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Brewmaster Monk Tank Starter Guide - Shadowlands 9.2.5
By Llarold
Last Updated:
2022/11/28
Changelog
Patch: 10.1.7
Table of Contents
Rating: 4.6/5
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Guide Navigation
Rating: 4.6/5
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Welcome to our Brewmaster Monk starter guide, which covers everything you need to start playing a new character in Shadowlands. While our other guide pages go into more individual detail, this simple starter guide covers all the basics in one place, whether you're a new Brewmaster Monk, a returning player to Shadowlands, hardcore, or casual alike, it's the best place to get a beginners overview on the class. Included are basic talent builds, simplified rotations, stats, legendary recommendations, and more to get you started as quickly as possible.
Please keep in mind that this page is meant to get players started quickly as an introduction, and does not contain much in the way of detailed explanations, mechanics, competitive options, gearing, simulation comparisons, or nuance. For more in-depth information, including all those optimizations and more, check out the complete Brewmaster Monk Guide pages linked in the navigation on the left-hand side of the page, and if you're leveling up in Shadowlands, you can take a look at our
leveling tips
.
10.1.7 Season 2
10.1.7 Cheat Sheet
10.1.7 Primordial Stones
10.1.7 Mythic+
10.1.7 Raid Tips
10.1.7 Talent Builds
10.1.7 Rotation
10.1.7 Support Buffs
10.1.7 Gear
10.1.7 Tier Set Bonus
Overview
Abilities & Talents
Advanced Concepts
Stats
Consumables
Macros & Addons
WeakAuras
Common Terms
Mythic+
Common Questions
Leveling
Simulations
Hotfixes
PvP Overview
PvP Builds
Mage Tower
About the Author
This guide was written by Llarold! I’ve been tanking since Vanilla. During Mists of Pandaria, I saw an opportunity to begin writing guides, and I took it with the hopes of making myself a better tank and making the community into better tanks with me. I hope it’s working!
I am active in all of the tank class Discords but primarily contribute to theorycrafting discussions in
Peak of Serenity
and
Skyhold
(Monk and Warrior). I’m active on
Twitter
, where I mostly talk WoW (and basketball), and I’m half of the team responsible for the YouTube channel
WoW at Night
, which focuses primarily on tank guides and previews.
Best Covenants for Brewmaster Monks
As a quick recap, we've created the table below to highlight the notable differences between covenants. Don't hesitate to click the headers to go to their respective guides!
Best Brewmaster Monk Covenants and Soulbinds for Raid
Single Legendary
Double Legendary
Kyrian
Mikanikos
Kyrian
Mikanikos
Necrolord
Plague Deviser Marileth
Necrolord
Plague Deviser Marileth
Best Brewmaster Monk Covenants and Soulbinds for Mythic+
Single Legendary
Double Legendary
Kyrian
Mikanikos
Kyrian
Mikanikos
Necrolord
Plague Deviser Marileth
Necrolord
Plague Deviser Marileth
Kyrian is recommended for all content.
Necrolord is a more defensive alternative that can be useful in high-level Mythic+, but it comes at the expense of damage and threat generation. It is decent, but slightly suboptimal for most players.
Best Brewmaster Monk Covenants for Raiding
Kyrian is arguably the simplest, all-around best Covenant available to Brewmaster Monks thanks to
Weapons of Order
.
Mikanikos
' soulbind tree is excellent, and the whole Covenant works well. Mikanikos' end-tree trait
Effusive Anima Accelerator
supercharges the power of
Weapons of Order
, increasing its damage value and reducing its cooldown.
Weapons of Order
is good at dealing burst damage, it's a relatively easy skill to use, and it's always good.
That being said, Necrolord is an okay alternative. The Necrolord Covenant ability
Bonedust Brew
is generally the second-strongest Covenant ability available to Brewmaster Monks, and its biggest downsides are that it has a short duration, and the damage output is noticeably weaker. In Mythic+, its short cooldown makes it a reliable defensive cooldown, but the threat generation can be an issue. In raids, Necrolord is a defense-first option that sacrifices a lot of offensive value for a moderate defensive gain. Its 10-second duration makes it a mediocre option as a burst damage cooldown for lining up with other effects like potions, Bloodlust, and trinkets. It is more consistent defensively than
Weapons of Order
, but the margin between Kyrian, Necrolord, and even Night Fae in terms of defense is very small in raids. At the highest tiers of Mythic+ pushing, Necrolord's defensive value causes it to stand out, but for everyday play, it's a slightly-weaker option.
Night Fae grants
Faeline Stomp
, which offers a decent chunk of sustained AoE damage and healing. Night Fae is pretty far behind Kyrian and Necrolord in single target damage, but it's not bad in sustained AoE damage with low movement. The major downside of Night Fae Monk is the fact that it forces you to fight on top of the
Faeline Stomp
for resets, which means that having to move due to enemy mechanics can be a significant DPS and defensive loss.
Faeline Stomp
provides a good self-healing and defensive increase, and the Niya Soulbind also grants
Grove Invigoration
. This is worth a constant ~10% Mastery and Maximum Health (more with the Covenant Legendary), which is pretty good, but it's not enough to make Night Fae competitive with Kyrian and Necrolord in raids or Mythic+. Night Fae can be a fun, off-meta option that isn't totally weak and pointless, but it's definitely not the best choice. On a positive note,
Soulshape
is actually really helpful for dealing with some of the mobility requirements on some encounters like Painsmith, Artificer Xy'mox, or Desaugne.
Covenant Signature Skills
Simply having an extra potion (
Phial of Serenity
) gives Kyrian a nice defensive bonus. There is a fair amount of movement in raid encounters, and the extra movement from Signature Skills like
Soulshape
is pretty nice, but it's more situationally-useful than
Phial of Serenity
, which is helpful on every fight.
Ultimately, Kyrian is the best, safest, and most reliable choice for Brewmaster Monks in all content, but if you really don't want to be a Kyrian, Necrolord is a fairly competitive alternative. Night Fae can be fun, but it isn't really very competitive, and Venthyr is surprisingly decent for Brewmaster, but still weaker than the competition.
Best Brewmaster Monk Covenants for Mythic+
Covenant power is slightly -- but only slightly -- different in Mythic+ than it is in raids for Brewmaster Monks. Kyrian remains the most popular and powerful option for all the same reasons it's good in raids:
Weapons of Order
is a very good burst damage cooldown! It can really help with quickly AoE'ing down big packs of trash mobs, it's good for holding threat at the start of pulls, and the defensive value it provides is pretty good.
Bonedust Brew
adds a lot of value that can make Necrolord a bit more competitive with Kyrian in Mythic+ than it is in raids. The defensive bonus is very good, and it is available significantly more often than
Weapons of Order
. This makes it a much more reliable option throughout a Mythic+ run. While
Fleshcraft
is a little unwieldy to use, it's a decent minor defensive cooldown. Necrolord's weaker damage profile will make it generate less threat than Kyrian, especially on pulls, so bear that in mind if you find yourself struggling to hold aggro as Necrolord.
Once again, Kyrian is the best, safest choice, but Necrolord is a decent, semi-competitive option in Mythic+.
Best Brewmaster Monk Covenant
Kyrian Brewmaster Monk GuideNecrolord Brewmaster Monk Guide
Night Fae Brewmaster Monk GuideVenthyr Brewmaster Monk Guide
Best Legendaries for Brewmaster Monk in Patch 9.2
Brewmaster Monks used two Legendaries during most of Shadowlands, but in the final patch, that has narrowed down to just one option at all times:
Stormstout's Last Keg
.
When combined with the 4-piece Tier Set bonus,
Stormstout's Last Keg
is the best choice in overall value in all situations, both offensively and defensively. Even without the full 4-piece bonus, it is the best option to wear for the overwhelming majority of players.
Best Single Legendary for Brewmaster Monk in Patch 9.2
Best Single Legendaries
Raid Legendary
:
Stormstout's Last Keg
Mythic+ Legendary
:
Stormstout's Last Keg
Best Double Legendaries for Brewmaster Monk in Patch 9.2
Eternity's End allows players to wear two Legendary items at once, albeit with a restriction. One of the two legendaries must be your Covenant Legendary. This causes the balance of Covenant Legendaries to play a role in your choice of Covenant. Double Legendaries become available during week 5, after completing that week’s story chapter.
At this time, Kyrian is the recommended Covenant for raid and general Mythic+, but changes to
Bountiful Brew
have made Necrolord a lot more competitive, especially in higher-level Mythic+ dungeons.
Best Double Legendaries
Raid Legendaries
:
Stormstout's Last Keg
and
Unity
Mythic+ Legendaries
:
Stormstout's Last Keg
and
Unity
Patch 9.2 Legendary Changes & Tuning
Players may now equip two Legendaries, but one must be
Unity
, which grants the Covenant Legendary bonus.
Bountiful Brew
can now proc while
Bonedust Brew
is active. Procs will add onto
Bonedust Brew
’s remaining duration, but manually casting
Bonedust Brew
while it is already active from a proc will not add onto the duration, it will just give you 10 seconds of
Bonedust Brew
.
Best Brewmaster Monk Talents
Brewmaster Monks use the same talents for a lot of content, and most of the time you can get away with just running this one talent build for nearly all content in the game. Switching to
Chi Torpedo
can be a good choice when you really need massive bursts of movement, or if the slow removal component of
Tiger's Lust
isn’t going to be useful.
Healing Elixir
can be a decent choice in lower-level dungeons, and while leveling or soloing, although at higher levels of difficulty, the constant defensive value of
Bob and Weave
, or the extra cooldown from
Dampen Harm
is going to be more valuable. This talent build is primarily focused on raiding for players getting started with end game activities, but our Brewmaster Monk Talent Guide goes into more detail for each talent, as well as providing specific builds for questing, Mythic+, and Raids.
Brewmaster Monk Talents Guide
Brewmaster Monk Stat Priority
Unlike previous expansions, primary stats such as Agility are much more important than they used to be, and secondary stats are close enough together that item level is typically a larger factor when it comes to choosing gear. You can find out more about how stats work, including sample stat weights and scaling plots in the Stats Guide, or get an overview of the best-in-slot gear to look for from dungeons and raids in the Brewmaster Monk Gear Guide.
Agility > Versatility >= Critical Strike > Haste = Mastery
Agility
: Increases all damage done by native class spells, abilities, and auto attacks, increases your base
Stagger
value, and increases the value of your healing skills. It is your best overall stat, which makes item level generally worth prioritizing over itemization. This is a good thing. When in doubt, just wear the highest item level piece of gear available.
Versatility
: An excellent damage and damage reduction stat that still has modest self-healing value. It is a very strong stat, valued just slightly ahead of Critical Strike. Because Versatility is generally in much shorter supply than Critical Strike, it is typically a better option for gems and enchants, but your mileage may vary depending on your specific gear.
Critical Strike
: Thanks to
Celestial Fortune
, Critical Strike directly increases your healing taken, and is integral to surviving with Brewmaster’s limited self-healing toolkit. It's also an excellent offensive stat. Outstanding stuff.
Haste
: Increases Energy generation and reduces the cooldown of
Keg Smash
. Haste is a weaker offensive and defensive option than Critical Strike and Versatility, but not by a huge margin. Its value is slightly higher in AoE than single target.
Mastery
: Functions more or less like Dodge chance. It is a decent, reliable offensive boost as well, about on par with Haste. It has built-in inefficiencies, in that
Blackout Kick
can push stacks over the hard cap, resulting in wasted avoidance - and that it does nothing to reduce damage that cannot be dodged, such as spell damage. Despite those limitations, it is the strongest effective damage reduction stat against auto attacks. Mastery is a good stat, but you will want to prioritize Critical Strike and Versatility ahead of it under normal circumstances.
Brewmaster Monk Stats Guide
Brewmaster Monk Enchants and Consumables
Cloak
: Increase stamina and tertiary bonuses. Avoidance is good for reducing unavoidable AoE damage, and Speed helps make dodging boss effects slightly easier -
Enchant Cloak - Fortified Avoidance
or
Enchant Cloak - Fortified Speed
Chest
: Agility -
Enchant Chest - Eternal Stats
Wrists
: Hearth cooldown? -
Enchant Bracers - Shaded Hearthing
Boots
: Increases Agility -
Enchant Boots - Eternal Agility
or
Enchant Boots - Agile Soulwalker
(budget)
Rings
: Increases Versatility -
Enchant Ring - Tenet of Versatility
or
Enchant Ring - Bargain of Versatility
(budget)
Weapon Enchant
: Agility proc -
Enchant Weapon - Celestial Guidance
Weapon Enchant #2 (if dual-wielding)
: Damage increase proc -
Enchant Weapon - Sinful Revelation
Brewmaster Monk Enchants Guide
Best Brewmaster Monk Rotation
This is a typical Brewmaster Monk DPS rotation. More detailed information can be found in the Brewmaster Monk Rotation Guide.
Defenses & Cooldowns:
Celestial Brew
to mitigate large bursts of damage or if your health drops low
Purifying Brew
whenever you are taking large amounts of Stagger damage
Touch of Death
when available
Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox
whenever a pull will last at least 25 more seconds
Use Covenant skills when available
Basic Rotation:
Keg Smash
on cooldown
Blackout Kick
on cooldown
Breath of Fire
on cooldown
Expel Harm
if you need healing
Rushing Jade Wind
if talented
Tiger Palm
(Single Target) /
Spinning Crane Kick
(AoE) to prevent capping Energy
Try not to let
Purifying Brew
sit with both charges on cooldown while you are tanking. It is one of your core defensive skills, and you should always be using it to the fullest. Don't let
Touch of Death
and
Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox
sit on cooldown, either. They are your big offensive cooldowns!
As for timing
Celestial Brew
skillfully, letting it sit on cooldown for a brief period so that you can use it to mitigate a large enemy hit is the right move. This is true more often in raids and on Tyrannical Mythic+ bosses than it is while tanking trash.
Sometimes the best move is just to use it as close to on cooldown as you can. This is true more often in Mythic+ trash, especially on Fortified weeks. Use Celestial Brew as the situation dictates.
Important Note For Holding Threat in Dungeons!
Be ready to use Spinning Crane Kick at the start of pulls. Always try to open with Keg Smash, but be prepared to cast Spinning Crane Kick to gather up any enemies the opening Keg Smash might have missed. Once you have established threat and they're all gathered up, proceed with the regular rotation.
Brewmaster Monk Rotation Guide
Back to Top
Our Brewmaster Monk guides are always updated with the latest information from in-game experience, simulations, and logs; make sure to check our changelog to this page, by clicking on
View Changelog
at the top of the page. If you are interested in more in-depth Brewmaster Monk guides for , make sure to browse the
Navigation Bar
below, and our list of
Related Guides
just beneath the
Table of Contents
.
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