Brewmaster Monk Tank Easy Mode — The War Within (Season 1)

This section is intended for players who are new to the game or Monk class, have no intentions of raiding Mythic difficulty, or simply want a more straightforward way to play their specialization without being overwhelmed by the numerous priorities and active abilities that need to be taken into consideration for more optimal play.

Brewmaster Monks are some of the sturdiest brawlers out there, capable of shrugging off even the deadliest attacks with ease while offering plenty of options for mobility and defense. With the help of Stagger, there is next to nothing that can outright kill you in one hit, which makes for a more predictable damage intake to heal.

As a Brewmaster, your main resource to manage is Energy, which you will spend on abilities that reduce the cooldown of your Brews and act as a way to decrease the damage you are taking from your Stagger. The better you are at converting your Energy to Brew usage, the easier it will be to stay alive. Other keys to survival will involve taking advantage of your abilities that do not cost Energy, along with your cooldowns and utility.

Brewmasters have access to two unique sets of Hero Talents, with the Shado-Pan tree focusing on delivering bursts of Flurry Strikes and the Master of Harmony tree revolving around building and spending vitality as an Aspect of Harmony. Fortunately, these talents are almost entirely passive, allowing you to easily switch between them without any major impact on your general gameplay.

With that being said, we recommend making use of the Master of Harmony talents as a beginner due to how it adds extra effects to your main defensive tools. This makes it great for reinforcing how to play a Brewmaster, rewarding you for getting better at using Celestial Brew and Purifying Brew. You can certainly still try the Shado-Pan talents instead if you would like to!

Below is a "default" talent tree containing many of the most standard and common talent choices for you to select in beginner-level content while having the flexibility to adjust a few points as necessary for different scenarios. If you are okay with some additional complexity, then it is recommended to switch the choice node of Press the Advantage at the bottom of the specialization tree to Weapons of Order. Remember that you can easily import the talent tree below into the game with the "Export Talents" button!

If you are interested in knowing when to use some of the more situational talent choices or learn more about Brewmaster Hero Talents, take a look at our full talent analyses below.

1. Item Level (Agility/Armor)
2. Critical Strike=Versatility=Mastery
3. Haste

When gearing a Brewmaster Monk, you should prioritize item level above all else, as Agility, Armor, and Stamina are very valuable. Do not bother to drop item levels to avoid a piece that has Haste.

While the stat priority for Brewmasters is normally the same for both the Beginner Mode page and our full guide, there can be major differences depending on if you desire to be more offensive or defensive as a tank. If you want to see the full explanation of the stat priority, as well as the absolute top choices for what you want to prioritize, head to our full stats page.

For a better understanding of what all of the abilities in the priority below do to contribute to your performance, along with many more not covered in it, it is highly recommended to glance at the Spell List/Glossary page linked just below.

When performing this rotation, it may be helpful to think in terms of Blackout Kick's cooldown. It will always be 4 seconds, and you may use one ability every second due to your global cooldown. This means you will often be using your abilities in sequences of Blackout Kick>ability1>ability2>ability3>Blackout Kick. By breaking things down to only four abilities at a time, you may have an easier time following the flow of being a Brewmaster.

1. Cast Keg Smash when available.
2. Cast Breath of Fire when available.
3. Cast Blackout Kick when available.
4. Cast Rising Sun Kick when available. This will also occasionally cast Chi Wave for you.
5. Cast Exploding Keg when available.
6. Cast Tiger Palm, if you have 65+ Energy, against one target; With Press the Advantage talented, you do not have to use Tiger Palm at all.
7. Cast Spinning Crane Kick against multiple targets. You will also be using this against just one target when talented into Press the Advantage.
8. Cast Expel Harm if you are dropping in health. You can also instantly cast Vivify once every 10 seconds, thanks to Vivacious Vivification. Do not try to cast the ability if it is not buffed by the talent.
9. Cast Fortifying Brew or Dampen Harm if you are about to take a large amount of damage. Zen Meditation can also be used against a single, massive hit, but remember to stand still to avoid ending its effect early!

You should make sure not to spend so much Energy on Spinning Crane Kick or Tiger Palm that you cannot cast Keg Smash when it is available. Following these steps will make sure you do as much damage as you can and have enough Brews to maintain a solid defense.

It is very important to always have the Shuffle buff present so you take less damage upfront. You gain time on Shuffle by casting Keg Smash, Blackout Kick, and Spinning Crane Kick. If you are using the default UI, you can easily monitor the time left on your Shuffle by looking at the icon outlined in purple:

You can use Purifying Brew to get rid of damage you have Staggered. The level of Stagger on the default UI is shown above and outlined in red. The more the bar is filled, the more damage you are taking. Remember, though, it is equally important to maintain uptime on Shuffle so that your damage taken stays smooth as you purify what you can.

After you have purified a bit, use Celestial Brew to absorb a large amount of damage taken for a short period of time. This will also activate your Aspect of Harmony passive from the Master of Harmony Hero Talents, increasing your damage dealt.

While the above is excellent for starting out as a Brewmaster Monk, it is recommended to eventually look into our full rotation guide to get a better grasp of how the abilities interact with each other and their other quirks.