I honestly can't think of a way to ask this in-game and remain IC, so I'll ask here instead.

Having just graduated from novicehood, I'm looking to purchase a jakari. I'd like to buy one that's above-average - in other words, one that I can use to bash my way up to a decent level and (hopefully) start amassing gold towards a PvP weapon. Just to make it clear, I'm looking for a PvE weapon at the moment.

Problem is, I have no idea what I should be looking for. The thread on weapon stats is focused on warrior weaponry, and while I realise the monk archetypes haven't really been around long enough to get a good feel for what's good, bad or average in terms of stats, I'm hoping to get a general guideline that I can use as a benchmark. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Speed. Monks have been around long enough to show that speed is all that matters for PvP and PvE. Maximum speed on a jikari is 220 speed. Find the craziest forger in the universe and ask them for that. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for 215.

Stats only matter in increments of five.
205 is fine, 210 is minimum for PVP. 215 is rare, but findable. 220? Doesn't happen.

Revan had a 220 from what I was told. Just have to find an insane forger. A VERY insane forger.

218 was the highest he ever got

So it is speed alone that matters, then? That implies that a weapon for PvP is also useable for PvE - is this the case?

Also (I probably should have added this in the OP), what kind of prices would I be looking at, roughly? I realise that's a question more suited to the exchange than here, but I'm trying to weigh my options.

He just needed a crazier forger.

And yes, Ryll. The best weapons for PvE and PvP are one in the same.

A 210 will take a forger with a mallet a few hours typically.

A 215 can take days.

220s exist in a state known as "statistically retarded", wherein you are about as likely to forge one as you are to fall out of a biplane and be eaten by petrodons before you hit the ground.

215 is as good as 216, 217, 218, and 219s. I tell you this so you are a much more intelligent and frugal purchaser if somebody attempts to swindle you.

Ah, thanks for all the advice! Much appreciated!

The chance is probably even lower. I'd say the chance is about the same as that of all oxygen molecules suddenly sitting in one corner of the room, suffocating you.

Oh, and ask Owen.

A few hours is only if the RNG really really loves you. I'm going with Zhiren's estimate.

For a 210? 210s aren't so bad typically. They're not like 1h 110s or anything.

In the end I got a 210 forged, which didn't seem to take that long. A few hours, tops. Of course, it's *exactly* 210, which I assume is easier to get than a 214, and I have no idea what the skill level of the forger is (or even whether a hammer was used). Either way, it's noticeably faster than barehanded Kata when hunting, which is brilliant from my perspective. Thanks to all who provided advice!

If you're Illithoid, you ought to get a stats bonus too, don't forget that...as a kephera with harmony, I can theoretically boost my speed up to 230 (but dealing with a weak harmony set).

Or you could be awesome like Narsrim, Jozan, and myself and rune your kata weapons.

Who said I haven't? Just noting that being Illithoid is a good way to boost stats (among other considerations as well)

I never did. I just said you're not cool.

Actually, I was considering going Illithoid because it makes RP sense, as well as being pretty much tailor-made for the Ninjakari class. The only thing that bothers me is that low Charisma, since I use Psionics, which works off ego (and I've heard that the id channel is directly affected by it, too). At the moment, I'm human. The xp bonus made getting to 50 really easy, especially coupled with Harmony, but the evolutions are so-so - last one I got was Intelligence, which doesn't really help me at all.

Charisma doesn't impact Psychometabolism all that much if at all, truly. Illithoid can boost their ego with illdrain that it probably ends up being better than almost any other monk oriented race. This largely stems from the fact that Psychometabolism involves locking channels not actively using them.