How to Monk?

[Brimsurfer]

I have been starting and restarting this game over and over again, can't decide which class to go with, now I am trying to play a Monk (PotD campaign) and I honestly don't know how this class works, because from what I know of Monks, they work best without armor and without weapons, their fists do the magic for them and they are suppose to be at their best when their bodies are unhindered.......but its not working like this in PoE I am taking way too much damage......

 

Do I really need to wear armor and use weapons with monk in this game? I mean I want to build a tanky damage dealer who can hold his own in a battle without needing a tank to pull enemies off him.........

 

Should I try putting heavy armor on? But it seems kind of ridiculous I have never heard of a monk in heavy armor, I am pretty sure I am doing something wrong and I can't seem to figure it out......

 

Help pls......

 

Thanks

[JerekKruger]

My hard difficulty monk is primarily using his fists, and wearing exceptional padded armour (eventually I intend to wear just normal clothing) so I think it's very possible. The game was a bit rough for the first few levels, and I stooped to wearing leather, but at level 7 he's doing fine as a tank/damage dealer.

 

Obviously paths of the damned is harder, so I'd expect a longer time struggling near the start (or accepting you have to wear heavier armour) but I'd be surprised if a low armoured monk using his fists isn't viable at later levels in PotD.

 

For reference I am roughly speaking using KDubya's Juggernaut monk build, with the exception of wearing relatively little armour, and I went constitution 14 and perception 16 for... reasons? Torment's Reach spam is a thing of beauty with monk fists.

[Mocker22]

Monks in PoE are probably not going to do good in no armor. You could build as a glassy dps wearing Monk Outfits but this will be extremely rough early game. Check out Kdbuya's Juggernaut Monk. Works extremely well as a tank. Later in the game you could go back to very light armor once you gain Iron Wheel at level 11 to help with your DR. There are some very good monk robes in WMII.

[Boeroer]

Once you take Iron Wheel you can skip thick armors. It will guaratee you that if you have no wounds you will get them fast - and when you have plenty you will have a lot of DR.

 

But I always wear a blunting belt on my monk - at least in early to mid game.

[KDubya]

The problem with grabbing Iron Wheel at level 11 for the DR per wound is the opportunity cost of not taking Flagellant's Path at 11, The Twins at 13 and Resonant blows at 15.

 

Zipping across the battlefield is just an awful lot of fun with Flagellant's Path, the Twins are one of the best powers in the game. Haven't got to 15 yet to see what to take but Iron Wheel would not be available till then. Also if you spam out your wounds as quickly as you gain them, you won't have a lot of extra DR for very long. It is kind of the issue I have with Turning wheel except the options available at level 5 are either Turning Wheel, Force of Anguish and Stunning Blows; all are good but none are great.

 

At low levels I'd grab the heaviest armor I could get. At higher levels you can lighten up in order to speed up. The bigger the endurance pool you have the easier it is to go lighter. It also depends on how your team is set up.

[Boeroer]

That's right. I just meant you can totally skip armor and still be tanky if you choose this. You will have to skip something else, that's true.

 

Eh? Force of Aguish (especially at that low level) is just totally awesome and great fun. It also works ok with the AI settings.

 

I guess it depends how you play your monk: If you want to have low micro it's good to use Turning Wheel, Iron Wheel and the stuff that does more damage when you accumulated many wounds (like Blood Testmant Gloves) and just let him loose. He will be aweseome without micromanagement.

 

If you want more control/micro and spam powerful abilities by yourself a lot (Torment's Reach, Flagellant's Path) those I mentioned are not so great, I absolutlely agree.

 

Speaking of Endurance: I playtested a monk with +100% endurance from high CON. It's hilarious! So much endurance and health...

One trick is to use dual Whispers of Yenwood for +4 CON that stacks with other items for +7 (or +8 at best). Sanguine Plate is also nice because of the +4 CON from Frenzy - and it looks devilish together with the oozing red swords. Of course you can't use fists then.  

Edited March 11, 2016 by Boeroer

[JerekKruger]

The problem with grabbing Iron Wheel at level 11 for the DR per wound is the opportunity cost of not taking Flagellant's Path at 11, The Twins at 13 and Resonant blows at 15.

 

Yeah, the last few odd Monk levels do have a lot of nice choices. It's a shame you can't somehow take Iron Wheel instead of Turning Wheel.

 

Out of interest KDubya, how're your experiments with a higher Intellect Monk going so far, if at all?

[rheingold]

Force of anguish is great. I've been playing with a 12 int monk(14 with items) and between torments and force it's insane. Torments with high int has a huge reach if you position the monk properly and force of anguish's duration is great with 14 int. Said it before, intelligence is seriously under rated for a monk.

Edited March 11, 2016 by rheingold

[JerekKruger]

Yesterday I got a beautiful Torment's Reach off, it hit something like 8 enemies. I really wish it had a target indicator so I could use it better.

[Ymarsakar]

Yesterday I got a beautiful Torment's Reach off, it hit something like 8 enemies. I really wish it had a target indicator so I could use it better.

 

It's it just like a line that hits through the enemy the monk is attacking? So if you group enemies in a bottleneck like a corridor or doorway, it would hit the most due to mob stacking on top of each other.

 

I generally wear 40 or 50 recovery armor for a monk early game. But I always have a replacement armor when I'm noticing nobody wants to hit the monk or not enough damage is being done.

 

I'm using a 3 INT monk however, mostly to see what happens. The damage early on is pretty reliable with high per on top of high base accuracy and fists. High con also helps out.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Ymarsakar

[rheingold]

Yeah it's a line, with high int a long long line. It doesn't seem to be able to hit two side by side opponents. But monks are fast so it's about positioning them so there are a couple of opponents in a line. Works if you have other tanks engage a mob then just mosey along so you are 90 degrees to them.... Can be tough to set up but as jk said its rewarding when it happens.

[KDubya]

 

The problem with grabbing Iron Wheel at level 11 for the DR per wound is the opportunity cost of not taking Flagellant's Path at 11, The Twins at 13 and Resonant blows at 15.

 

Yeah, the last few odd Monk levels do have a lot of nice choices. It's a shame you can't somehow take Iron Wheel instead of Turning Wheel.

 

Out of interest KDubya, how're your experiments with a higher Intellect Monk going so far, if at all?

 

 

 

Not so good, time is just short. I was between projects for two years just hanging out at my farm in Thailand and had a lot of free time. Now back on a project building a power plant and just can't game like I used to.

[Boeroer]

Time is short? You need more INT!

 

You have a farm in Thailand? Nice! How's the internet connection on the countryside?

We have to decide next year to which countries our foreign ministry may send us. Would like to put Thailand on the list.

[Ymarsakar]

I also noticed torment's reach aoe and debuff attacks reflex. Presumably because it's an aoe effect.

 

So when I blind aoe debuffed the ogres in Endless path, I noticed the monks doing like 30-40 crit damages. That included the torment lash of course. 3 ogres hit, which helps out since trying to heal through their attacks, even in a bottleneck at 1v1, was getting dangerous. That druid aoe spell, insect plague or what not, kept doing raw damage to everyone in a large aoe.

 

Proning them worked though.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Ymarsakar

[KDubya]

Time is short? You need more INT!

 

You have a farm in Thailand? Nice! How's the internet connection on the countryside?

We have to decide next year to which countries our foreign ministry may send us. Would like to put Thailand on the list.

 

 

I spent two weeks downloading Witcher 3, letting the computer download day and night. It had missing files and could not install. Ended up downloading in Vientiane Laos at a hotel when I made a visa run. No online gaming there that is for sure.

 

Thailand is a great place, lots of fun.

 

I think I'll roll up a new Juggernaut 3.0, stick to a four man team to keep it interesting. More Durgan steel for everyone. Probably Pellagrina, Kana and Devil.

[Boeroer]

Wait... Pellagrina - that's the new consumable. Vailian mineral water, right?

 

For monk I like to either have sombody around who can weaken and/or sicken (priest/cipher/barb) if I use Force of Anguish. For Torment's Reach + Flagellant's Path a wizard with Binding Web is a good friend - if you put on a stag helmet yourself. Great fun!

[AndreaColombo]

I think I'll roll up a new Juggernaut 3.0, stick to a four man team to keep it interesting. More Durgan steel for everyone. Probably Pellagrina, Kana and Devil.

 

*Cough* *cough* I see no Priest there...

 

Wait... Pellagrina - that's the new consumable. Vailian mineral water, right?

 

ROTFLMAYONNAISE