Diablo III Monk Class Previews

Both IGN and Kotaku were able to get some hands-on time with Diablo III’s newly revealed monk class this weekend, and have since kicked up articles covering their experience.

From IGN:

To further aid the Monk, players can select and boost the Force Without Thought skill, a passive counterattack ability that allows players to dodge incoming strikes and return a blow with thirty percent force (capping at fifty percent). Players can also cast Inner Sanctuary, an ability that erects a magical barrier that enemies can’t pass through, and Impenetrable Defense, a temporary shield that reflects projectiles and allows you to dodge incoming melee attacks. There are also a couple of abilities and skills that can double as attacks against enemies. The first is Radiant Visage, a power that calls down holy light to blind enemies for three to five seconds and reduces their chance to hit, giving you free strikes before they know what hit them. This can be coupled with Way of the One Hundred Fists, a dashing move that imparts multiple hits that eventually culminates in an area of effect strike. The cool element about One Hundred Fists is that you can trigger it and immediately switch to another attack, with the hits on an enemy counting as your clicks. For example, I could hit one hundred strikes and then switch over to Exploding Palm, instantly placing a bleed state on an enemy.

And from Kotaku:

The Monk isn’t all that good at going toe-to-toe with enemies. The best tactic seemed to be to jump in, hit the enemy with a quick barrage of strikes, and then move before you get hit.

This became even more clear once I started running into large groups of enemies. Running in, feet and staff swinging wildly, did not work. I was quaffing healing potions like they were going out of style, and I actually managed to die. The key to large groups is the Monk’s Seven-Sided Strike ability. A semi-ranged attack, the Seven-Sided Strike has you tearing through groups of enemies in a flashing display of holy power, leaving song dead, and some weakened. Combine it with the explosive effect of the Palm, and you’ve got a very effective way of taking out large groups without dying in the process.