Zen Flight Monk in WoW
Screenshot by Destructoid

Best Monk Race in WoW: The War Within

Which race excels with their fists?

Playing a Monk in WoW: The War Within is an interesting experience due to the changes the class received, when compared to previous expansions. Simply put: the class’s stats scale much better, so if you’re interested in playing a Monk, here are the best races you should choose.

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Strongest Monk Race in WoW: The War Within

For each faction, there is a superior race you should consider if you’re looking to maximize your Monk’s potential.

Dwarf

Dwarf Monk in WoW
Screenshot by Destructoid

The best Alliance race most suited for the Monk is the Dwarf for a few reasons. First, the Might of the Mountain passive allows your critical strikes to hit 2% harder, which can be a noticeable increase for your Windwalker DPS. For both Mistwaver and Brewmaster, Stoneform is one of the strongest defensive abilities in the game. It removes all negative status effects from you (a godsent in difficult encounters) while reducing the damage you take by 10% for eight seconds. You really can’t go wrong with a Dwarf if you looking to excel as an Alliance Monk.

Human

Human Monk in WoW
Screenshot by Destructoid

Alternatively. Humans make one of the best Monks due to the racial The Human Spirit. This racial increases all secondary stats (Haste, Critical Strike, Masery, and Versatility) by an additional 2%. All Monk specs require certain secondary stats, so this is a very good racial to have as a Monk.

Orc

Orc Monk in WoW
Screenshot by Destructoid

The best Horde race most suited for the Monk class is the Orc due to their exceptional racials. Bloodfury boosts all of your damage by a scaling amount of your Attack Power (based on level), for 15 seconds. When used with other boosting effects, such as Bloodlust, on-use Trinkets, or powerful Monk cooldowns like Earth, Storm, and Fire, these combined effects with produce a health boost to your overall DPS. Defensively, Hardiness reduces all durations of stun-based effects by 20% which is fantastic for all Monk specs, but especially so for Brewmasters.

Blood Elf

Blood Elf Monk in WoW
Screenshot by Destructoid

If Orcs don’t fancy you, then a strong secondary option would be a Blood Elf. Blood Elfs get Arcane Torrent, which dispels all Magic-based effects in the area around them, while also restoring one Chi (the Monk’s main resource) at the same time. This is a powerful, offensive active ability. Additionally, Blood Elves get a free 1% increased Critical Strike chance at all times, which is nice for DPS.

Should you play any other Monk Race?

The differences between the available races for your Monk are quite minimal. Racial abilities generally don’t provide a significant enough advantage to limit your choices to just the top two. This means you’re free to pick any race you like for your Monk without worrying about a major impact on performance.

The suggestions above are mainly for players seeking to maximize every bit of potential. However, if you prefer the aesthetics or racial traits of another race, feel free to choose that one without hesitation.


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Darrus Myles
Darrus, a seasoned guide writer and indie developer with nearly a decade under his belt, plunges into the gaming realm like a knight charging into battle (albeit with a trusty keyboard instead of a sword). With RPGs as his domain, he fearlessly slays industry challenges, turning every obstacle into XP for his quest to game domination.