I play Monk a lot and I’ll tell you exactly what matters for Shadowbringers (released July 2, 2019) so you can get better fast. I’ve noticed small habits beat flashy theorycrafting when fights get chaotic.
Monk uses three forms—Opo-opo, Raptor, Coeurl—and Perfect Balance is the spell that lets you ignore those limits for a short burst. Learn the forms, and learn when to break them. Honestly, Perfect Balance will make or break your damage if you use it randomly. Plan it around the boss’s damage phase (and your team’s buffs) or you’ll waste a big cooldown.
Quick facts you should memorize
- Perfect Balance cooldown: 60 seconds.
- Forms cycle with weaponskills; Perfect Balance removes that restriction.
- Positional hits (rear/flank) give clear bonuses—don’t skip them unless you must.
Why this matters: positional hits multiply the value of your skills, and Perfect Balance amplifies your burst windows so timing = damage. By the way, this doesn’t always work the same across every fight (depends on your niche).
| Stat | Priority (general) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon/Strength | Top | Directly increases base damage. |
| Critical Hit | Very high | Best average DPS increase for sustained fights. |
| Direct Hit | High | Consistent, simple damage gains (good on movement fights). |
| Determination | Medium | Flat damage boost across abilities. |
| Skill Speed | Situational | Tweak for specific GCD timings; don’t overshoot. |
Example stat snapshot (Item Level 480, used as a reference): Crit ~2847, DH ~2032, Det ~1764, Skill Speed ~1287 with a GCD around 2.14s. Use this only as a starting point; your exact targets change with gear and patches (as of 2025).
Positioning and movement — short, sharp rules
Rear = Bootshine, Dragon Kick, Demolish. Flank = True Strike, Twin Snakes. Practice moving between those spots so you don’t drop damage when mechanics force you to relocate. Want to punch harder and live? Keep uptime over perfect positions when forced to choose.
Plan movement routes before trash pulls. Save True North or your stronger gap-closer for awkward mechanics. I mean—it’s simple, but not really. Sometimes you trade a crit for survival; do it.
Perfect Balance: practical usage
Use Perfect Balance when multiple buffs overlap or during established burn phases. Why? Because it allows you to apply key buffs and DoTs faster, increasing effective DPS. Here’s the funny part: using it without a plan can lower your DPS compared to steady play. Surprising, right?
// Simplified opener snippet (practice on a dummy)
Pre-pull: Form Shift (enter Coeurl)
Pull: Dragon Kick -> Riddle of Fire -> Twin Snakes -> Brotherhood
Perfect Balance window: Demolish + PB combo + Potion
⚠️ Caveat: some fights require delaying PB for a mechanic or aligning with an external raid buff. There are exceptions; your raid leader might ask you to shift windows.
Opener and weaving tips
- Practice the opener on a training dummy until it’s muscle memory.
- Weave buffs (Riddle, Brotherhood) into GCDs; potion timing matters.
- If you’re new, focus on consistent Demolish uptime and landing rear hits.
“Uptime beats perfection. If you miss one positional to keep GCD rolling, that’s usually the right call.” — a Monk who wiped a raid because she stood on a mechanic (true story).
Advanced: slidecast small adjustments during GCDs to correct positioning without dropping rhythm. Practice sliding on a dummy until it’s reflexive.
Common debates (and my take)
Controversy: Direct Hit over Crit for movement-heavy fights. I say DH can be the better choice when you’ll never hit full crit uptime due to mechanics. Some theorycrafters will disagree—fight me? (kidding, but seriously, test it).
Controversy two: Riddle of Fire should always be used in opener. I’ve noticed it’s wasted on fights with split phases; sometimes holding it gives better value later. There are exceptions.
Endgame focus — raids, extremes, Savage
For Savage content, every second of your Perfect Balance and Riddle of Fire alignment matters. Map cooldowns to each phase before pulls. Team coordination is huge; tell other melee when you plan PB so someone else doesn’t steal a favorable stacking window. To be fair, some groups won’t coordinate and you’ll have to adapt on the fly.
Practice extreme trials to sharpen movement under pressure. Those fights expose weaknesses in positional habits and force you to keep DoTs while moving. I’ve been in raids where mastering this doubled my usefulness to the team.
Practical checklist before you raid
- Know boss hitboxes (rear/flank zones).
- Plan two PB windows per minute-long fight phase.
- Set potion timing to overlap PB and raid buffs.
- Agree on positioning with other melee (avoid stacking mistakes).
Surprisingly, small consistent steps—better positioning, planned PBs, demo DoT uptime—raise your DPS more reliably than chasing small stat gains. Unfortunately, that’s less sexy than “perfect parse” videos, but it works.
One counterintuitive insight: letting your DoT tick an extra GCD before a PB sometimes increases total damage because it aligns buffs with DoT ticks. Test this in your group; it’s worth a try.
Final note (and yes, I repeat a bit because it matters): build fundamentals first. Master the three forms, keep Demolish running, and use Perfect Balance deliberately. Then layer in the fancy bits. Practice, adapt, and—between us—you’ll soon be the player everyone asks to bring to Savage. 🥊✨
