Monark Beginner’s Guide: 5 Essential Tips for New Players

by Mike Alexander / Game Guides, Tips & Tricks / 24 Jul 2023

Fans of JRPG and anime-style games in general probably either already own Monark or have a close eye on it. Its unique art style and interesting combat system have lured many into its mysterious story, but it isn’t terribly welcoming to people unfamiliar with the genre. Taking a few minutes to step back and really understand some of Monark’s systems and how they interact with each other will prevent you from getting discouraged and bouncing off of the game.

This mechanically dense experience can seem daunting when you first start it, but thankfully, you just need a few tips to really be able to dig in and enjoy everything the game has to offer, and that is exactly what I will provide here. Let’s get started on the Monark Beginner’s Guide!

Get A Head Start

At the beginning of Monark, you will be asked a series of increasingly personal questions. How you answer these questions will determine the parameters for your Ego, which will, in turn, determine which “Fiend” (the demons who help you in combat) you begin the game with. In order to start the game off on the best foot possible, it is recommended that you answer these questions so that your final Ego parameter ends up being Lust, as the Fiend associated with Lust is very powerful and has skills that will help you get through the early stages of the game quite easily. It is a powerful magic caster that has access to single target attacks as well as the area of effect attacks that affect groups of enemies.

Master The Link Ability

The main character in Monark, as a Pactbearer, has an ability that allows them to “link” to their party members, increasing the strength as well as buffs and debuffs across all members who are linked. It’s fairly easy to let this ability fall by the wayside when trying to get a handle on all of Monark’s mechanics, but do not ignore this one. It becomes crucial to success in later battles, especially when you begin to fight other Pactbearers. Enemy Pactbearers also have this ability, so early mastery of this link ability will prevent you from hitting a wall later on when the difficulty increases sharply.

Don’t Be Afraid To Explore

Monark is a massive game. I don’t say that to discourage you, but rather to let you know that going slow, talking to every NPC, and searching every corner for items is the best way to play this game. It revels in its enormity, and interacting with every character and picking up every item will give you access to new places to visit. These new locations offer opportunities to further explore and learn the world of Monark as well as gain experience. Maintain that spirit of exploration, and you will be rewarded with phone numbers, which are an important aspect of Monark that will take you to even more locations.

Get Ready To Grind

Monark is unique in the JRPG genre in that it does not feature random battles. In order to gain the experience you need to level up yourself and your Fiends, you will need to use the phone numbers you’ve found in your explorations to access new levels. These levels will have objectives that, when completed, will grant you with the experience you seek. There are numerous phone numbers to be found, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to collect experience. Also, you can revisit levels by calling phone numbers you’ve already used. This is a great way to grind out experience to gain levels throughout your journey.

Invest In Your Skills

In the early parts of Monark, while you’re taking time to explore and grind for experience, it is a good idea to level up skills you already have rather than unlocking new ones right away. Doing this is often cheaper, and it will allow you to gain strength more quickly than stockpiling experience to unlock new skills. Having many super-powered skills early on will be a boon when the game starts to pick up in intensity. Even using this method to upgrade skills you don’t use all the time will still give you more powerful options in battle.

There you have it, a beginner’s guide for Monark, a brand new JRPG that is simultaneously tough-as-nails and addicting to play. Hopefully, this guide will make the first stages of the game easier to get through and make you more prepared for the tougher battles towards the end of the game. So, keep these tips in mind, and good luck on your Monark adventure!

Mike Alexander

Mike has been playing video games since he was able to hold a controller, having been fascinated by Sonic 2 on his mom’s Sega Genesis. That fascination and passion for the art form has grown exponentially nearly 30 years later, and he doesn’t see that fading away anytime soon.
View all posts