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Diablo 3: Monk Build [Inferno Acts 1 and 2]

Posted by on Jun 20, 2012 in Guides |

I only had about three hours to play earlier but here’s the build I used to finish Act 2 on Inferno after patch 1.0.3 was applied:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#ajgYXk!YXU!abYcYa

I’ll post screenshots of my stats later but in terms of numbers I was at 800+ resist, 5000+ armor, 13000+ DPS and 22000+ hit points.

Build Info:

  • This is all about burst damage. The idea is to take out targets as fast as you can using the Overawe and Faith in the Light buffs.

  • For those looking for it, the spirit dump skill in the build is Mantra of Conviction. Why? Overawe.

  • Both Air Ally and Infused with Light are intended to grant extra spirit.

  • Sweeping Wind is a better choice DPS-wise, but I found myself kiting more than I was standing still so using Mystic Ally was the better option.

Questions? Suggestions? Hit the comments.

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Diablo 3: Monk Guide [Normal Difficulty]

Diablo 3: Monk Guide [Normal Difficulty]

Posted by on May 23, 2012 in Guides |

Welcome to my monk guide for Diablo 3. This will likely be a series of posts documenting my progression through the game. I’m currently in Act 2 of Hell difficulty.

The Early Levels

You can get away with almost any setup during the first two acts on Normal difficulty. As a melee class capable of healing, gameplay during the early stages is simple: you punch till your enemies are dead, heal when your health gets low and port back to town to sell or salvage loot. I suggest you take this time to play around with skills and runes to find out how they work.

Early level tips:
  • Turn on elective mode and advanced tooltips. The former allows full customization of mouse and action bar skills while the latter keeps you on top of what you need to know gear-wise.
  • Stack dexterity. Vitality isn’t important yet.
  • Buy the plus damage rings from the town vendor (+2-3 damage, for example). They can boost your DPS higher than +DEX rings would.
  • You can trust item tooltips to show you which items are beneficial and which ones are not.
  • I prefer to dual wielding instead of using a 2-hand weapon because I get the benefits of 2 weapons instead of 1.

The final boss of Act 2 is usually the point where things get serious. If that doesn’t happen then you’ll feel it when you venture out of the keep in Act 3. Regardless of when it occurs, here’s a suggested build:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aigYXh!Yd!a.aaZa

monkearlylevel

It’s a defensive build so feel free to swap in some offense if you feel like it.
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Preview: Diablo III

Posted by on Dec 29, 2011 in Previews |

The following is a guest post.

This highly-anticipated dungeon crawler from Blizzard Entertainment is set for release in early 2012. The groundbreaking Diablo I and Diablo II have created high expectations from die-hard fanatics. Here’s a brief preview of elements that distinguish the game from others.

Classes

Diablo III will contain Wizard, Monk, Witch Doctor, Demon Hunter, and Barbarian classes. We may not see classes carried over from Diablo II such as the Amazon or Sorceress. With a new set of classes, Diablo III will introduce new concepts and variety to gameplay. The Barbarian, as expected, defeats enemies through strength. The Demon Hunter manipulates shadows while incorporating skillful use of mechanics. Harnessing energies, the Wizard relies on creation, while the Witch Doctor relies on the nature of life and death to manipulate opponents. The spiritual Monk is fast and accurate. Fans are anxious to see what these new classes will bring to Diablo.

Skills and Artisanship

Mystics, Jewelers, and Blacksmiths will be available to assist you during your journey. Diablo III will allow you to pre-determine skills depending on the class you choose. For example, if you’ve chosen to play a Demon Hunter, you will be able to choose between various hatred generators, hatred spenders, and disciplines. If you choose to play a Monk, you will choose between various spirit generators, spirit spenders, and mantras. The array of skills offered will allow you to create a unique skill set of your choosing as opposed to skills that have been strictly determined for you based on class.

Unique Features and Combat

Although the idea is controversial, Diablo III will require an online connection and will allow you to connect with friends, introducing a new social aspect to Diablo. The online connection will also allow you to participate in item auctions to potentially rack up real-life cash. This hack and slash incorporates various combat technicalities in addition to its active and passive skill sets. Additionally, the simple, clean interface Blizzard is known for makes for easy transitioning between skills during combat. The linear gameplay (as opposed to quest-based games) is enhanced visually by the game’s clean design, which is less cartoony than Blizzard’s World of Warcraft.

Only time will tell if fans will accept or reject the incorporation of new classes, strategies, and online play. The game will likely be released in a matter of months, so get ready for Blizzard’s next adventure. For more in-depth Diablo III info, visit http://us.battle.net/d3/en/.

Ryan writes as a guest and likes saving money with an HP coupon. In addition to writing for the Blog Content Guild, he also enjoys PC gaming and reading about technological advancements.

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Leveling From 80

Posted by on Dec 15, 2010 in Commentary |

I didn’t participate in the beta when it was available so when I upgraded to Cataclysm I didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, the amount of hand-holding that Blizz has implemented is so rampant you’d have to be blind to miss it.

I’m leveling as Assassination. The experience might be different for Combat or Subtlety but till I respec I won’t know what it’s like. As a dual-specced rogue Sin’s second spec is non-existent. EJ says that Assassination is the clear winner in raiding DPS and I’ve also read that Combat is “missing” damage, whatever that means, which are the reasons why I haven’t set it as my second spec. If this was WotLK, I’d be Combat in a heartbeat because of the cooldowns, AOE attacks and simpler rotation—okay, mostly because of the simpler rotation. Cata re-introduces Rupture in the Assassination cycle and also brings in Backstab, but the details on that are for a different post.

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