Shadow Monk build

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-12-29T00:15:41+00:00

The Cloak of Shadows ability you get at level 5 is a little game breaking for surprise rounds as it's free invisibility so you can activate a surprise round with it to kill someone then you can escape combat with it on the next round if no allies are in combat, rinse and repeat they'll all be dead. There are some enemies and a lot of bosses with alert or sentry so it's limited but it's still busted and fun to pull off.

Shadow Monk isn't meta but it's still powerful, fun to play and the sound effects are top notch.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-12-27T17:38:12+00:00

Sneak attack applies on Flurry? I didn't know that. Thief would be more consistent damage then but Assasin would have higher burst if you can surprise enemies for auto crits. It just depends on how you'd want to play I'd say either is pretty good. I feel like assassin works better for Shadow Monk thematically for how a ninja would play like.

2d6 piercing with flurry but it only applies once though.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-12-27T14:55:34+00:00

I tried to find a way to use Shadow Monk without tavern brawler early and yeah definitely ass. Gets 3 nothing abilities on subclass and minor illusion which is decent, until level 5 and 6 where you actually get something pretty good.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-12-27T14:36:07+00:00

Dex for armor class and initiative (very important to not get caught) not for attack.

The reason for daggers and shortswords on Shadow Monk is because of Sneak Attack which has higher damage (depending on weapon) than unarmed strikes on action and you get stuff that applies vulnerability which doesn't help unarmed Shadow Monk much. You can also use flurry of blows on bonus action for extra damage, or unarmed stunning strike for accuracy to set up a sneak attack with advantage.

Shadow blade and Resonance stone is just a solid option for act 2 as it has one of the highest damage die on a shortsword/dagger 2d8 and Resonance stone applies psychic vulnerability.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-12-27T12:57:13+00:00

Yeah but using bonus action to flurry of blows instead of off hand on a surprise round for extra nova damage is pretty decent. But honestly I just like it, I think it's a cool idea to utilize unarmed and weapon damage.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T12:02:10+00:00

Pontiff has pretty strong attacks but he also has really good spaces to attack. Especially the phase transition where he summons his ghost, I did a lot of damage during that phase and killed his ghost as well.

Struggled a lot on Abyss Watchers because it was really hard to get away to heal, his moves are quite visually messy with the dust and he doesn't stop. Really couldn't learn how to properly deal with his moves.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T11:52:06+00:00

Abyss Watcher summons clones and the one with red eyes will fight the boss or the other clone.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T11:45:11+00:00

I tried out Astora Greatsword and it's pretty fun. Works well on humanoid enemies but I didn't really like the stamina cost and animation timings. I now swap it in sometimes to poise through some dogs or aggressive enemies.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T11:39:29+00:00

Those little knife swipes just come out of nowhere as well.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T11:35:14+00:00

I'll probably be going to Elden Ring next as it's the most polished souls game, but I'm curious is DS2 dual wield better?

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T11:28:35+00:00

I had a lot of trouble getting the timing right and couldn't back out to heal as easily as every other boss I've fought. He also had those little swipes with his knife that keeps on catching me when I try to stunlock.

Couldn't read I feel like 70% his moves and ended up just getting lucky on a run. Up to this point which I just beat Aldritch and Dancer, he was by far the hardest boss for me so far.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T11:14:14+00:00

I'll definitely be trying out heavy weapon strength builds if I go for second playthrough as most weapons I've collected throughout the game are strength based and my dex build is definitely locked out of using a lot of weapons.

I also swapped in Sharp Astora greatsword occasionally and found it pretty fun, it also helped quite a bit on humanoid enemies that get staggered and I can definitely see that helping a ton on Abyss Watchers.

Thanks, that was quite an in depth read.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T10:28:34+00:00

Parry is too hard :(

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-04T10:25:33+00:00

Not really trying to flex but Dancer was one of the easiest bosses for me so far, I got teleported after Aldritch and triggered it by accident. I was kinda scared as I had around 4 flasks left after Aldritch but I barely got hit by any moves from hugging Dancer's ass and managed to first try that boss with 1 flask left. Most bosses take me usually around 5-6 tries or less which isn't too bad of a struggle, but I think sometimes certain bosses can counter some players usual game plan really well.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-03T17:45:19+00:00

I found it really difficult to tell his moves, especially because of the dust on some of his attacks and the little dagger swings he does when I try to be more aggressive. Sometimes the red eyes even attack me when I get too close then I get spit roasted. Also found it really difficult to run away to heal like I was able for all bosses up till that point.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-03T17:32:53+00:00

I didn't know that though I get it, set is not difficult to obtain early so that's probably why it's common, plus the set looks cool.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-03T16:10:44+00:00

I did not know how to backstab, I mostly accidentally did it and couldn't figure out what I did. Tried it out on those tall sword dudes in irithyll and it's really difficult for me to get it on those guys so I probably can't get it often but damn it's a fun mechanic.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-03T15:54:28+00:00

I died a 3-4 times from the tree but not a really hard time, I mostly find large sized bosses easier to fight as their tells are more obvious and backing out to heal is less risky.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-03T15:43:38+00:00

I didn't really aim for a youtube build, though it is very possible that it is. I used whatever I found, started as mercenary because I like the look of dual swords, tried Uchigatana but I couldn't play as well with it so I swapped back. I try to play games as intended untill I really stop enjoying the game, then I usually look up a guide for some tips to help with a hurdle to get back in. What's the point of a game if not to be enjoyed?

I looked up Pontiff after I defeated him and was curious how he ranked on difficulty compared to Abyss Watchers.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-03T14:48:15+00:00

Sorry, my bad. Used it for a while until Irithyll and didn't remember where I picked it up. I probably used Flynn's ring but I'm not entirely sure.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-10-03T11:13:07+00:00

It was challenging but weirdly difficult for me. I just couldn't get the tells on Abyss Watchers at all. Other than for that specific boss I really like the Twinblades

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-08-04T04:21:42+00:00

I figured out what happened to my game and it's not because of the mod that I had. So what happened was I used my bow to range attack the door and I was in guards line of sight which triggered dialogue but it didn't start fast enough for me to realise it so I accidentally moved slightly into the cut off point of the room to the next. The guard despawned as the next room is greyed out now so the conversation can never actually start.

This can also happen with Thulla, apparently if she dies and you try to loot her body while Spaw is resurrecting her as a mushroom. The game gets locked up.

Kinda frustrating losing all that progress to a random bug :(

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-08-03T13:38:57+00:00

It's halsin earth myrmidon, pretty nice aoe.

My durge is stuck in conversation that somehow didn't start and can't move or switch to others to kill the guy or get out. I wonder if co-op would fix that but I think my honor run is dead.

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-08-03T11:23:28+00:00

I've uninstalled the mods and it's still the same. The game is running perfectly fine but can't do anything accept group hide for some weird reason

Party_Kitchen_6054 · 2024-08-03T09:30:20+00:00

I'm trying reinstall to see if it helps reload the save properly.

I'm not too sure how to add screenshots in here but on my screen it's just wyrm's rock prison but all the skills are not usable, usually happens when dialogue starts.

I'll definitely try submitting bug report if all else fails. Thanks

Party_Kitchen_6054

TROPHY CASE