Does the ac hit from being over 14.9st really hurt low to mid monks?

[Caleban]

I have played a monk to level 27 as my main after having tried a shammy for a few levels. I was told that playing a monk as my main would be tough financially. This has led me to ask does the ac hit really matter so much that I should be penalising myself by not looting as freely as I would on any other class?

In my experience, when grouping what matters most is your effectiveness as a puller/dpser. If you can develop a reputation as a solid puller, based on your knowledge of zones/dungeons and pulling mechanics, then I feel that will outweigh any extra dmg you may take. Because as puller you are always on the move, people will view you as the workhorse of the team and are likely to be more indulgent as a result which helps. Obviously you have to act within reason, on the few times I end up being MT then yes the ac penalty does begin to make a difference, so I destroy that copper and silver and I am not afraid of asking if it is possible to have a master looter. If asked to pull, I try to minimise any hits I may take by using throwing weapons and strafing back when possible.

When soloing, I have felt, without measuring this in any rigorous manner, that the equipment upgrades I have been able to afford by looting with more abandon than the weight restriction generally allows outweigh the ac hit and dmg I take from being over. It is also important to be strategic, I generally solo in areas near vendors making it easier for me to hover around the limit. I also got my tailoring to a level where I could craft cured silk and weight reduction bags to help.

All in all, I don't feel I gimped myself in any way when not sticking to the weight restriction and would want to reassure anyone who may be put off by the financial constraints of playing a monk. That is just my experience though and I would be interested in finding out what others think. I should say this applies to low to mid range monks, I can see the importance of sticking to the limit at higher levels where content gets tougher and fights can swing on even the smallest of differences.