Wave of Light is a powerful ability with loads of versatility, resulting in this skill being the current “flavor of the Monk.” Today, we’re going to spice it up with Davlok’s take on a Wave of Light build with this fast, furious, and fiery edition of Play Your Way.
About the Build:
I’m not much for spicy food, due to a terribly inconvenient allergy. The whole Sriracha phenomenon has got me a tad bit jealous that I can’t partake. Luckily for me, I can live vicariously through my Monk using this week’s build, submitted by Davlok#1847. Combining ultrasonic speed with a generous amount of fiery destruction, this build will get you running for a tall, cool glass of milk afterwards.
Ooh, spicy
This is the perfect build for those with limited patience; monsters will collapse under your flaming fists of doom as though they were nothing. While there are some reasonably hefty gear requirements, the only real limitation is your Toughness. If there was any true downside to this build, it’s that you’ll move so fast you may forget to go back to gather up your hard-earned loot!
The Skills:
Speed and Fire damage are the main themes of this build; prepare yourself for a little whiplash, because you won’t want to stop the carnage once you get going!
Active Skills:
- Wave of Light (Explosive Light)
- Primary damage dealer
- After stacking enough Resource Cost Reduction and Cooldown Reduction to keep Epiphany up, this skill won’t seem so expensive anymore
- Dashing Strike (Way of the Falling Star)
- Mantra of Conviction (Annihilation)
- Great group damage buff for any composition
- Passive effect provides excellent group utility and helps keep the Momentum passive active
- Mystic Ally (Fire Ally)
- Supplemental area of effect damage for that extra “boom”
- An extra friend in case you’re feeling lonely
- Epiphany (Insight)
- Near-persistent uptime thanks to a huge amount of Cooldown Reduction
- Ensures your Spirit Regeneration can keep up with constant Wave of Light casts
- High mobility helps keep the Momentum passive active
- Blinding Flash (Faith in the Light)
- Excellent and reliable crowd control for any group
- Boosts your personal damage dealt
- Synergizes with the Relentless Assault passive
- Frequent uptime in high Cooldown Reduction builds such as this one
Passive Skills:
- Determination
- You’ll frequently be diving into huge groups of enemies, making this skill a prime choice
- Relentless Assault
- Blinding Flash is a huge portion of this build’s utility and bonus damage, and this passive only enhances its power
- Momentum
- After stacking sufficient Cooldown Reduction, you’ll have Epiphany and Dashing Strike on low enough cooldowns to nearly always benefit from this passive
- Beacon of Ytar
- Necessary to hit that sweet, sweet 75% Cooldown Reduction
The Items:
This build does require some specific items to truly shine; Wave of Light is a costly skill without a solid Cindercoat and there are several Cooldown Reduction items you’ll want to track down as well.
The use of a Mad Monarch's Scepter intrigues me, and I want to track a solid one down now. I bet the visuals are impressive!
Required Items:
- Leoric’s Crown
- Necessary to reach 75% Cooldown Reduction
- Monkey King’s Garb (4-piece bonus)
- Boosts the effectiveness of any Wave of Light build
- Recommended pieces are Gloves, Shoulders, and Neck with a Ring of Royal Grandeur
- Cindercoat
- Reduces the cost and increases the damage of all your Fire skills
- Integral to make Wave of Light affordable
Complementary Items:
- Vigilante Belt
- Guaranteed source of Cooldown Reduction
- Stone of Jordan
- Source of additional elemental damage
- Able to roll an additional 8% Cooldown Reduction
- Any 1-handed weapon with Cooldown Reduction
- Which weapon you use is somewhat inconsequential, so long as it provides you Cooldown Reduction and moderate to high damage
- Suggestions include Sunkeeper, Devastator, Sledgefist or Burning Axe of Sankis
- Captain Crimson’s Trimmings
- Another, crafted source of Cooldown and Resource Cost Reduction
- Recommended pieces are Pants and Boots
Recommended Legendary Gems:
- Bane of the Trapped
- Bonus damage triggered by Blinding Flash
- Rank 25 power provides substantial group support and damage
- Bane of the Powerful
- With a very fast clear speed, it’s likely you’ll keep the damage buff up after jumping from group to group of Elites
- Particularly useful for farming Torment VI
- Zei’s Stone of Vengeance
- Works well in conjunction with Bane of the Trapped at Rank 25
- The burst of energy from Wave of Light (Explosive Light) has exceptionally long range and benefits from this gem's bonus, increasing your full-screen clearing potential
Recommended Stats:
- Cooldown Reduction is your highest priority, and you’ll want to try to hit 75% for a comfortable up-time for all your abilities
- +% Bonus to Fire Damage will benefit all your damage dealing skills
- Resource Cost Reduction will increase the usability of Wave of Light, particularly if you don’t yet have a Cindercoat
- Spirit Regeneration is another good option if your Epiphany isn’t quite permanently up
Recommended Difficulty and Game Mode:
Davlok regularly runs Torment VI Nephalem Rifts with great ease using this build and, at the time of submission, has climbed as high as Greater Rift 35 in Normal, non-Seasonal mode. Like many builds that take on the challenge of higher Greater Rift levels, this build can be a little squishy without the help of some substantial Toughness options. It can be somewhat countered by playing at range, which I’d recommend when taking this style into Hardcore. Just be conscious of your survivability before pushing too hard!
Why We Like This Build:
It’s been some time since we’ve looked at higher end gameplay, and “bell builds” are certainly one of the highest contenders for most efficient Monk builds. What I really enjoy about this build, though, is its impressive clear speed. Don’t believe me? Davlok’s got a great Torment VI gameplay video to prove it:
One of the major themes of the Monk class is being agile and fast. With this load out, I imagine you could give a certain blue hedgehog a run for his money (or gold rings, as the case may be).
Tell Us What You Think!
What style of Monk are you currently running? Do you toll the bells, or do they toll for you? How would you improve on Davlok’s build? Let us know in the comments or send in your version using our webform!
Next week, prepare to unleash your inner (or outer, I won’t judge) Fury with the Barbarian. See you then!