Update on my solo monk run

[Ranndar]

Hello guys, here I am asking for ideas.

Is this build viable for solo? What subclasses would be better? For monk I am thinking about Helwalker (the bonus might would be useful, and since the chanter resources are renewable I don’t think FF is a need).

For the chanter side, I don’t know if I go Skald to use more invocations, or Troubadour focused in chants to buff myself/Debuff enemies

The only summons I plan to use will be the Dragons (the little one and the big one). 
 

Before I forget: Dichotomous Soul and chanter summons can be used at the same time?

Edited August 29, 2021 by Ranndar

[Boeroer]

The combination of Helwalker/Bellower makes sense as well. The high MIG works very well with the higher base damage due to increased power levels. Also with +10 INT you can achieve complete overlap of phrases without being a Troubadour.

Dichotomous Soul cannot be used at the same time as other summons. Only exception: the skeletons from the phrase "Many Lives Pass By". They don't count towards the summoning limit.

It can still be useful because if you don't have enough phrases for chanter summons you might have enough wounds for monk summons. So the summon uptime might be higher. 

Edited August 24, 2021 by Boeroer

[dgray62]

You might consider Powerotti's Rumbling Boar helwalker/skald build. It's a lot of fun, and very powerful. But Boeroer's bellower suggestion is great too. You'd be trading more frequent somewhat weaker invocations for more powerful ones less frequently.

[Ranndar]

Thanks guys, but to be honest I’m not a big fan of chanter. But I want to try solo with a monk, and don’t want to go with the FF/Garrote or any Bloodmage combination.

But then, Monks can’t heal, and can’t increase defenses, so I don’t know what to do. I saw a helwalker/devoted build that I found interesting, but I don’t know if is solo viable. Maybe a contemplative can work?

[Kaylon]

1 hour ago, Ranndar said:

Thanks guys, but to be honest I’m not a big fan of chanter. But I want to try solo with a monk, and don’t want to go with the FF/Garrote or any Bloodmage combination.

But then, Monks can’t heal, and can’t increase defenses, so I don’t know what to do. I saw a helwalker/devoted build that I found interesting, but I don’t know if is solo viable. Maybe a contemplative can work?

You should try SC Forbidden Fist with high resolve - he can solo everything rather easily from the beginning to the end. 

[dgray62]

I agree. And a FF monk with high resolve and clarity of agony will be healed far more than harmed by the FF curse. With high resolve and tuotilo's shield you'll have very high deflection, and you needn't worry much about the other three defenses, as any afflictions that get through will last a very short time, and then will heal and give wounds to boot. Also, SC monks are great fun from beginning to end, and especially at the end, when you get the high level monk abilities like resonant touch and whisper of the winds.

Edited August 25, 2021 by dgray62
Additional information

[Boeroer]

5 hours ago, Ranndar said:

But then, Monks can’t heal, and can’t increase defenses

Monks can heal via items and consumables (which are kind of mandatory for a solo run anyways). An item which might help is the Abraham pet (healing in kill) which is good anyway. 

Monks can increase their defenses quite a lot. they get Duality of Mortal Presence which raises either CON or INT (you can even change that mid fight) which means up to +20 fortitude or will Defense. Crucible of Suffering is an all-stacking +10 to all defenses. Swift Strike raises DEX by 10 points. Players often forget that every inspiration raises a defense by at least 10 points.

I would also try a Forbidden Fist with high (maxed) Resolve and Tuotilo's Palm and a non-crushing backup weapon (e.g. Battle Axe). They are quite sturdy and have build-in healing (whenever a hostile effect expires). You want max RES and all other gear that reduces hostile effect duration (e.g. Ring of the Solitary Wanderer). That way your curse and all other hostile effects will expire very quickly, doing less damage (if they do in the first place) than they heal you. 

A nice synergy with a high RES forbidden fist is Imagined Paint where you get wounds if enemies miss you. This also works if you simply disengage or leave their melee range and they miss. Here the armor Nomad's Brigandine is very useful but it's by no means mandatory. But it also raises deflection against melee a bit so it's a good pick imo. 

A Forbidden Fist has slower would buildup in the early game but it's very reliable later on.

 

 

[Haplok]

Imagined Pain is great for SC monks. But lets not forget Parting Sorrow - which also works when you kill an enemy, so you get plenty of Wounds from that (and its available to MC monks also).

[Ranndar]

Thanks everyone, you convinced me to do - SC Monk.

Do you think I should have high CON too?

[Boeroer]

Not really needed.

[dgray62]

I recommend that you start with 18 RES; that's the prime stat for a FF monk. You can get it above 30 with gear and inspirations from a companion. You'll probably want it a bit higher if you're going solo. You can keep STR, CON & INT flat, since monks have great damage modifiers from transcendent suffering, and you'll get up to +10 INT from Duality of Mortal Presence. You can distribute the rest between DEX and PER; they ultimately boost DPS more that STR, I think.

[Ranndar]

I am going with this atributes (with Beraths Blessings and background) 

Pale Elf (I don’t know if it’s worthy to sacrifice the head slot to pick a godlike)

MIG . 12
CON. 12
DEX. 15
PER. 20
INT. 10
RES.21

[Not So Clever Hound]

18 minutes ago, Ranndar said:

I don’t know if it’s worthy to sacrifice the head slot to pick a godlike

I think that it's OK either way. Nature Godlike +1PL would always hit with the Quick Inspiration, then you will get Prestige +1PL as SC, then you can eat one of the foods that grant +1PL... hard to pass über-post Mythic Fists IMO if you want to use those hands or also Tuotilo's palm, that's really good.  

But I like no rest runs. If you're resting a lot, then maybe Heaven's Cacophony has more net impact.

EDIT: reading better this thread  well as FF anyway you will probably want to eat Mohora Wraps so just scrap what I said. You don't have to work so hard to get to PL12 when you can very easily get to PL10. PL11 will give you nothing due to how monk fist scaling works.

Edited August 25, 2021 by Not So Clever Hound

[Ranndar]

One question: when I got Tuotilo Palm, I can have the bonus from weapon and shield style and the bonus from two weapon style?

[Boeroer]

4 minutes ago, Ranndar said:

One question: when I got Tuotilo Palm, I can have the bonus from weapon and shield style and the bonus from two weapon style?

Yes, they both apply.

[Ranndar]

Hello guys,I need  some more opinions and ideas .

First, about my abilities. I think that Clarify Agony and Dance of Death doesn’t worth for now. I am with 21 RES , so the afflictions won’t last longer. And about Dance of Death, in a solo run I always be hit and will break the effect early. So I prefer spent my tier 2 points in passives, like sword and shield, two weapons and long stride.

And about the weapons, I just want to use weapons that combines with monks. Sabres, Quarterstaffs, Flails ( I think dual wield flais looks like a pair of nunchucks )… what else do you suggest? I thought about a warbow to start fights from range. And of course, my powerful fists

[dgray62]

I recommend Clarity of Agony. It significantly shortens the duration of the forbidden fist curse and any other negative condition, allowing you to get wounds and healing and spam FF faster. However, I personally don't take DoD and its successor for melee builds. I think it's better for ranged builds. As for weapons, sabres and flails are particularly good. There are late game builds focusing on WotW wielding Keeper of the Flame that inflict absolute mayhem.

[Haplok]

And of course Scordeo's Edge saber is always the prime cheese weapon, particularly on monks, who can score entire crit chains from SF/HBD.

[Boeroer]

Clarity of Agony is great, Dance of Death is not worth the investment when going solo imo - unless you make heavy use of the Monk summons at some point and use Instruments of Pain - and/or use Xoti's Lantern for Mortification refunds.

[Ranndar]

I was trying to steal Tuotilo Palm, and killed Marihi… what happens now??

[Ranndar]

I cleared the Oathbinder Sanctum and returned to Neketaka. Now I am trying get out of the Old City. This is my gear now:

Deaths Maw

Protective Eothasian Charm

Ring of Minor Deflection 

Ring of Minor Protection

Cloak of Deflection

Swordsman Bracers

Ngatis Girdle or Troll Hidr Belt

Caroc Breastplate

Tuotilos Palm

Myr’s Fortune

Gladiator Sword

 

Abilities:

Swift Strikes

Force of Anguish

 Clarity of Agony

Sword and Shield 

Two Weapon Style

Lightning Strikes 

Tornents Reach

Soul Mirror

Duality of Mortal Presence

Thunderous Blow

Rooting Pain

 

I am thinking in change Torments Reach and Rooting Pain, I feeling that these abilities are useless for now.

[Haplok]

Rooting Pain is pretty great. As long as you're not sitting on max Wounds all the time, that is.

If you are, try spending some (for example by Triggering Thundering Blows free action) for the Rooting Pain to trigger again (and again and again... and again...).

[dgray62]

I agree. But Force of Anguish and Torment's Reach could be dropped. Both are inferior to the FF attack, which you'll be using whenever you can, as soon as the curse expires. But you should get Stunning Blow and the upgrade, as it's just a fantastic ability.

[Ranndar]

After a few days away, I returned  to my monk. And I need some opinion here.  I reached lvl 9 but I am not sure about some abilities again. 
Is Blade Turning a good choice? I like it, but I think 3 wounds for a 3 sec abilitie isn’t a good deal.

In the PL5 tier, what should I pick? Stunning Surge with the upgrade?

[Boeroer]

Don't remember what your exact setup is, but Stunning Surge is a great pick in most cases. If you are using any AoE weapon or Sun & Moon I would absolutely recommend Stunning Surge. If you are dual wieding anything I'd also pick it. With a two hander it depends a bit on how often you crit to determine if Stunning Surge is worth the ability point. 

You took Torment's Reach before - why not take Raised Torment? 

Enervating Blows is pretty great, too because the weakening effect does no separate attack roll: if you crit with the weapon attack the target will get auto-hit with weakened. 
Weakened lowers enemies Fortitude by 10 points and stacks with stunned (also -10 points) which makes hitting with Force of Anguish which targets fortitude (you have that as well) a lot easier.

Blade Turning's 3 sec is only the base duration. With Duality of Mortal Presence (INT) and some more Power Levels (adds base duration) as well as maybe some items which prolong benefical effects you can get a decent duration out of it. 

 

I personally would take Stunning Surge first - but as I said: I don't know how your character performs.