The best Brewmaster Monk talents and build in WoW: Shadowlands

Since its inception, Brewmaster Monk has always been one of the most unique and intriguing tank classes in World of Warcraft. In Shadowlands, Brewmasters have stayed relevant and continue to be one of the most appealing and reliable options that tank players have at their disposal.

With an unrivaled amount of damage reduction and mobility, Brewmaster is truly versatile and can be plugged directly into any raid team or Mythic+ group. Here are the best talents, builds, and strategies to use to make the most out of Brewmaster Monks. 

Talents

Level 15: Eye of the Tiger – There’s not too much flair to Eye of the Tiger, but it does provide Brewmasters with a nice source of damage and a relatively effective self-applied heal. You’ll be using Tiger Palm enough times to keep Eye of the Tiger applied and effective, so there’s no true downside to this early-game talent. 

Level 25: Tiger’s Lust – Tiger’s Lust is a talent that every Monk player should know how to use effectively. The ability to remove snares and provide a quick boost of speed is immensely useful in every situation and it’s part of what makes Brewmaster one of the most mobile tank specs in all of WoW. 

Level 30: Light Brewing – The only standout feature of Light Brewing is the reduced cooldown that the talent gives Celestial Brew and Purifying Brew. But considering how notable those two abilities are, Light Brewing is a must-have for any Brewmaster looking to keep their rotation afloat. 

Level 35: Ring of Peace – Ring is Peace continues to be one of the most versatile talents in the game. Brewmaster Monks can use it as a straightforward AoE interrupt or as a way to give themselves space when being bombarded by enemies. Additionally, placing a Ring of Peace behind an enemy can shove them into you, technically closing the gap and interrupting any spells they might be casting along the way. With so many technical uses, Ring of Peace is a must-have for Brewmaster and every Monk spec. 

Level 40: Dampen Harm – Dampen Harm is best used in situations where a large burst of damage is coming through and you’re in need of a strong defensive ability to counteract that hard-hitting strike. Dampen Harm is an all-around useful damage reduction spell that scales with how much damage you’re taking, making it versatile in all situations, but especially in Tyrannical Mythic+ dungeons and raids. 

Level 45: Rushing Jade Wind – Rushing Jade Wind is the best option Brewmaster Monks have for keeping their threat level high when facing off against a group of mobs in a PvE scenario. Additionally, the short cooldown on the ability makes Rushing Jade Wind act as a reliable filler spell in scenarios where it might be tough to find a relevant spell to cast. 

Level 50: High Tolerance – There isn’t a single flashy thing about High Tolerance. But the five-percent bonus to your Stagger effects, plus a Haste boost based on your current level on Staggers, makes this talent an undeniable S-tier selection based on pure stats alone. 

Covenant

The ideal covenant for Brewmaster Monks in all situations is Kyrian. But the Night Fae and Necrolord covenants could also be strong depending on situational usages. 

The go-to for nearly every player, however, is going to be Kyrian. Weapons of Order is too good of an ability to pass up. The bonus damage from Keg Smash is noticeable, but the extra Mastery that the ability gives for 30 seconds is especially attractive. Try to have Weapons of Order up and available for portions of boss fights where you know a ton of boss damage is incoming and you’re able to soak up as much of it as possible in combination with all of your cooldowns. 

Gear/stat priority

As a Brewmaster Monk, your stat priority is as follows: Critical Strike > Versatility > Haste > Mastery > Agility.

Versatility and Critical Strike are fairly equal in terms of priority since they’ll both increase how much health you receive from your self-healing spells. But Critical Strike gets a slight advantage thanks to Brewmasters’ passive ability, Celestial Fortune. That ability gives Brewmaster players a chance equal to their Critical Strike chance to trigger a second, weaker heal each time they cast a self-healing ability. With a maxed-out Critical Strike stat, Brewmaster Monks can keep themselves topped off on HP while keeping their healers free of any extra stress.

Haste, Mastery, and Agility are all fine to stack as well. Just make sure that your Critical Strike modifier is maxed out—or there’s no Critical Strike gear available—before you look toward your lesser stats.