I have played every class to about level 45-60, since i prefer to first experience what every class has to offer before i make any choices about spending time/gold gearing one up.
Every class has a certain interesting aspect, with each possible "spec" giving various approaches to combat, surviving and killing.
I got my monk to about level 50 - and it is by far the most boring experience i ever had in D3.
I tried being a "tank" Monk up until lvl 30 (1h + shield), after which i switched to "DPS" first by using 2 one handed weapons and, later, to a single two handed weapon.
Most of the spells/abilities that the Monks have i found either costly, annoying, inefficient, useless or nothing worth mentioning about them.
For example the 4 Spirit generating attacks are very dull and boring, not to mention that their main worth comes from their specific runes - a Barbarian's Cleave is valuable because it is the only basic AoE attack (regardless of it's runes), while Monks Spirit generating attacks are so similar that their main difference/value is in specific runes.
In fact, i call those 4 attacks by their rune names/features (example, the "teleporting attack") since the main (basic) part of the attack is so unimportant and similar to others that it is just not worth remembering.
Then Monk's 2nd row of spells, the roundhouse kick one i find actually completely opposite of what is needed - people want to pile up mobs so they can AoE and crowd control them, and yet this attack makes sure to send every mob so far away/spread that no AoE can do anything.
The "big bell falls from the sky" spell is actually both a good single damage spell and a good AoE spell, but you can only have one of those - depending on the runes you pick.
The stick-whirling spell is just...... awful. I used it for traveling and a bit while tanking, but that is it...
The 3rd row of spells is, i think, the healing/protecting/whatever ones. Aside from being the most boring spells in D3, most allies i partied up with were capable of holding their own defenses and these spell usually ended up being unused or wasted.
If, by a stroke of bad luck, my allies were poorly geared these spells were never enough to "turn the tide" in a campaign.
4th row has that neat lil Exploding Palm, but aside from that the other spells i did not find deserving of a slot. The dashing strike seems way to situational (pvp?) while the Sweeping wind is annoying to maintain/stack/recast and, even at it's best, the damage is just too low and slow.
I actually liked the 5th row, summoning that "mystic ally", using the awesome jumping around strike or the useful "stack up mobs" cyclone attack. This row is probably the best (the only good?) that Monks have.
6th row is the Matra row, which is quite boring - passive aoe auras that you can cast for a temporary stronger passive aura, and you can only use one at a time (reasonable, but boring).
Monk passives, while strong, are (IMO) simply not as interesting as WD's or DH's.
Even as i was writing this post, i had to use the D3 skill calculator to remember what spells Monk has or their names.
Even though my Monk is my 3rd highest lvl char (50ish), i find it so boring that i can't memorize almost anything about it.
I keep leveling him in hopes that it gets more interesting, but it is just getting more and more boring.
So, what do you find interesting about the Monks in D3 and what keeps you playing this class?
Monks need some adjustment for sure but still, for me, it's a really fun class to play.
What bother me most is that I'm forced to take some skill like One With Everything and that i'm basically spamming mantras for most of the time since other spender cost too much to be used constantly.
It is true that we have a similar build, and there are not much options in choosing skills and runes.
However, with the introduction of the 1.0.4, SSS can be added on top of the cyclone build to drop elites, and the monk might be the only class that could drop A3 elites by one hit. Other builds are coming up, WOL (bell) with SSS and/or SW/cyclone, which are very feasible but perhaps only just a bit less efficient in farming.
Now we have the 2h builds by Thundersteels, which open up new paths for some interesting efficient builds. unlike bards, monk requires more planning (spirit management) and tactic in the build and play style with speed and mobility.
Even with the same build, the play styles for monks may vary quite a bit in approaching packs and elites, the sequence in hitting the buttons and how to position, make the first attack and stay out of danger are more like personal choices.
Depends what you're looking for, not every class is for everyone, I still can't get into witchdoctor. I play mainly barbarian and monk, barbarian when I feel like visceral fast play, monk when I want to stand my ground... forever.
I love playing my Monk and just going in and punch monsters in the face yelling 'the sword breaks' and shit... but we need more diversity. Skills were buffed, but some needed a nerf. Honestly.
I've been playing the same way since... ever if feels. I tried using EP and its fun and useful. For heavy WoL usage, I need to rework my gear, so not gonna happen. Liked the buff though, very useful. SSS is nice. But when it comes down to farming, you need efficiency, and nothing beats Thunderclap+Cyclone, with your mantra of choice, which just so happens that one is so completely dominant over the others that once again almost everyone uses it.
I am now cycling skills to make the game more fun with my Monk, but steadily my WD is taking over. It has so many choices, feels like the opposite of the Monk.
This is totally off topic but i have one thing in my mind about Fists of Thunder - Thunderclap. The tooltip says you will teleport to the target. Altough.. if i have understood correctly the meaning of teleporting, you should just spawn to targets location. But with Thunderclap you cant teleport to the target for example in dungeons where there is holes in the ground and your target is on the other side of the hole.. it will not teleport you to the target. Or in act2 the sand wasps spits out the small insects and when you "teleport", the small insects will still hurt you. Not sure how is with waller affix elite packs.. does it teleport you away from walls? Shouldn't >teleport< work totally different or am i just mistaken?? I hope you know what i mean... sorry for bit bad english. Thanks, Peace!
-Babu
It works how it works. What word would you choose to describe the current function? Also, you can "teleport" over the wasp missiles in act 2, so not sure what you meant there.
monk is fun and helpful in MP - pity MP is so underrated. monk seems to be only class designed primary for MP (auras, healing allies etc). lots of barbarians just enter MP games and leave in 2 min - guess they find solo more rewarding
Yeh... although some tweeks to certains skills (mainly the ones that knockback) would open up some more options, I think the Monk class is meant to be like this simply due to the nature of the way the class is designed.
Of all my guys, he feels the safest of them all. He survives better and is the easiest to play due to most of skills being buffs, damage mitigation or healing of some kind, that are either 'always on', or simply used at certain times in a fight.
He certainly doesnt have as many visual/flashly skills like the others.
I find I have to closely watch HPs, Spirit and CD's to play him effectively, but its certianly less panicky in harder fights than the other classes.
If you're bored OP, or anyone for that matter, try using Cyclone Strike, with the rune that gives it a larger radius.
That ability alone is the reason that I've stuck to my monk for paragon leveling.. I currently have a lvl 60 Barb and a lvl 60 Demon Hunter. Cyclone Strike is fun, amazing for grabbing annoying mobs, interrupts key elite abilities, and you don't have to use the teleport punch that most everyone uses that can insta kill you.
Give monks a passive spirit regen without a passive, that is my wish.
Actually, i think there is this aura that gives spirit gen. It's not a passive skill strictly speaking, but you have to activate it only once each 2 mins. Don't know the name of the ability though
It's a passive skill that increases Mantra duration and adds a passive spirit regen, unfortunately Monks in Inferno are so balanced around OWE plus 2 more defensive passives until you get to an extremely high gear level that it isn't realistic to take it, and you're better off building a lower spirit costing loadout. It's a design problem with mobs simply dealing FAR too much unavoidable damage and punishing poor survivability gear/abilities rather than poor play.
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Every class has a certain interesting aspect, with each possible "spec" giving various approaches to combat, surviving and killing.
I got my monk to about level 50 - and it is by far the most boring experience i ever had in D3.
I tried being a "tank" Monk up until lvl 30 (1h + shield), after which i switched to "DPS" first by using 2 one handed weapons and, later, to a single two handed weapon.
Most of the spells/abilities that the Monks have i found either costly, annoying, inefficient, useless or nothing worth mentioning about them.
For example the 4 Spirit generating attacks are very dull and boring, not to mention that their main worth comes from their specific runes - a Barbarian's Cleave is valuable because it is the only basic AoE attack (regardless of it's runes), while Monks Spirit generating attacks are so similar that their main difference/value is in specific runes.
In fact, i call those 4 attacks by their rune names/features (example, the "teleporting attack") since the main (basic) part of the attack is so unimportant and similar to others that it is just not worth remembering.
Then Monk's 2nd row of spells, the roundhouse kick one i find actually completely opposite of what is needed - people want to pile up mobs so they can AoE and crowd control them, and yet this attack makes sure to send every mob so far away/spread that no AoE can do anything.
The "big bell falls from the sky" spell is actually both a good single damage spell and a good AoE spell, but you can only have one of those - depending on the runes you pick.
The stick-whirling spell is just...... awful. I used it for traveling and a bit while tanking, but that is it...
The 3rd row of spells is, i think, the healing/protecting/whatever ones. Aside from being the most boring spells in D3, most allies i partied up with were capable of holding their own defenses and these spell usually ended up being unused or wasted.
If, by a stroke of bad luck, my allies were poorly geared these spells were never enough to "turn the tide" in a campaign.
4th row has that neat lil Exploding Palm, but aside from that the other spells i did not find deserving of a slot. The dashing strike seems way to situational (pvp?) while the Sweeping wind is annoying to maintain/stack/recast and, even at it's best, the damage is just too low and slow.
I actually liked the 5th row, summoning that "mystic ally", using the awesome jumping around strike or the useful "stack up mobs" cyclone attack. This row is probably the best (the only good?) that Monks have.
6th row is the Matra row, which is quite boring - passive aoe auras that you can cast for a temporary stronger passive aura, and you can only use one at a time (reasonable, but boring).
Monk passives, while strong, are (IMO) simply not as interesting as WD's or DH's.
Even as i was writing this post, i had to use the D3 skill calculator to remember what spells Monk has or their names.
Even though my Monk is my 3rd highest lvl char (50ish), i find it so boring that i can't memorize almost anything about it.
I keep leveling him in hopes that it gets more interesting, but it is just getting more and more boring.
So, what do you find interesting about the Monks in D3 and what keeps you playing this class?
What bother me most is that I'm forced to take some skill like One With Everything and that i'm basically spamming mantras for most of the time since other spender cost too much to be used constantly.
But with that said, it's still my favorite class.
Or ww barbs
But whatever i like monks
However, with the introduction of the 1.0.4, SSS can be added on top of the cyclone build to drop elites, and the monk might be the only class that could drop A3 elites by one hit. Other builds are coming up, WOL (bell) with SSS and/or SW/cyclone, which are very feasible but perhaps only just a bit less efficient in farming.
Now we have the 2h builds by Thundersteels, which open up new paths for some interesting efficient builds. unlike bards, monk requires more planning (spirit management) and tactic in the build and play style with speed and mobility.
Even with the same build, the play styles for monks may vary quite a bit in approaching packs and elites, the sequence in hitting the buttons and how to position, make the first attack and stay out of danger are more like personal choices.
You can have double resist on other pieces and single resist on jewels to achieve 600+.
With the set, you have +IAS, tons of dex, spirit regen and large spirit reduction in SW. The set is expensive though.
With a rapid drop in weapon price, it is not so hard to gear up a monk playing at A3, and other classes may just feel the same.
http://www.diabloprogress.com/top_skills/stat_paragon_level_50
I love playing my Monk and just going in and punch monsters in the face yelling 'the sword breaks' and shit... but we need more diversity. Skills were buffed, but some needed a nerf. Honestly.
I've been playing the same way since... ever if feels. I tried using EP and its fun and useful. For heavy WoL usage, I need to rework my gear, so not gonna happen. Liked the buff though, very useful. SSS is nice. But when it comes down to farming, you need efficiency, and nothing beats Thunderclap+Cyclone, with your mantra of choice, which just so happens that one is so completely dominant over the others that once again almost everyone uses it.
I am now cycling skills to make the game more fun with my Monk, but steadily my WD is taking over. It has so many choices, feels like the opposite of the Monk.
Right now using http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#aVSXgh!dXU!accbYc, which is a variation of the most common build, but ultimately the gameplay is roughly the same.
It works how it works. What word would you choose to describe the current function? Also, you can "teleport" over the wasp missiles in act 2, so not sure what you meant there.
Of all my guys, he feels the safest of them all. He survives better and is the easiest to play due to most of skills being buffs, damage mitigation or healing of some kind, that are either 'always on', or simply used at certain times in a fight.
He certainly doesnt have as many visual/flashly skills like the others.
I find I have to closely watch HPs, Spirit and CD's to play him effectively, but its certianly less panicky in harder fights than the other classes.
That ability alone is the reason that I've stuck to my monk for paragon leveling.. I currently have a lvl 60 Barb and a lvl 60 Demon Hunter. Cyclone Strike is fun, amazing for grabbing annoying mobs, interrupts key elite abilities, and you don't have to use the teleport punch that most everyone uses that can insta kill you.
It's a passive skill that increases Mantra duration and adds a passive spirit regen, unfortunately Monks in Inferno are so balanced around OWE plus 2 more defensive passives until you get to an extremely high gear level that it isn't realistic to take it, and you're better off building a lower spirit costing loadout. It's a design problem with mobs simply dealing FAR too much unavoidable damage and punishing poor survivability gear/abilities rather than poor play.