Build Guide
I will list the mandatory things you have to do to be a descent monk :
1) get 100% Sanctuary uptime on your WD until the boss spawns, then 100% of sanctuary on the boss killer (necro).
2 100% uptime on Epiphany.
3)refresh time of need all the time, make your team safe
What you need to do to be a GOOD MONK :
1) Lag management : if your team dies because of the lag, you are probably responsible for that ( hello HC players).
The lag will depend on the mob type, and on the density. needless to say that over 8/9%, u need to take care and anticipe the lag. IF ITS GOING TO BE LAGGY, REMOVE SOME MOBS with cyclone on the edge of the pack, dont let your party die.
NB : Another way to avoid the lag, especially with the Firebats WD, is to NOT use cyclone before burst. cyclone is the spell which creates the best density ( better packed mobs), hence if u use cyclone too much, density will kill you. you are SUPPORT, don't think about your 50% ehp thanks to the shoulders, think about your party.
2) Play the proc properly : I've seen many monks playing without proc and fucking up the WD. you need an excellent lag management from WD to play without proc. but remember : if u die, your WD has a high chance to die as well, don't think you are zlatan or GOD himself, until you are not tanky enough, play with the proc.
remember: during HIGH lags, u won't cyclone ( -50% ehp), won't have spirit guards buff ( -60%). proc will be the only way you won't rip ..too much
3) Getting elites in the middle of the pack : You need the WD to move with you on the elites, and max the dps from area dmg ON the elites. either the barb will help you to rageflip then in right in the middle, otherwise you need to communicate well with the WD and move with him.
Why is it that important? because the better the elite is surrounded by mobs, the more he will suffer from area dmg.
4) switch build for speeds/ push
a) the mantra : aglity is always a good choice for speeds. you will have to focus less on your spirit, more on your gameplay. if everyone is tanky enough, go for attack speed mantra.
avaharion or FB? your call. depends a lot of your spirit regen as well, your gameplay... but for speeds, avaharion is better for sure.
4) DONT cyclone before leaving : lets say you are over with the burst ( mostly after WD fire proc). don't recyclone the pack ,it will fuck up the DR and the barb won't be able to pull elites or mobs you wanna kill further.
5) NEVER LEAVE YOUR WD (or other dps) ALONE. help him, babysit him, help him go through the rift especially without illusory boots ( the triangle explained further is a perfect example!)
How to become a GOD MONK?
1) NEVER PULL elites or mobs that the barb will bring to the next stop spot. there is nothing more annoying for the barb; if u move, move with the dash from Epiphany, NEVER CYCLONE (remember you have a 2 stuns DR, if u cyclone, there is only one pull left for the barb).
2) COMMUNICATION : this is KEY : u have to know
- when the WD wil burst, or let him know to wait because you are about to bring more mobs/elites.
-what are the elite life %, to know if u have to move to the next point or not.
-ask him when is spirit walk is up to move the a better spot (for example, right on an elite). then play properly your sanctuary.
-if the barb is away, ask WD about his globes and if he is not capped, run around and get some for him.
3) BE MOBILE:
- once you applied sanctuary, you don't have to stay on it and afk facebook. look around you, there is always something to pull. Avoid to let the barb do 100% of the pulling work. you will save time, it helps a lot.
-get the globes on the sides. for speeds, I even play with Rondal, to get more pick up.
-apply bleeds everywhere; boosting WD' pain enhancer effect
4) THE TRIANGLE DREAM
Dont let the barb spend 20 secs on a thing you could do with 2 pulls. this is call pulling as a triangle. on a corner, you will pull ONCE to get the mobs on the cross, then another time to get them on the spot ( better explained on the video )
I will update this build if I have other points coming into my mind.
5) don't fuck up the STUN DR on the boss : if the boss killer is a necro with the krysbin ring, u need to stop hitting 5 sec at least before physical and refresh epiphany/sanctuary without touching the boss ( aka, go away, spam cyclone to get the ehp buf... but dont touch the boss, 34 yards !)
6) have a WALL potion : YES, you can break walls with your potions. it will help to make a better pack / better density/ MORE DPS. ( barb should have it too of course!)
I now write articles on https://bonpote.com/ , feel free to reach me out here or instagram
j'écris maintenant pour https://bonpote.com/ , n'hésitez pas à m'écrire sur le site ou instagram !
I however really disagree on that statement. Maybe Im not a GOD MONK. But placing the sanc and then running around pulling as monk?!.
If this is a general guide on how to play Zmonk I rly think that its a bad advice. Leaving the WD alone in the sanc in a push can end up in a dead WD and maybe a missed push rift.
General rule should be dont leave the WD (or wiz, they need even more babysitting coz of no illusory boots). The trash killer needs your mantra´s to stay alive, so do leave em alone In sanc or when you move.
If you want to pull, play barb. If u want to play monk, stay with your dps.
Anyway good work - keep it up
Sorry I just saw your comment!
and i stand on my position, a monk should be mobile. BUT it's ofc situationnal : in dangerous situation you won't move that much. and when I say move, it means stay in range to provide him mantra. never ever take any risk to let your dps die of course ( even if it's less a big deal now the meta is played with a wizard, WD had to apply haunt and locust first).
PS : during speeds, I spam palm ( I play with double Uliana gear+ Palm as spell) to refresh sanctuary.
As a reminder, once you have CDR and attack speed on your gear, I highly recommand having cost reduction for your gameplay.
read point 3 : ''make your team safe all the time"". sorry if you didnt get that.
I move when I can afford it, I NEVER take the risk to see my dps die. Thanks for you feedback
Thanks for the guide, lot of really good stuff on the page and in the video! Having played Zmonk for a while now, I have a couple of questions:
Is it worth having the Oculus ring? The circle almost never appears where it's needed (on the elite / in density), and I've never seen any of my DPSer's make an effort to move into it, even when it does proc near by. Wondering if it would be better to equip the Band of the Rue Chambers in its place, and put an immunity amulet in the cube, like Star of Azkaranth?
Rune choice on Cyclone strike; is the 10 yards of extra pull from Implosion really more valuable to the group than the heal / +17% of HG bonus of Soothing Breeze? Especially given how quick mobs are capping their Hard CC resistance, most aren't going to budge at all, no matter if your range is 24 or 34 yards, and sticking close to the DPSer in density - and healing them! - is the number 1 priority.
Also, how effective is the damage reduction of Crippling Light? I assume it has diminishing returns like every thing else when applied multiple times. Just wonder, given the priority of stacking Health Globe bonuses, whether Breath of Heaven / Circle of Life would be an alternative, given this maximises the healing you can pass around? (30% of HG bonus plus up to 182k from rune)
Thanks for your feedbacks!
1) occulus : mandatory. especially on the final push, any occulus on the wizard and it will help SO MUCH that u won't regret
2) implosion is mandatory, for the reasons I explained... I argued with a lot with top monks, they ALL switched back to implosion after I explained why. just trust me on this one ( and it makes your wizard safer as well since u can pull further)
3) u can remove blind by palm, depending on your wizard toughness.