Handwraps Progression

[Hireling]

I am curious if I am missing anything with Handwraps progression while leveling.
I have the old Threnal Wraps without a minimum level. I use those a while and some nice Cannith Crafted Handwraps.
Eventually at level 10 I use the Ravenloft ones until I use the Heroic Elite Gianthold Wraps. The Adamantine Wraps (level 14 or 15)with a Crit of 18-20/2.
This is where my issue is. I use these until 24 or 25 when I use the Epic Elite Adamantine Wraps. I have made some of the Undead Beater ones from Epic Borderlands and the Epic Crocodile Handwraps from Saltmarsh. That weaken undead effect on the Borderland ones seem really strong.
I also have the Epic Catacombs Handwraps, but I am unsure how good they are.
I haven't spent a lot of time at cap so I just use the Epic/legendary Ravenloft Handwraps.
Other than the Caught in the Web Handwraps, Antipode...I don't see an obvious upgrade for Handwraps while leveling 1-29.
I have really come to love Sacred Fist for the leveling process for some racial lives. So I wanted to nail this down.
Any advice is welcome.
And I put this thread in general because I wanted Monk lifers to see it and also Sacred Fist players to see it. Hoping to get steered in the right direction.

 

[Xeang]

From levels 1-11 I use various Vorpal/Impact wraps (Vorpal/Feeding are nice too). Keep hunting the auctions for these as well as chests and end rewards. At 12-19 I do use Adamantine Wraps. At 20-22 I use Amaunater Ascetic wraps you can get by turning in tokens to the appropriate vendor in Evening Star. They randomly come in with results: mine for example are Boreal Disintegration and Improved Paralyzing -- and can be given sentient jewel. At 23 I do the Antipode until 29 where I also prefer the Ravenloft wraps.

 

[Sheikra]

I use adamantine knuckles starting at 14 until 29. The epic ones are obviously an upgrade, but I've never noticed a problem with damage until legendary content, which I would use dino wraps.

 

[Ying]

Your handwraps progression is the same I use, though there's no reason to get Antipode. The only thing I'd change at level cap is using Dino Handwraps, even if it's the non-raid version. Crafting LGS Dust on them is a significant damage increase.

 

[Kiany]

I use adamantine knuckles starting at 14 until 29. The epic ones are obviously an upgrade, but I've never noticed a problem with damage until legendary content, which I would use dino wraps.

What do you add to the slots in the hand wraps?

 

[Nickodeamous]

in simplest form, I go through several upgrades as I level. There are better leveling options here and there, which I have, but I tend to get lazy and just set it and forget it. Below is my "good enough without nickel and diming every ounce of dps" progression.

• Levs 1-3 (Borderlands freebees or anything from AH)
• Levs 4-9 vorpal wraps - I have a lev 4, 5, and 7 pair which I just (find on AH)
• Levs 10-14 - Ravenloft Wraps
• Levs 15-19 - I crafted the Syrian wraps from Sharn, but I flip between those and the RL ones still
• Lev 20-31 - Borderlands with a sentient loaded
• Lev 32 - Dino Bone wraps

Hope this helps!
Nic

 

[kmoustakas]

Unless you had bryesk alchemical handwraps which got accidentally(?) buffed with the recent 'w' changes, there really is nothing else to use until 29. An arguement could perhaps be made for greensteel hamp or ooze handwraps but the adamantine knucles are fine for 12-20 or even 23.

 

[kmoustakas]

What do you add to the slots in the hand wraps?

On a razorclaw I just added 2 rubies of damage. One acid one cold if I remember correctly. Meteoric would be the coolest to add but I'm saving those. Risia would actually be best to add now that I think about it.

 

[pame12]

I have same problem, the progression of handwraps isn't very good. It's basically whatever feeding ones I can find in the beginning until adamantine knuckles, then epic adamantine knuckles, and that's it, I can't really figure out anything better, even at lvl 32. The crit is just too good, you basically get 10% more crit compared to any other handwraps, and once you hit monk lvl 20, and you get the enhancement that gives you +1 crit multiplier to pumb it up from 2x to 3x... like, why wouldn't you get 10% more chance to do 3x damage? Which scales off of your imbue dice toggle that you have on henshin mystic, in addition if you use that imbue, it does extra force damage (which can crit ontop).

Really annoying that there's no sentience version of adamantine knuckles, I basically don't have anything to upgrade to... and it's really annoying cause there aren't any filigress to increase the crit threat range either.

I haven't quite tested yet, but at some point I was thinking of getting the temple sentient weapons, build them up to get those proc chances to do massive damage, like 5% chance to do big damage, not sure if those are worth though, but might be good, especially if they're areal.

 

[Ying]

Really annoying that there's no sentience version of adamantine knuckles, I basically don't have anything to upgrade to

Dinosaur Bone Handwraps with LGS Dust and MP filigree do significantly more damage than Epic Adamantine Knuckles. It's even a wider gap if you have the Attuned Dino Handwraps due to raid weapon weighted dice. Plus the raid handwraps count as part of the Dread 5pc bonus.

 

[pame12]

Dinosaur Bone Handwraps with LGS Dust and MP filigree do significantly more damage than Epic Adamantine Knuckles. It's even a wider gap if you have the Attuned Dino Handwraps due to raid weapon weighted dice. Plus the raid handwraps count as part of the Dread 5pc bonus.

Well now I know what to farm whenever I buy the dino one.

I don't own saltmarsh or vecna either, what would I get then that is a decent upgrade from adam knuckles?

 

[Nickodeamous]

Well now I know what to farm whenever I buy the dino one.

I don't own saltmarsh or vecna either, what would I get then that is a decent upgrade from adam knuckles?

https://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Handwraps

anything from lev 29 onward is going to be better than adam knuckles. Above is the listing of all HWs. take your pick based on the content that you have

 

[pame12]

https://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Handwraps

anything from lev 29 onward is going to be better than adam knuckles. Above is the listing of all HWs. take your pick based on the content that you have

That's my point though, the adam knuckles give +10% crit chance compared to any of those 29+ lvl ones. The only ones I'm not sure about are the ones that have like those 5% chance effects to do big aoe damage that I'm not sure about.

 

[Owlbear]

Scorching Wraps from 3BC rare are quite nice early (level 4) if you get them on your run. They also do Piercing damage. And some extra fire and bleed.

 

[Nickodeamous]

That's my point though, the adam knuckles give +10% crit chance compared to any of those 29+ lvl ones. The only ones I'm not sure about are the ones that have like those 5% chance effects to do big aoe damage that I'm not sure about.

Unfortunately, you cant equate 10% more chance to crit as the only factor if a weapon is good or not. It sounds better, but you really need to look at the base damage of the weapon.

For example, if you compare the adam knuckles (lev 25) vs. the Duality wraps from strahd (lev 28), the base damage is 133% more on the hit dice alone for duality, plus the duality gives you axiomatic and unholy/holy for another 41 damage.

trust me on this, the duality are far superior to the lev 25 knuckles (and so is anything lev 29+)'

hope this helps!
Nic

Handwraps	hit dice	base damage	Axiomatic 6	Unholy 6
adamantine Knuckles (level 25)	3.50[1d6] +7	19.25​
Duality, The Moral Compass	4.60[1d6+3]+15	44.9​	21​	21​
		133%​		​

 

[Mindos]

especially if they're areal

Bloody'L, that word's a tuff for the ol' brain. +1 to Linguistics!

 

[pame12]

Unfortunately, you cant equate 10% more chance to crit as the only factor if a weapon is good or not. It sounds better, but you really need to look at the base damage of the weapon.

For example, if you compare the adam knuckles (lev 25) vs. the Duality wraps from strahd (lev 28), the base damage is 133% more on the hit dice alone for duality, plus the duality gives you axiomatic and unholy/holy for another 41 damage.

trust me on this, the duality are far superior to the lev 25 knuckles (and so is anything lev 29+)'

hope this helps!
Nic

Handwraps	hit dice	base damage	Axiomatic 6	Unholy 6
adamantine Knuckles (level 25)	3.50[1d6] +7	19.25​
Duality, The Moral Compass	4.60[1d6+3]+15	44.9​	21​	21​
		133%​		​

Ok, that makes sense, thanks for the breakdown.

 

[Striga]

Unfortunately, you cant equate 10% more chance to crit as the only factor if a weapon is good or not. It sounds better, but you really need to look at the base damage of the weapon.

For example, if you compare the adam knuckles (lev 25) vs. the Duality wraps from strahd (lev 28), the base damage is 133% more on the hit dice alone for duality, plus the duality gives you axiomatic and unholy/holy for another 41 damage.

trust me on this, the duality are far superior to the lev 25 knuckles (and so is anything lev 29+)'

hope this helps!
Nic

Handwraps	hit dice	base damage	Axiomatic 6	Unholy 6
adamantine Knuckles (level 25)	3.50[1d6] +7	19.25​
Duality, The Moral Compass	4.60[1d6+3]+15	44.9​	21​	21​
		133%​		​

Does Moral Compass apply also to Sacred Fists?

 

[pame12]

Unfortunately, you cant equate 10% more chance to crit as the only factor if a weapon is good or not. It sounds better, but you really need to look at the base damage of the weapon.

For example, if you compare the adam knuckles (lev 25) vs. the Duality wraps from strahd (lev 28), the base damage is 133% more on the hit dice alone for duality, plus the duality gives you axiomatic and unholy/holy for another 41 damage.

trust me on this, the duality are far superior to the lev 25 knuckles (and so is anything lev 29+)'

hope this helps!
Nic

Handwraps	hit dice	base damage	Axiomatic 6	Unholy 6
adamantine Knuckles (level 25)	3.50[1d6] +7	19.25​
Duality, The Moral Compass	4.60[1d6+3]+15	44.9​	21​	21​
		133%​		​

I also had a follow up question.
Would it be better to get handwraps with lots of 6d6 extra damage ones, OR better to get handwraps with more 5% proc chance for big damage? Something like The Claws of the Balor where it's got
Overwhelming IncinerationIcon
3rd Degree BurnsIcon
Legendary Electric StormIcon
Cursed MaelstromIcon -- debuff
and an option to add another 5% proc.
That one has like 3 5% chance procs to do big damage, and a 5% proc chance to apply a debuff?

 

[Rugar]

Non-scaling damage is almost pointless at cap. It may look cool to say 30d6 + 90, but a maxed hit (270 damage) averaged over 20 hits (vorpal) is only 13.5 per hit. Not nothing to be sure, but compare that to something like the 7% insightful doublestrike on the Bladed Handwraps. Ignoring that you could get the insightful DS elsewhere, that is a 7% chance (compared to 5% of the vorpal) of dealing weapon damage that includes all of your + to damage and does scale with melee power.

Best case, choose a weapon that maximizes primary damage first and if everything else is equal then you choose based on all of the bonus damage. To make it more fun, you have to account for any other effects that increase main hand damage like Vulnerability.