Really wanting to learn how to tank, I am enjoying playing prot warrior but would prefer something a bit “flashier” to look. Just a personal preference. I really enjoy windwalker, and would love to try BM but the whole stagger playstyle seems daunting. Is it as difficult as people make out? Any help would be appreciated!
If you want perfection, it is more difficult than some other tanks. On a beginner level, it’s fairly easy: keep Ironbrew up, purify from time to time, hit kegs on cooldown. Also keep Jade wind up, and you’re good to go.
You can learn the rest (when to purify, when to let Ironbrew down, when and how to roll and teleport, etc) while playing. You likely won’t be able to hop into a +20 mythic even if you’d have the gear, but starting from the bottom up, you’ll be fine.
It’s a very fun spec to play, too.
to play properly? no, its not easy if you compare it to other tank specs
It’s easy enough to play it at a decent level. As long as Ironbrew is up, you purify during higher stagger, and put kegs on CD 24/7, you can do lower mythics just fine. By the time you get comfortable with that, you’ll learn how to play the spec better.
The very basics are easy, and perfecting play can be done on the go.
Mind you, a stagger WeakAura helps a lot.
I was nervous of picking up Brewmaster, having not tanked since WoD… but I started with it out in the open world, set up a UI that worked, and realised I no longer have to worry if I can pull rares or elites in assaults. Yes, yes I can. Sometimes other players arrive and speed the process up, but if not, I’ll just stand here and outlast whatever the heck I wanted to kill.
Since then I’ve moved on to tanking vision runs when squishies are present, and they’ve basically all been fine. There aren’t that many buttons, and if you’re remembering Iron Bru + Kegs, you’re largely going to survive and hold aggro. My biggest problem here is I don’t yet have the experience to know what I can and cannot handle, and as such I probably go slower than I need to, which is bad for visions.
Tanking in raids or higher M+… is more about knowing the mechanics and affixes, which routes to take and when to kite vs when to stand your ground. Mechanically you’re “ok” as a brewmaster.
Tanking is all about how you pull the dungeon and what defensives you use on what pack. With that knowledge any tank is functional up to pretty high keys, without it every tank is useless. Brewmaster is rather simple in keeping mitigation up, so the floor is rly low but all tanks are pretty easy in that regard, but i guess it helps when it’s one less thing to worry about while learning how to tank. Brewmaster excels at usage of it’s poison, stun sap and ring of peace that bring a lot of value.
I hated BrM by the simple fact I felt I always had to be hitting something with jab (or whats the brm version name of it?) all the time to reduce brews cd by 1sec. Very spammy feeling that punished you if you where not close enough to the mob.
I think guardian is way easier as long as you’re a little careful at the start of pull till you get your ironfur up. Warrior is also not as chill as I thought, but atleast you could stand a bit out of range and still clap everything around you without the same punishment as brm.
I do or previously have played all tanks to heroic raid level, and brewmaster is, by far, my favourite. I personally find it to be the most fun, although obviously fun is subjective.
You can keep brewmaster mitigation up 100% of the time as others have said, but it’s not as easy as with a druid: if you get yourself in a brew deficit and end up needing to purify but you’re out cus you spammed ironskin? Woo, you’re gonna feel it. Brewmaster is all about balance (just like monks in general, thematically speaking!) and getting the hang of that balance is what separates the good brewmaster from the great ones. Knowing when to purify, when not to. When to grab your healing spheres, when to let them be. How to use and abuse transcendence, ring of peace, black ox statue, leg sweep etc. How to use mobility to your advantage. There’s so much more to brewmaster than just drinking ironskin brew and it’s far more fun and engaging than guardian, for example.
If you’re looking for the “easiest” tank, you want guardian druid, hands down. There’s nothing to learn with the spec. Get ironfur up, keep it up, that’s your lot. It’s effective, it works, but it’s a simple as simple can be and, as a result, not particularly “fun” or engaging for me, personally.
That said, I’m currently maining guardian because screw grinding essences again on my monk, but the whole time I’m playing guardian, I’m wishing I was brewmaster.
Brewmaster is easy and fun to play tank.
Ironskin brew should alway be on CD, if u are begginer u can macro it together with black out strike - no worry u should puriffy only near red stagger with ease.
Keg smash always on CD
Cruicable of Flame is ur biggest friend in rotation - for essence
Your critical is ur self sustain - due to celestial fortune, it will work on all self heals from trinkets, azerithe traits, essences even on brush it off on kultiran. It also amplify all your shields from all sources
Also good secondary stats are versa and mastery.
And even Healing elixir look good on paper - it is outclassed by bob and weave, even for self sustain. U get more damaged smothed on longer time so u will purify more damage.
For beginer thats all, if u will improve ur game play - go checkout wowhead or iceveins.
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.