So! For all my bluster about liking tribal trolls more, I suddenly wanted to make a Zandalari Monk, and I am surprisingly invested in levelling and RP’ing with him, thing is, I haven’t a clue about what Loa is best befitting a Zandalari monk.
Where would it be best to say he learned these things, should I even pick a loa from Zandalar at all, is there maybe a better one to follow?
This may depend somewhat on you and what kind of fighting style (or spec) you want to be.
Kragwa is a good loa for tank/dps for instance, but may not fit with healing so well. Akunda might be better for healing though. Gonk works well for DPS. Torcali’s a good tank loa to pick too.
Maybe you don’t even focus on the named major loa and instead focus on your family loa as your inspiration for monkhood? It’s always an option.
I’ve seen people play Zandalari monks with Kimbul as their loa and be more just martial artists who use Kimbul’s boons etc to empower strikes.
However you could go down the route of your Zandalari learning from Pandaren and possibly treating a celestial as their Loa, despite them not technically being one.
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Ah, yes the advice is appreciated, Elenthas. I’m indeed going Brewmaster with it, and Kag’wa does seem like a good fit there, thanks!
I think it has been mentioned before but you should go with Kimbul, he’s probably the best choice.
I once had a Troll too, he too followed Kimbul and I can say that fighting as a Windwalker with your fists/claws is very related to Kimbul.
I loved the RP you could have with it because after all, imo it suits the monk class quite well.
So out of my experience, I would say Kimbul is a good choice unless you wanna go with “I learned this from the Pandaren”. That works too!
I imagine my Zandalari monk as a spiritual warrior who fights to defend the honor of all of Zandalar’s loas, not just one in particular.
I don’t really like the idea of her being a student of traditional Pandaren monk schools, or the idea of her being a genius who quickly developed her own fighting style or whatever.
Instead I basically headcanon that somewhere in the mountains of Dazar’alor there’s a Zandalari monk school. The master there is a Zandalari troll who would’ve sought to develop a fighting style similar to those of the monks he encountered in the invasion of Pandaria, but with the nature and the loa of Zandalar serving as his inspiration rather than the August Celestials. Physical maneuvers inspired by the way Pa’ku’s children ride the wind, powerful flying kicks that evoke the mighty leaps of Krag’wa’s children, the tiger moves obviously being inspired by Kimbul, etc.
There are no zandalari monk NPCs in the game, not even a trainer, so you have to get creative.
In my experience, most choose to not be monks in the traditional sense at all IC, but rather fistfighters/brawlers etc., of some loa sect or the like small enough to have been plausibly overlooked by the lore.
E’ko: A Zandali expression for life force
E’ko warrior could be another thing for you, there’s also Jaguar Warriors whom use unarmed strikes and enhance their bodies beyond natural limit via potions. I’d go for Kimbul when it comes to the Loa.
Just to add to other responses: your Zandalari could have learnt the ways of a monk from Pandaria, if he was there during the Golden Fleet expedition. Maybe not follow the Celestials(since he’d be branded a heretic by other trolls for following false loa), but perhaps study the ways of using E’ko(chi) and martial arts. If I recall correctly, Voljin trained with the Shado Pan to strengthen his fighting skills.
Alternatively, your Zandalari does not have to be a monk in its traditional meaning. He could simply be using E’ko mixed with martial arts, not the Pandaren style.
About the Loa: I feel like Kimbul would be the best fit. (plus, monks have cool tiger inspired mogs). Through Kimbul-granted abilities, he could empower his fists to pack stronger and faster punches.
Seems there are basically those two ways of going about it then.
One: Your zandalari is a martial artist/brawler with a loa in their corner, granting them access to abilities beyond those of ordinary fighters. Several fitting loa have already been covered in this thread, and it’s arguably more in line with the proud zandalari culture than other options.
Two: Your zandalari troll has picked up the pandaren martial art from someone knowledgeable in such. Not much of a stretch for them to find a sympathetic mentor among the Horde ranks, even if it might prove challenging to come by one IC.
I would personally go with follower of Kimbul or Shirvallah, and using the claw fist weapon and combat styles to enhance the event experience or brawling experiences, ignoring the monk parts almost completely, only using their cool tiger abilities and mogs. But any of the tips what the mons above me said would work!
I appreciate all the advice, your opinions are very welcome! I believe I’ve already come up with a good concept I want to pursue, thanks to Elenthas, though you’re all appreciated nonetheless!
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