[CLASS BUILD] The Uber Disabler - Affliction-inducing Monk

[AndreaColombo]

DISCLAIMER: This build is based on some equipment that is currently bugged, and it is not certain whether a fix will make it to patch 3.02. I will mark those in yellow and provide temporary alternatives until a fix for the bugs is released.

 

I originally conceived the build around Zahua; however, I will provide (albeit loose) guidelines for those who may want to play it as their main.

 

Concept & Premises

 

With the release of patch 3.0, a number of items have become available that bestow afflictions on foes you hit/crit, or foes that hit/crit you. The purpose of this build is to pack as many of those effects as possible, while making use of abilities that also bestow afflictions on your enemies.

 

Race, Class, Background

 

 

 

Race: Human

Though, to be honest, that's not really a requirement. You can pick really any race except Godlike, for you'll need the Head slot for equipment.

 

Class: Monk

I toyed with the idea of a Fighter version as well, but a Monk's abilities just suit the whole concept a lot better and I eventually decide to settle for just the Monk version.

 

Background: Any

Whatever floats your boat; it's not going to make much of a difference, although I suggest picking a background with a +2 bonus to Survival because it's always handy.

 

 

Attribute scores

 

 

These are the starting attribute scores in two alternative arrays:

 

Main array

 

MIG: 16/19 (16 base, +3 Garodh's Chorus OR Engwithan Adra Ban Amulet [optional])

 

CON: 18 (16 base, +2 Binding Rope)

 

DEX: 13 (10 base, +3 Ring of Thorns)

 

PER: 13/15 (10 base, +3 Caed Nua resting bonus, +2 Elryn's Jacket [optional])

 

INT: 20 (16 base, +4 Gwyn's Band of Union)

 

RES: 10 (10 base)

 

 

Alternative array

 

MIG: 16/19 (16 base, +3 Garodh's Chorus OR Engwithan Adra Ban Amulet [optional])

 

CON: 18 (16 base, +2 Binding Rope)

 

DEX: 19 (16 base, +3 Ring of Thorns)

 

PER: 13/15 (10 base, +3 Caed Nua resting bonus, +2 Elryn's Jacket [optional])

 

INT: 20 (16 base, +4 Gwyn's Band of Union)

 

RES: 4 (4 base)

 

 

Notes:

• I did not include any of bonus attribute points you can gather through out the game, but if you play this build as your main, you are of course encouraged to get them. You can get +1 MIG from Gift from the Machine, +1 PER from Song of the Heavens, and +1 to any attribute from Effigy's Resentment. Additionally, you can have +1 PER/INT/RES from Mental Prowess.
• I suggest going for the non-min/maxed array as the dumped RES gives you a significant penalty to Concentration, even though that can be easily ameliorated if you have a Priest in your party.

 

Talents & Abilities

 

 

 

As is customary for my builds, I do not mandate a specific order for talents and abilities, and rather leave you freedom to pick them at whatever pace suits your preferences and play style. I'm leaving out story talents purposefully but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take them if you're playing this build as your main.

 

Talents:

Weapon Focus: Paesant

Two Weapon Fighting

Lightning Strikes

Lesser Wounds

Savage Attack

Vulnerable Attack

Apprentice's Sneak Attack

Runner's Wounding Shot

 

Notes:

• Lesser Wounds was picked to let you spam your Monk abilities more often, but it isn't really necessary. Feel free to replace it with anything that suits your needs or preferences.

 

Abilities:

Torment's Reach
Swift Strikes
Stunning Blows
Rooting Pain
Enervating Blows
Skyward Kick OR Force of Anguish
Resonant Touch OR The Dichotomous Soul
Flagellant's Path

 

Notes:

• Some of you may be wondering why the unpopular Skyward Kick is even there. The reason is twofold: One the one hand, it bestows the Prone affliction which is pretty good and fits the build's purpose; on the other, I'm not a huge fan of push attacks like Force of Anguish, for when my enemies are prone I want them close to me so I can maim them. That said, Force of Anguish is a perfectly valid alternative should you dislike Skyward Kick (which is admittedly sub par for its level.)
• The Dichotomous Soul is likely stronger than Resonant Touch and might be the coolest Monk ability, but since it's part of pretty much every Monk build out there (with the notable exception of Boeroer's Fulmineo Prondroni) I figured I'd at least provide an alternative. If you're going for it, consider Scion of Flame or Secrets of Rime instead of Lesser Wounds as those provide a flat +20% damage to the relevant twin.

 

 

 

Skills

 

 

 

In terms of skills, I suggest putting at least 7 ranks in Survival for the 2nd-tier DR resting bonus—if not even 13 for the 3rd-tier one.

 

The rest is entirely up to you, although given a Monk's tendency to take a beating to fuel their abilities, Athletics may be a good idea.

 

 

Equipment

 

 

 

Head: Lavender Wreath OR Garodh's Chorus (defensive version) OR Executioner's Hood

Neck: Swaddling Sheet OR Engwithan Adra Ban Amulet OR Lost Periapt of the Winding Path

Body: Elryn's Jacket  OR  Monk's Outfit OR Tidebringer's Out fit

Hands: Glittering Gauntlets OR Gauntlets of Accuracy OR Gauntlets of Swift Action

Ring: Gwyn's Band of Union

Ring: Ring of Thorns

Boots: Sandals of the Forgotten Friar OR Shod-in-Faith OR Greenstained Boots OR Fenwalkers OR Boots of Speed 

Belt: Binding Rope

 

Notes:

• Lavender Wreath and Binding Rope are currently affected by a bug whereby their effect is suppressed by any other retaliatory effect from any other piece of equipment, including each other's. In other words, you can only have one of them active at a time. Until this is fixed, I'd favor Binding Rope over Lavender Wreath for I prefer to inflict Stuck rather than Sickened (and because Lavender Wreath looks positively hideous on Zahua, especially if you're wearing Elryn's Jacket.) You may use Executioner's Hood or Garodh's Chorus as an alternative; the latter will have to be the defensive version or its Retaliation will suppress Binding Rope's property.
• Elryn's Jacket is affected by a bug whereby its Eyestrike will hit you and your party members instead of your foes. This should be fixed in patch 3.02, making this the best armor for this build. However, if you can't stand how it looks with Lavender Wreath (which would be totally understandable), go for a Monk's Outfit until you can grab the Tidebringer's Outfit. Make sure you durganize and enchant whichever you choose as your endgame solution.
• Glittering Gauntlets suffer from a bug that prevents them from working with unarmed attacks, and another that prevents them from working with most Monk abilities. It is uncertain at this point whether 3.02 will fix these issues, but I wouldn't hold my breath; until a fix lands, the ever-popular Gauntlets of Accuracy or Gauntlets of Swift Action will serve you well. If you go for the min/maxed attribute array, you may want to consider Celebrant's Gloves for the boost to Concentration.
• If you go for the min/maxed attribute array, I strongly advise you equip Lost Periapt of the Winding Path in your neck slot to gain +2 RES and +20 Concentration (on top of the Concentration you already get from the RES bonus.)

 

 

 

In an ideal world where none of the equipment I've chosen for this build is faulty, you would bestow Sickened, Stuck, Blinded, and Dazed on foes who hit you (plus Crush damage from Rooting Pain); Dazed, Prone, Weakened, Stunned, and Hobbled to foes you hit. Brute-forcing them afterward should be easy peasy lemon squeezy

Edited March 20, 2016 by AndreaColombo

[KDubya]

An added bonus with using this for Zahua is that it'd only use one piece of Durgan steel for the armor, thus freeing up more for the rest of the team.

 

I've found that the AI does not use Force of Anguish or Flagellant's Path on its own (which I prefer so that I can target them properly), does the AI use Skyward kick on its own?

 

Gives a nice, more monkish, alternative to the heavy armored Juggernaut for the many people who dislike heavy armor on a monk but want to use Zahua.

[MaxQuest]

When I saw the title have thought it's about max-per monk with stunning weapons

--

 

The amount of afflictions this build can inflict is indeed great. But.. it would require taking away the Binding Rope from the main tank... 

 

Btw, another option for the head piece would be Executioner's Hood (unless you already gave it to a Loyalty Paladin)

Edited March 19, 2016 by MaxQuest

[L4wlight]

Maybe consider listing Celebrant's Gloves as option for the min/maxed array.

[AndreaColombo]

Very good ideas! I'm editing the OP to include them Thanks!

[Blades of Vanatar]

Great stuff... as usual!

[AndreaColombo]

I've found that the AI does not use Force of Anguish or Flagellant's Path on its own (which I prefer so that I can target them properly), does the AI use Skyward kick on its own?

 

Nope; tested yesterday and it doesn't.

 

Looks like this build requires some good micro to make the most of it.

 

 

Fighter Version? Pretty please?

 

 

A Fighter version would be rather underwhelming compared to this. What I could do is share the Edér build I used in my last play through, which I've greatly enjoyed—it's nothing as focused or flamboyant as this, but it's got good DPS and style in spades. With a couple modifications (and a bug fix), it could become rather interesting. I might post it to the Companion Builds thread

Edited March 20, 2016 by AndreaColombo

[atua]

Where's the Lost Periapt of the Winding Path from?

[AndreaColombo]

Where's the Lost Periapt of the Winding Path from?

 

Going by memory, it's one of the stronghold adventures.

[JerekKruger]

How do you find the proc rate for Enervating Blows? I had a similar idea for a Monk but assumed I'd need a high perception to ensure a high crit rate and hence a high Enervating Blows rate.

[AndreaColombo]

I had a similar idea for a Monk but assumed I'd need a high perception to ensure a high crit rate and hence a high Enervating Blows rate.

 

That is indeed the case. I didn't invest too much in PER because Monks already share the highest base Accuracy with Fighters, Rogues, and Rangers; they get a very good Accuracy bonus from Transcendent Suffering; and Accuracy is generally easy to boost (especially so if you have a Priest in your party, which I always do.) However, investing more in PER is certainly a good idea if you want to crank Enervating Blows to 11 and/or don't have a Priest around.

[JerekKruger]

Obviously it's rather early for testing, but I'd be very interested in knowing whether the bugs on the items needed for this build have been fixed in 3.04. I was thinking of running this build for Zahua.

[AndreaColombo]

I'm on GoG so no 3.04 for me until next week.

 

Patch notes generically indicate that several issues with Glittering Gauntlets were fixed, but no answer was given when I asked for specifics. If they work with Monks' fists, the build should be viable.

 

However, stacking issues with retaliation, binding and irritating were not addressed; you will have to choose between the belt and the wreath.

 

Not sure about the armor. QA could not reproduce the bug so hopefully it's fixed.