Ask any Monk player what they think of their class in Diablo 3 and they’ll tell you that the class is far from “fine.” Though not exactly buggy, the class remains the weakest DPS class in the game, surviving only on its utility to pull enemies towards it in a cluster while in parties.
Until today, Blizzard has remained steadfast in its refusal to admit that there’s anything wrong with the melee-driven character class and this has angered a good chunk of gamers who play the Monk, driving them to launch a 60+ page thread discussing the issues they currently face, and how they think the studio can deal with it.
Blizzard community manager Grimiku posted a lengthy, and detailed post about the Monk class and how the developers have been paying attention to the thread, which they’ve only just extended to allow for even further discussion.
Grimiku stated that the game’s most recent patch (2.0.5), which saw many changes brought to the Crusader class, was not intended to focus much on class balance when it was first scheduled, and that the Crusader got some immediate tuning and balancing simply because it was the newest class. The Monk, which has been languishing for quite awhile, did not see anywhere as many changes made to it.
“That said, while 2.0.5 didn’t include many changes to Monks, it doesn’t mean we feel there isn’t room for improvement (or that your feedback has fallen on deaf ears),” wrote Grimiku. “Instead, we have many changes planned for patch 2.1.0, which is our first big content patch for Reaper of Souls and first big opportunity to do some meaningful evaluations for each class, Monk included. “
The Blizzard employee stated that the studio will be focusing on improving core class attributes, class abilities, and addressing issues with the character’s Legendary item sets, which are sub-par in contrast to sets intended for other character classes.
He went on to state that the following Sets will be receiving buffs or redesigns to their full-Set bonuses in 2.1.0 and will be retroactive, so keep those pieces:
• Firebird’s Finery
• Raiment of a Thousand Storms
• Monkey King’s Garb
• Thorns of the Invoker
• The Shadow’s Mantle
