The Epic Monk

[ezgoezit]

When is a monk ready for epic content?

A Kyber thread peaked my interest as I have been lvl 20 for a while and working on getting proper end game gear. I know that getting Epic Bracers of Deftness and Epic Spectral Gloves are on my “end game” list, but I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to run this content and not be a drag on the rest of the party.

So far, I have all of the proper weapons needed (all of the right banes, burst %5, devouts with the right rits and recipies…). I have the Shintao set, but don’t have holy burst or shocking burst yet (a few runs shy of my first 9). I just finished my Greensteel Min II HP cloak. The only other glaring problem with my equipment is that I haven’t had a chance to score Tharne’s Goggles yet. My HP are 450+, my ac is good, but not good enough to make any difference in epic and I feel as if I contribute decent dps in the quests and raids I participate in. Aside from that, the only thing I can think of to prepare for epic content is to know the quests/raids well on normal difficulties before trying epic.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated,
Ez

[oweieie]

Have 5% weighted wraps and some caffeine to keep yourself awake and you're ready for epic.

[Montrose]

Have 5% weighted wraps and some caffeine to keep yourself awake and you're ready for epic.

Pretty much this.

Turn on auto-attack while using 5% weighted wraps in wind stance. Hit the 500 point dark attack when it is available. Repeat until you win or die of boredom.

[Rameses]

On Chakra (my 2xTR'd Light Monk) I've been running Epics everyday when not on Timers.
The only exception to this has been the last couple weeks where I've been leveling a new character.

All you need for Epic runs is a set of Weighted 5% perferrably Bursting with Icy Burst added to it.

I am, Rameses!

[NXPlasmid]

Have 5% weighted wraps and some caffeine to keep yourself awake and you're ready for epic.

+1 rep for you! T

[Taimasan]

Keep in mind that weighted %5 is not going to do you any good if you can't hit the mobs. I.E. your going to need a 28 or 30+ on your main to-hit stat, either strength or dexterity.

[Hydro]

+45 to hit self buffed, Weighted 5% wraps, and 400+ Hp.

[Marr0w1]

Relevant to my interests.

I'm also going to run some epic content, as I just hit 20 on my lunch break.

Pretty much using +5 bleeding force ice wraps/devout or dual vorps atm.
Geared with Wretched Twilight/Tharnes/Madstone/HP goggles, and the Shintao set.
guess I'll need to find my 5% wraps, as I havnt really used them up until this point.

[Taimasan]

Relevant to my interests.

I'm also going to run some epic content, as I just hit 20 on my lunch break.

Pretty much using +5 bleeding force ice wraps/devout or dual vorps atm.
Geared with Wretched Twilight/Tharnes/Madstone/HP goggles, and the Shintao set.
guess I'll need to find my 5% wraps, as I havnt really used them up until this point.

Don't know if you know this but vorpals and other insta death skill/spells i.e. Quivering Palm, do not work in Epic quests, all of the mobs have epic ward. And depending on what quest your doing, being madstone raged may or may not be a good idea, never know when you might need to use a remove curse or restoration potion.

[Hydro]

Relevant to my interests.

I'm also going to run some epic content, as I just hit 20 on my lunch break.

Pretty much using +5 bleeding force ice wraps/devout or dual vorps atm.
Geared with Wretched Twilight/Tharnes/Madstone/HP goggles, and the Shintao set.
guess I'll need to find my 5% wraps, as I havnt really used them up until this point.

If I am in a level 17 or higher quest and the mob can be stunned all I ever use is weighted 5% wraps. I personally dont think a monk can contribute more personal or party dps unless he is using weighted 5% wraps.

Trick is getting really nice weighted wraps with TOD rings. Currently my main wraps are either +2 Flaming Burst Icy Burst 5% weighted wraps or +1 Force Burst Icy Burst of Weighted 5%. Add in two TOD rings for Holy and Shocking burst you got amazing numbers on a crit.

[Rameses]

If I am in a level 17 or higher quest and the mob can be stunned all I ever use is weighted 5% wraps. I personally dont think a monk can contribute more personal or party dps unless he is using weighted 5% wraps.
Trick is getting really nice weighted wraps with TOD rings. Currently my main wraps are either +2 Flaming Burst Icy Burst 5% weighted wraps or +1 Force Burst Icy Burst of Weighted 5%. Add in two TOD rings for Holy and Shocking burst you got amazing numbers on a crit.

I completely and totally disagree with this opinion. A monk can, but yes you have to be TR'd minimum 1x and with some nice gear.

I am, Rameses!

[Hydro]

I completely and totally disagree with this opinion. A monk can, but yes you have to be TR'd minimum 1x and with some nice gear.

I am, Rameses!

I fully agree with you that Monks can do some great DPS with gear and a reincarnation feat, but what I was trying to say all melee including yourself insta critting a mob is going to beat the damage you do on a non stunned mob. Not to mention that fact that you are doing more DPS on a stunned mob vs. what you would do a non stunned mob anyways.

I also usually only run elite and epic quests at 20 so the mobs in there have thousands of hit points.

What I meant to say was:
I personally dont think a monk can contribute more personal or party dps then he would using weighted 5% wraps. (with nice wraps and TOD rings)

[Will_Ferrer]

Weighted is sadly the best effect a monk can bring to an epic quest save Wiz King, but I'd also like to remind you Shinning Star is awesome. Many monks forget or just don't use this finisher. I lands pretty often against mobs in Von 1, ADQ and the Gnolls in Wiz King, and probably against the ones in Chains of Flame too. My monk has a DC 31 (base 8 cha +3 cha tome + 1 Litany) and I land it probably 25%~35% of the time. I'm working on getting to DC 35 but even with super low DC it has a 5% chance to land twice. I often try to work it in on stunned mobs, if they are not dead when the stun wears off, at least they are dancing. I have no epic gear on my monk yet, just unlucky I guess, but she still rocks the epic quests. Monks have a roll in epic quests, Stun!!

[Marr0w1]

well actually my monk is TR atm.
But my current dps wraps are +5 frost/force/bleeding, with abbot cloak for sneak attack and a holy burst ring almost finished.

Question, is weakening still useful in epic? because I spied a set of weakening 5% weighted wraps in the AH (for an exorbitant fee) but wasnt sure how good the weakening would be.

[ezgoezit]

After having no success at finding burst 5% weighted wraps, I finally broke down and put the icy burst recipe and force rit on my holy of 5% weighted wraps. They do great, but as Murphy's Law would dictate, I found a pair of +1 Fire Burst 5% weighted at the AH yesterday for what I consider to be a steal. Naturally it's too late to put the icy recipe on them. I would really be put off it they were Force Burst 5% weighted wraps, but I don't suspect I'll find those until next week.

Hydro,
As far as your recommendation for the +45 to hit goes; I'll need to check again, but I think I'm only around 40. Now that I think about it, I might have been in Amaranth when I checked, so that might even include GH. Looks like that might present a challenge.


Ez

[oweieie]

If I am in a level 17 or higher quest and the mob can be stunned all I ever use is weighted 5% wraps. I personally dont think a monk can contribute more personal or party dps unless he is using weighted 5% wraps.

Outside of epic you have +2 flaming burst 5% weighted, so the 5% is costing you +3 and at least a d6 good if not d8 bleed, so the weighted is costing your a little more than 30 DPS, which is fairly significant for a monk and on low HP mobs it's not worth using the weighted. Likewise on high HP mobs, why stun them when you can simply vorpal them? Unlike stun, vorpal doesn't wear off.

The subterrene or hound on normal is a good example. Most mobs like the tieflings or drones, die so fast weighted is a waste of time, better to kill them a swing sooner with higher damage wraps, where as the barbazu or drones have so many HPs you'll vorpal them long before punching through their HPs most times. All monks should have weighted for epic though and for things immune to death effects like when you have to solo the ToD orthon guards etc.

[Hydro]

well actually my monk is TR atm.
But my current dps wraps are +5 frost/force/bleeding, with abbot cloak for sneak attack and a holy burst ring almost finished.

Question, is weakening still useful in epic? because I spied a set of weakening 5% weighted wraps in the AH (for an exorbitant fee) but wasnt sure how good the weakening would be.

I dont think weakening works in Epic's.

[Hydro]

After having no success at finding burst 5% weighted wraps, I finally broke down and put the icy burst recipe and force rit on my holy of 5% weighted wraps. They do great, but as Murphy's Law would dictate, I found a pair of +1 Fire Burst 5% weighted at the AH yesterday for what I consider to be a steal. Naturally it's too late to put the icy recipe on them. I would really be put off it they were Force Burst 5% weighted wraps, but I don't suspect I'll find those until next week.

Hydro,
As far as your recommendation for the +45 to hit goes; I'll need to check again, but I think I'm only around 40. Now that I think about it, I might have been in Amaranth when I checked, so that might even include GH. Looks like that might present a challenge.


Ez

Yeah lack of hit was one of the main reasons I went with 18 str starting my second life, also you can get yourself a pair of spectral gloves, you get one more to hit from haste, and the Shintao set is amazing.

[Hydro]

Outside of epic you have +2 flaming burst 5% weighted, so the 5% is costing you +3 and at least a d6 good if not d8 bleed, so the weighted is costing your a little more than 30 DPS, which is fairly significant for a monk and on low HP mobs it's not worth using the weighted. Likewise on high HP mobs, why stun them when you can simply vorpal them? Unlike stun, vorpal doesn't wear off.

The subterrene or hound on normal is a good example. Most mobs like the tieflings or drones, die so fast weighted is a waste of time, better to kill them a swing sooner with higher damage wraps, where as the barbazu or drones have so many HPs you'll vorpal them long before punching through their HPs most times. All monks should have weighted for epic though and for things immune to death effects like when you have to solo the ToD orthon guards etc.

If you want to use vorpals and hope you roll a 20 thats fine, personally I cant stand Vorpals. I dont roll 20's with them and it also doesnt take me 20 swings to drop a stunned mob especially with 2-7 other melee beating on the enemy.

Also a stunned mob taking 8 sneak attack damage and burst damage from Holy Burst, Icy Burst, Shocking Burst, Force Burst, and Force crit is way more damage per swing then I am doing with actual DPS wraps.

I save the nice DPS wraps for red names and stick with weighted wraps for any quest where the mobs have over 1000 health and can be stunned. I personally only run Amrath quests and epics when I hit 20 and for those I love my weighted wraps.

[Taimasan]

Also don't forget with the 3x earth finisher on a stunned mob, all your bursts go to 3d10.