SWK Tempest Rush Monk Skills and Runes
On this page, we explain how to choose and use your skills when playing SWK Tempest Rush Monk in Diablo 3. Updated for Patch 2.7.3 and Season 26.
Active Skills |
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Passive Skills |
Rotation
The build begins runs with an activation of Sweeping Wind, whose
stacking mechanic dictates the Sunwuko damage and protection bonuses. Once the
tornado is up, you will be
Tempest Rushing constantly into enemies,
watching the build up of the
Flurry rune and trying to release
a fully stacked (or close to) strike during the Cold
Convention of Elements
cycle. When the time comes to unleash the built-up
Flurry,
apply
Blinding Flash on nearby enemies (ideally elites), which both cancels
the channeling and explodes your built-up damage, and also nets you the damage
bonuses of the worn
Cesar's Memento; you will also gain a considerable
damage buff from the
Faith in the Light rune. Speaking of defenses, you will
be popping
Epiphany on cooldown for general protection, while the active
component of
Mantra of Salvation
Agility will be used against damage spikes.
The resource sustain in this generatorless build will come from the passive regen
of
Inner Storm and
Epiphany.
Skills and Runes
The primary damage dealer and main focus of the build is Tempest Rush
— the Monk's take on channeling attacks, allowing you to dive in and out
of enemy packs in a whirling, destructive maelstrom. For
Greater Rift progression, take the
rune
Flurry — its stacking mechanic (going up to the
maximum 100 in a relatively short amount of time) can be timed with the Cold
rotation of
Convention of Elements to deliver massive burst. Make special
note of its relatively small detonation though, and ensure that you are right on
top of the enemy (ideally elite) before releasing hold of the
Tempest Rush button.
Blinding Flash is one of the defense-focused utility skills in the
Monk's arsenal, and its Blinding effect finds a fitting place in the crowd
control-reliant Tempest Rush Monk (note the requirements of
Cesar's Memento). With the addition of the
Faith in the Light rune,
you also gain another multiplier for your burst damage. Playstyle-wise, make sure
to use this skill as a cancel for the channeling of a stacked
Flurry.
Sweeping Wind is a vital inclusion whenever the
Sunwuko set is concerned, since it reduces
incoming damage while active (the 2-piece bonus) and its stacks buff the damage
of your chosen spender (6-piece bonus). Crucial as it is to have on your bar,
its damage can be completely ignored, and you can focus on utility with your
rune choice — specifically by taking
Inner Storm for the 8 Spirit
per second.
Cyclone Strike will assume a rather passive role in the build, as it
is simply taken to apply a rune to the constant passive
Cyclone Strikes as
you channel
Tempest Rush, coming from the equipped
Won Khim Lau.
The rune
Soothing Breeze will assist with the life sustain of the build;
note its synergy with Health Globe bonuses in the Secondary stats of your gear,
and synergize if possible (see this build's gear
page for more information). A notable alternative for this slot for high end
GR pushing is
Serenity; one of the most potent defensive skills in the
Monkarsenal, allowing you a brief window of invulnerability on a reasonable 16
second base cooldown. Note that the downtime begins after the active effect
expires, preventing permanent uptime exploitation. Thus, take the longer lasting
Ascension rune to maximize its effect.
Mantra of Salvation offers a general increase to all resistances (yours,
and allies' in your vicinity) by 20%, as well as an active component that
increases resistances by another 20% for a short, 3-second burst. Coupled with
the
Agility rune and its dodge chance boost, it makes for the best
defensive Mantra for the class.
Epiphany is an almost universal addition to Monk builds, since its
default crowd control immunity, Spirit regeneration bonus (20/second) and
mobility enhancement (dashing you to nearby targets of your choice) are joined by
the massive 50% damage reduction bonus of the
Desert Shroud rune for an
irresistible package.
This concludes the overview of the Active Skills, now let us look through the Passives.
Passives
Cooldown reduction is in high demand for this build, as you will be trying to
get back into the CC-safety of Epiphany as soon as possible. To that end,
Beacon of Ytar becomes an automatic inclusion.
Harmony fuels your All Resistance with 40% of the single elemental
resistance per piece of gear (e.g. 100 Fire Resistance roll on the boots will
add 100 to your sheet Fire Resistance and add 40 to your other resists). A well
geared Monk will usually sport secondary resistances in all the gear slots that
are able to roll them, adding significantly to his overall Toughness.
Seize the Initiative is one of the best damage-oriented passives at the
disposal of Monks, providing you with a temporary attack speed increase when
engaging enemies over 75% health. As you get more comfortable with the build, you
will learn to kite into and pull additional enemies or freshly spawned boss adds
to effectively extend the benefits from
Seize the Initiative.
Your final passive slot is a little more flexible, with multiple good options
vying for the spot. Our general recommendation is to get a damage boost in the
form of Relentless Assault (synergizing with the CC-focus of this
build), or invest in additional survivability with
The Guardian's Path,
which will provide a significant 35% extra dodge chance in this dual-wielding
build.
Changelog
- 14 Apr. 2022: Guide reviewed for Season 26.
- 08 Dec. 2021: Reviewed for Season 25.
- 21 Jul. 2021: No changes required for Season 24.
- 01 Apr. 2021: No changes required for Season 23.
- 16 Nov. 2020: No changes required for Season 22.
- 01 Jul. 2020: No changes required for Season 21.
- 12 Mar. 2020: No changes necessary for Season 20.
- 21 Nov. 2019: Skills revised to include Cyclone Strike and better reflect the Tempest Rush changes and additions. Updated for Season 19.
- 23 Aug. 2019: Reviewed for Season 18.
- 16 May 2019: Guide was reviewed and approved for Season 17.
- 17 Jan. 2019: Information was reviewed and approved for Season 16 with no changes required.
- 23 Mar. 2018: Added the guide.
More Monk Guides
Builds from Other Classes
Farming Guides
This build is presented to you by Deadset, one of the very few professional Diablo 3 players. Deadset regularly publishes video guides on Youtube and streams on Twitch, where you can see how this and other builds play out in practice.
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