There's a skill calculator available on the D3 website. I thought it'd be interesting to see what peoples current builds are.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/

I'm currently running a Monk as my main character and this is what I've got at the moment.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aWfgiT!ZX!aaZa.a

I'm for the most part playing with a friend who is playing a Wizard. So the current strategy is:

Teleport into the middle of a group with FoT/Thunderclap, suck them in with Cyclone Strike, put up Serenity shield, cast Sweeping Wind vortex, sweep attack with Crippling Wave to build some Spirit and refresh SW vortex then Seven-Sided Strike whoever is left alive... if there is anyone left alive.

While I'm doing the above my mate is casting spells in my direction at the enemies I've sucked in around me with Cyclone Strike.

Works pretty damn well at the moment since we're low level. Will need to figure out something else later but for the meantime it makes things pretty bloody easy.

think i had something like this going atm.. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#acYdfT!Zc!aaZZa

I have been using this for a while now http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#WegdTh!cXd!aZaZba with the exception of swapping out the occasional Rune.

When I started using this build I tried to go for something that helped me deal AoE damage and keeping me alive. The last part is particularly important since I have went for a pure dex gear, the problem with this is that I am maybe halfway through act 2 on nightmare and I am starting to get one shotted.

I think I did a decent job setting up that build, I'm happy with it, at least until I get some new runes and passive abilities.

Is there no talent tree in this game?

I thought there was supposed to be one.

Mine is looking like this at the moment, only level 36 atm. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian#baYiPT!bZd!aaZaaa

My brother is also playing a Barb, and his is quite different, running with Overpower, Battle Rage, Wrath of Zerk, and Whirlwind. He's around 45 or so, and he's busting 7k crits like it ain't no thing. Then again, he's sitting on almost 300% crit damage and 13k HP atm.

Made a thread similar to this one recently but it didn't go anywhere... ah well I'll just paste my original post to this one :P

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aUghjZ!YXd!aaaaaZ

First I went with the Fist of Thunder with the teleport rune so I can close the distance on moving enemies. Then I have Way of a Hundred Fists with the additional hit rune which makes up the meat and potatoes of my strikes. Those two tend to give me more spirit than I know what to do with. As a secondary skill I use Lashing Tail Kick with the extra knockback rune for large groups and to get some breathing room if I need it. I also have this mapped to my middle mouse button for extra kicky fun.

When it comes to support skills I'm using Serenity which makes you invincible for 3 seconds. I put the healing rune on it as well so when I pop it I get a heal and some invincibility. Great for sticky situations. I'm using the Mantra of Evasion which gives me an extra 15% to dodge for 3 minutes which is doubled for the first 3 seconds of the spell. I put the Hard Target rune on there which gives me an additional 20% armor while the mantra is active. I have this active all the time and if I have extra spirit or I'm facing a tough enemy I pop it a few times for the extra dodge. Finally I have Mystic Ally with the water rune. I chose to do this just recently to see if it was useful. So far I like it a lot. The ally is fast and pretty tough. It's usually taking care of stragglers for me and it does a way better job than my follower.

For passive skills I started off with Transcendence which heals me every time I spend spirit. This is the single best choice I ever made. I'm constantly healing myself for a good 1/6 of my health every time I pop a spirit skill. This includes when I use my actual heal spell and even when I'm popping my mantra. Love it. Also rolling with Seize the Initiative which increases my armor 100% based on my Dexterity. Just a simple way to make my Monk a little tougher. To wrap up my passive skills I'm also using the Guardian's Path which gives me 15% to dodge when I'm dual wielding ( which I always am anyway ).

So with all of these skill choices combined with my mantra and the gear I'm using ( which is alright but not amazing ) I have a 50% damage reduction rating and a 40% dodge rating which I can bump up to 49% for 3 seconds when I first pop the mantra. I'm level 30 and I haven't died yet *crosses fingers* even though I came close a few times. I have used maybe 5 potions the entire time and with that heal I get every time I spend spirit I barely have to use Serenity either. Now I might have to tweak this a bit for multiplayer so I can be more effective at supporting the party but for solo I find this works really well.

@Kidavenger said:

Is there no talent tree in this game?

I thought there was supposed to be one.

It's a talent tree but different.

Think like a horizontal tree, haha

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#WZdfTk!YcX!aaZZa

Walk in to massive hoard of enemies, cyclone strike, crippling wave, lashing tail kick and cyclone strike to suck them back in.

Transcendence heals me everytime I spend spirit and chant of resonance extends my mantra plus gives me additional spirit regeneration.

This is my current set up.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#acQdkT!dYe!bbZaZZ

depending on the boss I might switch multishot out and put impale in. So far in nightmare I can take enemies down quickly but I feel like a real glass cannon as I have no real healing ability. basically I run and flip around allot, drop sentries and then unload with multishot and ripidfire or hungaring arrow when I am low on hate. I also die often but I am still making forward progress so that's okay. Interestingly bosses have not been very hard on nightmare for me. I have the most trouble with the yellow or blue monsters that are just hanging out. I should probably add preparation with battle scars rune to help keep me on my feet but i don't want to give up my bat because it increases hatred regen and does damage, or my sentry as it does damage even when I can't, and vault is necessary for a demon hunter in my opinion.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wizard#acYRfP!Wca!bbZaZa

depending on situation I might switch out Magic Missile for the Shock Pulse for up close but this is pretty much mine so far

At the moment http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wizard#WZXdfh!ab!aZaa Will be making some changes as soon as I level up.

@supamon: I'm quite interested in your build cause you're a couple levels ahead of me now and was wondering what I should do once I hit the harder enemies. Is your build made to solo or are you playing with friends?

@happypup70: I'd suggest trying out Elemental Arrow + Ball Lightning in place of Multishot + Burst Fire. At first I was a sworn Multishot user but once I hit Nightmare, Elemental Arrow was so much better. The burst DPS is lower, but burst is only worth it if you're killing everything in one burst. I can fire 2x Elemental Arrow then 1x Entangling Shot + Chain Gang while kiting and basically never run out of Hatred, plus the range on Elemental Arrow is much farther than Multishot. I'm halfway through Act 3 on Nightmare and my entire run through from Act I I've only died three times and only to bullshit elites/champions in bullshit situations.

Anyway, here's my build: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#bRcdkT!Yce!aabZaZ

Entangling Shot + Chain Gang: Lets me kite effectively/indefinitely and take full advantage of Steady Aim and Cull the Weak passives

Elemental Arrow + Ball Lightning: Crazy DPS. Depending on enemy speed and position, it often hits twice per shot, giving me 310% weapon damage to all enemies 1.5 screens in front of me for only 10 Hatred.

Rapid Fire + Fire Support: Insane single-target DPS, once I get an elite/champion down to around 30% health I can usually burn them down with Rapid Fire before they can reach me.

Vault + Rattling Roll: All the runes for this skill suck, but since I recently changed my hotkeys and sometimes accidentally Vault INTO enemy packs, the AOE stun can be a life-saver.

Sentry + Spitfire Turret: Extra passive DPS since I don't need that much Discipline.

Companion + Bat Companion: Bonus Hatred regen is great.

Alright, so my brother hit the end of Nightmare...and his build basically led to multiple deaths.

Damn, that game gets brutal!

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian#aeXdYV!Yc!ZaaaZa

Just hit level 21 and I'm doing quite alright with this. Revenge + Vengeance Is Mine rune allows me to pretty much get in the middle of any mob and hack away, and if I ever really need to get out, I just hop out with Leap. Still just on normal though, of course. :P

Currently sloggin my way through nightmare I got 2 pretty much set builds for my Monk.

The first one is for killing trash/rares/elites/massive groups, basically what i use 99% of the time: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aeXjik!dcb!aZbbZa It's pretty much focused on all out DPS, kill everything as fast as possible in as little time as possible. Thunderclap + Fist of Thunder is irreplacable imo, the teleport greatly speeds things up and the extra AoE is great for scything through groups, this has been bound to my mouse 1 since the start of the game, i just dont see playing a monk without it. Wave of Light + Explosive Light for that massive 300% AoE with great range, great for errradicating or thinning out mobs as well as a pushback being great for elites. Breath of Haven + Blazing Wrath doubles as both a heal and a 15% constant dmg buff, great utility spell. Air Ally - for that extra spirit and AoE but any ally will do, if your DPS is high enough the Mystic ally is great cleanup of straglers and can solo most normal monsters by himself. Sweeping Wind + Bladestorm hard to say no to a constant AoE around yourself for 60% of your base dmg great crowdpleaser and also single target dps buff on tougher enemies. Mantra of Conviction + Overawe a constant 24% damage boost basically goes up to 48% for that extra burst if you need it, comboes nicely with breath of haven dmg buff. Chant of Resonance and Exalted Soul, because i really really need that extra spirit for this build as 2 of the abilities cost 75 spirit.

In effect I pretty much teleport straight into groups with Fists of Thunders and just lay waste to everything in a couple seconds, this build gives my monk tremendous AoE esspecially close range, and with the teleport on the basic attack you are always in close range, it's also devastatign single target DPS (obvisouly this built is when you alerady have a shitload of damage from gear)

Second is for end of act bosses (just in case) so it only gets pulled out rarely, but i can see myself using this towards the end of nightmare where survivability becomes a bigger issue. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aTXjih!dcX!aabZZa The differences from tha above are: Seven Sided Strike for more single target focus in dmg and also doubles as invilnerability because while you are performing it you cant be harmed. Fire ally because of bigger single target dps. Mantra of Evasion + Hard target for that extra dodge and extra armor, taking this over the healing mantra because build already has a heal and invulnerability with that plus pots eaxtra healing is not needed rather just not take dmg and take less of it. Sieze the Initiative couse as a high dps Monk you should already have shitload of DEX so you get a shitload of extra armor.

@stenchlord:

I'm currently soloing for my first normal play through so I haven't tested it for co-op play, I expect it would be just as effective since you basically have to be in the middle of the fight and cyclone strike everyone to you. As you hit harder enemies you'll hopefully find better dexterity/vitality equipment with health and spirit regeneration to increase survivability.

I didn't mention this but part of the reason why the build is effective for me so far is because of the runes. I'm going for maximum damage and not bothering as much for defensive or status inducing since I think killing them before they can do anything is more effective in normal mode. If any enemy tries to run away and my cyclone strike can't reach them even with the rune then I use dashing strike on the target.

Dashing strike is good for moving from one mob to the other as well, continuing the massacre streak, catching treasure bandits, stunning key targets and escaping from danger.

Seven-sided strike is there mainly for the big targets like bosses, elites or champions but I also use it if the action is overwhelming since I get a breather and the chance to press Q for healing.

I'm still tweaking the build as I go so do let me know if you made a good one!

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#abZdei!ZbT!aaaZca

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#agZbXT!Zb!a.aaa

My primary witch doctor build at the moment (level 22). Reasonably effective at staying away from enemies and dealing ranged damage.

@stenchlord:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#UeTYVQ!bX!aZabZ

this is my monk im level 28 pure combat

You lay a foundation of Groping Eels, add a Queen Spider, and then top it off with some sprinkles of Acid Rain sauce. Voilà! dps pizza.

@supamon: @lmenzol:

I tend to build my Monk for co-op play, so I'd prefer to be crowd control/tank but want a build that I can use while solo'ing.

Crippling Wave and Cyclone Strike are a must for building spirit very quickly and lowering the enemies movement and attack speed.

I had Fists of Thunder mostly as a way to initiate combat but thinking about it Dashing Strike seems more appropriate.

So the first three skills probably makes the most sense to be Crippling Wave, Dashing Strike and Cyclone Strike. Dashing Strike into a group, pull them in with Cyclone Strike and then rebuild spirit with Crippling Wave.

The last three skills I'm not so sure about.

I really like Sweeping Wind because as long as you have enough enemies you can keep it active the entire fight which greatly increases your DPS over time but it costs quite a bit of spirit to cast so it makes me wonder if it wouldn't be more effective to use Lashing Tail Kick and Cyclone Strike in quick succession followed by Blinding Flash to stun and Crippling Wave to rebuild spirit while they're blind. Blinding Flash is also a good skill to have if you ever need to make a quick get away which brings me to the last skill, something to buff defense or an active heal/shield? I was thinking Serenity since it only costs 10 spirit to cast which is nothing but then is Breath of Heaven better considering the enemy will likely be blind and will allow you to heal any team mates that are dying.

As for passives I think going for defensive skills to increase durability works better with the above build, whatever can keep you in the fight longer. I was going to go with Transcendence but is there really a point if Breath of Heaven is in the arsenal. Resolve worked well for me but I don't think it's as effective as Seize the Initiative to increase Armor rating. So considering that the next logical choice is Guardian's Path for 25% more spirit generation as well as the 15% chance to dodge...

I think I might try the following build - http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#WdfZYX!Xd!aZZZaa

I'll let you know how it goes.

At level 32 and in Nightmare, this is my current Tank Wizard build:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wizard#WlXYSf!acW!a.abaZ

It involves using Cold blooded, Frost nova with frozen Mist and blizzard to keep enemies gathered around you and constantly damaged. Spectral blades to finish off stragglers. Blur, Diamond skin and the Crystalize rune off Ice armor for damage mitigation and Magic Weapon just to boost up my general damage. Prodigy allows me to keep topped up on arcane power to keep casting blizzards.

Finished normal with my Wizard tonight, level 31.
 
Magic Missile w/ Charged Blast   -   My bread&butter signature spell, spec'd for high single target damage
Energy Twister w/ Gale Force   -   Energy Twister reminds me of Diablo 2's Firewall spell.  This just requires more finesse.  If you can funnel enemies through a choke, drop these twisters on the choke, they're history.
Diamond Skin w/ Crystal Shell   -   Short cooldown for a spell that makes you invulnerable.
Hydra w/ Arcane Hydra   -   Easy to use, super effective.  Great for kiting.
Ice Armor w/ Chilling Aura   -   So I can keep my distance
Magic Weapon w/ Electrify   -   Passive damage boost.  Easy choice.
Passives:  Glass Cannon, Prodigy, Astral Presence   -  More damage, more arcane power
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wizard#aVXRfS!YcX!aZaaaa

@stenchlord:

I think the build you suggested seems more party friendly and more viable in the later difficulties. One thing you have to note though is breath of heaven has a 15 second cool down so that might bite you or your allies in the ass. For me I would still use a mantra since it benefits the entire party. With a mantra rune that increases attack speed or movement speed could make your monk very popular!

I'm pretty sure my build will lose its effectiveness in the nightmare and beyond but I just reached nightmare so I don't know yet.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wizard#bZQkgX!XYe!ZZZZZZ

Currently rolling like this, just got past act 2 on nightmare. Its focused very much on not getting hit and if I can't avoid it with teleport, i use the armor thing. Frost ray is for 1v1's like bosses, and some slow time with amplified damage. Now when there's lots of enemies, I slow time I stack them up, get my armor which reduces spell casts by 7, then my lose cost Meteor is 35-7=28. I can usually cast it about 4 times per cycle and seeing as my DPS is 700 thats pretty good. I am VERY fragile though I haven't died yet! I would not recomend this though unless your very good with your teleport and on sheidl activation, don't forget to always stack potions and be patient.

edit: Though I am considering replacing ray of frost with a fire hydra to get that conflaguration bonus be more active... though there is no runed fire Hydra Until like 56? Which means the build has to wait... or I could sacrifice the rune... but that seems wasteful.

Almost identical to you OP, only I'm using Way of the Hundred Fists in place of Fists of Thunder.

I'm only a level 8 wizard, so there's no point in me posting my build, but I really like what they've done with builds. I hate leveling up just to get an extra 1% in a stat--something completely unnoticeable while playing--but in Diablo 3 every time you level up you get a new ability or rune, giving more options to play, if not entirely improving your character if you're set on your playstyle. It's kinda-sorta like a CoD system, but with traditional stat-boosts for leveling up, too.

@stenchlord: trust me its a good build for a tank or singleplayer, exploding palm destroys groups if used with way of hundred fist just walk into a crowd use exploding palm on the weakest enemy and keep hitting him with way of hundred fists, the third hit for hundred fists is an area attack and critical and if you manage to kill the enemy taht you used the palm on, it will kill almost every thing surrounding you added with the third critical from way of a hundred fists and if that doesnt clear everyone wave of light with the exploding light rune will finish everyone else or at least knock them away and give you breathing room but i also use exalted soul for the extra spirit needed

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aWYigh!Zcd!aZZaaa

Using this build for my Monk. So far its savage, but we'll see how long until I have to rethink it. Been fine so far though.

@CornBREDX: How do you find not using Cyclone Strike? Nearly every Monk I've encountered has been using it.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#WZTdVS!beT!aZZcbb

Demon Hunter at lvl 53, 15k HP at 14k DPS

I'm using a 4 button mouse, so don't be wierded out by my skill layout button-wise.

I'm all about high hitting medium hatred cost actively aimed skills. Rhythmically dropping 'Long Fuse Spike Trap' at my feet, respectively under ranged enemies. Spreading around 'Volatile Explosives Bola Shot'. Singletarget DPS'ing with 'Chemical Burn Impale'. Criss Cross evading over enemies with 'Trail of Cinders Vault'. Popping the +60%HP/+100%Discipline 'Battle Scar Preparation' cooldown, when I'm in a jiffy. 'Bat Companion' for increased Hatred generation is super nice.

Definitely use a 2-handed crossbow for this build. Low RNG high Damage does wonders for it. Went from 1-handed xbow & shield to 2-handed xbow, which tripled my damage per hit - which pretty much tripled my effective DPS with my build.

@stenchlord said:

@CornBREDX: How do you find not using Cyclone Strike? Nearly every Monk I've encountered has been using it.

Thunderclap serves just as well at closing distance, you can be in the middle of a mob anytime you want.

In fact when rolling solo (at least for everything up untill hell) with high dps Cyclone would just waste time getting dudes to you, when you can just AoE everything with Explosive light or waste groups in 1-2 seconds with Thunderclap and sweeping Wind

Just finished Act 1 on Hell and I'm running this solo: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#UYgjiQ21ZXaaaaaaa!Ycd!bbacZb

I change it a little bit in co-op, but that's the basic idea.

Haven't played the game yet, so what do you guys think about my melee DH? Will it be possible to play past normal? http://d3db.com/tool/calculator/demon-hunter/20352

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian#WhXVkP!ZdX!ZbYabZ

this is my build for nightmare, originally i got rid of leap for a more tank orientated move like ignore pain but i really missed the mobility that leap give me on harder packs, it allows me to get out of the pack and get healed up in emergencys also lets me pull enemies in to a pack do our AOE guys can hit more of them and really do some damage. I''m level 46 so there is a chance this build will change before im 60.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#acYdSQ!cY!bZZa.a

this is my demon hunter build, its all about slowing the enemy and then dealing increased damage from a distance, lvl 26 some of the skills aren't meshing too well atm in my style of gameplay so im thinking of changing it up a bit but so far these are the skills and passives im running with.

@Olu said:

Haven't played the game yet, so what do you guys think about my melee DH? Will it be possible to play past normal? http://d3db.com/tool/calculator/demon-hunter/20352

if you are going all out melee, then brooding will never help you because you will get hit all the time in combat. nightmare is hard at times when you come up against rare mobs with bad combinations of skills so it might be viable but it will make it harder for you.

I've been doing 4 man Nightmare with this build. Mostly I don't use Frost Ray and just stick to spamming Meteor with Electrocute mixed in to recover arcane power to spam more Meteors. I of course set up the Hydra before I start spamming Meteors, for the extra damage. Frost ray is just for the snare and single target dps on yellow mobs, because those guys are all assholes, and unless they're really big, Meteor is a waste of arcane power.

The reason I run with 5 duplicates is because first of all the exploding ones are pretty useless, and second of all the 5 duplicates can all help distract different mobs and generally stay alive longer by doing so, making them all the more useful. Illusionist is a must-have with this set-up. I can't tell you how many times it's saved me from otherwise-certain death. Astral Presence and Prodigy are, again, to get more arcane power to spam more meteors. I know I could go Conflagration and get a 10% dps increase, but I feel like the overall dps is probably higher with the near-constant meteor showers than it would be if I had to wait and recharge every few casts.

For the level 60 build, unless something changes to make other things more viable once I hit Hell/Inferno, I'll probably just go with the Mammoth Hydra and Black Ice runes. I do want to toy around with the Guardian familiar, but I feel I'll probably end up just sticking with the images.

If anyone has some suggestions on a good hybrid tanky dps wizard build, I'm all ears. But note that I will completely ignore Diamond Skin. Outside of a certain few situations (boss fights) Diamond Skin is too unreliable with too low durability to be a viable choice. If it's popped or on cooldown, you're fucked, whereas Mirror Image and Teleport have their cooldowns reset if you get whacked.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#afXgYQ!ZYU!YYcbYb

I only hope they don't fix the Quickening rune. My party's invincibility will end if they do.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#aRVdQj!Teb!cYbbYY not lvl 60 yet so its not optimal but i like it

EDIT: on a boss i change my multishot to the sentry with the first aid rune

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#UbYgXQ!VXb!bccYbb

I use these for insane damage boosts and some decent survivability. I get increases to damage from basically everything I do and I can just spam my way out of tricky situations with Boon of Protection and Serenity. My battleplan is pretty much just "Run in do a TON of damage in a few seconds, run away and wait for cooldowns". I get pretty fucked by some of the better Crowd Control in Elite Groups, but I can manage most enemies with this. Bosses are easy.

Level 50 Barbarian just finished Nightmare, going into Hell when the servers get back up. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian#bVgYRk!beV!YaYZYb Likely going to see some changes, especially with runes when they are unlocked

Level 23 DW Barbarian, still playing on normal cause I activated it on friday night and haven't played THAT much. 
 
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/barbarian#abYZgT!Zb!aZZZa

I'm playing a Monk atm, level 31 this is what I'm running right now : http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#afXiTQ!XYb!aaaaaa

Working out pretty good either solo or with teammates. I stacked a bunch of vitality and dex. My dps is around 400 with 4.5k life.

This is where I'm planning to run when I'm level 60 : http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#afXiTQ!XYb!YcYYcZ

Currently a level 36 witchdoctor and I'm all about them pets!

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#hZYVfT!Zde!aZZaZa

Exploding dogs are awesome as well. Great for taking down chunks of a boss' health in one blow. This build helped me get through Act 3 with considerable ease since it's a great build for taking down large groups of enemies in which there are a boatload of in Act 3. Spamming firebomb that bounces between enemies is fun as hell and zombie charger is real powerful especially when it recomposes twice to continually charge through a horde of enemies. For bosses I typically replace firebomb with poison darts with splinters rune and replace zombie charger with haunt skill to deal damage and return health.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#aZYVeT!Zde!aZZaaa

For nightmare mode I'm experimenting more with different skills like Horrify, Soul Harvest, Big Bad voodoo and Acid Cloud. Soul Harvest is a pretty great skill that I've been ignoring. Almost doubles my intelligence if I hit up to five enemies with it. I'd probably use these skills more in a support role in co-op for higher difficulties though.

use this currently for my Demon Hunter. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/demon-hunter#WQYdSh!ebX!ZababZ

mostly defensive, i like to lay down a few caltrops on top of each other to stack their damage, then place Spike Traps around the caltrops to do massive damage. If enemies get through i have a fan of knives waiting.

I use 2hand xbow and i stack crit damage gear and i do massive amounts of damage.

Monk - 60

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#WYXgTh!Zdc!Zcbaca

Running this in inferno, still tweaking though.

Still experimenting with mantras and blinding flash runes, will change a passive for one with everything when I can get enough of one type of resist on my gear. Also switching between Seize the Initiative / Guardians Path

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#WfXjQg!YcX!ZZbbZZ

Monk build for a monk that just got into Nightmare and started dying all the time.

The way I use them is cyclon to gather enemies (or stay just out of reach to only pull a single elite), my air ally has an AOE damage aura based on my damage, I rarely need to heal, serenity takes care of tougher battles (survive until you get them down, and if you don't, just push MoH for the 50spirit heal thanks to trancendance).

Had to reconfigure from my previous one that I completely breezed through normal with:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#dWYTfQ!YcX!ZaZZZa

I would go dash for stun + move into a group, cyclon to gather them up, blind them, and then just hold right mouse button. Takes care of anything in normal + most of the time you don't need to do more than cyclon + right click tbh. I found seven sided great for bosses.

I really don't understand why people are so into Quickening. CW is so much better than FoT that it just doesn't seem worth it.

@TobbRobb: Is there a particular reason you are using Exalted Soul? I mean most of your skills are low spirit and have cooldowns so Exalted Soul seems like a waste of a passive.

@Xymox: Most builds i'ev seen have FoT either with Thunderclap for teleport and AoE, or LF for extra dodge if they are the group tank or are doing boss runs on harder difficulties. FoT + Quickening is usefull for an endgame build when you can stack crit, that way you have practically infinite spirit and can spam abilities that keep your entire party alive on Hell/Inferno.

@Tennmuerti said:

@stenchlord said:

@CornBREDX: How do you find not using Cyclone Strike? Nearly every Monk I've encountered has been using it.

Thunderclap serves just as well at closing distance, you can be in the middle of a mob anytime you want.

In fact when rolling solo (at least for everything up untill hell) with high dps Cyclone would just waste time getting dudes to you, when you can just AoE everything with Explosive light or waste groups in 1-2 seconds with Thunderclap and sweeping Wind

Ya that's basically it. That and add to that comboing in crippling wave every once in a while I constantly stomp and they can barely touch me- blind if they get feisty (which is essential on Nightmare in groups against vampiric/leeching enemies) which also has the added effect of potentially charming them so they attack others in their group instead for a couple seconds.

I just got to nightmare last night and tried out some grouping. I need to get my DPS up, but it seems to work ok there but doesn't kill quite as fast (probably obviously) so I may have to make a different build when I play with others (to keep mobs off squishier players easier). I really don't like using cyclone strike though, it feels like a waste of DPS time. For me its been better to just teleport everywhere.

And just for the record I think sweeping wind is boss haha- I love it.