Windwalker Monk PvP Rotation and Playstyle — The War Within (11.0.5)

Last updated on Nov 08, 2024 at 08:43 by Mysticall 17 comments

PvP requires you to perform various actions in the course of a duel, match, or battleground: interrupting/silencing enemies, damaging them, bursting them down, defending yourself, keeping yourself alive, etc.. It is a game mode that fully utilizes your kit, especially spells that are rarely used in PvE. On this page, we go through all the spells you need to use in PvP as a Windwalker Monk, how you should use them, and we explain what your playstyle should be.

This page is part of our Windwalker Monk PvP Guide.

1.

Playstyle for Windwalker Monks

The main role for a Windwalker Monk is simple: use your mobility to relentlessly attack a target and use your strong single-target cooldowns to burst your enemies down. You have some crowd control for the enemy healer in the forms of Paralysis Icon Paralysis and Leg Sweep Icon Leg Sweep. Because of this, you will use a large amount of damage output you have to make the enemy team use their defensive cooldowns. By managing your damaging buffs, a Windwalker can unleash a devastating amount of damage in a short amount of time.

1.1.

Windwalker Monk Spells and Passives

Before talking about your damage rotation, it is important to note that there are a few spell interactions that Windwalker Monks have that should be understood to ensure you do the most damage. Here is what you should pay attention to:

  • Managing your Hit Combo Icon Hit Combo and Mastery: Combo Strikes Icon Mastery: Combo Strikes is crucial to the Windwalker Monk rotation. You want to make sure that you are not pressing the same spell two times in a row. Use a filler Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm or Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick to maintain the buff.
  • Combo Breaker Icon Combo Breaker gives your Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm a chance to make your next Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick cost no Chi.
  • Teachings of the Monastery Icon Teachings of the Monastery is the most important passive spell to understand. This makes it so your Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm causes your next Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick to strike an additional time, stacking up to 4 times. It also makes it so Blackout Kick has a chance to reset the cooldown on Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick.
  • Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick reduces the cooldown of Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick and Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury by 1 second for each use.
1.2.

Before Gates Open

Know exactly where to put your Transcendence Icon Transcendence portal. Although it does not seem like it, using your Transcendence Icon Transcendence effectively is crucial in Windwalker's survivability. The best place to put it is behind a pillar and make sure your healer knows where you placed it. This way, when you do use Transcendence: Transfer Icon Transcendence: Transfer, they will not be confused about where you are.

2.

The Opener

The opener refers to your team's opening crowd control chain and damage done as soon as you exit the gates. The main goal in the opener is to force your enemies to use defensives or trinkets. They are in trouble if the enemy healer uses their trinket in the opener. Windwalkers have Paralysis Icon Paralysis (an incapacitating effect with diminishing returns) and Leg Sweep Icon Leg Sweep (a stun with diminishing returns). Always use Paralysis Icon Paralysis on the enemy healer, and if the enemy team is grouped up try to Leg Sweep the healer.

This is the rotation you should use on your target at the beginning of the game.

  1. Use Disable Icon Disable to slow your target. This is crucial if you are playing against a ranged class that will try to kite away from your team.
  2. Use Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm to generate 2 Chi.
  3. Use Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick off cooldown.
  4. Use Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury.
  5. Use Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm.
  6. Use Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick.
  7. Use Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick if the cooldown got reset.
  8. Use Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm.
  9. Use Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick to reduce the cooldown on Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick and Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury. You also want to use it if you get a Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick proc.
  10. Use Spinning Crane Kick Icon Spinning Crane Kick if you get a Dance of Chi-Ji Icon Dance of Chi-Ji proc.
  11. Use Paralysis Icon Paralysis on the enemy healer.
  12. Use your burst rotation.
  13. After your burst, perform your sustained damage rotation until your burst cooldowns are available.
3.

Burst Damage

When you have the enemy healer in crowd control and are trying to kill an enemy, you use your burst damage.

  1. Before you use your burst rotation, generate 2-3 Chi.
  2. Use Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger Icon Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger.
  3. Use Leg Sweep Icon Leg Sweep.
  4. Use Storm, Earth, and Fire Icon Storm, Earth, and Fire.
  5. Use Spinning Crane Kick Icon Spinning Crane Kick when you get a Dance of Chi-Ji Icon Dance of Chi-Ji proc.
  6. Use Strike of the Windlord Icon Strike of the Windlord.
  7. Use Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick.
  8. Use Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury.
  9. Use Whirling Dragon Punch Icon Whirling Dragon Punch.
  10. Use Spinning Crane Kick Icon Spinning Crane Kick when you get a Dance of Chi-Ji Icon Dance of Chi-Ji proc.
  11. Use Celestial Conduit Icon Celestial Conduit.
  12. Use Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm.
  13. Use Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick.
  14. Use Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick.
  15. Use Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm.
  16. Use Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick.
  17. Use Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick.
  18. Use Touch of Death Icon Touch of Death if the enemy drops below 15% health.
4.

Sustained damage

Sustained damage is damage you do when your burst cooldowns are unavailable.

  1. Maintain Disable Icon Disable on your team's kill target if you are the only reliable slow on your team.
  2. Use Spinning Crane Kick Icon Spinning Crane Kick when you get a Dance of Chi-Ji Icon Dance of Chi-Ji proc.
  3. Use Tiger Palm Icon Tiger Palm to generate Chi.
  4. Use Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick when you have multiple stacks of Teachings of the Monastery Icon Teachings of the Monastery. Blackout kick reduces reduce the cooldown on Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick and Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury. You also want to use it if you get a Blackout Kick Icon Blackout Kick proc.
  5. Use Rising Sun Kick Icon Rising Sun Kick off cooldown.
  6. Use Fists of Fury Icon Fists of Fury off cooldown.
  7. Use Whirling Dragon Punch Icon Whirling Dragon Punch. Ideally, you use this during your burst rotation or if multiple enemies are stacked to get value from Rising Dragon Sweep Icon Rising Dragon Sweep.
  8. Use Strike of the Windlord Icon Strike of the Windlord.
  9. Use Touch of Death Icon Touch of Death if the enemy drops below 15% health.
5.

Defensive Techniques

  • Leg Sweep Icon Leg Sweep should be used for crowd control on the kill target most of the time. If you are being focused and cannot get away or receive help from your teammates, use Leg Sweep Icon Leg Sweep to stun enemies near you.
  • Transcendence Icon Transcendence should be the first cooldown you use when being focused, especially if your healer is in crowd control. Use this to port behind a pillar and heal yourself with Vivify Icon Vivify until your healer is able to save you. You port back to your previous location, thanks to the talent Escape from Reality Icon Escape from Reality.
  • Touch of Karma Icon Touch of Karma is our primary defensive cooldown. Use this when the enemy team is focusing you down, and your healer cannot heal you through it or is stuck in crowd control. It absorbs 50% of your Health pool and redirects 70% of the amount to the enemy target as nature damage.
  • Fortifying Brew Icon Fortifying Brew is a powerful defensive cooldown. This not only decreases the amount of damage you take, but it increases your Health. This affects how much Health you get back when using a Healthstone Icon Healthstone.

Finally, use Monk mobility as a defensive technique.

  1. Flying Serpent Kick Icon Flying Serpent Kick can be useful if you have taken the Ride the Wind Icon Ride the Wind PvP talent. Even without the PvP talent, this helps with getting around pillars to get away from enemies.
  2. Tiger's Lust Icon Tiger's Lust removes snares from you. This will help you get away from enemies if you are slowed or rooted.
  3. Roll Icon Roll if your final mobility spell. This can be great for ducking behind a pillar when your healer is in crowd control. When you get to a pillar, use Ring of Peace Icon Ring of Peace to continue kiting and Vivify Icon Vivify to heal yourself.
6.

Macros

It is advised to use Macros to use abilities on enemies or allies without having to target them. For this reason, we have a page dedicated to them.

7.

Changelog

  • 08 Nov. 2024: Updated Damage Rotations.
    • Added new section for understanding spells and passives.
    • Updated all Damage Rotations.
    • Updated Defensives sections.
  • 21 Oct. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 25 Aug. 2023: Fixed spelling mistake.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 06 May 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 21 Mar. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
    • Updated all damage rotations.
  • 30 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Updated Damage rotations.
  • 21 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 01 Aug. 2022: Reviewed for Shadowlands Season 4.
  • 31 May 2022: Reviewed for Patch 9.2.5.
  • 27 Feb. 2022: Updated All Damage rotations.
  • 10 Nov. 2021: Updated Damage rotations.
  • 02 Jul. 2021: Updated Burst rotation.
  • 08 Mar. 2021: Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
  • 29 Nov. 2020: Removed outdated Traits and Essences.
  • 14 Oct. 2020: Updated for Shadowlands pre-patch.
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