Updated for Mists of Pandaria 5.2

The patch brought some nerfs and a few buff. Mistweavers are still in a pretty good place for raid healing and that’s what this page focuses on. For leveling, see the links just below. For Mistweaver PvP check out skill-capped.

Mistweaver Contents Patch notes Mistweaver Talents Glyphs mist Stats Rotations Gems Enchants Food and Flasks Professions Races Videos Leveling Quickly

This Mistweaver Monk guide is primarily intended for use at level 90. However, the principals will still apply during the leveling process. If you want the same in-game step by step leveling guide that we use to get to level 90 as fast as possible, take a look at our favorite in-game leveling guide. Our Other Monk Guides:  PvE: Brewmaster tank, Windwalker Monk Leveling Guide

Patch 5.2 Notes

Besides the rest of the Monk notes these are the changes specific to MistWeavers:

Mistweaver

• Jab now costs 8% (was 4%) of base mana to use.
• Soothing Mists now generates chi more consistently and average generation rate is slightly higher.
• The Glyphed version of Uplift now costs 16% of base mana (was 6.6%) to cast.
• Life Cocoon can no longer be dispelled.
• It is no longer possible to use Thunder Focus Tea while silenced.
• Summon Jade Serpent Statue no longer costs mana.
• Eminence now heals for 25% of the damage done (was 50%.)
• Serpent’s Zeal, from your Blackout Kick, no longer stacks and heals for 25% of the damage that had been dealt.
• Teachings of the Monastery now provides additional benefits.
• Muscle Memory is a new level 65 passive ability for Mistweaver Monks. Successful Jabs and Spinning Crane Kicks which damages at least 3 enemies cause Muscle Memory. Muscle Memory causes the Monk’s next Tiger Palm or Blackout Kick to deal 150% more damage and restore 4% mana.
• Healing Spheres will now heal for 50% of their original value if they expire without being picked up. This healing will factor in relevant Mastery.
• Renewing Mist had its mana cost reduced by 10%.

 

Mistweaver Talents

Our picks are checked: .

Certain talents are better for some situations, while other talents might be better at other times. Keep a stack of Tome of the Clear Mind for switching talents.

5.2 Talent changes: 

• There were quite a few tweaks, hover over the link and check the tooltips for the most accurate info. 
• The level 60 (tier 4) talent Deadly Reach is dead. It has been replaced with Ring of Peace.

Tier 1 offers us three mobility enhancing talents.

1. Celerity is one of two options this tier that enhance roll and Chi Torpedo, increasing the limit of charges by 1 and reducing the cooldown time by a small amount. Not as useful as the others.
2.   Tiger’s Lust gives us a speed increasing spell that can be cast on both ourselves and others. It also breaks snares and roots giving it much greater utility that the other two talents. Basically it’s a partial PvP trinket and movement boost with a short enough cooldown.
3. Momentum is a passive that causes our Roll and Chi Torpedo abilities to grant us a speed increase for a short time, stacking up to 2 times. This is my personal favorite for situations where a lot of constant movement is needed.

The choice for this tier is largely preference based. Tiger’s Lust offers the greatest speed increase, but also has the shortest duration. The other two improve your consistent mobility, but can’t be cast on other players.

1. Chi Wave is a basic chain heal type ability. Probably the most generally useful of the three.
2. Zen Sphere summons a sphere that periodically heals the target and damages a nearby enemy. Zen Sphere can be detonated early for a small burst of AoE healing.
3.   Chi Burst is best used for healing a stacked up raid. With 5.2 it does more healing and a lot more damage and has no Chi cost. If you groups tend to pile up then this is your pick.

1.   Power Strikes causes our Jab to generate an additional 1 Chi once every 20 seconds. Power Strikes grants the greatest overall Chi generation, making it the superior option the majority of the time.
2. Ascension increases your maximum Chi by 1, increases your mana, and increases energy regen.
3. Chi Brew instantly restores all of our Chi on a 1.5 minute cooldown.

1.   Ring of Peace: New – Ring of Peace forms an 8 yard sanctuary around one friendly target for 8 seconds, disabling enemy player auto-attacks in PvP, and causing all enemies (both players and NPCs) in the area of effect to be disarmed for the duration. In addition, enemies that cast a damaging spell while within the area of effect will be silenced for 3 seconds. The ability has a 45-second cooldown.  This will reduce damage done by enemies near the target and it a good thing to put on your tank.
2. Charging Ox Wave sends out a mighty ox head which stuns all targets in its path up to 30 yards away. Nice if you have to get out of the middle of something. Not targeted, so you have to face the correct direction. Does not do knockback.
3. Leg Sweep stuns all enemies within a 5 yard radius. This might be the best choice for dealing with groups of trash mobs. Stunned enemies don’ t do damage. Unlike Ring this isn’t ranged.

Your choice from this tier should be based on the encounter you’re currently facing.

1. Healing Elixirs adds a small heal to our use of Brew/Tea abilities. A useful healing ability given how often it’ll trigger.
2. Dampen Harm probably won’t be of much use for us.
3.   Diffuse Magic could be a very helpful damage mitigation cooldown on fights with heavy magic damage.

Healing Elixir offers a frequent healing effect, making it the optimal choice the majority of the time save for when dealing with heavy magic damage in which case Diffuse Magic is optimal.

1. Rushing Jade Wind is a boost to our AoE healing.
2. Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger adds some healing, but has a longer cooldown.
3. Chi Torpedo offers a bit of healing every time you use Roll, not a bad choice.

All three options this tier could be useful depending on the situation/healing demanded.

 

Mistweaver Monk Glyphs

• Glyph of Mana Tea
• Glyph of Surging Mist
• Glyph of Renewing Mists
• Glyph of Spinning Crane Kick
• Glyph of Uplift
• Glyph of Retreat
• Glyph of Life Cocoon

 

Mistweaver Monk Stat Priorities

• Primary Stats: Spirit > Intellect
• Secondary: Haste (8.33%) > Mastery
• Weaker: Critical > excess Haste > Hit & Expertise
• Useless: Spell Hit over 15%

Spirit needs to be stacked until you are happy with your mana usage. Your  Stance of the Wise Serpent grants Hit and Expertise rating from your Spirit on items.

Reforge: Everything into Spirit until your mana regen is fine and your Spell Hit is where you want it (no more than 15%.) After that, go for that 8.33% Haste and then Mastery.

 

In-Depth Rotation Guide

Mistweaver Monks have a very active healing style, and to get full use of their abilities requires that you constantly utilize a variety of Chi building attacks and finishing moves in addition to regular healing. During times of heavy damage, the use of your regular attacks may be impossible as the healing role demands your full attention.

Stance of the Wise Serpent and your Jade Serpent Statue should always be active.

Eminence and Serpent’s Zeal allow you to heal while damaging a boss, making it optimal to stay within melee range as often as possible so long as doing so won’t interfere with your direct healing duties.

1. Jab is your standard melee, Chi building attack.
2. Crackling Jade Lightning is a channeled attack spell with a 25% chance of generating 1 Chi each tick of damage. This best used when you are unable to melee a target.
3. Expel Harm damages your target, generates a Chi point and heals you.
4. Blackout Kick grants you a stack of Serpent’s Zeal when used, this effect stacks up to 2 times and should be maintained as often as possible, meaning using Blackout Kick once every 30 seconds.

Using Tiger Palm grants us stacks of the Vital Mists buff which reduces the cast time and mana cost of your next Surging Mist by 20% per stack, stacking up to a maximum of 5 times.

1. If a target is taking low to moderate damage, simply using Soothing Mist and the occasional Enveloping Mists should be enough. If they start taking heavier damage, add Surging Mist into your rotation.
2. Soothing Mist is a low-mana single target heal best used for periods of low to moderate damage. Using Soothing Mist makes both Enveloping Mist and Surging Mist instant cast, making it beneficial to continue channeling Soothing Mist on your target at all times, throwing in either of your other heals as is necessary.
3. Enveloping Mists heals the target and increases the healing the target receives from Soothing Mist by 30%. Enveloping Mist is instant cast if used when you are already channeling Soothing Mist.
4. Surging Mist is an emergency heal with a high mana cost, but short cast time. Use this if you have 5 stacks of Vital Mists or when a target is taking heavy damage. Surging Mist is instant cast if used while channeling Soothing Mist.
5. Healing Sphere creates sphere that heal an ally when they walk through it, use this to place on-demand heals for raid members.

AoE/Multi-Target Healing

When healing multiple targets, use Renewing Mist for moderate damage, and add in Uplift when possible if the extra healing is necessary.

Continue to make use of Soothing Mist and Surging Mist to generate Chi for use with Uplift.

Revival heals all members of the raid and removes all Poison, Magical, and Disease effects present making it an effective dispel tool in addition to a heal.

Renewing Mist places both a HoT effect on your target and a healing effect which jumps up to 3 nearby allies, healing them as well.

Uplift instantly heals all targets with the Renewing Mist HoT. The duration of the Renewing Mist HoT can be refreshed by using Uplift in conjunction with Thunder Focus Tea.

Spinning Crane Kick is a channeled AoE heal with an 8 yard radius. Spinning Crane Kick can be channeled while moving, allowing for mobile AoE healing.

Cooldowns

Mana Tea stacks are generated through use of Chi. Mana Tea is a channeled spell that restores mana based on the number of Mana Tea stacks you have, and is best used when you have free time where channeling won’t prevent you from healing as necessary. Taking the glyph makes Mana Tea instant cast, allowing you to work it into your normal rotation.

1. Cast Life Cocoon on any target that is taking or is about to take heavy damage.
2. Use Thunder Focus Tea as often as possible.

Tier 2 Talent Abilities

1. Chi Wave is a bouncing heal most effective on moderate numbers of players.
2. Zen Sphere has a fairly weak HoT and is best used with the intent of detonating the sphere for burst AoE healing, although this will cost 4 Chi making it expensive and fairly inefficient.
3. Chi Burst is a useful, directed AoE heal effect best used on a stack of players.

Tier 3 Talent Abilities

1. Power Strikes is a passive increase to Chi generation.
2. Chi Brew can be used for burst healing as it allows you to instantly cast any Chi-costing heal.
3. Ascension passively increases your maximum Chi.

Tier 6 Talent Abilities

1. Rushing Jade Wind is a powerful AoE healing effect that also boosts the effect of Spinning Crane Kick. Use this for periods of heavy raid damage.
2. Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger grants indirect healing due to Eminence.
3. Chi Torpedo replaces roll, adding a healing effect on top of the regular roll action.

 

Mistweaver Monk Gems

Note: Gems and enchants can be expensive. If you find yourself short of the cash needed to buy expensive gems then you should see this post.

Your Leather bonus adds to any Int gem bonuses, making them worth 5% more Int. That bonus does not add to other stats.

Gems with secondary stats have twice the value of gems with primary stats, so your Haste or Spirit gems are 320 points and your Int gems are 160. This does give reason to match socket bonuses. Also note the Cogwheel gems, which are fitted into the Engineering helm.

Depending on how much Haste or Spirit you need: 

• Red or Purple gems in Red slots
• Yellow or Orange gems in Yellow slots
• Blue or Purple gems in Blue slots

Mistweaver Gem Priorities
Meta		Burning Primal Diamond: +216 Int & 3% Increased Crit Effect
Red		Brilliant Serpent’s Eye: 320 Int, self-only Jewelcrafting gem Brilliant Primordial Ruby: 160 Int
Yellow		Quick Sun’s Radiance: +320 Haste Fractured Sun’s Radiance: +320 Mastery
Blue		Sparkling River’s Heart: +320 Spirit
Orange		Reckless Vermilion Onyx: 80 Int, 160 Haste
Purple		Purified Imperial Amethyst: +80 Int, +160 Spirit
Prismatic		Brilliant Primordial Ruby: 160 Int
Cogwheel		Sparkling Tinker’s Gear: 600 Spirit – requires an engie helm, such as this. Quick Tinker’s Gear: 600 Haste Fractured Tinker’s Gear: 600 Mastery

 

Mistweaver  Enchantments

Short on gold? If you want to buy the best enchants, fund all of your alts, donate to the guild, etc., but don’t have the cash, then see what the Tycoon Addon can do about about fixing your poverty.

Helm enchants are gone in Mists of Pandaria, shoulder enchants all come from the Inscription profession.

Enchantments for Mistweavers
Weapon	Enchant Weapon – Jade Spirit: Sometimes increases Int by 1650, might increase Spirit by 750 if mana is low.
Shoulders	Secret Crane Wing Inscription: – 520 Int and 100 Crit rating, Requires Inscription 550. Greater Crane Wing Inscription: +200 Int and 100 Crit
Cloak	Enchant Cloak – Superior Intellect: +180 Int Lightweave Embroidery – attacks can give 2k Int for 15 sec, requires tailoring
Chest	Enchant Chest – Glorious Stats: +80 to all stats Enchant Chest – Mighty Spirit: +200 Spirit
Bracers	Enchant Bracer – Super Intellect: +170 Int Fur Lining increases Int by 500, requires leatherworking. Socket Bracer – Pop in a gem, requires Blacksmithing 400
Gloves	Enchant Gloves – Greater Haste: +170-Haste Socket Gloves – Pop in a gem, requires Blacksmithing 400
Belt	Livingsteel Belt Buckle: Gem slot for a nice Int gem
Leggings	Greater Pearlescent Spellthread: +285 Int and +165 Spirit
Boots	Enchant Boots – Pandaren’s Step: +140 Mastery, slight run speed increase.
Rings	Enchant Ring – Greater Intellect: +160 Int, Requires Enchanting 550

 

Consumables for Mistweavers

• Mogu Fish Stew: 300 Int
• Braised Turtle: 275 Int
• Flask of the Warm Sun: 1,000 Int for an hour, Alchemists get 1,320 and 2 hours.
• Potion of the Jade Serpent: 4k Int for 25 seconds. If you pop one immediately before combat you will be able to pop another during combat.
• Master Healing Potion: Heals 60k HP
• Master Mana Potion: About 30k Mana

 

Professions for Mistweavers

All of the professions provide some benefit for Mistweavers, though clearly some are better than others. Even the gathering professions have some value, though you might be better served by using those to build a larger gold stash.

If you’re looking for the buffs then Blacksmithing might be the best choice wince you can slot two gems and gems with secondary stats have twice the value of those with primary stats, 320 Spirit Vs 160 Int, per gem, for example. It also gives you a bit more versatility with gem slotting, though you’ll most likely want to stick Int gems in those slots anyway. If you want to load up on Spirit or another secondary stat, then Blacksmithing and Jewelcrafting are your choices.

Your Leather bonus adds to any profession bonuses for Int.

Mistweaver Professions
Tailoring	Cloak enchant sometimes adds 2k Int.
Leatherworking	Bracer enchant adds 500 int.
Jewelcrafting	Make nicer gems for your own use.
Enchanting	Enchant both rings, for a total +320 Int gain.
Inscription	Shoulder enchant adds 520 Int and 100 crit.
Alchemy	More effect from your own potions. Adds 320 Int and an extra hour to your main flask.
Engineering	has lots of interesting toys, some of which have situational use, and Synapse Springs, which increases Int by 1940 for a short time. If you take this use a macro to activate it along with other short term buffs.
Blacksmithing	gives two extra gems slots to use for those yummy secondary stats, such as 640 total Spirit Vs 320 total Int.
Skinning	provides 480 crit rating
Herbalism	Small heal and 2880 Haste for 20 seconds
Mining	480 Stamina

 

Race Choices for the Mistweaver Monk

Worgen and Goblins are the only races which cannot become Monks. Perhaps they’re not serene enough…

Pandaren

• Can be either Horde or Alliance
• Better buffs from food is a nice benefit. Pick an Int, Spirit, etc. buff as the situation demands.
• Rested XP lasts longer, for faster leveling.
• Melee range stun will be occasionally useful to allow you to get some range.
• Take less falling damage.

Alliance Monks

Human

• Diplomacy skills make rep gains less grinding
• Escape ability will have occasional use, but is more for PvP
• Mace or Sword expertise will be of zero use to you.

Dwarf

• Storm form washes away some effects and reduces damage by 10%, which will have occasional use.
• Ranged weapon expertise is useless to you.

Night Elf

• 2% Dodge is a rarely useful stat for healers.
• Shadowmeld is great for when the opposition comes looking to make you into lunch.

Gnome

• Expertise with swords and daggers is not useful to you.
• Your Escape will find occasional use, but more in PvP.
• Increased manapool might find some use.

Draenei

• +1% Hit will likely not be of use to you given how much Spirit you’ll be stacking (and you get Hit from Spirit on your gear.)
• The self-heal might be useful once in a great while.

Horde Monks

Orc

• Blood Fury is very nice for those times when you a bit more spell power for a few seconds.
• Expertise with axes and fist weapons is of no use to you.
• Resistance to stun effects will only be rarely useful, it’s more for PvP.

Troll

• Berserk is very nice for those times when you need some burst healing.
• Increased damage Vs beasts is not useful to you.
• Ranged weapon expertise is useless to you.

Undead

• The ability to remove fear and other effects is occasionally useful.
• Touch of the Grave is a small DPS add and also heals you for the amount that it drains.

Tauren – My mind boggles at Taurens doing spinning kicks.

• Additional Stam doesn’t scale well at very high levels, but is still nice.
• War stomp will have definite use when the opposition closes in.

Blood Elf

•  Arcane Torrent will silence casters, which is situationally useful.

Mistweaver Videos

 

The Fast Monk Leveling Guide

Once upon a time, while leveling, you had to look up quest details on some website. There was no in-game help and you had to trundle along as best you could. That was when there were only 60 levels. Now we have the new Monk class, 90 levels, thousands of quests, and a bazillion mobs to kill. Whether or not you’re playing a Monk that’s still a daunting task.

Here’s how to make it easy: Now you have a guide which sits in-game, in a small window, and shows you step-by-step where to go, what to do, and everything you need to know to make leveling easier. Dugi’s Guide shows you the best and fastest path to complete those quests and get yourself to the top levels ASAP.

Want to get a level, or several levels, in the dungeons or in PvP? No problem. Dugi’s will remember where you left off and then it will figure out where you should be at your new level and pick up from there.

Brand new to WoW? Decked head to toe in Heirlooms? Mixing up questing with PvP and/or dungeons? No problem, Dugi has your back all the way from level 1 to the level cap, or whichever level you start from.

Dugi’s in-game guide is always quickly updated for all patches and expansions, so it’s never obsolete. Grab yours here and get leveled fast.