PvE Windwalker Monk DPS Rotations & Cooldowns

Windwalker Monk in Mists of Pandaria has a seemingly easier and more refined rotation than its peers, displaying a dynamic gameplay that leaves close to no downtime! Their rotation is similar to that of other Energy users such as Rogues and Druids, with some abilities functioning as generators whilst others are spenders. While at low Haste, their rotation might seem sluggish, but it picks up quickly as players acquire more and more Haste. 

Windwalker Monk Basics & Resource Generation

Windwalker Monks have a fairly simple rotation that revolves around spending their two resources, Energy and Chi! As such, their abilities are split between Chi generators that strictly require Energy, and abilities that act as Chi spenders, which strictly require Chi. Much like their brethren, they must upkeep a few effects, with their entire rotation functioning based on a Spell Priority List. While it may sound complicated at first, their very innate dynamic playstyle allows them to spam their abilities, turning the upkeep of those effects into somewhat of a basic task once enough Haste is acquired. However, their dynamic playstyle is sluggish until enough Haste is acquired, even if they have Energizing Brew to compensate for the lack of early Energy regeneration.

Once they have enough Haste, their playstyle becomes very spammy, consistently alternating between Chi generators and spenders. As for effects that they must maintain, Rising Sun Kick and Tiger Palm should always have 100% uptime. Luckily, they also benefit from Combo Breaker, a strong passive that allows them to occasionally freely cast abilities like Blackout Kick and Tiger Palm.

Furthermore, besides their spammy rotation, Windwalker Monks are defined by short burst sequences where their damage is considerably enhanced thanks to Tigereye Brew! The ability works based on charges, stacking up to 20 times and consuming up to 10 stacks per activation. You’ll gain 1 charge per 3 Chi consumed! Since the ability can be activated at will, it allows a great deal of control over those burst sequences, which can be combined with other powerful effects such as trinkets or Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger.

Single-Target Rotation

1. Engage with Flying Serpent Kick/Chi Wave, or walk up to the target
2. If you use Chi Brew, cast it at the start to prepare for your first Rising Sun Kick If you use Ascension, simply skip this step
3. Cast Jab to generate initial Chi Recast Jab consistently throughout the fight to generate Chi
4. Cast Tiger Palm & maintain the buff Recast Tiger Palm whenever Combo Breaker procs.
5. Cast Rising Sun Kick to debuff the target. If you don’t have enough Chi, cast Jab again before casting Rising Sun Kick Always prioritize casting Rising Sun Kick when its cooldown becomes available!
6. Cast Fists of Fury on cooldown whenever possible.
7. Cast Blackout Kick to spend Chi whenever Rising Sun Kick and Fists of Fury are on cooldown. Recast Blackout Kick on every Combo Breaker proc.
8. Cast Expel Harm to generate Chi instead of Jab if you need to heal yourself
9. Recast Chi Wave on cooldown whenever possible.
10. Continuously alternate between Jab/Expel Harm and Blackout Kick, Rising Sun Kick, Fists of Fury & Tiger Palm while building up Tigereye Brew charges.
11. Prioritize using Tigereye Brew together with other offensive effects, such as trinkets and Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger, or during Heroism/Bloodlust/Time Warp.
12. Repeat steps 3-9 until the next Tigereye Brew burst sequence.
13. Always prioritize Touch of Karma when a boss deals the most damage to reflect it and boost your Damage Output.
14. Use Touch of Death to execute targets.

AoE/Cleave Rotation

1. Cast Storm, Earth, and Fire on different targets as you engage to spread your damage
2. Repeat the opener from Single-Target Jab -> Tiger Palm – > Jab – > Rising Sun Kick
3. Cast Spinning Crane Kick if you have Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger
4. If you choose Rushing Jade Wind, prioritize casting it on cooldown
5. Cast Fists of Fury on cooldown whenever possible.
6. Cast Jab in between Spinning Crane Kick/Rushing Jade Wind casts
7. Recast Rising Sun Kick on cooldown
8. Refresh Tiger Palm whenever it’s about to expire or on Combo Breaker proc.
9. Cast Blackout Kick to spend Chi whenever Rising Sun Kick and Fists of Fury are on cooldown. Recast Blackout Kick on every Combo Breaker proc.
10. Prioritize using Tigereye Brew together with other offensive effects.
11. Use Touch of Death to execute targets.

Cooldowns

Crowd Control

• Spear Hand Strike – Your basic interrupt that you will use against Spell Casters!
• Disable – A slow effect that persists and refreshes itself as long as the Monk stays close to the affected target. This is especially useful for kiting mobs in any form of PvE environment!
• Paralysis – An Incapacitating effect that can have a very long duration if used while staying behind a target. 
• Leg Sweep – An AoE Stun that has a circular radius. Extremely useful in both raid and dungeon environments for stopping dangerous mob groups.
• Ring of Peace – An AoE Silence/Disarm that persists around a friendly target, including the Monk! Extremely useful against dangerous mobs that have spammy abilities.  
• Grapple Weapon – Single-Target Disarm ability that enhances your performance for a short duration. This ability can be especially useful if used together with other cooldowns!

Defensives

• Zen Meditation – An anti-nuke ability that can be used to either block one heavy melee attack or have up to 5 harmful spells redirected to you during the effect. While the effect is active, the spells are redirected automatically. However, if a single melee attack hits you during the process, the effect stops immediately, meaning the redirection will not occur anymore. 
• Dampen Harm – An ability that reduces any damage taken by half its original amount if it exceeds 20% of your HP. However, the ability only has 3 charges, meaning you must time it well.
• Diffuse Magic – This is your go-to defensive spell against Magic Damage, offering a 90% Magic Damage reduction for 6 seconds.
• Fortifying Brew – The most potent defensive cooldown in your kit besides Diffuse Magic/Dampen Harm, it increases your HP, Stagger amount, and reduces all damage taken by 20% for 20 seconds. 
• Nimble Brew – A defensive cooldown that can be used to remove Fear, Stun, Root, and Horror effects, making you more resilient to them after. 
• Touch of Karma – This spell is considered both defensive and offensive, reflecting all incoming damage to the target, capping at the total value of your max HP. 

Utility

• Detox – An ability that can remove all Magic, Poison, and Disease effects from a target.
• Legacy of the Emperor – A buff that can enhance allies, granting a 5% increase in Strength, Agility, and Intellect.
• Legacy of the White Tiger – A buff that increases Critical Strike Chance by 5% for you and your allies.

Mobility

• Roll – Your bread and butter movement ability! Windwalker Monks use this spell to traverse long distances quickly during any PvE encounter!
• Transcendence/Transcendence Transfer – A teleport ability that can be used to reposition during an encounter quickly. Extremely useful for avoiding deadly mechanics!
• Tiger’s Lust – The most potent movement speed bonus in your kit! You’ll use it to escape from some mechanics or quickly reposition.
• Flying Serpent Kick – A powerful charge-like attack that allows you to soar through the air and land a moderate hit to all enemies upon landing, slowing them in the process. You will use this whenever possible to engage groups of mobs after your tank picks up aggro.