Brewmaster Monk Tank Guide — The War Within (11.0.5)

Patch 11.0.5 is a relatively small one for Brewmaster Monks, containing no significant class or spec-specific tuning. Nor does it feature any revisions to the Brewmaster or Monk talent trees. Instead, the most noteworthy Brewmaster-only change applies to Weapons of Order, which has had its icon updated to reflect a more Monk-colored hue. Although the Dracthyr race has gained access to additional classes, Monk is not one of them, leaving it as the sole race that cannot access the class.

Though there may not be any Brewmaster-specific changes in Patch 11.0.5, there are changes to the Shado-Pan Hero Talents affecting both it and Windwalker. These adjustments are meant to improve the gameplay with these Hero Talents and offer a more consistent experience. While this does include some tuning, the ultimate goal of these changes is for the relative power of the tree to remain as it was, rather than being buffed or nerfed.

The adjustments to the Shado-Pan tree are as follows:

• Flurry Strikes — A new buff added to track your total Energy spent toward triggering the Flurry Strikes passive.
• Flurry Charge — Duration removed (was 30 seconds), and can no longer be cancelled.
• Flurry Strikes — Now triggered at 240 Energy spent (was 300).
• Flurry Strike — Damage reduced by 8%.
• Flurry Charge — Accumulator threshold increased by 47%. In other words, one Charge is generated per 625% of Attack Power dealt in damage (was 425%).
• Wisdom of the Wall — Effect duration reduced to 16 seconds (was 20). The bonus Shadow damage effect to Flurry Strikes still has a 40 second duration, however.
• Against All Odds — Duration reduced to 5 seconds (was 6).
• Bugfix — Spending Energy on Detox and Spinning Crane Kick now appropriately contributes to Flurry Strikes.

Overall, these changes should result in triggering Flurry Strikes more often, with their damage and bonus effects slightly reduced in exchange. However, the Shadow damage Wisdom of the Wall effect's duration still being 40 seconds, rather than the now-16-second duration of the others, means you can now easily trigger two or even three sets of Flurry Strikes during this window: a slight buff. Granted, due to the Shado-Pan talents being the more general recommendation already, this does not change the advice offered in our guide. Likewise, the Master of Harmony talents still remain quite viable across all types of content, though they will likely continue to be slightly worse for single-target damage.

Patch 11.0.2 featured a massive revamp of the Monk talent tree, with many new talents, pathing changes, and removal of some old options. Be warned, there is a lot to take in. These adjustments to the Monk tree were as follows:

• New Talent: Bounding Agility — Increases the distance traveled by Roll and Chi Torpedo.
• New Talent: Crashing Momentum — Rolling through enemies briefly snares them.
• New Talent: Wind's Reach — Enhances the effects of Crashing Momentum and Disable.
• New Talent: Jade Walk — Increases movement speed when out of combat.
• New Talent: Pressure Points — Paralysis can dispel Enrage effects.
• New Talent: Ancient Arts — reduces the cooldowns of Paralysis and Leg Sweep.
• New Talent: Energy Transfer — successful interrupts reduce the cooldowns of Roll and Paralysis.
• New Talent: Quick Footed — All snares affecting you have 20% reduced duration.
• New Talent: Spirit's Essence — Casting Transcendence: Transfer snares nearby enemies.
• New Talent: Peace and Prosperity — Enhances Ring of Peace and Song of Chi-Ji.
• New Talent: Swift Art — Roll can remove snare effects once every 30 seconds.
• New Talent: Celestial Determination — You cannot be slowed below 90% movement speed when Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox is present.
• New Talent: Chi Proficiency — Increases magic damage and healing done.
• New Talent: Healing Winds — Casting Transcendence: Transfer heals you.
• New Talent: Martial Instincts — Increases Physical damage done and grants Avoidance.
• New Talent: Lighter Than Air — Casting Roll briefly allows you to dash forward by double-jumping; increases the cooldown of roll; enables the Avoidance of fall damage.
• New Talent: Flow of Chi — Gain bonus movement speed, damage reduction or healing received based on your current health percentage.
• New Talent: Transcendence: Linked Spirits — Transcendence can instead be cast on an ally, allowing you to teleport to them with Transcendence: Transfer.
• New Talent: Rushing Reflexes — Dash to a nearby enemy after every cast of Roll.
• The Following talents have been reworked:
  • Vivacious Vivification — now also decreases the cost of instant-cast Vivify by 75%.
  • Chi Wave — now a passive effect, triggered by Rising Sun Kick and Vivify.
  • Ironshell Brew — now further increases the damage reduction and health of Fortifying Brew.
  • Escape from Reality — no longer increases the healing of Vivify.
• The following talents have been removed:
  • Improved Vivify — effect merged with Vivacious Vivification.
  • Improved Roll — effect added to baseline Roll.
  • Improved Paralysis — effect moved to Ancient Arts.
  • Eye of the Tiger.
  • Close to Heart
  • Generous Pour — personal version of effect moved to Martial Instincts.
  • Resonant Fists.
  • Summon White Tiger Statue.
  • Summon Jade Serpent Statue

In addition to an overhaul of the Monk class talent tree, the Brewmaster specialization tree also received many updates related to pathing, along with a number of talent additions and retirements. These changes were the following:

• New Talent: Elixir of Determination — Gain an absorb shield once every 15 seconds when falling below 40% health.
• New Talent: August Blessing — A portion of all overhealing received is converted to a heal-over-time effect, based on your Critical Strike.
• New Talent: One With the Wind — Your Mastery: Elusive Brawler has a chance to not be reset on a successful dodge.
• New Talent: Strike At Dawn — Rising Sun Kick grants a stack of Mastery: Elusive Brawler.
• New Talent: Ox Stance — Gain charges of the Ox Stance buff when casting Purifying Brew, which are consumed to increase the amount you Stagger against hits that deal 60% or more of your current health.
• New Talent: Black Ox Adept — Rising Sun Kick additionally generates a stack of Ox Stance when cast.
• New Talent: Heightened Guard — Ox Stance now triggers against attacks that deal 40% or more of your current health.
• The Following talents have been reworked:
  • Gai Plin's Imperial Brew/ Tranquil Spirit — no longer choice nodes.
  • Chi Surge/ Call to Arms — no longer choice nodes.
  • Anvil & Stave — No longer has an internal cooldown on the effect. Instead, the amount of cooldown reduction is modified based on how many enemies have recently attacked you.
  • Improved Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox — now buffs Niuzao's Stomp in a manner similar to Purified Chi, rather than being based on how much raw Stagger has been Purified with Purifying Brew.
• The following talents have been removed:
  • Improved Celestial Brew — effect added to baseline Celestial Brew.
  • Improved Purifying Brew — effect added to baseline Purifying Brew.
  • Clash — talent moved to Monk class tree as a choice node with Rushing Reflexes.
  • Fundamental Observation.
  • Healing Elixir.
  • Graceful Exit.
  • Bonedust Brew.
  • Attenuation.
  • Bountiful Brew.

Blizzard has made another attempt at reshaping how the tank role interacts with healers in Patch 11.0.2 of The War Within. This resulted in a large amount of tuning to each tank specialization's self-healing, including Brewmaster's. However, these adjustments also included some buffs to general survival, giving healers more time to react to a tank being in danger.

While there were too many individual adjustments to list them all here, below are a few highlights from Patch 11.0.2 to demonstrate this change in tank design that will be present throughout The War Within:

• Stagger's strength has been increased by 5%, and the percentage of Magic damage Staggered is now 58% of your regular Stagger value, up from 45%.
• Celestial Fortune's bonus healing is now 70% of the triggering amount.
• Yu'lon's Grace now generates an absorb equal to 1% of your maximum health every 3 seconds, rather than 2% every 2 seconds.
• Brewmaster's Balance (the core tanking passive for Brewmaster Monks) increases your Armor by 45% (was 25%).
• Pretense of Instability now grants 10% dodge while active, down from 15%.
• All Brewmaster Monk ability damage has been increased by 15%.

Overall, these changes should result in feeling slightly safer against bursts of damage due to a larger average Stagger percentage against them, particularly against Magic damage. However, the many small nerfs to self-healing talents will be felt in how reliant you may end up being on your healer to help recover from mistakes. Fortunately, in skilled hands, these downsides can be mostly mitigated, resulting in net-buffs to playing a Brewmaster!

If you would like to see the full list of ability tuning, please consult the official Patch 11.0.2 patch notes below.