Hello guys! Welcome to my 2nd guide on Diablo 3. This time around, we will be discussing what are the best gears, stats and skill builds for a Monk in Diablo 3.
As we all know, Monks loves fist fights and they rely mainly on DEXTERITY stat which increases their attack and dodge rate. In addition, we all know that Monks can be a tank in Diablo 3. Knowing these two things, I have decided to be an Offensive Tank Monk in Diablo 3.
Before we proceed to the guide, I just want to say that all the thing you will learn in this guide are based on my experience playing the character and, some things may differ to your thoughts. That is why I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts on my guide or even suggest some things you think is better for a Monk.
Now that we clear that up, let's proceed to the Inferno Monk Build in Diablo 3 Guide.
So, what are the requirements to be an offensive tank Monk in Diablo 3?
First, let's discuss about the stat needed for this build...
1. Dexterity- This will be your main stat as an Offensive Tank Monk. Remember that these stat increases the attack and dodge rate of this character, which is needed for our offensive tank build. By the way, when we say a Tank Monk, it doesn't refer to classes like Barbarian which can absorb heavy damage. What we want for our monk is to have the highest possible dodge rate to deny any damage. That is why he is considered to be a tank also because of his survivability.
2. Damage- As much as possible, we need the damage of course for our Offensive Tank Monk. One way of doing this is by gaining some items which has bonus elemental or just bonus physical damage.
3. Vitality- Stacking Vitality without sacrificing any points on the main stat is pretty easy. You just need to find items which has both DEX and VIT stat on it. Well, it's not that easy as looting rare items is pretty hard but, if you are rich in gold, then let's head to the Auction House and spend all that riches for the best gears we need as a Monk :D.
4. Armor and Elemental Resist- When we say tank, then we often hear about high defense and Resist to attributes or what we call as Elements in the game. Well, don't worry about having a high defense as Monk's Armors are pretty solid in terms of this. You must prioritize having as much Resist on each gears as possible as these will be needed especially on Inferno, which has elite mobs that throws heavy elemental damage to you. Basically, stacking Elemental Resist as a Monk is pretty easy but tedious. Take note that this character has a passive which is called as "One With Everything". With this skill, you have the option to just pick one resistance type to strive for building on your gear because it acts as "all resistance" and if you find gear that has both all resistance and your chosen resistance it acts like having two all resistance modifiers on one piece of gear. For example, if your highest elemental resist is 1200 Poison Resistance, then you will have an All Resistance of 1200. Get it?
5. Life on Hit- Preferably, you must strive to have at least 1000+ Life on Hit as a Monk to survive. This stat basically returns a certain amount of your life per hit you make to your character. It is really essential and a must have stat for our offensive tank Monk.
6. Attack Speed- Stacking attack speed would be a wise decision as we need this stat. Basically, it makes our skill hit more frequently and in general causes more damage and more life on hit procs and spirit generation.
7. Critical Hit Chance- It is a good thing to have Crits as a Monk for more damage. But, don't prioritize this stat.
Note: These are the stats you should need to invest time in getting and stacking on your gears. Well, it's not that easy doing that as the gears sometimes don't have all these stats but, you should prioritize getting atleast the first 4 stats in your gears.
Now, let's see some example of gears you should look for as a Monk in Diablo 3 which is meant to survive Inferno mode. Take note that these items are not that simple to get and not that luxurious but, it's very effective for a Monk. Let's just say call this gears as "not so poor mans gears" as it's not that cheap and not that luxurious either but, perfect for our Monk :D. Here it is:
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Head: Inna's Radiance- +185 Dexterity, +74 Vitality, +46 Fire Resistance, Increases Spirit Regeneration by 2.30 per seconds (Monk Only), Critical Hit Chance Increased by 6.0%
Torso: Inna's Vast Expanse- +159 Dexterity, +84 Vitality, +57 Fire Resistance, +10%Life, Reduces Damage from Melee Attacks by 6%
Waist: Inna's Favor- Adds 8% to Holy Damage, +98 Dexterity, +58 Resistance to All Elements, Critical Hit Chance Increased by 1.0%, Reduces duration on control impairing effects by 13% (this talks about stuns and enemy debuffs)
Legs: Inna's Temperance- +97 Dexterity, +169 Vitality, Attack speed increase by 9%, +12% movement speed, critical hit chance increased by 1.0%
Inna's Set Bonus: 2 Set= +130 dexterity
3 Set= increases spirit regeneration by 0.33 per second (Monk Only)
4 Set= Gain 10.0 Life per spirit spent (Monk only)
Reduces resource cost of Sweeping Wind by 70 Spirit. (Monk Only)
Feet: Natalya's Bloody Footprints- +188 dexterity, +52 fire resistance, +78 all resistance to elements, +253 armor, +12% movement peed, reduces damage from melee attacks by 6%
Shoulders: Vile Ward- +197 dexterity, +83 vitality, +56 fire resistance, +77 resistance to all elements, +254 armor, regenerates 273 life per second
Hands: Damned Guards- +74 dexterity, +73 vitality, +53 fire resistance, attack speed increased by 9%, critical hit damage increased by 45%, critical hit chance increased by 6.5%
Wrists: Archer's Sin- +165 dexterity, +81 intelligence, +137 vitality, +44 fire resistance, critical hit chance increased by 6.0%
Neck: Forsaken Gorget- +160 dexterity, critical hit damage increased by 93%, critical hit chance increased by 10.0%, health globes and potions grants +1733 life.
Finger: Natalya's Reflection- +21 minimum damage, +86 dexterity, attack speed increased by 9%, regenerates 213 life per second, melee attackers take 164 damage per hit, critical hit chance increased by 6.0%
Hellfire Ring- +237 dexterity, +28 vitality, attack speed increased by 9.0%, each hits add +146 life, +12% life, increases bonus experience by 35%, chance to launch an explosive ball of Hellfire when you attack.
Natalya's Set Bonus: 2 Set= critical hit chance increased by 7.0%
3 Set= +130 dexterity
4 Set= +20 maximum discipline (Demon Hunter Only)
1-Hand: Iron Grasp- 1013 Damage per second, +253 minimum damage, +379 maximum damage, +40% damage, +55 dexterity, +51 intelligence, critical hit damage increased by 55%, 2.80% of damage dealt in converted to life
Echoing Flury- 1154.2 damage per second, +241 minimum damage, +350 maximum damage, +40% damage, +168 dexterity, +0.23 attacks per second, critical hit damage increased by 77%, 2.70% damage dealt is converted to life, 17.1% chance to fear on hit
Now, let's proceed to my preferred skill build for an Inferno Monk in Diablo 3...
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Primary Skill- The Way of the Hundred Fists gives you a small amount of range to unleash a rapid series of punches that strikes enemies for 140% weapon damage. And when we add Windforce Flurry rune, the third strike of the said skill will deal 250% physical damage to the enemy. Not only that this is your main skill to deal damage per second, it also your skill that can generate spirits per second, which you need to cast some of your skills.
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Secondary Skill- Basically, We get this skill for more dodge. Take note that Blinding Flash has the ability to make elite monster miss their attack by 30% chance. And with the help of Searing Light, it will increase the chance by a whooping 60%. So essentially, this skill and rune is one of our key to surviving Elite mobs in Inferno mode.
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Hotkey #1- Basically, Breath of Heaven is another survival skill. It heals us Monk for 6202-7442 Life instantly and, we can use this skill for every 15 seconds. This is a total life saver! And, when paired with Circle of Life, we can ensure that we do get the most from this skill. Take note that this rune increases the healing of this skill by 8093-9765 life which is pretty significant.
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Hotkey #2- Basically, Serenity encases you in a protective barrier that absorbs all incoming damage for 3 seconds and grants immunity to all control impairing attacks like stun, slow and other debuffs you gain from elite mobs. The 3 seconds invincibility is pretty significant, especially in Inferno which has mobs that will go non-stop hounding and attacking you. For me, Peaceful Repose is a great rune to be paired with this skill as it heals you for 6202-7752 life when you activate Serenity. Another great rune that you could pair with Serenity is the Reap What is Sown. If you want the damage instead of the heal, then go with RWIS.
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Hotkey #3- Of all Mantra skills, the Mantra of Evasion is my favorite. It is perfect for my build as I am trying to max out Dexterity which gives more dodge rate and with this skill, it will give me more dodge for a 3 long minutes! And, with the Backlash rune, it will allow our Monk to retaliate by creating a burst of flame dealing 35% damage as Fire to all nearby enemies. Well, this skill with this rune is perfect to be paired with Serenity with RWiS rune. The said skills doesn't activate at the same time but, the return damage to the enemy is pretty sweet. That is why I have said that if you prefer damage, then go with Serenity with RWiS as it's perfect with MoE with Backlash.
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Hotkey #4- Well, I don't have to say long introductions on this skill. It is basically your skill that can deal the most damage to the enemy. When you activate this Seven-sided Strike, you will dash rapidly between nearby enemies, dealing 1777% weapon damage over 7 hits. And, when paired with Fulminating Onslaught rune, each strikes explodes, dealing 254% more weapon damage as Holy in a 7 yard radius around the target.
Passive Skills: For your passive skill, you should get: One With Everything, Seize the Initiative and Guardians Path. I have explained earlier the skill One With Everything and why it is badly needed as a monk. Now let me explain why we need the two: Seize the Initiative basically gives you more armor in the expense of 50% dexterity. Take note that this build is more of a DEX type Monk and this passive is perfect for it. And lastly, we need to Get Guardian's Path for the additional dodge rate. Take note that in this build, I prefer dual-wielding and do remember that dual wielding gives you 15% additional dodge rate when you have Guardian Path as your passive.
So there you have it. I hope that this guide will help you build a great Monk in Diablo 3. And as what I have said before, I am accepting comments and suggestion from you, my readers, and you can post it on the comment box below.
5. Life on Hit- Preferably, you must strive to have at least 1000+ Life on Hit as a Monk to survive. This stat basically returns a certain amount of your life per hit you make to your character. It is really essential and a must have stat for our offensive tank Monk.
6. Attack Speed- Stacking attack speed would be a wise decision as we need this stat. Basically, it makes our skill hit more frequently and in general causes more damage and more life on hit procs and spirit generation.
7. Critical Hit Chance- It is a good thing to have Crits as a Monk for more damage. But, don't prioritize this stat.
Note: These are the stats you should need to invest time in getting and stacking on your gears. Well, it's not that easy doing that as the gears sometimes don't have all these stats but, you should prioritize getting atleast the first 4 stats in your gears.
Now, let's see some example of gears you should look for as a Monk in Diablo 3 which is meant to survive Inferno mode. Take note that these items are not that simple to get and not that luxurious but, it's very effective for a Monk. Let's just say call this gears as "not so poor mans gears" as it's not that cheap and not that luxurious either but, perfect for our Monk :D. Here it is:
Torso: Inna's Vast Expanse- +159 Dexterity, +84 Vitality, +57 Fire Resistance, +10%Life, Reduces Damage from Melee Attacks by 6%
Waist: Inna's Favor- Adds 8% to Holy Damage, +98 Dexterity, +58 Resistance to All Elements, Critical Hit Chance Increased by 1.0%, Reduces duration on control impairing effects by 13% (this talks about stuns and enemy debuffs)
Legs: Inna's Temperance- +97 Dexterity, +169 Vitality, Attack speed increase by 9%, +12% movement speed, critical hit chance increased by 1.0%
Inna's Set Bonus: 2 Set= +130 dexterity
3 Set= increases spirit regeneration by 0.33 per second (Monk Only)
4 Set= Gain 10.0 Life per spirit spent (Monk only)
Reduces resource cost of Sweeping Wind by 70 Spirit. (Monk Only)
Feet: Natalya's Bloody Footprints- +188 dexterity, +52 fire resistance, +78 all resistance to elements, +253 armor, +12% movement peed, reduces damage from melee attacks by 6%
Shoulders: Vile Ward- +197 dexterity, +83 vitality, +56 fire resistance, +77 resistance to all elements, +254 armor, regenerates 273 life per second
Hands: Damned Guards- +74 dexterity, +73 vitality, +53 fire resistance, attack speed increased by 9%, critical hit damage increased by 45%, critical hit chance increased by 6.5%
Wrists: Archer's Sin- +165 dexterity, +81 intelligence, +137 vitality, +44 fire resistance, critical hit chance increased by 6.0%
Neck: Forsaken Gorget- +160 dexterity, critical hit damage increased by 93%, critical hit chance increased by 10.0%, health globes and potions grants +1733 life.
Finger: Natalya's Reflection- +21 minimum damage, +86 dexterity, attack speed increased by 9%, regenerates 213 life per second, melee attackers take 164 damage per hit, critical hit chance increased by 6.0%
Hellfire Ring- +237 dexterity, +28 vitality, attack speed increased by 9.0%, each hits add +146 life, +12% life, increases bonus experience by 35%, chance to launch an explosive ball of Hellfire when you attack.
Natalya's Set Bonus: 2 Set= critical hit chance increased by 7.0%
3 Set= +130 dexterity
4 Set= +20 maximum discipline (Demon Hunter Only)
1-Hand: Iron Grasp- 1013 Damage per second, +253 minimum damage, +379 maximum damage, +40% damage, +55 dexterity, +51 intelligence, critical hit damage increased by 55%, 2.80% of damage dealt in converted to life
Echoing Flury- 1154.2 damage per second, +241 minimum damage, +350 maximum damage, +40% damage, +168 dexterity, +0.23 attacks per second, critical hit damage increased by 77%, 2.70% damage dealt is converted to life, 17.1% chance to fear on hit
Now, let's proceed to my preferred skill build for an Inferno Monk in Diablo 3...
Primary Skill- The Way of the Hundred Fists gives you a small amount of range to unleash a rapid series of punches that strikes enemies for 140% weapon damage. And when we add Windforce Flurry rune, the third strike of the said skill will deal 250% physical damage to the enemy. Not only that this is your main skill to deal damage per second, it also your skill that can generate spirits per second, which you need to cast some of your skills.
Hotkey #2- Basically, Serenity encases you in a protective barrier that absorbs all incoming damage for 3 seconds and grants immunity to all control impairing attacks like stun, slow and other debuffs you gain from elite mobs. The 3 seconds invincibility is pretty significant, especially in Inferno which has mobs that will go non-stop hounding and attacking you. For me, Peaceful Repose is a great rune to be paired with this skill as it heals you for 6202-7752 life when you activate Serenity. Another great rune that you could pair with Serenity is the Reap What is Sown. If you want the damage instead of the heal, then go with RWIS.
Passive Skills: For your passive skill, you should get: One With Everything, Seize the Initiative and Guardians Path. I have explained earlier the skill One With Everything and why it is badly needed as a monk. Now let me explain why we need the two: Seize the Initiative basically gives you more armor in the expense of 50% dexterity. Take note that this build is more of a DEX type Monk and this passive is perfect for it. And lastly, we need to Get Guardian's Path for the additional dodge rate. Take note that in this build, I prefer dual-wielding and do remember that dual wielding gives you 15% additional dodge rate when you have Guardian Path as your passive.
So there you have it. I hope that this guide will help you build a great Monk in Diablo 3. And as what I have said before, I am accepting comments and suggestion from you, my readers, and you can post it on the comment box below.