BlizzCon '09: Hands On With Diablo III's Monk

[TsunamiWombat]

This game is shaping up to be severely lacking in races I will feel like playing. At least as far as the single player experience goes. I've never been a fan of the Barbarian, he seems too dumb and brutish to single-handedly conquer the forces of hell. Witch Doctor is a mere second rate version of the necromancer. If I want to be dancing around my enemies while minions and debuffs kill them, at least I'd want to be an undeniably cool necromancer - not Dhalsim with a wooden mask. Wizard is currently the best choice, however, sorcerers beat wizards on the coolness meter any day of the week, without doubt. And now the monk - conquering the demon hordes with just the power of your fists and meditation will never feel anything but ridiculous to me.
Now the game is at an awkward point. If the last class isn't a heavy armor standard archetype character (likely choice Paladin), the game is going to feel overwrought with gimmicky niche characters, and no character is going to have armor that actually looks sturdy. On the other hand, if they add another melee character, it's going to be too melee heavy, and it desperately needs an archer/ranged physical character to have well rounded class dynamics, which means yet another lightly armored agile character.

The Barbarian is not dumb or brutish, especially if you pay attention to the lore *is a nerd*. I agree they need a class with heavy armor, but also a ranged class. Maybe some sort of Mercenary Class that wears chain armor and uses a mix of ranged and melee weapons.

...Yeah okay unlikly but still, a Ranger (in the traditional D&D or LOTR sense) would be nice.

 

[Byers]

This game is shaping up to be severely lacking in races I will feel like playing. At least as far as the single player experience goes. I've never been a fan of the Barbarian, he seems too dumb and brutish to single-handedly conquer the forces of hell. Witch Doctor is a mere second rate version of the necromancer. If I want to be dancing around my enemies while minions and debuffs kill them, at least I'd want to be an undeniably cool necromancer - not Dhalsim with a wooden mask. Wizard is currently the best choice, however, sorcerers beat wizards on the coolness meter any day of the week, without doubt. And now the monk - conquering the demon hordes with just the power of your fists and meditation will never feel anything but ridiculous to me.
Now the game is at an awkward point. If the last class isn't a heavy armor standard archetype character (likely choice Paladin), the game is going to feel overwrought with gimmicky niche characters, and no character is going to have armor that actually looks sturdy. On the other hand, if they add another melee character, it's going to be too melee heavy, and it desperately needs an archer/ranged physical character to have well rounded class dynamics, which means yet another lightly armored agile character.

The Barbarian is not dumb or brutish, especially if you pay attention to the lore *is a nerd*. I agree they need a class with heavy armor, but also a ranged class. Maybe some sort of Mercenary Class that wears chain armor and uses a mix of ranged and melee weapons.

...Yeah okay unlikly but still, a Ranger (in the traditional D&D or LOTR sense) would be nice.

He's a guy in a loincloth that jumps around, swings axes and goes "RAAAAARGH" every 2 seconds. I can't picture him as the sole conqueror of the forces of hell in the same way as a paladin or sorceress, regardless of how much lore has been conjured up to explain said axe swinging.

 

[Jake0fTrades]

Yeah, if they don't add the Necromancer, they better at least add a decent bow class that isn't an elf. See you on Battle.Net!

 

[lleihsad]

He's a guy in a loincloth that jumps around, swings axes and goes "RAAAAARGH" every 2 seconds. I can't picture him as the sole conqueror of the forces of hell in the same way as a paladin or sorceress, regardless of how much lore has been conjured up to explain said axe swinging.

Your disparagingly simplistic description could well have been aimed at Conan the Cimmerian - and conquering the forces of hell is right up his alley. My point - which also applies to your apparent disdain for the Witch Doctor - is that just because someone is a scantly-clad heathen doesn't mean they aren't also a righteous, evil-vanquishing badass.