Looking for a detailed monk build (DPS, off-tank)

[LordHellscream]

I have seen some good information on the forum regarding monks, but I haven't found a detailed build (up to L12), this is for a party play (not solo) on hard difficulty. The goal of the monk is do decent DPS (I know they are not the best dps, especially vs rogue, but reasonable), and decent off-tank.

The party composition will be (mostly custom character since 2nd playthrough): high deflection fighter tank, dual-wielding dps rogue (stiletto), wizard (wand), priest (aequebus), and a cipher (arquebus/pistol).

 

Currently I am thinking about using unarmed as the main weapon.

[Razorchain]

Moon Godlike for self and party heals.

 

Str 19

Con 12

Dex 19

Per 5

Int 13 (for bigger TR or you could just leave int at 10 and put the extra 3 points into Con.)

Res 10

 

With these stats you will get hit a lot and generate lots of wounds to spam Torments Reach.  I'm running a monk like this with a custom party on Potd difficulty.

 

Ability and Talents per level suggestions.

 

1. Torment's Reach.  Your bread and butter damg power through the game.

2. WF: Peasant.  When you hit things more often you'll do more damage.

3. Turning Wheels: Yes your aim is to spend your wounds, but when you get 10 wounds you can't spend them fast enough and the extra damage is...free!

4. Two weapon fighting: More speed is good

5. Swift Strikes. Even more speed is better

6. Lesser wounds.  More wounds More damage

7. Rooting Pain.  Dishing it out while taking it is always good.

8. Lighting Strikes.  Essentially a lash on your fists = more damage

9. Duality of Mortal Presence.  I use it mainly for bonus to Fort/Ref/Will which is nice.

10.  Savage attack,  You'll be hitting most of the time so why not get +20% damage?

11. Flagellants Path: For fun you know

12. Whatever!!! 

[Raven Darkholme]

Moon Godlike for self and party heals.

 

Str 19

Con 12

Dex 19

Per 5

Int 13 (for bigger TR or you could just leave int at 10 and put the extra 3 points into Con.)

Res 10

 

With these stats you will get hit a lot and generate lots of wounds to spam Torments Reach.  I'm running a monk like this with a custom party on Potd difficulty.

 

Ability and Talents per level suggestions.

 

1. Torment's Reach.  Your bread and butter damg power through the game.

2. WF: Peasant.  When you hit things more often you'll do more damage.

3. Turning Wheels: Yes your aim is to spend your wounds, but when you get 10 wounds you can't spend them fast enough and the extra damage is...free!

4. Two weapon fighting: More speed is good

5. Swift Strikes. Even more speed is better

6. Lesser wounds.  More wounds More damage

7. Rooting Pain.  Dishing it out while taking it is always good.

8. Lighting Strikes.  Essentially a lash on your fists = more damage

9. Duality of Mortal Presence.  I use it mainly for bonus to Fort/Ref/Will which is nice.

10.  Savage attack,  You'll be hitting most of the time so why not get +20% damage?

11. Flagellants Path: For fun you know

12. Whatever!!! 

Dump INT and max CON, the AoE of TR is low to begin with, and doesn't get much smaller by low IN.

[peddroelm]

Personal rules - stay away from moon godlike and shod-in-faith-cheese boots .

Savage attack - next to useless perk in POTD melee parties.. You don't need it in easy fights ..
It will HURT you in tough fights (regular and special attacks have a harder time hitting especially when debuffed)
Doesn't even apply to most monk special attacks anyway (torment's reach AOE, rooting pain, flagellant's path)

Role: Starts frail on POTD like most classes but steadily grows in power to become a God of the battlefield (flagellant's path "breaks" the engagement system)

Attributes

Race: Human. Fighting Spirit matches well melee fighters.. Matches particularly well the masochistic nature of the monk class ..
The 15% damage is low.. The +7 accuracy is more valuable (and applies to more special attacks)

MIG 19 + 1
Con 18 (MAX will need highish endurance and more importatly TOP HEALTH) .. With enough endurance buffer healing can make you immortal - only you still die/need to rest when health runs out .. Health (not endurance since number of wounds is capped at 10) is the hard limit of damage high level Monk can output per rest cycle .
DEX 15 // not proud of cutting DEX but I've run out of things to cut
PER 3 // need the points
INT 18 MAX - affects lots of things- HOTs (shod in faith/ regeneration potions/ Moonwell scrolls) , stun/stun2/weakness/prone (inflicted debuffs) duration, self buffs duration (clarity of agony ), Torment's reach AOE, rotting pain AOE
RES 4 // need the points

Abilities
Torment's Reach - very potent single target damage buff. The AOE hits extra cherry
Weapon Focus Knight ( engame battle axes are decent , my rogue handles ruffian )
Swift Strikes - good attack speed buff and enables lighning strikes
Lesser Wounds - The 10 wound limit severily limits the maximum potency of this talent and makes it more valuable in the same time .. Will need less damage to get back to 10 wounds once you start spending them
Stunning blow - massive deflection debuff (increases chance for crits), enables sneak attacks - get 2 rolls with dual wield  
Lighning Strikes - more lash damage types for the cromathic monk (works with flagellant's path)
Turning Wheel - up to 50% fire damage lash  (works with flagellant's path)
Two Weapon Style - more attack speed
Clarity of Agony - at this point ONLY chain petrify/paralyze can kill your monk.. This + Liberating exo from paladin should help a lot during the hard fights
(Special note for enervating blows - synergises well with stunning fist and provides long term fortitude debuff BUT you won't land a lot of crits in the really tough fights where CoA shines )
Mental Fortress - cannot pick monk talents (rooting pain // enervating blows // anguish would be awesome)
Flagelant's Path - Unleash the teleporting dragon! (works to reposition even "stuck" monks. Applies TW, LS & blood testament lash damages )
Untoppable - cannot pick monk talents (rooting pain // enervating blows // force of anguish would be awesome)  


Monks are solid competitors to rogues when engame single target damage potential is concerned - and end up with way more health (ability to eat damage per rest cycle) compared to rogue..  

Where is this capability coming from ? Lash damage stacking ..

10(MAX) wounds
weapon_damage_roll * (1 + sum(damage mods)) * (1 + 0.5 + 0.5 + 0.25 + 0.25 + 0.25 + 0.2 )   

50% torment's reach main target crush
50% turning wheel burn
25% lighning strikes shock
25% weapon lash
25% chanter fire aura burn
20% unique monk gloves RAW (currenlty bugged and lose damage to DR)  

 

Endgame weapons edge of reason + we-toki

 

Could jump 150 damage per swing (before DRs) on a good superb battle axe crit roll ..

Superb anihilation Sabres could go further ..

 

Stacking all those lash components can almost triple weapon damage per swing (works for crits/grazes too) and is semi-sustainable once 10 wounds power up limit is reached ...  

 

Edited May 21, 2015 by peddroelm

[taek]

Monks has easily been the best DPS class I've played so far, but perhaps I don't know all the tricks and tips for a Rogue.

 

 

Currently I am thinking about using unarmed as the main weapon.

 

The best monk weapon arrangement by far is fist + 1H weapon for the 1st half of the game.

 

You get the +12 accuracy on the weapon (because you are not dual wielding or 2H), you still hit for extremely good damage with your bare fist. Accuracy is the most important stat for higher difficulty and at low levels.

 

The Jolting Touch Stiletto is a weapon that works particularly well with Monks because all your Monk passives like Turning Wheel and Lighting Strikes apply to the spell damage. It also works well with Stunning Blow, if your Stunning Blow procs the Jolting Touch (very likely since you double hit with Stunning Blow and are likely to crit due to stun lowering enemy Deflection by -40), the Jolting Touch jumps will also Stun giving you a small AE stun.

 

Monk abilities synergize so well with weapon enchantments, IMO barefisted Monk is the worst way to play them. 

 

Also covered in another thread, some weapon properties like +accuracy or +crit damage bonuses such as a battle-axe will apply to Torment's Reach.

Edited May 21, 2015 by taek

[petrivanzyl]

Use this guide:

 

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/78627-endless-paths-1-15-potd-solo-monk-achieved-story-also-ofc-build-and-details-inside/

 

I however didn't take Clarity of Agony or Swift Strikes. I took them in the following order:

 

1-Torments Reach  

2-Lesser Wounds  

3-Long Stride  

4-Weapon Focus: Peasant  

5-Turning Wheel

6-Savage Attack  

7-Duality of Mortal Presence    

8-Two weapon style

9-Crucible of Suffering    
10-Vulnerable Attack   
11-Rooting Pain
12-Body control
 

[Matt516]

If it's for party play on Hard, you don't need to worry about a carefully constructed build. Just do what's fun and play decently and you'll be fine.

 

My monk wrecks shop with a Mig/Dex build, unarmed, two-weapon-style, weapon focus: peasant, and then a few monky dps skills (swift strikes and the one where you kick them across the room). Oh, also Vulnerable attack for maximum punchy goodness. I put her in the Sanguine Plate (acquired halfway thru Act II), and she's nigh unkillable while still doing hilarious damage. Though she hasn't actually managed to take a wound since I gave her the plate haha.

[Gromnir]

If it's for party play on Hard, you don't need to worry about a carefully constructed build. Just do what's fun and play decently and you'll be fine.

 

 

qft

 

however, we will admit being mystified by the lack o' enervating blows in the aforementioned monk builds.  with your high accuracy you are gonna crit frequent as an off-tank monk.  enervating blows adds the weakened status effect on a crit.  choose to build cladhalíath (a peasant weapon) with the stunning effect on crits ability and equip off-hand for double the fun.  heck, the genesis poster has a dps rogue in party, and both weakened and stun is gonna be creating additional sneak attack opportunities for the rogue.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

[peddroelm]

Clarity of Agony - at this point ONLY chain petrify/paralyze can kill your monk.. This + Liberating exo from paladin should help a lot during the hard fights

(Special note for enervating blows - synergises well with stunning fist and provides long term fortitude debuff BUT you won't land a lot of crits in the really tough fights where CoA shines )

 

 

 

 

however, we will admit being mystified by the lack o' enervating blows in the aforementioned monk builds.  with your high accuracy you are gonna crit frequent as an off-tank monk.  enervating blows adds the weakened status effect on a crit.  choose to build cladhalíath (a peasant weapon) with the stunning effect on crits ability and equip off-hand for double the fun.  heck, the genesis poster has a dps rogue in party, and both weakened and stun is gonna be creating additional sneak attack opportunities for the rogue.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

[Krajzen]

Dump INT and max CON, the AoE of TR is low to begin with, and doesn't get much smaller by low IN.

 

 

I have a feeling that many people while building monk forget that he is SUPPOSED to be hit and get Wounds to use his abilities. This is why IMHO packing all points into defensive attributes and skills is retarded. This is going to be DPS, not tank (for monk the best way is to build Eder as full tank) and with as high Constituion as you recommend this monk will barely got any Wounds due to avoiding hits.

 

I am playing on Hard difficulty with Monk:

 

Strenght 19

Constitution 15

Dexterity 13 (fists are already fast weapon type)

Perception 8

Resolve 8?

Intellect 15? something like that

 

--------

 

This monk deals by far the best dmg in team - 1.5x more than second most damaging character - while soaking stupid amounts of damage and together with Eder engaging 80% of any enemy that wants to come closer to ranged characters. MY monk girl is OP as crazy and this is despite the fact I care more about roleplay than about optimal stats.

 

As for skills I gave my monk girl maxed Lore and secondly Athletics. Why? My reasoning was, i have many spellcasters dealing magic dmg/buffing/debuffing from distance but many spells require close range, or in some fights my monk and ranged guys get separated. So here we go. It works brilliantly with stuff like Fan of Flames or Eldritch's Aim.

Edited May 25, 2015 by Krajzen

[LordHellscream]

is Scion of Flame useful for monk damage (im primarily spamming torment reach)? or is it a waste ? i see rarely anyone takes it

[taek]

is Scion of Flame useful for monk damage (im primarily spamming torment reach)? or is it a waste ? i see rarely anyone takes iI

 

Scion of Flame wouldn't affect TR, TR is not flame damage unless you have specifically have a flaming damage weapon. TR is the same damage type as your equipped weapons.

 

It might affect Turning Wheel, but I find myself pretty tight with talent points on a Monk and would never take it personally.

[peddroelm]

TR main target component  adds 50% lash ALWAYS of crush type..(not based on equipped weapon like marked prey)

Edited June 9, 2015 by peddroelm