Diablo® III

BUILD UPDATE ON PAGE 6 May 25th.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aiXgYQ!YeX!aYcaab
Here is the build^

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/KhalenWear/Monk.png
Here is a picture of my character screen last update May 20th, 9:30AM EST^^

Hey everyone, I'm Abscent, Battle Tag: Abscent#1866 (newly level 60 Monk with currently ~38k HP and ~6,200 damage), and hopefully I can shed some light on what I recommend to be the preffered build to play a Monk. I hope for great discussion and added ideas to make a great build for future Inferno play. I am aware that this is solely a template and every encounter is different. However, I have find this build to be used a majority of the time and doesn't need to be changed for group or solo play.

The above build is great for high mobility, sustained healing, damage reduction/absorbtion, and support in group play. I'd also like to state that I use a main hand and shield (the most optimal way to gear your monk)

Primary: Fist of Thunder - Runed: Thunder Clap.
Using this primary attack insures the fastest spirit recovery and mobility needed to move around quickly as a monk. It allows for chasing down running enemies and also teleporting to a further away enemy to gain distance from unwanted damage/pressure.

Secondary: PreferredSweeping Wind - Runed: Inner Storm or Lashing Tail Kick - Runed: Vulture Claw Kick
Lashing Tail kick is great for knocking back mobs to gain distance/time to heal or free yourself from danger. I use this skill only during certain situations.
Preferably, Sweeping Wind is the wiser choice. It provides a sustained dps against mobs of enemies and it's great on boss fights. Also, the runed passive is great for providing needed Spirit during encounters.

Defensive: Breath of Heaven - Runed: PreferredPenitent Flame or Blazing Wrath
Breath of Heaven is great for a clutch heal to yourself or a group member. I only use it when Serenity is on cool down for myself and if I or another groupmate need a big heal. The Penitent flame rune is great for the fear and provides that extra CC that is needed in higher difficulties. I use it over Blazing Wrath because to be honest, Act IV Hell and Inferno are damn hard...CC is the better route.

Defensive: Serenity - Runed: Peaceful Repose
The most effective defensive spell I believe to be in the Monk arsenal. Provides 3 seconds of immunity and with the runed ability provides another heal to the Monk. Pretty low cooldown as well. Note - It is better to use this skill to break out of CC or reduce incoming damage rather than using it to heal low health.

3rd Ability: Preferred Blinding Flash - Runed: Self Reflection or Seven-Sided Strike - Runed: Sudden Assault
Blinding flash works on most bosses and a large majority of enemies. It provides a AoE blinding CC and with the runed ability last 4 seconds. Seven-Sided Strike is great for high damage and also to avoid incoming damage. The duration of the strikes leaves you invulnerable to damage and could save your life. The long cooldown is the only deterrent.

Mantras: Mantra of Healing - Runed: Boon of Protection
So...good. This mantra provides a high HP regeneration rate and with its runed ability provides a hefty defensive shield that absorbs 15% of your maximum life in damage. This Mantra, along with the Passive Ability: Transcendence, provides a great low spirit costing heal and can/will keep you topped off during a boss encounter or when fighting mobs of enemies. This setup has kept myself and a group of teammates from taking nearly any damage while playing through the game. Pop this mantra right before incoming damage is to be taken and it will be absorbed.

Passive Abilities:
Transcendence - Whenever you spend sprit, you heal for a considerable amount of life. This works in great succession with Serenity, Mantra of Healing, and Breath of Heaven. I find this Passive to be the most important out of the 3.

Pacifism - Take 75% less damage when stunned, charmed, or feared. This passive has saved my life numerous times when Serenity has been on cooldown. Mobs in Inferno hit very hard and CC a large amount. If you can reduce the incoming damage during that time, you are saving your own life.

Seize the Initiative - Speaks for itself. Having that increase in armor is invaluable. Dexterity increases your armor and also provides you with dodge. This makes you to be a great off-tank/melee battle support.

Other great passives include:

Exalted Soul: If you notice you need a large spirit pool than that 150 being given to you. I sometimes switch this out for Seize the Initiative if I feel I'm doing alot of healing/support abilities than normal. During boss encounters or unique/champion mobs encounters the spamming of your skills will happen. Having a larger pool of spirit to work with might be helpful.

I hope this information proves to be useful to initiate great discussion about other possibly builds and gameplay. I will be updating this often as I traverse through Inferno and hope to improve upon this build if great advice comes around.

Thank you.

~Abscent

This is very similar to a build I used for 29-33 finishing normal mode.

The only real differences was I was using the aoe primary attack, speed increase as passive boost instead of the anti-cc passive, and instead of blinding flash i had out the spirit companion.

it was a great mix of ability to tank and heal, and even if the damage wasn't fantastic... i could survive anything.

Dual wield, 2hand or 1h & shield? what do you recommend

just curious as to why your building so defensively as a monk when monk would be considered one of the better DPS heroes in D3.

Do you not feel like using sweeping wind with blade storm could help increase your DPS to kill faster? Are you building to live longer or kill faster?

I may not have much input into this because im only in act 1 of NightMare but Im using a similar build to yours

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aZgiTQ!YXe!aZaZZa

Im not having any issues in NM but of course hell/inferno will be a lot different. At higher levels do monks HAVE TO used a 1h + shield to move forward? Ive been dual wielding since act 1 normal and I feel like im melting through mobs even on solo(i generally go with enchantress when im solo) while still having good ability to live.

The seven sided strike plus serenity are generally more than enough in a tight situation in conjunction with health pot cool downs im generally ok

I don't think I agree that a shield is optimal, you have theorycraft to support this claim? I have 50% dmg reduc from armor already and 48% dmg reduc to all resists, I am using 2 1hers and I am pretty damn tanky. I don't think I need to sacrifice dual welding for a shield but I may try it out.

^ NM and normal are jokes, you will see once you get to Hell you need to be super defensive until you get some gear. I was rocking a shield for awhile in hell.

Doing fine in inferno so far.

Here is what I use. I can solo about anything even in a partied game. Currently Im a lvl 58 almost 59, on Act 4 in Hell difficulty.

I find this build effective and have been using it since I began Hell.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#biYXgQ!XYf!ZYYaac

You can switch our the Deadly Reach for FoT, I find these two spirit generators to be the fastest hitting for me. Crippling Wave is just to slow, And Way of a Hundred Fists is nice and all but it has that stutter between the first hit and then the 6-7 hits afterwards and that knockback it causes can be bad for picking up more unneeded mobs.

Breakdown:

-Deadly Reach: Either 'Keen Eye' for armor buff or you can use 'Foresight' for dmg buff. Like stated before you can switch out DR for FoT.

-Sweeping Wind: Once you have spirit its nice just put it on and it stays there as long as you keep hitting mobs. Constant 45% dmg over time (6 secs) with 'Inner Storm' as long as the stacks are at max you gain 3 spirit per sec giving you the spirit use for anything else.

-Blinding Flash: Currently using with 'Searing Light' making elites miss more. I consider 'Faith in the Light' for more dps output @ lvl 60. It's a great interrupt skill. Blinds and interrupts almost anyone. Great for getting away getting big hits on you.

-Breath of Heavens: Using it as a heal, you can increase the healing by using 'Circle of Life' but I find that BoH and Mantra of Healing take care of the dmg taken. Also using Transcendence heals you for a such amount for all spirit spent. I use the 'Circle of scorn' for more dmg output because most of the time I stand and take dmg and am able to use the 80% dmg it gives to mobs in a 12 yard radius.

-Serenity: Is your typical Ohh=SH!t button. Using with 'Peaceful Repose' for the extra healing it gives. Usually I am below 35% when I use it gives me back all my life when used.
It can also be used to negate dmg you dont want.

-Mantra of Healing: This is nice overtime healing skill. Using the active on it when you have harder packs of mobs and or when someone else it taking dmg that shouldnt be. Using it with 'Time of Need' for the extra 20% resistances to all damage. 'Boon of Protection' is also nice for negating dmg when needed.

-Transcendence: All spirit spent heals you for such and such.

-Seize the Initiative: All dex is also used as Armor good for physical packs of mobs.

-Guiding Light: Gives you and allies a damage boost. This Passive can be switched with anything else. The first two I think are a must.

Check it out, I find this build optimal for me. May need to change a few things in the future.

I do feel like it's exploiting the game, because only Monks can basically tank and take little damage in a 4 group hell game.

Thanks,

Throned#1781

Since are class is not close to a daemon hunter its going to be greatly impossible to solo INFERNO!!! :P there for i see no idea going more dpsish in fact more tanking would be better my problem is that am stacking to match dexterity at the moment so am around 10k dps and 23k hp only.

so might try this build and see what is can due might also pick up some hp item depend.

regardless shield and one hand is awesome its worth 300k gold for a good dps wp on AH imo :)

may i ask how do you choose blinded flash,serenity,and breathe of heaven all at the same time?because i can only choose one of those for my F1,and F2 is either sweeping wind,explosive palm,dashing strike etc.and 3rd will be mystic ally or cyclone strike.how do you set it up to choose all those defensive skills?it would be a great help because im in hell right now...

good question

Dual wield, 2hand or 1h & shield? what do you recommend

I reccommend 1h & shield

just curious as to why your building so defensively as a monk when monk would be considered one of the better DPS heroes in D3.

Do you not feel like using sweeping wind with blade storm could help increase your DPS to kill faster? Are you building to live longer or kill faster?

I build defensively to be an off-tank/support dps to my team. The monk's kit/passives do not all entirely tailor to him being a high dps class. Also, being that he is melee, and considering the difficulty of the encounters in Act IV Hell/Inferno, building my character this way has proven to be beneficial.

05/19/2012 04:27 PMPosted by CoffeeBoy

may i ask how do you choose blinded flash,serenity,and breathe of heaven all at the same time?

Go into your options and choose elective mode.

@CoffeeBoy
i was wondering the same thing. this spec doesnt make sense just like alot of others im seeing put up... guess they know something we dont or made a mistake...

oh thanks Abscent ;)

05/19/2012 04:48 PMPosted by Cruelfool

oh thanks Abscent ;)

You're welcome.

The build I posted does great damage too. Don't get me wrong, i pump out a serious amount of damage, however, our kit is more geared towards supporting our team rather than being a dps force. If i sacrifice my defensive abilities for offensive ones, I will find myself dieing alot more often.

05/19/2012 04:27 PMPosted by CoffeeBoy

may i ask how do you choose blinded flash,serenity,and breathe of heaven all at the same time?because i can only choose one of those for my F1,and F2 is either sweeping wind,explosive palm,dashing strike etc.and 3rd will be mystic ally or cyclone strike.how do you set it up to choose all those defensive skills?it would be a great help because im in hell right now...

Go into options and select elective mode!

Inwha I can tell you that I dual wielded through normal and nightmare and just coasted through everything, never dying to any random mobs, I got to act 1 hell, found a savage beast and quickly realized you cannot do it without either an insane amount of dodge, or a shield for defense. The play style between nightmare and hell and then hell and inferno are extremely different.

Bump

could you touch up on what gear you have on? and what stats you generally look for.

Unfortunately, I was one of the many many users who were hacked this morning. I dont have the amazing gear I had on anymore. However, Im currently farming to get back towards what I had. Until then, I can't really give concrete examples in stats to help you all out.

Theoretically, I'll be looking for items containing high Dex with a mix of vit.

i have a question isnt it important that you have high resistance in inferno mode?