Brewmaster Monk Tank Guide in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Table of Contents

• ×Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 8.0.1 Changes for Brewmaster Monk
    • 2.1. Existing Spell Changes in 8.0.1
    • 2.2. Brewmaster Monk Talents in 8.0.1
  • 3. Brewmaster Monk Strengths
  • 4. Brewmaster Monk Weaknesses
  • 5. Brewmaster Monk Viability in the Current Patch
  • 6. Contents
  • 7. Changelog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. The Basics for Brewmaster Monk
  • 3. Talent Choice for Brewmaster Monk
  • 4. Stat Choice for Brewmaster Monk
  • 5. Basic Rotation for Brewmaster Monk
    • 5.1. Brew Usage
  • 6. Changelog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Brewmaster Monk Spells Summary
    • 1.1. Important Brewmaster Monk Passives
    • 1.2. Brewmaster Damaging Spells
    • 1.3. Defensive Spells and Active Mitigation
    • 1.4. Brewmaster Monk Mobility
    • 1.5. Brewmaster Monk Utility
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices for Brewmaster Monk
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets for Brewmaster Monk
    • 2.1. Raid Encounters
    • 2.2. Mythic+
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Brewmaster Monk
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Brewmaster Monk
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Brewmaster Monk
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Brewmaster Monk
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Brewmaster Monk
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Brewmaster Monk
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Brewmaster Monk
  • 10. War Mode Talents for Brewmaster
  • 11. Tier One
    • 11.1. Tier Two
  • 12. Changelog
• +Azerite Traits and Armor
  • 1. Choosing Azerite Gear as a Brewmaster Monk
  • 2. Choosing Azerite Traits as a Brewmaster Monk
    • 2.1. Outer Ring Traits for Brewmaster Monks
      • 2.1.1. Outer Ring Azerite Traits for DPS
    • 2.2. Middle Ring Azerite Traits for Brewmaster Monk
    • 2.3. Inner Ring Traits for Brewmaster Monks
  • 3. Damage Simulations
  • 4. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 5. Changelog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Rotation for Brewmaster Monk
  • 2. Stagger and Active Mitigation
    • 2.1. Stagger
    • 2.2. Purifying Brew Versus Ironskin Brew
  • 3. Cooldown Usage for Brewmaster Monk
  • 4. Taunting for Brewmaster Monk
  • 5. Optional Read: Mastering Your Brewmaster Monk
    • 5.1. Energy
    • 5.2. Mastery: Elusive Brawler
    • 5.3. Gift of the Ox
    • 5.4. Detailed Cooldown Usage
      • 5.4.1. Fortifying Brew
      • 5.4.2. Zen Meditation
      • 5.4.3. Tier 1 Talents
      • 5.4.4. Tier 3 Talents
      • 5.4.5. Tier 4 Talents
      • 5.4.6. Tier 5 Talents
      • 5.4.7. Tier 6 Talents
      • 5.4.8. Tier 7 Talents
    • 5.5. Roll and Transcendence
      • 5.5.1. Roll
      • 5.5.2. Transcendence
  • 6. Changelog
• +Mythic+ Tips
  • 1. Brewmaster Monk in Mythic+
    • 1.1. Brewmaster Monk Mythic+ Rotation
    • 1.2. Mythic+ Talents for Brewmaster Monks
  • 2. Mythic+ Affixes
    • 2.1. Tier One Affixes
    • 2.2. Tier Two Affixes
    • 2.3. Tier Three Affixes
    • 2.4. Seasonal Affix
  • 3. Mythic+ Azerite Traits
  • 4. Changelog
• +Common and Worst Mistakes
  • 1. Common Mistakes that Brewmaster Monks Make
    • 1.1. Brew Usage
    • 1.2. Energy Management
    • 1.3. Gift of the Ox Orbs
    • 1.4. Using Cooldowns
• +Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. Frequently Asked Questions for Brewmaster Monks
    • 1.1. Is It Better to Play Defensively or Offensively?
    • 1.2. I Have a New Item — Should I Sim My Character? How Do I Do That?
    • 1.3. I Have a Question Not Listed Here — Where Can I Ask It?
  • 2. Changelog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. Introduction for Brewmaster Monk Boss Advice in Uldir
    • 1.1. On Trinkets for Brewmaster Monk
    • 1.2. Talent Cheatsheet
  • 2. Taloc
    • 2.1. Mythic Taloc
  • 3. M.O.T.H.E.R.
    • 3.1. Mythic MOTHER
  • 4. Fetid Devourer
  • 5. Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
    • 5.1. Mythic Zek'voz
  • 6. Vectis
    • 6.1. Mythic Vectis
  • 7. Zul, Reborn
    • 7.1. Mythic Zul
  • 8. Mythrax the Unraveler
    • 8.1. Mythic Mythrax
  • 9. G'huun
  • 10. Changelog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. The Basics of Stats for Brewmaster Monk
    • 1.1. Stat Priority
    • 1.2. Stamina
  • 2. Brewmaster Monk Stats: Getting a Better Understanding
  • 3. Changelog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Brewmaster Monks
  • 2. Enchants for Brewmaster Monks
  • 3. Consumables for Brewmaster Monks
  • 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. Chi Wave Macro
      • 1.1.4. Tiger's Lust Macro
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Brewmaster Monks
      • 1.2.1. Blessing of Protection Cancelaura Macro
      • 1.2.2. Mouseover Taunt Macro
      • 1.2.3. Taunt from Statue
  • 2. Addons for Brewmaster Monk
    • 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. Normalized Stagger
      • 2.1.7. Recount / Skada / Details!
      • 2.1.8. Grid and GridClickSets (Optional)
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Brewmaster Monks
      • 2.2.1. Omen Threat Meter
  • 3. Changelog
• +Gear and Best in Slot
  • 1. Azerite Gear for Brewmaster Monks
  • 2. Gearing your Brewmaster Monk
  • 3. Trinkets for Brewmaster Monk
  • 4. Changelog

General Information

Welcome to our Brewmaster Monk tank guide for World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1. 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

This guide has been written by Quotey, who has been tanking as a Brewmaster Monk since they first rolled onto the scene. He currently raids in Echoes and is reachable on the friendly Monk Discord.

1. Class Overview

Brewmaster is the tanking specialization of Monks, and we possess a wide array of colorful and unique abilities. Brewmasters do not overly rely on avoiding damage through dodging and parrying attacks. Instead, we have an additional way of dealing with incoming damage, completely exclusive to Brewmaster. This is called Staggering damage, which causes only a portion of damage taken to be done to the Monk instantly. The rest of the damage is done over the course of 10 seconds (with the possibility for the Monk to remove part of the non-instant damage by using Purifying Brew).

Mainly for these reasons, Brewmasters benefit from a steady and relatively easily-healed damage intake. We are also exceptional at taking large, isolated hits; perhaps the best at this of any tank. We make excellent tanks in PvE and will always be a valuable asset to your raid.

2. Patch 8.0.1 Changes for Brewmaster Monk

In Battle for Azeroth, Brewmaster remains very similar to its Legion incarnation, with mostly background changes.

2.1. Existing Spell Changes in 8.0.1

• The amount of damage you Stagger is now based on your agility, meaning the better your gear is the less up-front damage you will take. Magic stagger has been lowered from 40% of base stagger to 35%, as part of a series of changes to make ALL tanks more vulnerable to magic damage.
• Leg Sweep is now baseline for all Monk specializations.
• Keg Smash has had its slow reduced from 50% to 20%. If you desire a 50% slow, consider using Special Delivery, which remains unchanged.
• The shared cooldowns of Purifying Brew and Ironskin Brew have been reduced from 21 to 15 seconds. Ironskin Brew's duration has been increased from 6 to 7 seconds.
• Mystic Touch has been added, causing targets Brewmasters damage to take 5% more physical damage from all sources.

2.2. Brewmaster Monk Talents in 8.0.1

• Spitfire has replaced Gift of the Mists. It gives a chance to reset the cooldown of Breath of Fire when using Tiger Palm, adding some DPS.
• The cooldown of Black Ox Brew has been increased from 90 to 120 seconds.
• Tiger Tail Sweep modifies Leg Sweep, which is now baseline. It improves Leg Sweep by reducing the cooldown and increasing range.
• Bob and Weave increases the duration of your Stagger DoT by 3 seconds, much like Jewel of the Lost Abbey. This means each stagger tick deals less damage to you.
• Guard has finally returned to the PvE side of the game, replacing Elusive Dance. Its functionality has changed from being an absorb to stopping any staggered damage (up to its tooltip amount) from entering your ticking stagger pool.
• Blackout Combo has changed slightly: it no longer modifies Purifying Brew and the increase in Tiger Palm damage has been lowered. This, coupled with losing the Face Palm trait, means that it will no longer be a giant DPS gain.

If you want more in depth info on the function of or which talents to choose in the Battle for Azeroth prepatch, consider visiting the talents section.

3. Brewmaster Monk Strengths

• Very strong against single large hits
• Highly mobile
• Provides Mystic Touch along with the other monk specializations, which all raids will want.

4. Brewmaster Monk Weaknesses

• Less self sufficient than some other tanks.

5. Brewmaster Monk Viability in the Current Patch

Brewmaster is quite strong currently. It is the best tank for dealing with isolated large hits, making it excellent at certain bosses. In Dungeons, Leg Sweep is an exceptionally powerful stun, and we can kite in a pinch to get out of deadly situations.

6. Contents

To make it easy to navigate the guide, we have split it into 13 pages:

• Easy Mode: Simple breakdown and build for those just getting started;
• Spell Summary: see a summary of all your useful spells;
• Builds and Talents: learn how to choose your talents;
• Azerite Traits and Armor: discover your best azerite traits and the gear that sports them;
• Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities: master your rotation and your cooldowns;
• Mythic+ Tips: learn how to adapt your playstyle for Mythic+;
• Common and Worst Mistakes: avoid making common mistakes;
• Frequently Asked Questions: find the answers to the most common questions for your spec;
• Boss by Boss Strategies: find out how to defeat current content bosses;
• 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 and Best in Slot: find the best gear you can wear.

7. Changelog

• 16 Oct. 2018 (azerite traits and gear page): Altered some trait reccomendations, improved upgrade advice.
• 16 Oct. 2018 (bosses page): Added Mythic strategies for every boss other than G'huun, minor improvements and tips elsewhere.
• 21 Sep. 2018 (gear page): Added Bloodmallet sims.
• 21 Sep. 2018 (azerite traits and gear page): Altered reccomended traits and added Bloodmallet sims.
• 19 Sep. 2018 (talents page): Updated T7 talent reccomendations.
• 19 Sep. 2018 (rotation page): Minor fixes and improved defensive section.
• 19 Sep. 2018 (bosses page): Altered Mythic tips.
• 11 Sep. 2018 (azerite traits and gear page): Made various updates to the page and added a section to help you evaluate potential item upgrades.
• 11 Sep. 2018 (addons page): Added an alternative taunt macro, using a modifier.
• 11 Sep. 2018 (bosses page): Updated after week one, and added early Mythic tips.
• 11 Sep. 2018 (FAQ page): Added a note about a simulation bug.
• 04 Sep. 2018 (bosses page): Extensive rework for Uldir launch.
• 03 Sep. 2018 (enchants page): Updated flask and potion recommendations.
• 03 Sep. 2018 (gear page): Made a few tweaks to trinket recommendations and Azerite gear suggestions.
• 03 Sep. 2018 (bosses page): Added more content.
• 27 Aug. 2018 (addons page): Added more information about Brewmaster Monk weak auras.
• 20 Aug. 2018 (gear page): Added trinket recommendations.
• 20 Aug. 2018 (azerite traits and gear page): Added Engineering helm, DPS traits.
• 20 Aug. 2018 (enchants page): Added a note on enchant choice.
• 20 Aug. 2018 (stats page): Made a small update to the stat priority.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (gear page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (enchants page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (stats page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (bosses page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (rotation page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (azerite traits and gear page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (talents page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (easy mode page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 13 Aug. 2018 (this page): Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 12 Aug. 2018 (mythic+ page): Page added.
• 12 Aug. 2018 (FAQ page): Page added.
• 31 Jul. 2018 (azerite traits and gear page): Page added.
• 23 Jul. 2018 (talents page): Updated comments on Light Brewing significantly.
• 23 Jul. 2018 (bosses page): Updated some talents and Legendary recommendations.
• 16 Jul. 2018 (this page): Updated for the Battle for Azeroth pre-patch.

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