Brewmaster Feedback.
Hi. I did some M+ testing with BM and was generally happy with the direction the spec is headed. Button bloat feels better without compromising the core of how the class plays. That said there are still some concerns I have for the spec.
BM sturdiness in Raid vs M+
In Dragonflight we saw all specs balanced largely around raids, but what works for raids does not always translate to working in m+. I was hoping to see something in the tree, a variable of some sort to adjust if needed to support the spec with trash.
Druids have Blood Frenzy (more rage), warriors have Into the Fray (more haste) etc. Monk has Anvil and Staff but Its value fluctuates quite heavily between dungeons (think with Dragonflight dungeons AA vs RLP) and its brew cd benefits don’t necessarily translate to our needs. It also does not feel great value to take vs other talents in bottom of tree.
Adding a stacking but not extending short DR or Armor buff to Anvil and Staff would create that variable. If you think of something like “each dodge gives 2/4% armor for 5 seconds stacking up to 5 times, additional stacks do not extend duration” then in raids this would typically sit around 1-2 stacks while in M+ trash you would hit full benefits quickly.
This is just a suggestion, it does not need to be that, but something would go a long way to assuring monks going into next expansion and if not needed it could always be scaled back. Having a repeat of the Dragonflight experience would be soul crushing.
Bringing something unique to M+
Monk lacks utility and identity in M+. I understand the need to avoid an utility arms race between tanks but still I think there is room to improve monk. Here are some suggestions.
Vivacious Vivications
Vivacious Vivications is now reasonably accessibly but the heal is woeful. At the very least Vivify should be buffed somewhat. There is room for some offensive/defensive interplay here. Perhaps something like Blackout Kick generating stacks to increase next vivify and Vivify consuming these stacks to increase damage output.
Making Large Pulls Happen
Shadow-Pan hero talents feel somewhat lacking. Since they interact with Weapons of Order perhaps casting WoO could buff your next two Keg Smash to reduce the range of non-boss mobs to 8 yards for a short period. This would provide a way for Brewmaster to Facilitate pulls that we struggle with.
If you think in terms of current dungeons, it could be used to group the mobs for the first big double pull in TKO and could be similarly used in RLP ring area to more easily position the patrols with the stationary packs. I feel this would provide monk some needed control without duplicating utility from other tanks. This also fits the shadowy theme of the Shado-Pan.
Enrage Removal
The enrage removal from Pressure Points is a welcome addition to the spec. The double dipping of having it tied to existing utility is understandable considering button bloat but still feels somewhat bad. If we are going to double dip could we also add the enrage removal to Ring of Peace. Powerful yes but not game breaking considering using these abilities for enrage removal often means not using them for their original purpose.