Not sure if this is right.

[Judas]

Hi guys,

I just hit 90 with my Monk and now want to consolidate him into a dps machine.
I'am surprised how little relevant current info there is on the class, in particular the WW spec that I have chosen.

Most info/opinions seem to come from the beta which isnt as relevant now and especially when the expansion has now had some live time to be played over the past few monthes.
Haste over Crit seems to be the main debate, to use FoF or not to use it seems to be the other main issue.

Theres some basic stuff I'd like to know and confirm before I venture out into Heroics just to make sure what I'am doing is correct and is part of the general consensus.

First Hit and Expertise are prime stats that cap at 7.5% correct?
Next is Haste and Crit, which way to go there I'am unsure about so for now I stock about 50-50 on my armor in total although I have read Crit is slightly more preferred.
Is that a correct assumption or just someones personal preference?

Weapon choice so far has been a polearm or staff although most higher end Monks I've seen seem to dual wield fist weapons.
The common answer here is use the choice that gives you the best stats but I'am thinking dual wielding with the 40% damage bonus is better than the 2 hand weapon 40% Haste bonus.
Does that sound right?

Lastly is rotation, there seems to be a lot of negativity about FoF but from every printed rotation I've seen recently it seems to be in here.
The 2 main rotations that seem to be popular are:
Expel Harm-RSK-Jab-TP-Jab-FoF-Jab-RSK with Brew and Xuen used in the mix.
The other rotation is:
TP-Jab-RSK-Jab-FoF-Jab-BoK and again Brew and Xuen used in there as well.

Whilst leveling I didnt really have a set rotation but everyone seems to have one post 90 so I just want to confirm what is right and what other alternatives there may be.

Thanks for any help given its much appreciated.

[Kisho]

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...lker-PvE-Guide

It's been kept fairly well up to date as well. As for your specific questions:

1. Yes, cap hit/exp at 7.5% each. 2550 rating required for each.

2. I believe haste is better than crit up to a certain point; what that point is I do not know.

3. Dual wielding is better, but the difference is pretty small in 5 man/LFR gear. It's only when you get into heroic raid gear does the difference become noticeable; until then just go for the higher ilevel thing.

4. FoF is used when the 'stars align' and you get the perfect situation, as in: RSK isn't about to come off cooldown, you won't cap energy while casting FoF, Tiger Power isn't about to drop off, etc. This basically means that you won't be using it as soon as it's off cooldown, but instead you'll use it when you can fit it in. Worth using, but you have to be careful with it.

Also don't bother trying to keep Expel Harm in a rotation; if it doesn't heal you it won't deal damage either. You use Expel Harm to build up Chi before a pull or to heal yourself (while still dealing damage). Otherwise, jab works just fine.

There isn't really a set rotation: just make sure RSK is used on cooldown, Tiger Power is kept up on the boss, Chi is dumped into BoK and you use FoF when possible. Can't go far wrong with that.

But yeah, check the thread I linked as well. As I said it's kept up to date pretty well, so should be a decent reference point. Take a look at the discussion going on in later pages too.

[Psykewne]

To add a bit more to this for you in regards to current discussions.

The haste vs crit arguement comes down to at what point you start energy capping too much while making use of your standard priority order (including using FoF and energizing brew). From alot of research by alot of people this point is somewhere between 4-6k haste depending on your play style and the fight. The aim is to be using every spare global cooldown for something and to not cap energy. Generally if you experiment somewhere in this region you will find a good fit for your play style and can then safely stack crit from there.

FoF usage is hotly debated. Many don't like the ability or feel it is too hard to use on certain fights, however when it can be used the simple rules are when RSK and Tiger Palm buffs are up and RSK has 4 seconds or more left on it's cooldown. Recently people have run math that suggests that as long as you are below as much as 90 energy, using FoF can be a dps gain so it is actually alot easier to use it now. The main reason it was previously shunned was it did not scale with haste properly meaning it was actually losing a tick of damage and becoming relatively worthless. The emphasis there should be that you must ensure it channels completely or you may not be getting a dps boost. At 4k haste it has a 3.5 second channel time.

Expel harm also cannot trigger combo breaker so you are missing out on the chance of free procs when using it. However it is an excellent part of our survivability toolkit.

Rotation wise combo breaker throws in alot more variables. You should try to use free tiger palms as much as possible to refresh your tiger power, and ensure you use up any free BoK before jabbing again so you dont waste potential procs. Again it is important to watch your energy capping when using up procs. The most important thing to do is to ensure you use RSK on cooldown and limit the amount you delay using it in any given circumstance.

A general rule to choose on weapons is to use the highest item level you have for your staff/polearm/mainhand. You can get away with an offhand weapon being 13 item levels lower I believe if you twohander or main hand weapon choices have the same item level. Dual wielding is holding better due to the way weapon procs work, so ultimately you will want to move over to it when you have comparable weapons. Depending on your raid set up however it can be easier to snag polearms/staves.

[tehdef]

To add a bit more to this for you in regards to current discussions.

The haste vs crit arguement comes down to at what point you start energy capping too much while making use of your standard priority order (including using FoF and energizing brew). From alot of research by alot of people this point is somewhere between 4-6k haste depending on your play style and the fight. The aim is to be using every spare global cooldown for something and to not cap energy. Generally if you experiment somewhere in this region you will find a good fit for your play style and can then safely stack crit from there.

FoF usage is hotly debated. Many don't like the ability or feel it is too hard to use on certain fights, however when it can be used the simple rules are when RSK and Tiger Palm buffs are up and RSK has 4 seconds or more left on it's cooldown. Recently people have run math that suggests that as long as you are below as much as 90 energy, using FoF can be a dps gain so it is actually alot easier to use it now. The main reason it was previously shunned was it did not scale with haste properly meaning it was actually losing a tick of damage and becoming relatively worthless. The emphasis there should be that you must ensure it channels completely or you may not be getting a dps boost. At 4k haste it has a 3.5 second channel time.

Expel harm also cannot trigger combo breaker so you are missing out on the chance of free procs when using it. However it is an excellent part of our survivability toolkit.

Rotation wise combo breaker throws in alot more variables. You should try to use free tiger palms as much as possible to refresh your tiger power, and ensure you use up any free BoK before jabbing again so you dont waste potential procs. Again it is important to watch your energy capping when using up procs. The most important thing to do is to ensure you use RSK on cooldown and limit the amount you delay using it in any given circumstance.

A general rule to choose on weapons is to use the highest item level you have for your staff/polearm/mainhand. You can get away with an offhand weapon being 13 item levels lower I believe if you twohander or main hand weapon choices have the same item level. Dual wielding is holding better due to the way weapon procs work, so ultimately you will want to move over to it when you have comparable weapons. Depending on your raid set up however it can be easier to snag polearms/staves.

Hey newbie.

Check out Drayjin, Emerald Dream for a mid-scale idea of monks stats/gearing.

Also, what I've been doing for my opening is the following.

EH-> TP (30% arp better than 15% damage), Jab, RSK, Jab, FoF.

If you are gearing crit, FoF isn't just a "when the stars align". That's non-sense and anyone saying that is a bad monk with bad parses. FoF is typically in the top of spells now, hovering between 8-15% of damage done on monks. Don't listen to everything you hear.

[rakhakash]

http://www.noxxic.com/wow/pve/monk/w...-and-cooldowns

This link is soooo handy it almost feels like cheating.
First you should get the priority system in your head; RSK > Tiger Power > ah you can read it in the link.

Speaking as a level 89 I find many uses for Fists of Fury, especially in dungeons.
As monks we have such a nice toolset NPC casters can hardly get a spell off!
FoF is damn handy for this, see the dungeon Mogu'shan Palace with the mobs that uses whirlwind; just FoF on their asses. Combine that with Leg Sweep and they're on the ground before they can do anything.

Anyway, my advise is get the priority system in your head, spend a hour in the training grounds at your capital.
If you got the feel and flow of the spec you can start tweaking it. Often waiting for energy? Maybe haste is the key!

*Take into consideration that I ain't raiding yet :P*

[Judas]

Guys thank you so much for the help and for taking the time and making the effort to help out.
Awesome advice I will indeed look at the rotations and links provided and take all the info onboard, it can only make me a better player.
Thank you again, great to see a pro active community here

[Authentic]

Once you're around 4k haste start forging/gemming for crit.
Get used to how FoF works, once you're 100% confident with the mechanic, start using it as often as you can. Only you can be the judge of that, so really, really make sure you are confident in your FoF usage. It will be a dps increase.
Dual wielding > 2hander. That being said, if you have a 2hander that's better (meaning: has higher ilevel), you should use that.