Monk: Question on Benefits of Offensive vs Defensive Gear

[Vohl]

Don't sweat stats.

Your first priority is to get the best weapon(s) you can.
Your second priority is to get the best haste you can.
Your third priority is a split between AC and HP gear. Maximize both, with 1AC=10HP.
Keep your weight under 15 if at all possible to benefit from bonus AC, especially at higher levels.

Additionally, get some cheap high +HP /+STA gear without regard for AC. Bag this. In between fights, swap this in as needed to BW up over 50%. It will increase your HP binding by 5-10%, reducing downtime by quite a bit. Mend if a typical fight requires all your HPs.

When soloing, find the weakest DB mobs you can consistently kill. Get a feel for how far they will beat you down. Ideally, fight things that you can take down at 50-60% HPs, so you can bind, rest, and occasionally Mend to keep the XP flowing.

Dungeons, especially away from casters, are ideal due to high XP-multipliers. At your level, the Runnyeye canal area has a lot of warriors that will probably work for you.