Monk
The Monk is the class Hellfire added — the only one Blizzard permitted Synergistic Software to build. He is a staff-wielding martial artist, strong and dextrous, who fights best with a quarterstaff or with no weapon at all, and who grows tougher the lighter his armour.
Combat
- Master of the staff: he blocks with it, and a single swing strikes up to three enemies at once.
- Deadlier barehanded than any other hero — and unarmed attacks are faster than the staff, though they hit only one target.
- Dexterity adds to his damage as much as Strength does, and also raises his chance to block.
Armour, backwards
The Monk gains armour class every level and from light gear; heavy armour with a Strength requirement actually lowers it. Unique plate counts as mail for him, unique mail as leather. He is the rare hero who is stronger in robes than in plate.
Utility
He has the Search skill built in — items glow and mark the map with no book to read and no mana spent. He also casts from his own spell selection, a moderate second string to his melee.
Common approaches
- Staff — the signature build, cleaving three foes a swing.
- Unarmed — fast single-target fists for tough elites.
- Magic — lean on his spells as a hybrid backup.