Build Guide
This build has been tested in patch 2.6.1 on the PS4.
The 2.6.1 patch change to Monkey King's Garb has made it the second strongest Class Set in the entire game in terms of sheer damage percentage increase for a given skill, in this case using Wave of Light for wide radius burst damage supplemented by excessive Spirit Generation, reduced Spirit costs, and as much cooldown reduction as possible to trigger the Mystic Ally for additional Spirit Generation and Epiphany for DPS and defense potential. All the other skills supplement this core structure and make for a very high damage, but very unsteady survivability build.
Sweeping Wind is the core skill for the class set, the 2 piece set bonus reducing all damage by 50% with at least one stack active, the 4 piece bonus generating decoys near those hit by Sweeping Wind and exploding for 1000% weapon damage for every current stack, up to 10,000% weapon damage total, and then the 6 piece bonus granting 1000% additional damage to Wave of Light, Tempest Rush, or Lashing Tail Kick for every stack active, again up 10,000%. This makes having Vengeful Wind with 7 stacks an absolute necessity to ensure the full damage potential of the build, and Sweeping Wind using the Inner Storm rune lets it generate 8 Spirit per second so long as the stacks remain above 3, giving it utility as well as a not too shabby 1050% weapon damage per tick output to enemies in close range, supplemented by the exploding decoys.
Wave of Light itself uses the Explosive Light rune, making the damage Fire elemental and giving it a massive damage radius around the Monk to let it strike multiple enemies in one single strike. The other rune options are either too small in radius or their damage is staggered between directional damage or damage over time effects, so Explosive Light really is the best option for the build. Mystic Ally summons an elemental clone of the Monk to fight alongside them, the Air Ally rune granting a Physical damage Ally who grants an additional 4 Spirit per second generation passive effect, and its active effect restores 100 Spirit instantly. Wearing the Crudest Boots summons two Allys instead, making for 8 Spirit per second and 200 Spirit when activated, heavily offsetting Wave of Light's Spirit cost.
As the build is very damage vulnerable especially at higher Torment and Rift levels, the build relies heavily on elemental resistances and dodge ability to reduce or bypass damage entirely. Dashing Strike with the Blinding Speed rune is an offensive supplement to this, dealing 370% weapon damage as Cold to all enemies in the Monk's path as they dash, and upon reaching the end of the dash they gain an extra 40% to dodge chance for 4 seconds. This gives the Monk combined mobility, offense, and defense in a single skill. The effects of the Mantra of Salvation combine with this, as it passive grants 20% additional elemental resistances, and another 20% when activated, but the Agility rune gives the passive effect an additional 35% dodge chance, meaning the Monk has up to 75% chance to dodge enemy attacks immediately after using Dashing Strike. Full stacks of Gogok of Swiftness add roughly another 15%, meaning the Monk can have roughly 90% chance to dodge enemy attacks so long as they keep using Dashing Strike and Wave of Light to keep attacking enemies as frequently as possible. With the additional elemental resistances from Mantra of Salvation reducing elemental damage, it greatly helps the build survive in situations that would otherwise mean instant death.
Epiphany works three-fold for the build, mainly as supplemental Spirit Generation and mobility aid via teleporting, but also as a defensive measure with the Desert Shroud rune granting another 50% damage reduction, and paired with the Rabid Strike Legendary Fist weapon, it creates a copy that mimics any of the Monk's skills that would let the Monk teleport for free. With using Wave of Light, this not only means the skill is double cast every time the Monk uses it for double the DPS against enemies, but the teleport effect makes the Monk jump right onto of the targeted enemy regardless of the distance, so it allows for rapid travel over the map area at the same time, essentially giving the Monk a second mobility skill along with Dashing Strike. This effect is what makes the use of Traveler's Pledge and Compass Rose a viable option for the build, as with enough cooldown reduction stacked onto it the Monk can almost entirely rely on Dashing Strike and Epiphany to move across the field.
The passives continue the trend of supplementation, Beacon of Ytar being a flat 20% cooldown reduction, Chant of Resonance cutting Mantra costs by 50% for more frequent boosts to elemental resistances and granting another 4 Spirit per second. Exalted Soul boosts the Spirit total by 50, and adds yet another 4 Spirit per second, and then Harmony tallies 40% of all individual elemental resistance affixes and adds them to all resistances for a huge reinforcement depending on enough different single element affixes appearing on all armor pieces. As the build works to constantly be using Wave of Light as often as possible when not using Dashing Strike for mobility, there is no such thing as too much Spirit, and thus there isn't really any room to swap out for other passives. Adding Near Death Experience via a Hellfire Amulet is a viable option however.
The more popular variation on the build using the Tzo Krin's Gaze Spirit Stone is indeed viable here, though it'd require swapping out a Legendary Gem for Zei's Stone of Vengeance for longer distance damage. While Rabid Strike would still allow for mimicking Wave of Light, it would no longer teleport the Monk over to targeted enemies, removing half the build's mobility potential in exchange for the slight damage boost the Stone also has along with the ranged use. It would also mean using the Ring of Royal Grandeur for it and eliminate any use of it with an alternative Amulet option as well.
While the Mantra of Salvation does affect other party members, the structure of the build and its play-style doesn't mesh well with group play and limits it more to solo play.
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