Monk Solo Inferno Build – Part 2
So I managed to get to Inferno by Friday, but immediately hit a wall. Inferno is definitely a gear check, as the gear I had allowed me to blow through Hell Act 4 without issue but prevented me from getting too far into the Royal Crypts to the Skeleton King.
The Stats Required (as a minimum)
In terms of base stats, after trying out some different gear configurations, reading some discussions on solo Inferno, and talking with others, here are some rough estimates of where a Monk should be stat-wise to get through Inferno Act 1:
Health: 30k-35k
DPS: 8k
Armor Damage Reduction: 60%+
Resistances: 250+
Dodge: 30%
How to gear up?
It is possible to clear Act 1 with less stats than this, but this is a good benchmark from the feedback I received from other Monks who have cleared Act 1. This is totally possible with gear you get from Hell while cherry-picking good deals from the Auction House. I think the crafters are a waste of money. Why? In order to get a CHANCE to roll an item with stats you want, you have to:
1. Level the crafter (money and pages/tomes required)
2. Gather the materials from disenchanting gear
3. Gather the necessary pages/tomes
4. Have the money required
Now you have a random chance to get a piece of gear you could possibly use, but more times than not it’ll be junk. It’s better to spend it on the Auction House if you want to gear to clear Act 1 Inferno quickly. Buy gear that share the same resistance, and try to get as much vitality and dexterity as possible. Once you get Act 1 on farm, you can just farm gear there as the gear is excellent.
The Build
As for the build, there are a lot of variations. The staple skill that all of them use is:
1.Sweeping Winds. The rune is up to you but I think Blade Storm is the best.
The rest is almost mandatory:
2. Serenity (Ascension or Peaceful Repose)
3. Blinding Flash (Self Reflection or Faith in the Light)
4. Breath of Heaven (Blazing Wrath of Penitent Flame)
5. One mantra – either:
Mantra of Evasion (Hard Target Rune)
– or –
Mantra of Healing (Boon of Protection)
6. Your Spirit Generator is up to you. Some people use Way of the Hundred Fists, some use Crippling Wave, some use Fist of Thunder. I’ll put it this way:
If you have need to generate more spirit to spam your mantras, use Fist of Thunder (Quickening Rune)
If you have need to mitigate damage, use Crippling Wave (Concussion Rune)
If you have need more damage, use Way of the Hundred Fists (Windforce Flurry Rune)
So there you have it. I will update again as I progress through Inferno. To those of you playing, Act 2 may be the hardest Act for a melee class like Monk, and will require a different build.
Passives:
One with Everything: You NEED resists in Inferno. With the gear you’ve managed to get, if you stack one resist, it’ll push all your resists to match the highest resist you have.
Seize the Initiative: No brainer here. You stack dexterity for dodge and damage, and each point will boost your armor also. Armor = Effective Health.
The last passive is up to you. A lot of people like Transcendence, and it works great if you go one hander + shield. If you dual wield, Guardian’s Path is a solid choice. Resolve is also good if you want to go extreme mitigation.