The latest talk of the town is none other than Mists of Pandaria, Blizzard’s newest expansion for the renowned World of Warcraft title. Confirmation of early rumors and speculation of a new Panda-type class to be introduced in the expansion was met with a huge positive uproar among WoW fans when the new Monk class and Pandaren race were officially announced.
The Monk class is a class that can be played starting at level 1. In other words, it is not a hero class that becomes available to players later in the game. As such, one of the most discussed topics is class constructs and specializations. More specifically, what to expect from each spec from start to finish given different playstyles. Monk’s three specializations or character builds are Brewmaster, Mistweaver, and Windwalker. In more common terms, a tank, a hybrid between a healer and a damage dealer, and a melee DPS, respectively.
Monk players get a set of basic Monk skills to start with and a set of each of the specializations to further differentiate one Monk character from another based on each player’s play styles. Monk’s basic abilities include those like Tiger Palm, Blackout Kick, Healing Spear, Paralysis, and Disable. As the name of the basic class abilities suggests, the class is very versatile with a wide range of abilities ranging from dealing damage, buffing, debuffing, and healing.
The Brewmaster is suitable for players who love to be on the defensive. The abilities available for this build promote both protection and enhanced evasion capabilities. For example, the Brewmaster can use Avert Harm to protect himself and other protective abilities like Guard, Gift of the Ox, and Clash. On the other hand, Mistweaver is suitable for WoW fans who prefer a good balance between dealing damage and making sure the HP gauge is always above the danger zone. In addition to healing abilities, abilities like Mana Tea and Mana Meditation are also very useful to make sure the monk never runs out of mana at the climax of a fight. Finally, the Windwalker is all about melee DPS. The names of abilities available for the specialization say it all: Fists of Fury, Flying Serpent Kick, Rising Sun Kick, and Combat Conditioning. All three specializations are designed with a lot of thought on Blizzard’s part. Add in the very positive feedback on the Death Knight class, a new class that came out with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and the Monk class is sure to gain instant popularity.
