270 (250+20) potency comes out so late.
You're limited to 5 full GCD attacks (5 times 2-2.5 seconds each) during (PB). Demolish is used over ToD because of its higher potency, the rest is history because they're a required part of making use of the rest of (PB)'s duration.
ToD in this case is to fill in the remaining timer on your very first Demolish. It should now be at around 5 seconds. ToD is used, it is now at 3 seconds, Demolish is queued up and ticks down to about 1 second before it is refreshed–refined and efficient, as well as highly buffed.

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At this point, you're full steam ahead, full (GL3) and all, and about 20 seconds into the fight! That was fast, wasn't it? But be prepared for the next 3 minutes, as things are going to feel faster and shakier. Fight mechanics happen and mess around with all your carefully planned attacks, or stacks begin to fall off due to missed timings or inexperience. Not to fret! Let's just concentrate on what we're doing in our best case scenario.

We are all primed and ready with (GL3) and buffs, off-GCDs, and full focus ticking down. You are near your prime to deal maximum damage. If you were to ever look at a parser (ACT, LogRep2) your chart would show your peak as your opening, and right this moment while you're on a high. It is however, about to drop off, and the key to all damage dealing is to keep a minimum and to make use of your maximums as best you can. This is the essence of Min-Maxing in gaming and in gameplay!

Auto-attacks: Automatically apply damage if you are in range. In FFXIV, the easiest way to begin this on a target by target basis is to begin by right-clicking (necessary for mages) or casting a skill on the target.
Skill range: Minimum range required for skills to begin hitting. Usually viewable by the virtue that skill will usable if their cost is not highlighted RED.

This is a visual guide to discuss the differences and the technical maximum involved with auto-attacks specifically. it will be updated with better visuals and more information eventually.

1. Gear to get, reasoning [BIS1]
2. Stat weights [STA1]
3. Example gear sets [GEAR1]
4. Etc. [ETC1]

━━━━━⋯[BIS1]
━━━━━⋯[STA1]
━━━━━⋯[GEAR1]
━━━━━⋯[ETC1]

Good resources:
FFXIV Gear Calculator, Ariyala
｀Very useful tool for checking total stat values. Please check Compact View at the top right

reservations for none