Is Chi-Ji fistweaving button-bloated?

Community General Discussion
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I’ve been wondering for some time where all the red monk healing was coming from, and I finally looked at my dedicated mistweaver that I only play in follower dungeons (that I got to 60 by tanking then played the starter healing spec) and lo and behold… it’s literally a choice node that flips a few neighboring talents into serving the “fistweaving” healing style, and I got all excited…

Until I saw that it’s tied to a 3-minute cooldown, and even the cooldown reduction talent options seemingly don’t let it be a full time mode.

So, ok… go with me down a character concept rabbit hole and maybe answer a couple questions for me if you would before I get all excited with this…

Am I to understand that… a fistweaver is just a mistweaver with a 2nd set of attack rotation buttons IN ADDITION TO their jade serpent-ish traditional healing buttons… or is there something in the talent tree I’m not reading that makes “red healing” click as a full time identity? Monk already has a full kit of buttons before bringing in the kicks and the healing jade wind which I imagine synergizes well… is “red healing” really the button bloated mess it looks like or is “fistweaving” a potential viable full time role for easier content like normal dungeons with followers?

Fistweaving looks really fun, but I’m not interested in maintaining more keybinds that only light up every so often. Damage comes at all times, healing has to be present at all times, doesn’t it?

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Hey! Welcome to Mistweaver! First of all, for posts like this, the class forums are probably a better bet than GD. Mistweaver isn’t exactly the most popular spec - you’re much more likely to get help where the Monks congregate!

To answer your question, yes! “Fistweaving” is actually the meta Mistweaver talent build for dungeons! Are you taking into account Ancient Teachings of the Monastery (choice node between Clouded Focus) and Improved & Awakened Jadeline (on the left side of the tree)? Those will do a significant amount of rot healing for the “fistweaver” build (they convert your damage into healing), and then you use Chi’Ji (always take the 60-second CD talent) when damage gets high, among other things.

Generally speaking, for low-moderate amounts of damage, we try to stand in Jadefire Stomp and:

on single target:
Rising Sun Kick on CD, Tiger Palm x2, Blackout Kick (trying to reset RSK). Rinse repeat. (make sure Ancient Teachings buff is up. If not, recast Jadefire)

on AOE:
Spinning Crane Kick. RSK on CD. Rinse repeat.

For every MW playstyle, you’re basically always going to want to cast Renewing Mist on CD as well. Also, every 10 seconds, you get an instant cast of Vivify. Use that to spot heal.

When damage gets higher, that’s when you cast Chi’Ji, Sheilun, Revival, Life Cocoon, etc.

I’d recommend using the M+ builds posted on Wowhead to make sure you’re incorporating the key talents. Megasett has phenomenal guide videos on Youtube as well:
https://youtu.be/-vA7MALp2vQ?feature=shared&t=73

Obviously that isn’t all there is to the whole spec - MW has kind of a high skill ceiling, but I hope that helps!

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Yeah I totally forgot that class forums exist, sorry about that, but thanks for the informative response!

After I posted I just swiped a build from icy veins (which isn’t normal for me but I wanted to try things out) and started kinda putting together how the rotation would work, and… yeah, it’s pretty awesome in rinkydink follower dungeons! Thanks for the tips!

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That was a beautiful post. I learned a lot! Thank you! :dracthyr_heart:

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I think it might be my favorite healing spec now, after my first run of a follower dungeon! I have healers of every spec specifically for follower dungeon experiences and I really enjoyed fistweaving! Your post really helped me and I appreciate you taking the time!

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thank you for this! I was in a Fall 12 with my MW and a DPS asked me why I was “fist weaving” when that was a raid build. I doubted my life choices then as I had ALWAYS been fist weaving in dungeons just as I cat weave with my resto druid. I AM GLAD from reading your post that I was not wrong! The tank was just dying so fast from not mitigating himself Tyrannical Battlefield during blade storm!

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For bloat, use help/harm macros. Mistweaver practically requires it, but every healer spec benefits from it.

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Honestly, both Fistweaving and the Clouded Focus (Soothing Mists) builds are both feasible in all types of dungeons until you start getting into the like +25s, when all of the damage a healer can bring matters. Sometimes, I actually prefer CF in pug groups if I can’t rely on the tanks mitigating damage or if they’re undergeared. I find it too be safer, and you have more control. Also, even if you’re playing Fistweaver, you might need to channel Soothing Mists into Enveloping, then Vivify every now and then if someone is taking a massive beating!

For raids, Clouded Focus can pump out more substantial heals based around raid mechanics and timers, but Fistweaving is also viable!

For most bosses and encounters, both builds should have you standing in melee most of the time (for Clouded Focus, it’s for you to get resets on RSK, which extends the duration of Renewing Mists [though some raid bosses don’t have fantastic uptime on this, making them not choose Rising Mists]). However, one of the things I love most about this spec is that we basically have two very different playstyles in one! Makes things fun and interesting!

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So far to 3k I feel playing a caster build in mythic+ is much safer because I don’t know how my pugs will play and I feel I have more control over my healing. I still dps/interrupt/stun and everything. I also feel better when there are times I can’t easily be in melee.

I’ll play FW in 20s and such and it’s mostly fine, but I don’t feel as in control of the healing since it’s all random targets. I’m sure at some point it’ll be required, but healer dps is such a low % of total dps I don’t think that bit extra will be the difference in timing keys for a long time since the timers are not tight at all.

I acknowledge FW is the upper end meta, just that it doesn’t really matter until then.

But I’m glad MW has such fun different playstyles. I hope it doesn’t change much in the next expansion.

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Yep! Perfect example of how both playstyles are viable! All of my highest runs are with the Clouded Focus build as well!

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Yes, Fistweaving is adding more buttons to your healing “rotation”, but it’s the right kind of bloated, if that makes sense.

What I mean is, it allows you to use a simple DPS rotation that takes care of many things for you, while contributing with damage to your team. It allows you to play in a way in which you can comfortably do your thing without having to stay so focused on the party’s health and moving your mouse around.

You still need to use your healing spells, of course, but in the end, it’s a more relaxed approach most of the time. I’m not saying easier or harder, just more… zen, I suppose.

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Monk healing has less button bloat than paladin, priest, or druid. It doesn’t matter whether you fist weave or cast, you’ll have fewer binds than most of the other healing specs.

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To add to that as a healing monk your dps abilities should be on your bar and used frequently regardless on if you are FWing or not.

A “FWing” build to me adds 1 button (Jadefire Stomp)