“The
tales of Ivgorod’s monks are steeped in mystery and legend. It is said that
these reclusive holy warriors endure grueling training for years on end at the
wonderous floating Sky Monastery, forging their bodies and minds into weapons
of righteousness. For the monks, there is no greater honor than to follow the
will of their 1001 gods, even if it means death.”
Diablo 3’s Monk takes the usual “holy
warrior” or “paladin” RPG archetype, chews it up, spits it out, stands it on
its head, and turns it inside out. And those are all very, very good things.
The fresh take on the “holy warrior” is
but one of the many draw-ins of the class. I’m sure many, like myself, are huge
oriental martial arts fans; well, the Monk has an entire roster of flashy,
jumpkick-y attacks to choose from. From Deadly Reach (my absolute favorite) to
Fists of Thunder to Cyclone Strike, the Monk’s every swing feels like a nuclear
explosion, and each skill is just as destructive as its name implies.
The Monk’s resource system, Spirit, is
very straightforward: you use a handful of primary generator skills to build it up, and then unload it with spenders. As a rule of thumb, Spirit
spenders are generally stronger damage-wise, and most have some added utility. Seven-sided
Strike for example, the skill I’m most looking forward to unlocking for the
class, is a spender that does a LOT of damage to several targets as the Monk
teleports rapidly between them. Personally, I feel that this skill represents
the quintessence of the Monk: calm, centered and always in control, but fast
and devastating when such traits are called for.
Another important aspect of the class is Mantras. These are essentially aura-type spells, providing certain buffs
like +dodge or thorns (damage reflection), but with a twist: they’re stronger a
few moments immediately after being cast. This design choice lends the spell an
added layer of complexity, while still maintaining its core functionality,
which is that of an aura. I’m not too keen on Mantras, having played with them
for a very brief period in the beta, but I’m sure they’ll grow on me as they
become very valuable assets in the later difficulties.
So, we’ve established that the Monk’s
damage-dealing potential is nothing to scoff at. Okay. You thought THAT was the
best part of the class!? HA! Not even close. The real meat of the Monk comes
from the huge array of delicious support spells at his fingertips. Ranging from
the Mantras we talked about above, to Inner Sanctuary, to Serenity, to Breath
of Heaven, to Lethal Decoy…*gasps for air*…, the Monk can protect himself and
his allies in xn (yes, I used metaphorical exponentials…really, it’s
THAT many) different ways. Sure, you could make an absolutely offensive Monk,
that will work in Diablo 3’s game
design. However, I feel that abdicating the use of such powerful support spells
just distances the class from the “holy warrior” we all love and long for.
As usual, I’ll wrap this post up with
the call to arms from the Darkness Falls,
Heroes Rise spotlight video…
“If
you have the courage to brave intense close-range combat and the discipline to
seek perfection in all things, then perhaps your destiny is to walk the
righteous path of the Monk”
…to which I must say:
After
my Wizard, most definitely.
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