It was true within the context of EQ. But Brad and Co. clearly knew about the concept of FD-pulling via monks when making VG. I've not seen any official statement from Sigil stating that monks in VG were never intended to be pullers.

OFF TOPIC REPLY

No cookies, but you can go up to the counter after the happy meal is gone and ask for a kids cone.  They come with it, even if they don't advertise that fact.

That was EQ1's concept of it....nobody said Vanguard's monks were going to be the same as EQ's monks.  That was your mistake for thinking monks in this game would be the same as in that game...

FD is there as a means to avoid real death...not for pulling.

Funny thing...my main is a rogue and on the Safehouse forums alot of people are bitching that rogues are gimped and need to be re-done.

My alt is a monk and on this site alot think monks are gimped and need to be re-done.

Everyone thinks their class is the most gimped or the most "broken".

If you stop comparing classes from one game to the other maybe you'll learn how to play in this game.

That goes for the rogues and the monks.

*edit:
for the sake of argument im defining these terms using my opinion on a solid MMO definition
Broken :  A class not being able to effectively do his main role (this can occur from improper coding or he simply wasn't given the tools to effectively do his job, either out of neglect of the class or the weakness is simply unkown).
A broken class could also be defined as one who can do his job so well that other classes become obsolete (this can also be referred to as "overpowered".)
*


Lol, rogues broken?   After the past few patches were dedicated to fix them?  Is broken defined by consistently hitting in the 4k range (at my lvl = lvl 35) when i can barely break 2k?   Every one who plays another class claiming to be "broken" needs to be forced to play nothing but an equal lvl monk for a week.    Anyway, as someone pointed out to me earlier, maybe the correct term is not broken.  *edit: I agree with soluss about the rogue thing * The facts are:

we ARE a playable class, and a class that is still enjoyable (for some) to play.
our DPS is lower than it should be, (confirmed by devs)
stances need to be reworked (confirmed by devs)

Im not sure if FD being "different" from the way it used to work would be = to broken or not.  However, the point of the monk class (and i believe many would agree) is to deal damage.   However, as noted above, our damage is not where it should be.   Therefore, monk = broken or at least extremely out of balance.

Following this logic, one could say rangers are "broken" because they do too much damage, unless they are doing the amount devs want them to be.  If that is the case all rangers need to STFU about being broken.

Following this exact same logic, rogues are either doing the damage they're supposed to and are fine, with maybe a few bugs to work out with poisons and some minor bugs.  If they are doing the damage they are supposed to then all rogues need to STFU about being broken.

My point is the other DPS classes are consistently doing the amount of damage they are supposed to (or they are doing too much) and they are doing their focus/main job and therefore do not need much reworking.  The monk class is falling far below the damage ranges and unable to efficiently do his main job, no matter how you try to play it, spamming abilities, auto attack only, it falls far short of where i think the DEVS said it "should" be. 

If this is true, then ONLY the monk class is "broken" and ONLY the monk class should get attention be fixed to the point at the very LEAST where he is DPSing where he should be.   

So as far as im concerned, everyone not playing a monk can STFU until we get fixed 

Disclaimer:
(this in no way is directed at the individuals intelligent enough to understand how to play their class and realize that it is not broken.  This post is directed at the n00bs who are consistently going to complain while in the shoes of a relatively fixed class.  (fixed as being defined in the above post.))

To Vinjan:
I have played many classes in this game and i have understood how to play them and play them well.  I understand class strengths and extort those to do the most damage possible.  I know there is no way i can prove this to you but i assure you i am playing the monk to his strengths as best as anyone can.  I exploit all weaknesses as soon as i see them, i keep all of my skills maxed so i can do damage which types of weapons do the most damage.  I still can't decided if dual wield H2H combat does more than 2handering because somedays the mobs seem to die faster with me 2hander and some days they seem to die faster with hand2hand combat. 

I feel that i have accrued enough experience about this game from playing a variety of classes (some more than others) starting in beta that i can effectively compare classes to the one i have chosen to stick with, the monk in this case.  I feel that balance among classes is of the utmost importance in any MMO game.  I also feel monks are out of balance and I also like making a stink about it     I also feel like i can effectively play my class (yes i have pulled aggro from an even lvl ranger bye purely DPSing, but it only happens when my secrets are up).  My point is because i choose to compare classes for the sake of keeping things in balance, does not mean i do not know how to effectively play this game.   

I didn't mistake anything. If you bothered to follow the posts, you'd understand that my take is that 1) monk pulling is situational at best atm, 2) I'm ok with that, provided it's working as intended, and 3) no one has actually seen an official statement from Sigil on whether or not monks were designed to be pullers in this game.

You'd also understand quite a bit more about my stance on some of the other issues you mentioned, but since your forte appears to be "selective reading", I won't re-hash that since you've probably stopped reading this far by now anyway. 

Fair enough jpo. 

And yes, I agree with your assessment that many liken VG too much to EQ. Although to be fair, it's understandable to a degree since these designers are indeed the same guys behind EQ. I know I myself am guilty of this at times but I do my best to roll with the punches (no pun intended). 

I've always liked the concept of letting the players figure things out because it stimulates the player base to try new tactics. Occassionally though, I think the devs need to step in and clarify certain issues when things get out of hand. This will probably always be the case within the discussion of class balance though so I suppose it's just par for the course.

My opinion on the monk class is this:

DPS - I seem to do DPS very nicely from my perspective.  I consistently see numbers like 1000+ and occasionally hit for anywhere around 2000 - 5000 with extra crits hitting for another 1000 - 3000 damage.  My groups can definately notice a considerable amount of DPS loss when I'm afk.  I'm consistently pulling aggro off any other class in the group, and I do it with ease and without using my aggro abilities such as waning palm or goading slap.  I think we still need some adjustments on DPS sure,  but it's very close to where it should be I think.  I'm sure there are monks out there that don't fully utilize their weaknesses and whatnot too which could be a dertermining factor as to why their DPS number aren't up to par.  There needs to be some sort of strategy when you are popping those skills.  You can't just mash buttons in any order and expect to do top DPS and be #1 at all times.  Buffs, gear, and weapons play a vital part in this too as well as group makeup, level of mobs, and things like that.

Offtanking -  I can offtank 3 dot mobs and 4 dot mobs and have even offtanked 5 dot mobs on occasion.  I'm a Dragon Monk too,  not Drunken or Harmonious so I don't even have the aggroing abilities they have.  I can't offtank as well as a normal tank can sure,  but I do it extremely well imo.  I won't claim that my gear is gimp that's for sure,  but it's all about timing and skill from what I can gather.  We have the skills to do it,  but if you stand there and try to DPS the mob down while you have aggro then you aren't offtanking like you should be.  Using your defensive stance and constantly using Swaying Step ability along with your counter attacks are key to survival and successful offtanking. Your healers in the group need to know your limitations and be ready for swift healing if needs be.

Crowd Control - I find myself using Nerve Strike constantly in groups.  Sure a bard can lull pull and mez adds if you have one,  or a cleric can lull and pull also.  There are many classes that can find ways to pull stuff efficiently but there are times when using my stun on incoming to that 3rd or 4th mob or "extra" add can save a wipe or simply make CC a ton easier for the group.  I also use Nerve Strike while solo or duoing with my wife "rogue".  Running up to a group of 2 mobs and FD.  Pop NS on 1 of them and run back.  Have your partner attack it to get aggro on that mob and then FD again to drop the one you had stunned from your aggro list = single pull.  Works nicely and I have done this over and over effectively.  If solo,  then you do same thing but you just need to pull back further so you can FD and then immediatly stand up and range the one running back.

We also have 2 other CC abilties that help in groups.  Waning palm and Goading Slap.  You can use Waning Palm to "deaggro" a group member such as a healer or a caster dps when they over aggro or get an add on them.  This could effectively save a group wipe and I have proven that fact numerous times.  You can use Goading Slap on your main tank to help generate some additional hate "800" at my current level of 40,  which helps alot with ping-ponging aggro.  This keeps the aggro on the sole tank of the group and essentially makes things easier on the healer and also allows the DPS classes to open up a bit more without fear of over-aggroing.....to some point ofcourse.

Feign Death - Yeah,  I agree with alot of posters on this in that I was under the assumtion that it worked like EQ1 monks back in the day.  It did exactly that during beta and live release and then a patch broke it but has yet to be corrected.  The occasional mob that camps you sometimes is a pain in the rear also but overcome by simply hitting your FD key twice very quickly and praying you don't fail,  which in most of my personal cases it hasn't.  It's definately not game-breaking to me but I feel it needs some attention and has had plenty of time for just that.  So come on Sigil and get it done will ya!!  Fix it or state what exactly you want it to be ( clearly ) and make it so!  FD has saved my life so many times I lost count.  I have more exp because of it.  I have lived thru so many encounters that would have been otherwise impossible due to this skill alone.  I'm not broken because this skill don't allow me to be the best puller,  but I'm not happy with the way they are handling the current issue and haven't even attempted to make any corrections for a problem that their patch borked up.

Soaring Leap - Awesome skill!!  Enough said!

Stances - Our stances are borked pretty bad.  Like others have posted,  they need to be revamped.  Period.  There are plenty of examples and plenty of ideas for better changes on these boards and other boards so I'm not going into that.

Well,  that's all I got for now.