I got about 160 hours played time on my Monk, and have killed Butcher, Belial, and Azmodan repeatedly.
That ain't the problem. The problem is I still get steamrolled by elite packs in Act 3, and even some in Act 2. I spent nearly 100 hours farming Act 1 to get better gear, but have hit that point where to upgrade any one piece of armor or my weapon costs several million gold. Like you cannot find a better weapon, shield, breastplate etc. for less than 3 million gold because I'm already semi-geared:
Decent armor, moderately high resistances, DPS etc.
I spent all day long trying to find an upgrade (have about 3,000,000 gold in the bank) and still can't find anything I can afford that would constitute being an upgrade. Problem with this, it takes like 2-3 hours to run Act 1, and I only get about 2-400K per run depending on luck with drops. When SINGLE upgrades cost close to 5-10 million gold, and are required for every slot just to be able to take on Elite packs with the same ease that undergeared ranged classes do, something is wrong.
I'm so tired of running Act 1 that I haven't even played the game in nearly 48 hours. Just sit at the menus checking the auction house hoping that I can actually get upgrades.
Dude, you looked geared as fuck. Just get some life on hit though, and I would change a few of your spells. Here's the spec I use with ~1400 life on hit (dual wield) and about half of your resist, yet can solo act 2 just fine: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aiXgjh!XYU!aZbYca
Dude, you looked geared as fuck. Just get some life on hit though, and I would change a few of your spells. Here's the spec I use with ~1400 life on hit (dual wield) and about half of your resist, yet can solo act 2 just fine: http://us.battle.net...Xgjh!XYU!aZbYca
I should point out that I actually can "solo" Act 2, but get the occasional yellow that causes me to die 5-6 times before he goes down (which is scary when you're afraid your armor might break before you finish him). For someone who has spent nearly 100 hours purely farming gold just to get to the point where I can actually kill every single elite pack in Act 2 if I choose to (although it's not efficient, or faceroll), I'm just saying that the game feels dead to me. It feels like I spent 100 hours farming gold just to be able to do something a brand new Demon Hunter can do much better.
I get to Act 3 and I cannot even get 3 stacks of Neph Valor, or sometimes have to reset the game because I can't even get to Azmodan's room because there is a particularly tough elite in the way. The solution? "Well, go farm Act 1 for 36 hours, and you'll have enough gold to buy one upgrade." Just isn't my idea for fun, and it's definitely "less fun" knowing that a Demon Hunter or Wizard can do this same feat with minimal gear or time commitment.
While I use nearly the same build as you, and have at times used that exact build, I'm just burned out on farming Act 1 for countless hours every day and feeling like I have no notable change to my performance. This effect is probably amplified by the fact that other classes don't have to farm Act 1 at all.
A few problems here, I'll start with the 2-3 hours to run Act 1.
The best run spot I've found in Act one is start at Quest 9, THe Imprisoned Angel, on the step The Cursed Hold. This starts you in the Halls of Agony Level 2, where you get 1-2 NV stacks, you then proceed out into the Highlands Passage where you can get another stack (the Elite pack that spawns with Dargon gives you a stack, even though Dargon gives you loot). Then you proceed to the Cursed Hold, and there you can find another 1-2, possibly 3 NV stacks, setting you around 3-5 stacks for the Jailer Boss. After that you proceed to Halls of Agony Level 3, and finish off your NV stacks if not already at 5, and kill the butcher. This run takes me about 30-40 minutes in magic find gear (100%~) with 10k DPS, 200 Resists, and about 65% armor.
As seen, you can do this over and over and get loot much faster then having to hunt through all the fields finding the entrances you need (since a Major boss with 5 NV stacks is a garunteed 2 Rares).
As far as your gear goes, you have double the resists I do, almost double the armor, and about 20-50% more DPS depending on the skills I'm using at the time, though I do have 200 more Vit (your gear is still better). I'm currently farming Maghda on Act 2, with about a 75% success rate on Packs.
I can't tell what runes your using on your skills, but I don't use Mantra of Healing, Crippling Wave, or Tempest Rush.
A few of the builds I run with in Act 2 are http://us.battle.net...hXTg!YUX!Zbabba
I had the 2nd Signature attack there to be able to handle close AoE, and incase of treasure goblins (teleport on first hit). Seven Sided strike was just a leftover, but not too bad because of the immunity while using it + stun it can do.
http://us.battle.net...hXYg!YUX!ZYabba
Uses Inner Storm for Spirit Regen + AoE, Seven Sided Strike is replaced with Blind, which works better for certain enemies, though you do have to be concious about placement here since you dont have a knockback. The spirit regen is good for spamming your dodge mantra for more dodging + healing from Transcendance.
TLDR
Don't farm the whole act, pick a set area with a boss and run it over and over, its faster for money/loot.
Your may need to change your skills.
With your gear, you should be doing great in Act 2, and Possibly have 3/4 on farm.
You may need to kite while cooldowns are up for a few seconds, depending on the enemy types!
Edit:
If you can farm Act 2, dont Farm Act 1. You have a higher chance at better gear, even if it takes you 25% longer.
1400 res all, 19k dps, 7.5k armor, haha, wow. That's just sick gear and you still get trashed by some elites? Day after I dinged my DH I done Act II skipping a total of 2 packs, then on half hour try on Act III and got 5 Valor stacks easily in that time, all with gear that dropped for me except blue 900 dps bow. You made me glad I didn't choose to stick to my monk. The disparity between gear required for melee compared to ranged is just staggering.
But don't give up, if Blizz keeps his promise of decreasing spike damage in Inferno, it's melee that should feel the most of this change.
How...? I'm clearing act 3 with no issues and can clear to diablo only having issues with certain elite packs that can take me 2-4 deaths. I have 530 phy res, 400 all res, 18% melee damage reduction, 45k hp, 41% dodge (with mantra), 7k armor (with mantra), 480 LoH, 2.80% Life steal, 14700 damage. 2.40 attack speed.
That ain't the problem. The problem is I still get steamrolled by elite packs in Act 3, and even some in Act 2. I spent nearly 100 hours farming Act 1 to get better gear, but have hit that point where to upgrade any one piece of armor or my weapon costs several million gold. Like you cannot find a better weapon, shield, breastplate etc. for less than 3 million gold because I'm already semi-geared:
Decent armor, moderately high resistances, DPS etc.
I spent all day long trying to find an upgrade (have about 3,000,000 gold in the bank) and still can't find anything I can afford that would constitute being an upgrade. Problem with this, it takes like 2-3 hours to run Act 1, and I only get about 2-400K per run depending on luck with drops. When SINGLE upgrades cost close to 5-10 million gold, and are required for every slot just to be able to take on Elite packs with the same ease that undergeared ranged classes do, something is wrong.
I'm so tired of running Act 1 that I haven't even played the game in nearly 48 hours. Just sit at the menus checking the auction house hoping that I can actually get upgrades.
I should point out that I actually can "solo" Act 2, but get the occasional yellow that causes me to die 5-6 times before he goes down (which is scary when you're afraid your armor might break before you finish him). For someone who has spent nearly 100 hours purely farming gold just to get to the point where I can actually kill every single elite pack in Act 2 if I choose to (although it's not efficient, or faceroll), I'm just saying that the game feels dead to me. It feels like I spent 100 hours farming gold just to be able to do something a brand new Demon Hunter can do much better.
I get to Act 3 and I cannot even get 3 stacks of Neph Valor, or sometimes have to reset the game because I can't even get to Azmodan's room because there is a particularly tough elite in the way. The solution? "Well, go farm Act 1 for 36 hours, and you'll have enough gold to buy one upgrade." Just isn't my idea for fun, and it's definitely "less fun" knowing that a Demon Hunter or Wizard can do this same feat with minimal gear or time commitment.
While I use nearly the same build as you, and have at times used that exact build, I'm just burned out on farming Act 1 for countless hours every day and feeling like I have no notable change to my performance. This effect is probably amplified by the fact that other classes don't have to farm Act 1 at all.
The best run spot I've found in Act one is start at Quest 9, THe Imprisoned Angel, on the step The Cursed Hold. This starts you in the Halls of Agony Level 2, where you get 1-2 NV stacks, you then proceed out into the Highlands Passage where you can get another stack (the Elite pack that spawns with Dargon gives you a stack, even though Dargon gives you loot). Then you proceed to the Cursed Hold, and there you can find another 1-2, possibly 3 NV stacks, setting you around 3-5 stacks for the Jailer Boss. After that you proceed to Halls of Agony Level 3, and finish off your NV stacks if not already at 5, and kill the butcher. This run takes me about 30-40 minutes in magic find gear (100%~) with 10k DPS, 200 Resists, and about 65% armor.
As seen, you can do this over and over and get loot much faster then having to hunt through all the fields finding the entrances you need (since a Major boss with 5 NV stacks is a garunteed 2 Rares).
As far as your gear goes, you have double the resists I do, almost double the armor, and about 20-50% more DPS depending on the skills I'm using at the time, though I do have 200 more Vit (your gear is still better). I'm currently farming Maghda on Act 2, with about a 75% success rate on Packs.
I can't tell what runes your using on your skills, but I don't use Mantra of Healing, Crippling Wave, or Tempest Rush.
A few of the builds I run with in Act 2 are
http://us.battle.net...hXTg!YUX!Zbabba
I had the 2nd Signature attack there to be able to handle close AoE, and incase of treasure goblins (teleport on first hit). Seven Sided strike was just a leftover, but not too bad because of the immunity while using it + stun it can do.
http://us.battle.net...hXYg!YUX!ZYabba
Uses Inner Storm for Spirit Regen + AoE, Seven Sided Strike is replaced with Blind, which works better for certain enemies, though you do have to be concious about placement here since you dont have a knockback. The spirit regen is good for spamming your dodge mantra for more dodging + healing from Transcendance.
TLDR
Don't farm the whole act, pick a set area with a boss and run it over and over, its faster for money/loot.
Your may need to change your skills.
With your gear, you should be doing great in Act 2, and Possibly have 3/4 on farm.
You may need to kite while cooldowns are up for a few seconds, depending on the enemy types!
Edit:
If you can farm Act 2, dont Farm Act 1. You have a higher chance at better gear, even if it takes you 25% longer.
But don't give up, if Blizz keeps his promise of decreasing spike damage in Inferno, it's melee that should feel the most of this change.
Skills being this.
http://us.battle.net...YXgi!YZX!ZacYYZ