Brewmaster Monk Tank Easy Mode — Shadowlands 9.0.2
On this page, we explain how to easily play Brewmaster Monk in World of Warcraft — Shadowlands 9.0.2, using the simplest rotation, talent tree, stat priority, gear setup, etc., without sacrificing performance.
Foreword
This section is intended for players who are new to the game or 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 optimal play.
The Basics of Brewmaster Monks
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 cooldowns and
utility.
Talent Choice for Brewmaster Monks
Many of the following talent choices are passive options, providing slight
tweaks to the basics of Brewmaster gameplay as you get familiar with the ins and
outs of managing its rotation and your Stagger meter. Your performance
will still be near the optimal talents in their specific situations while
resulting in fewer keybinds to manage.
- Level 15:
Eye of the Tiger
- Level 25:
Chi Torpedo
- Level 30:
Light Brewing
- Level 35:
Tiger Tail Sweep
- Level 40:
Bob and Weave
- Level 45:
Rushing Jade Wind
- Level 50:
High Tolerance
If you are interested in knowing when to switch to the more active options available as a Brewmaster or when to use some of the more situational choices, take a look at our full talent analysis below.
Stat Choice for Brewmaster Monks
Currently, you will want to prioritize secondary stats as follows:
- Versatility = Mastery = Critical Strike
- Haste
Prioritize item level above all else, as Agility and Stamina are very valuable. Haste should be avoided whenever possible, but do not bother to drop item levels to do so.
While the stat priority for classes is normally the same for both the Easy 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.
Covenants and Soulbinds for Brewmaster Monks
It must be stressed that ultimately all four of the Covenants available
to Brewmasters are usable in a variety of content. Some will be more useful than
others at times, however. If you are seeking a generic option that is easy to
make use of, then it is recommended to go with the Kyrian Covenant and
use Pelagos as your Soulbind. The Weapons of Order ability is
quick to learn and
Phial of Serenity can act as a helpful source of extra
healing against possible mistakes.
Soulbinds and Conduits
When using Pelagos, this will be your ideal path to take:
Though many of the Conduits available for use in a category are somewhat close in value, some options may be less demanding to make use of. As such, a short selection of useful Conduits to pursue is listed below:
Scalding Brew - Potency
Strike with Clarity - Potency
Harm Denial - Endurance
Celestial Effervescence - Endurance
Dizzying Tumble - Finesse
Tumbling Technique - Finesse
While following the Covenant guidelines above is useful if you want to quickly get into the action as a Brewmaster, it is highly recommended that you consider the section of this guide dedicated to all four Covenants, their Soulbinds, and the remaining Conduits for more information to help decide on a Covenant that is best for you.
Legendary Powers for Brewmaster Monks
Stormstout's Last Keg - most convenient general-use Legendary
Charring Passions - a more demanding alternative that performs better in low target counts.
Both Stormstout's Last Keg and
Charring Passions act as excellent
choices to increase your damage as a Brewmaster while offering a small amount of
additional indirect defense. In almost any scenario, the two will remain
competitive with one another, though Charred Passions will require a little more
interaction on your part to reach its potential.
While these two Legendary Powers are recommended overall, there are a number of other possibilities for specific moments. To learn more about these options and when to consider them, see the Legendary Powers section of this guide.
Basic Rotation for Brewmaster Monks
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 Spells Summary page linked just below.
- Cast
Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox when possible.
- Cast
Weapons of Order or your Covenant Class ability when available.
- Cast
Keg Smash when available.
- Cast
Blackout Kick when available.
- Cast
Tiger Palm, if you have 65+ Energy, against one target.
- Cast
Spinning Crane Kick, if you have 65+ Energy, against multiple targets.
- Cast
Breath of Fire when available.
- Keep your
Rushing Jade Wind buff active
- Cast
Expel Harm if you are dropping in health and cannot reach your
Gift of the Ox orbs.
- Cast
Fortifying Brew if you are about to take a large amount of damage.
You should make sure to not spend so much energy on 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.
Shuffle and Brew Usage
It is very important to always have Shuffle active, so you
take less damage up-front. You gain time on Shuffle mainly by casting
Keg Smash and
Blackout Kick. If you are using the default UI,
you can easily monitor the time left on your Shuffle by looking at the icon
highlighted 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,
highlighted 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 while.
While the above is excellent for starting out as a Brewmaster Monk, it is recommended to look into our full rotation guide to get a better grasp on how the abilities are interacting with each other and their other quirks.
Changelog
- 24 Nov. 2020: Added sections for Covenant and Legendary Power choices.
- 12 Oct. 2020: Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
More Monk Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Sinzhu, who currently raids in We Gucci on US-Kil'jaeden and has passionately played Brewmaster for the past seven years. He also contributes to the Peak of Serenity and is an active Veteran of the Monk Class Discord.
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