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TheWindwalker Monkis a very powerful melee damage dealer, capable of being at thetop of DPS Tier ListsinWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight. While the rotation and skill ceiling is fairly high for Windwalker Monks, it helps to have better gear too! This guide will show the best items for every equipment slot available in Season 1 of Dragonflight.
Trinkets
Weapons
There are a few caveats that need to be addressed before we tunnel vision to the BiS List below. So if you’re new, have a read-through and it will help determine what is the best gear for your character.
Windwalker Monk Best in Slot Stat Priorities
In general, items that have a higher Item level are the most important thing to remember. Higher Item levels provide more of the Primary Stat as well as higher weapon damage for specializations that need it.These are the two most important stats.When considering the Secondary Stats of an upgrade follow the priority listed below:
Versatilityincreases all your damage and healing done, and reduces the amount of damage you receive.Critical Strikeincreases the chance of your abilities to deal double damage.MasteryincreasesMastery: Combo Strikes, a flat damage boost based on not repeating abilities back to back.Hastemakes attacks hit more frequently, improves energy regeneration and reduces the cooldowns of some skills.
The amount that is optimal always depends on the situation. you may alsouse a simulator, such as RaidBots,to see what you specifically should focus on. We have a section at the end of this guide tolearn how to sim your gear.
Important Notes For BiS Lists
It is important to note that any jump in ilvl by more than 10 points almost always results in the higher ilvl item being better. If you have an upgrade of 5 ilvl or less, compare the stats based on the stat priorities to decide the better item.
Keep in mind thatsecondary stats eventually have diminishing returns.The calculations for diminishing returns are as follows:
In the case where you have reached 30% in a secondary stat, an item that has a secondary stat that is lower on priority may be a better upgrade. This is why it isalways important to sim your gear. For simplicity, we offer the best per slot assuming you have not capped out these stats.
Windwalker Monk BIS Gear
The items appearing in this list may come fromMythic+, Raids, or The Vault. Their item level will depend on the instance’s level of difficulty (Normal, Heroic, Mythic, Mythic+ 1-20). This list does not include Renown or Crafting items as it is meant as a guide on what dungeons or raids to attend to get your best gear from these sources.
For easy comparison, the item tooltips showMythic level 9 or Normal Difficulty for Raiditem level version of the item.
Best Head
The only item that has our preferred stats isCrown of Roaring Storms, and there aren’ta lotof other second-best options out there.
Back to Item Menu
Best Neck
There are a number of items that have Versatility but none of them have Crit, unfortunately.
Strand of the Stars
Vault of the Incarnate
Best Shoulders
The first option here provides the best stat boost. The Amice of the Enlightened is the only other option with Versatility so we’ve shown other options with Crit/Mastery. The Tier Shoulders aren’t a bad option either.
Amice of the Enlightened
Vault of the Incarnates
Best Back
The highest Vers option has Haste, so the best option would be the one with Mastery. It might also be better to look for Crit/Mastery as well, the best option for that is listed here too.
Best Chest
The clear winner here is the Tier piece with a very high versatility stat and fortunately, it’s paired with Crit too!
Best Wrist
There are no options with Versatility on it, so look for these options with Crit/Mastery.
Best Hands
A few good Vers options here, to choose between crit or mastery as your second stat. The tier-set Gloves are not a terrible choice if you’re good with the amount of Vers you have.
Best Waist
Also only one option with Versatility/Mastery here, the second option could be good if your Vers stat is having diminishing returns.
Best Legs
The Tier Legs have a sizable amount of Versatility on them, the other option is to have Crit/Mastery from the other choices below it.
Best Feet
There aren’t any Versatility boots available in Raids and Mythic+. The only option then is to have Crit/Mastery, which there are a lot of options, but here are the two best options.
Best Rings
The best option is the first one with Vers/Crit. However, due to the other Vers option having haste, the Crit Mastery options could be better.
Best Trinkets
There are a lot of really unique Trinkets available, and depending on the content it could change as well. You may want multiple trinkets to swap just in case. The Vault of the Incarnates Raid drops a really powerful trinket if you have a tank with one as well, as they will provide Versatility in return. The first option remains a great pick due to the primary stat boost.
Hunger of the Pack
Best Weapons
The best weapon on this list is the Polearm from Vault of the Incarnates due to the higher Item level. However, because it doesn’t have the best secondary stats, it would be wise to look at some of the other options as well.
How To Simulate To Determine Your Best Gear
Raidbots is a tool that World of Warcraft players can use to figure out if the gear they just looted is an upgrade. As mentioned earlier, there are so many nuances and diminishing returns at certain points in the game that determining an exact set of bis gear is impossible. With the ilvl scaling of Mythic+ loot on higher keys and the utility that a different gearset may have for different fights, there just isn’t a pure “this is the absolute best for the entire Season” list. It’s even something that certain classes have come across inClassic Wrath!
Don’t worry, because we’re still here to help. Wehighlyrecommend using the websiteRaidbots.comto determine if an item you just acquired is an upgrade. Here’s a quick guide to help you run simulations to see if your new item is an upgrade:
