Brewmaster Monk Torghast Guide and Best Anima Powers — Shadowlands 9.0.2
On this page, we tell you all you need to know to prepare your Brewmaster Monk before entering Torghast and then how to pick up the right Anima Powers once you are inside!
Torghast Breakdown for Brewmaster Monks
This section of the guide is devoted to maximizing your performance as a Brewmaster Monk throughout runs of Torghast, Tower of the Damned. If you would like more details about how Torghast works in general, please see our separate page dedicated to it in the link below.
While Torghast is meant to be an enjoyable experience regardless of specialization, group size, or role, Brewmaster Monks will still have an arguably easier time than many other specializations. Bearing high mobility, strong defenses, and consistent amounts of damage in both Single Target and AoE, most of what would challenge others can become just another inconvenience with proper knowledge. However, some parts of Torghast as a Monk can be a bit of a nuisance as well.
Solo runs, in particular, will heavily involve your own ability to self-heal rather than smoothing out damage for others to then take care of. In addition, damage dealt on higher floors can be inconsistent depending upon which Anima Powers are offered to you. Regardless of these downsides, Torghast will provide an excellent opportunity to perhaps try out certain pieces of Gear, Legendary Powers, and even Talents that would not otherwise see use!
Legendaries for a Brewmaster Monk within Torghast
With the large number of enemies you will be fighting simultaneously on a
floor of Torghast, Stormstout's Last Keg acts as an extremely effective
damage increase to
Keg Smash. In addition, the second charge can enable
you to use two casts in quick succession for a bit of burst damage.
Charring Passions serves a similar role as a large damage increase by
improving the strength of both
Blackout Kick and
Spinning Crane Kick. Usually, this Legendary and
Stormstout's Last Keg are fairly close in offensive value for the variety
of encounters in Torghast. However, certain Anima Powers will increase the
damage of Spinning Crane Kick and Blackout Kick, which also increases the
bonus damage of Charred Passions. Ultimately, you can pick what you prefer
between this Legendary Power and Stormstout's Last Keg in general, but should
strongly consider Charred Passions if you come across any buffs to the
abilities it empowers during a run.
Fatal Touch is an interesting Legendary Power that is meant to
enhance
Touch of Death. With the help of some of the more unique
Anima Powers available in Torghast like
Fatal Flying Guillotine, Touch
of Death becomes all the more deadly and fun to have available as often as
possible. It should be noted that with this Legendary Power and two copies of
the
36 Pressure Point Technique Anima Power, your Touch of Death will have
no cooldown!
If Phantasma is more your concern throughout your ascension, then you may
want to consider using Stable Phantasma Lure to increase the amount
acquired for both you and your party if not playing alone. That being
said, most of the time you will obtain as much Phantasma as you need in a run
and will not need to worry about having access to this particular Legendary
Power.
Want to know more about a Legendary Power not covered in this short list? If so, please do not hesitate to check out the Legendary section of this guide below.
Brewmaster Monk Covenant Choices for Torghast
As part of the mechanics of Torghast, Tower of the Damned, some of the Anima
Powers you encounter will interact with both your Covenant's Class and
Signature abilities. Since many of these powers modify the Class abilities in
exciting ways, there is no true "best" Covenant choice across every possible
run. With that being said, the Kyrian Covenant can act as a simple
catch-all choice for a slightly easier time due to having access to an extra
form of self-healing in Phial of Serenity via the Signature ability
Summon Steward.
If you would like to know more about each of the Covenant choices for Brewmasters and what content they may perform best in, please see this section of the guide devoted to it.
Talent Choices for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast, Tower of the Damned
Level | Choices | ||
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15 |
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25 |
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30 |
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35 |
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40 |
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45 |
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50 |
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Level 15 Talents for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast
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With Torghast containing multiple periods of both Single Target and AoE
damage, Eye of the Tiger remains a convenient source of passive damage
and healing without altering the Brewmaster rotation significantly. Be aware
that the Anima Power
Grandmaster's Cypher will grant you this Talent for
free and allow you to select another option on the row if chosen.
If you do not mind the added complexity, Chi Burst is the more
useful Talent for the large clusters of enemies you will encounter in a run.
It can also be aimed to help heal your allies if doing a run in a group rather
than playing solo.
Level 25 Talents for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast
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As there are certain Anima Powers that activate from using Roll,
Celerity may prove to be useful in some runs of Torghast when it would
otherwise not be recommended in other forms of content. Be aware that the Anima
Power
Grandmaster's Gift will also grant you this Talent for free and
allow you to select another option on the row if chosen.
With large floors to cover and an inability to mount, Chi Torpedo can
provide a potent increase to overall movement speed over time and greatly speed
up a run.
Many of Torghast's traps and enemy abilities do include the ability to snare
or root players, which can make Tiger's Lust an invaluable tool to get
around these mechanics without difficulty.
Level 30 Talents for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast
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Both Light Brewing and
Black Ox Brew continue to be a fairly
even decision in performance. The decision is ultimately up to how much complexity
you desire or if you feel the need for additional Energy. Be aware that the Anima
Power
Grandmaster's Lesson will also grant you the Light Brewing Talent
for free and allow you to select another option on the row if you have chosen it.
Spitfire deserves a special mention as being a possibly useful choice
of Talent within Torghast, provided you are making use of
Charring Passions
as a legendary and are acquiring Anima Powers that increase the damage of
Blackout Kick or
Spinning Crane Kick.
Level 35 Talents for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast
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Tiger Tail Sweep may not be recommended for use in Torghast, but be
aware that the Anima Power
Grandmaster's Invocation will grant you access
to this Talent for free and allow you to select another option on the row if
chosen.
When playing solo, Summon Black Ox Statue may not be as useful for
gathering up enemies, as all targets will be after you rather than anyone else.
However, if in a group it can still prove helpful, especially when making use of
Provoke's AoE taunt effect on the statue.
Ring of Peace can be used regardless of being solo or in a group as a
means to buy extra time if you need to get away from dangerous enemies for a quick
cast of
Vivify. Do not forget that it can also act
as an additional way to stop a dangerous caster from finishing their attack!
Level 40 Talents for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast
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For the most part, Bob and Weave does not provide a useful defensive
benefit within Torghast, as you will be more reliant on your own healing and
survival rather than receiving on help from others. However, please be aware
that the Anima Power
Grandmaster's Legacy will grant you access to this
Talent for free and allow you to select another option on the row if you have
chosen it.
Healing Elixir provides you with a much-needed source of
self-healing while within Torghast and is especially useful if playing
solo.
Though Dampen Harm is situationally useful in solo runs, it will be
more effective if in a group with a healer that can make up for you not having
the extra self-sufficiency of
Healing Elixir.
Level 45 Talents for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast
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As there are no Anima Powers that interact with the strength of talents
in this section, Rushing Jade Wind remains the default pick. However, be
aware that the Anima Power
Grandmaster's Mythos will enable the use of
Special Delivery and allow you to select another talent on this row if
it is already chosen.
Level 50 Talents for a Brewmaster Monk in Torghast
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High Tolerance remains the most consistently useful option for both
defense and offense with its passive increase to your
Stagger and
Haste values. Be aware, however, that the Anima Power
Grandmaster's Ultimatum will also grant you access to this Talent for
free and allow you to select another option on the row if you have chosen
it.
While it may not be recommended in most areas of content,
Celestial Flames does provide some extra defense and synergy
with the Legendary Power
Charring Passions in Torghast due to its
ability to reset the cooldown of
Breath of Fire when the talent
activates. If you encounter Anima Powers that help increase the damage of
Blackout Kick or
Spinning Crane Kick, it may be worth
considering use of this talent.
Best Anima Powers for a Monk Monk
As part of the gameplay experience in Torghast, you will encounter a number of unique Anima powers that will alter your stats, abilities, and even Covenant effects throughout a run. A complete list of these is available in the pages linked just below.
Since it can be difficult to know what to pick in a given situation, this list can be used as a guideline for preferred Anima Powers that are exclusive to the Monk class. There are additional Anima Powers available to all classes that will not be covered here.
Most Desirable Class Anima Powers for Brewmaster Monks
Bad Karma
Balance of the Ox
Balancing Stave (Kyrian only)
Constellation Star-Chart
Fading Memory Shards (Venthyr only)
Fae Aftershock (Night Fae only)
Fatal Flying Guillotine (strong synergy with
Fatal Touch)
Feathers of a Hundred Flocks (strong synergy with
Charring Passions)
Flowing Chi Rolls
Haven's Breath (Kyrian only)
Hit Scheme (strong synergy with
Stormstout's Last Keg)
Scales of Order (Kyrian only)
Shadowboxing Treads (strong synergy with
Charring Passions)
Staggered Stomps (Night Fae only)
Stroke of Elegance (up to 5 copies)
Tattered Teachings (Venthyr only)
Tiger and Crane Figurines
Wrist Wraps of the Zen Master
Semi-Desirable Class Anima Powers for Brewmaster Monks
36 Pressure Point Technique (strong synergy with
Fatal Touch)
Amplified Samples
Anima-Tinged Weapon Oil (Kyrian only)
Bottled Wind
Bladed Knuckle-Punchers (Kyrian only)
Bulging Brew (Necrolord only)
Caught by the Dropkicks
Celestial Lasso
Corrosive Dosage
Maw-Darkened Slippers (Kyrian only)
Deep Reflection (Venthyr only)
Forgotten Armor of Order (Kyrian only)
Grandmaster's Cypher
Grandmaster's Mythos
Grandmaster's Ultimatum
Technique of the Rushing Tiger (only with multiple copies)
Unfiltered Bone Broth (Necrolord only)
Whirling Stormgem (some synergy with
Charring Passions)
Undesirable Class Anima Powers for Brewmaster Monks
Cloud of Feathers
Corrosive Carbonation (Necrolord only, if lacking in cc abilities)
Deathtouched Brew
Fae Footwraps (Night Fae only)
Fortified Leg Braces
Grandmaster's Invocation
Grandmaster's Legacy
Stroke of Elegance (beyond 5 copies)
Movement and "Fun" Class Anima Powers for Brewmaster Monks
The following powers are primarily based around altering your mobility as a Brewmaster or adding other flavorful effects. They may be chosen as you see fit for experimenting or adding some variety to a climb.
Ever-tumbling Stone
Katamawri
Rolling Tigers
Tumbling Rollstone (Stacks with multiple copies)
Grandmaster's Gift
Grandmaster's Lesson (Allows
Spitfire to be more reliable)
Playstyle and Gameplay Recommendations for Brewmaster Monks in Torghast
For the most part, you will still be making use of the familiar Brewmaster rotations while progressing through a run of Torghast. In addition to this rotational guidance, the following are some helpful reminders for any would-be Spirestalker Monks in training:
- Note that while
The Jailer's Chains will prevent you from adjusting your character throughout most of a run of Torghast, you will be allowed to swap Gear, Talents, and even your Specialization any time you are near a Broker NPC. They will show up every third floor of a run, and occasionally more often yet!
- The first few floors of a climb are generally going to be the most dangerous since you have not yet acquired many Anima Powers. Stay cautious; you will likely be much stronger soon enough.
- Kiting, especially if solo, can be a reliable way to reduce damage taken
while gradually whittling away the health of enemies with ranged attacks like
Keg Smash.
Ravenous Anima Cell can create specific Anima Powers depending on the enemy it is used on. It can even be used on the friendly Broker shop NPC! If used in this way, they will be gone for the rest of the run.
- Often, you will find that the environmental traps deal more damage to you as a tank than the enemies themselves. Be aware of hints revealing the presence of some more "hidden" ones.
- Some Anima Powers may have specific location or other conditional requirements to appear as a choice in a run.
- It is okay to experiment! There are no time limits to worry about in an ascent, and you may run Torghast as many times as you like! The only reward
Changelog
- 25 Nov. 2020: Page added.
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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