Brewmaster Monk Tank Guide (Legion 7.2.5)

Table of Contents

• ×Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 7.2.5 Changes
  • 3. Patch 7.2 Changes
  • 4. Strengths
  • 5. Weaknesses
  • 6. Viability in the Current Patch
  • 7. Contents
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics
  • 2. Talent Choice
  • 3. Stat Choice
  • 4. Basic Rotation
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets
    • 2.1. Raid Encounters
    • 2.2. Mythic+
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression — First 35 Points
  • 2. Patch 7.2: 35+ Trait Path
  • 3. Relic Choice
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Single Target Rotation
  • 2. Multiple Target Rotation
  • 3. Cooldown Usage
  • 4. Taunting
  • 5. Optional Read: Mastering Your Brewmaster Monk
    • 5.1. Energy
    • 5.2. Mastery: Elusive Brawler
    • 5.3. Stagger and Active Mitigation
      • 5.3.1. Stagger
      • 5.3.2. Purifying Brew Versus Ironskin Brew
    • 5.4. Gift of the Ox
    • 5.5. Celestial Fortune
    • 5.6. Detailed Cooldown Usage
      • 5.6.1. Fortifying Brew
      • 5.6.2. Zen Meditation
      • 5.6.3. Exploding Keg
      • 5.6.4. Tier 1 Talents
      • 5.6.5. Tier 3 Talents
      • 5.6.6. Tier 4 Talents
      • 5.6.7. Tier 5 Talents
      • 5.6.8. Tier 6 Talents
      • 5.6.9. Tier 7 Talents
    • 5.7. Roll and Transcendence
      • 5.7.1. Roll
      • 5.7.2. Transcendence
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Basics
  • 2. Getting a Better Understanding
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems
  • 2. Enchants
  • 3. Consumables
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Macros
    • 1.1. Generic Macros for Monks
      • 1.1.1. Detox Mouseover Macro
      • 1.1.2. Tiger's Lust Mouseover Macro
      • 1.1.3. Ring of Peace Mouseover Macro
      • 1.1.4. Chi Wave Macro
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Brewmaster Monks
      • 1.2.1. Exploding Keg Macros
      • 1.2.2. Blessing of Protection Cancelaura Macro
      • 1.2.3. Mouseover Taunt Macro
      • 1.2.4. Taunt from Statue
  • 2. Addons
    • 2.1. Generic Addons for Monks
      • 2.1.1. ElvUI
      • 2.1.2. Boss Mods: Deadly Boss Mods or Bigwigs
      • 2.1.3. GTFO
      • 2.1.4. Parrot or Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 2.1.5. Weak Auras
      • 2.1.6. Recount / Skada / Details!
      • 2.1.7. Grid and GridClickSets (Optional)
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Brewmaster Monks
      • 2.2.1. Omen Threat Meter
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Tier 20 Set Bonus
    • 1.1. Tier 19 in Tomb of Sargeras
  • 2. Trinket Discussion
  • 3. Legendaries
  • 4. Loot Competition
  • 5. ChangeLog

General Information

Welcome to our Brewmaster Monk tank guide for World of Warcraft Legion 7.2.5. Here, you will learn everything you need to know about playing a Brewmaster Monk in a raid environment and in Mythic+ dungeons.

About Our Author and Reviewers

This guide has been written by Furty, who has an illustrious history in the World of Warcraft raiding scene and race for World First. He has been a member of guilds such as Serenity, Midwinter, and many more, and is currently raiding in Future. He plays most classes at the highest level. You can follow him on Twitter and watch him play on Twitch.

This guide has been reviewed and approved by:

• Justwait, a top tank who raids in Method; you can watch his stream on Twitch and follow him on Twitter;
• Kamp, a theorycrafter from the Peak of Serenity Discord Server.

1. Class Overview

The Brewmaster is the tanking specialisation of Monks, and they are a unique tank. Brewmasters do not rely very much on avoiding damage through dodging and parrying attacks. Instead, have an additional way of dealing with incoming damage, an ability called Stagger, which causes part of the damage to be done to the Monk instantly, while the rest is done over the course of 10 seconds (with the possibility for the Monk to remove part of the non-instant damage).

Mainly for these reasons, Brewmasters benefit from a steady and relatively easily-healed damage intake. They make excellent tanks in PvE and will always be a valuable asset to your raid.

2. Patch 7.2.5 Changes

• New legendary items added.
• Chi Wave healing increased by 73%.
• Brewmaster passive armor bonus increased to 25% (up from 15%) and is now a visible passive trait ( Brewmaster's Balance).
• Dragonfire Brew now also increases the duration of Breath of Fire by 100%.
• Hot Blooded now reduces damage by 1.0% per rank (down from 2.0%).
• Ironskin Brew can now only be extended to 3 times of its maximum duration and only increases Stagger by 35% (down from 40%).
• Elusive Dance now increases Purify by 20% (up from 15%).
• Fortifying Brew increases Stagger by 10% (down from 20%).
• High Tolerance now grants 8/12/15% Haste (up from 5/10/15%).
• Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox deals 50% more damage.
• Mastery: Elusive Brawler is now also triggered by Breath of Fire and Blackout Strike.
• Purifying Brew now clears 40% of your Stagger (down from 50%).
• Rushing Jade Wind's duration increased by 50% for Brewmasters.
• Special Delivery chance increased to 100% (up from 30%) but damaged reduced by 70%.
• Staggered cannot exceed 1000% of your maximum health.
• Staggering Around redesigned; Purifying Brew clears an additional 1/2/3/4% of Stagger.
• Blackout Strike cooldown changed to 3 seconds, and no longer scales with Haste.
• Stagger is 40% effective against Magic (down from 50%).
• Blackout Combo now reduces Breath of Fire's cooldown by 3 seconds when empowered (down from 6 seconds).

3. Patch 7.2 Changes

• New Artifact traits added.

4. Strengths

• Very strong against single large hits
• Highly mobile
• Strong cooldowns
• Solid damage

5. Weaknesses

• No significant utility, like Stampeding Roar or Gorefiend's Grasp

6. Viability in the Current Patch

Brewmaster is quite strong currently. It is the best tank for dealing with isolated large hits, such as Stormforged Spear on Odyn. It takes (arguably) more skill to play at a competitive level than some of the other tanks, but definitely has a place in any raid if you have achieved a level of comfort playing it. Overall, this is a very "balanced" specialization with a deep tool kit that a skilled player can bring to bear in any situation and absolutely shine.

7. Contents

To make it easy to navigate the guide, we have split it into 8 pages:

• Easy Mode: TL;DR to own without reading much;
• Builds and Talents: learn how to choose your talents;
• Artifact Traits and Relics: discover how to level up your Artifact;
• Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities: master your rotation and your cooldowns;
• Stat Priority: read up on the respective values of your statistics;
• Gems, Enchants, and Consumables: choose the best gems, enchantments, etc.;
• Macros and Addons: step up your game with useful macros and addons;
• Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot: find the best gear you can wear.

8. ChangeLog

+ show all entries - show only 10 entries

• 19 Jul. 2017 (gear page): Added trinket discussion.
• 24 Jun. 2017 (rotation page): Updated the Ironskin vs. Purifying Brew section.
• 22 Jun. 2017 (artifact page): Updated relic priority and post 35 maxing path.
• 22 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Updated legendary explanations.
• 22 Jun. 2017 (talents page): Added more depth to talent discussions at almost every tier, following Kamp's review.
• 22 Jun. 2017 (stats page): Updated stat priority slightly.
• 22 Jun. 2017 (easy mode page): Replaced Light Brewing with Gift of the Mists due to T20 synergy, updated stat priority.
• 22 Jun. 2017 (this page): Added a few hotfixes to the 7.2.5 changes.
• 22 Jun. 2017 (enchants page): Updated enchants and food.
• 21 Jun. 2017 (rotation page): Updated a few talent sections and examples.
• 19 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Added Tier 20 set explanation.
• 13 Jun. 2017 (talents page): Updated the talents for 7.2.5 (Tier 1, Tier 6, Tier 7).
• 13 Jun. 2017 (enchants page): Added further details on enchants and gems.
• 13 Jun. 2017 (this page): Added 7.2.5 changes and updated strengths/weaknesses.
• 13 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Added Soul of the Grandmaster and Stormstout's Last Gasp.
• 13 Jun. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated stat priority and descriptions.
• 13 Jun. 2017 (artifact page): Re-order Artifact path and relic priority as Healthy Appetite has been nerfed.
• 13 Jun. 2017 (rotation page): Updated rotation, specific talent sections, and Blackout Combo rotation.
• 13 Jun. 2017 (stats page): Updated stat priority and provided further context to illustrate proper gearing.
• 17 May 2017 (gear page): Updated Fundamental Observation tooltip.
• 29 Mar. 2017 (enchants page): Added Lavish Suramar Feast.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (gear page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.2 changes.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (stats page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (rotation page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (artifact page): Added a new path for the 7.2 traits.
• 28 Mar. 2017 (talents page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (rotation page): Updated Tier 7 talents section.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (talents page): Updated Tier 6 talents.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated stat priority.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (stats page): Updated Haste threshold.
• 20 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Added Archimonde's Hatred Reborn to legendaries.
• 12 Jan. 2017 (stats page): Small update to stat priority.
• 12 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Added new legendary items.
• 10 Jan. 2017 (this page): Added Patch 7.1.5 changes, and updated strengths/weaknesses and viability sections.
• 10 Jan. 2017 (rotation page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 10 Jan. 2017 (stats page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 10 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Updated for Patch 7.1.5.
• 10 Jan. 2017 (enchants page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 10 Jan. 2017 (artifact page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 10 Jan. 2017 (easy mode page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 22 Dec. 2016 (easy mode page): Added easy mode for Brewmaster Monks.
• 30 Nov. 2016 (artifact page): Fully updated Artifact path in lieu of more recent information. New path is more focused on farming Mythic+ as that is the primary time investment in the current end game.
• 30 Nov. 2016 (enchants page): Updated potion choice and went into more detail about consumables.
• 30 Nov. 2016 (addons page): Added Exploding Keg instant cast macros.
• 30 Nov. 2016 (talents page): Updated Tier 1 Talents to reflect Chi Wave being a stronger single target damage option.
• 25 Oct. 2016 (this page): Extremely minor changes to Brewmaster in Patch 7.1. Guide remains unchanged.
• 22 Oct. 2016 (this page): Updated viability and strengths/weaknesses.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (gear page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (stats page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (artifact page): Added.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (talents page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (this page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 24 Jul. 2016 (addons page): Removed a Keg Smash macro that is no longer necessary.
• 23 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Fixed an issue where we were referring to Blackout Strike as Blackout Kick.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (stats page): Added a 30% Haste breakpoint and a mention that Agility also increases dodge chance and self-healing.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Completely revamped many talent discussions to account for some changes in opinions.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Updated trinket recommendations.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Revamped Level 45, 90, and 100 talent discussions, following a change of opinions.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (enchants page): Changed flask to Agility.
• 19 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Added a mention of the interaction between your Tier 18 4-Part Set Bonus and your Healing Spheres, and slightly tweaked the single target rotation.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (stats page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (this page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (addons page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.