Monk Class

VeiledCriticism

I know next year we are probably not getting a new class. However, Elsweyr and Dragonhold releases brought new NPCs with unique movements and skills. All of those movements are very similar to what I see in other RPGs as a monk-like character. I don't know the lore regarding this in Elder Scrolls, but should I have any hope to see this in a playable toon? Is there anything in the lore regarding this kind of power?

OrderoftheDarkness

Cool, I didn't pay attention to that possibility.

Dusk_Coven

They had spear use animations but didn't use that either. And with the current balancing issues it's risky to add even more options to the mix.
That said, there might be a move toward more oriental or specifically Japanese-y content (Hakoshae stuff?) and I can see unarmed combat being a skill line with mixed Stamina/Magicka morphs.
Morrowind and Oblivion both had Hand-to-Hand combat, but which culture / region used it seemed unclear.

Kranel_san

In my opinion. Having a monk class in Elsweyr chapter would have been far fitting than a necromancer class. There are many monasteries around and there is even a main character ( forgot his name ) in the Elsweyr main storyline who is literally a monk. But currently if they are going to add monk class/unarmed skill line. I see Skyrim as the most fitting chapter since it's pretty easy to imagine a Nord going to fight with his bare hands.

VeiledCriticism

Kranel_san wrote: »

In my opinion. Having a monk class in Elsweyr chapter would have been far fitting than a necromancer class. There are many monasteries around and there is even a main character ( forgot his name ) in the Elsweyr main storyline who is literally a monk. But currently if they are going to add monk class/unarmed skill line. I see Skyrim as the most fitting chapter since it's pretty easy to imagine a Nord going to fight with his bare hands.

Funny you mention Skyrim

because I have a feeling we might be going there next year.

I hope they add a monk class instead of just a skill line or weapon option.

RaddlemanNumber7

I just don't see Monk as a viable proposition for a new class in ESO.

There is lore and precedent relating to Monks in TES, but it all points to them being very niche. Khajiit, Imperial blades (Caius Cosades), and Order of the Ancestor Moth. It doesn't really make them major candidates for a new player Class, suitable for all races and cultures in ESO.

The class identity of Monk must surely include unarmed damage and unarmoured defence. This is not a good fit with ESO game mechanics - Weapon/Spell Damage based on equipped weapon, Physical/Magical Resistance based on equipped armour. A significant change to mechanics would be needed, and I don't see them going for that with all the existing glitches and performance problems.

It is a stated design goal in ESO that all classes can play all roles. So, how does Monk fit into the Tank role? I just don't see it.

There are also commercial considerations. We know from datamines that Warden and Necro were in the class list in the Beta phase. They were already in the cupboard, and so relatively cheap to bring up to speed and put into the live game. I don't remember seeing Monk mentioned in that context ever.

If Monk is not cheap to build, will it bring in lots of extra revenue? What are its selling points?

Is there great demand for Monk like there was for Necro? I don't see it. There's some, but not a lot.

Is there any TES nostalgia attached to the Monk class? No, none really.

Does the Monk class scream POWER FANTASY. Well, a bit of power fantasy maybe. But "scream", no. Certainly no more than the most likely candidate for the next new class which is Battle Mage.

Earrindo

I suspect it's more indicative of an unarmed skill line, rather than a class.
There's also any number of "classes" that NPCs have but obviously we don't. This may just be a new one is all.

Unsanctified

No reason a monk can't use hand to hand type weapons or armor. Why not? As an example, monks in Diablo use said weapons and all types of armor

KillsAllElves

Unsanctified wrote: »

No reason a monk can't use hand to hand type weapons or armor. Why not? As an example, monks in Diablo use said weapons and all types of armor

In eso armor types matter. Armor type does not matter in Diablo and is there for aesthetics.

In Diablo3 MOST abilities are not based on weapon types and are more relevant to magic. However certain class abilities do require a specfic weapon.

Chaos2088

A Monk class would be epic

Dojohoda

With Monk, I would also hope for a Magicka damage staff (skill line) possibly with some healing built-in. Well, with or without Monk, I hope for a Magicka damage staff.

Returned to this to elaborate and to say that I would like the Magicka staff to animate much like restoration staff in that it idles like a walking stick.

Iccotak

The problem with a Monk class is implementing hand-to-hand combat
How would that work regarding completing sets? Would that limit the player or would ZOS have to create a whole new type of gauntlet weapon? How would that impact the other classes?

Seeing as how everything else a Monk has is already covered by other classes and skill lines perhaps a Monk skill line is the best solution.
It would mostly passive benefits with a couple active abilities - maybe an ability that is something like the Blade of Woe?

Perhaps the Psijiic skill line is ZOS version of a Monk skill line?

VocalThought

Iccotak wrote: »

The problem with a Monk class is implementing hand-to-hand combat
How would that work regarding completing sets?

Perhaps the Psijiic skill line is ZOS version of a Monk skill line?

I came up with a World Skill in another post. I called it Marital Arts, but the name is really irrelevant. I think making it a World Skills allows players to thread some skills into their current loadout, with or without weapons, while giving bonuses to fighting Unarmed and Unarmored.

Aristocles22

Monk class would be too dated. Despite what the internet may tell you sometimes, Japanese-culture stuff just isn't cool with the general public anymore, a handful of US-made films about their IPs notwithstanding. This is why the number of references to it have dropped precipitously in Western games. That, and there's no more fear that they will "eat our lunch" or in any way overtake the US economically (they came close to matching the American GDP in the 80s and early-mid 90s, but now we have an economy about four times the size of theirs), so our companies feel no need to pander to Japanese tastes. Seriously, every other roleplaying or fantasy game in the 1990s used to have a ninja or samurai reference, not anymore. Almost the only reference we've gotten in ESO apart from the Dragonguard are a couple of locations in Elsewyr with the Akaviri. We even have more references to Mesopotamia in ESO than we do Japan, thanks to Vivec City and a ton of place names in Vvardenfell.

Point is, making something "Japanese" or stereotypically East Asian isn't a strong selling point anymore. If it was, we'd have gotten monks, samurai, and Akaviri content from the get-go.

kitzken

Weapons for the unarmed skill line would be fist wraps/brass knuckles/punching daggers. They also could add new skills line to all the weapons that allow to choose how you use the weapons, so all the weapons would a stamina and magicka abilities.

Sortis

Aristocles22 wrote: »

Monk class would be too dated. Despite what the internet may tell you sometimes, Japanese-culture stuff just isn't cool with the general public anymore, a handful of US-made films about their IPs notwithstanding. This is why the number of references to it have dropped precipitously in Western games. That, and there's no more fear that they will "eat our lunch" or in any way overtake the US economically (they came close to matching the American GDP in the 80s and early-mid 90s, but now we have an economy about four times the size of theirs), so our companies feel no need to pander to Japanese tastes. Seriously, every other roleplaying or fantasy game in the 1990s used to have a ninja or samurai reference, not anymore. Almost the only reference we've gotten in ESO apart from the Dragonguard are a couple of locations in Elsewyr with the Akaviri. We even have more references to Mesopotamia in ESO than we do Japan, thanks to Vivec City and a ton of place names in Vvardenfell.

Point is, making something "Japanese" or stereotypically East Asian isn't a strong selling point anymore. If it was, we'd have gotten monks, samurai, and Akaviri content from the get-go.

Meanwhile manga is killin' it in the west and outselling western comic books, especially big brands like Marvel and DC almost every month. Anime has it's own streaming service, also Korean dramas have become a genre on Netflix and other major streaming services and are bigger than ever. If that's your argument, the facts are not on your side.

Cheveyo

I noticed more unarmed enemies in Deadlands, I assumed it was the devs testing things out to see if they could make it work.

Mesite

The monk class in previous TES games 'preferred to solve conflict by arrow or by fist ' and had bonuses to sneak skills. In one of the previous TES games there was a gauntlet that improved one handed skills. That could easily be translated into a mythic item.

Eporem

There is mention of Monks when you enter the Traitors Vault on Artaeum. Maybe some of the Psijic Order skills are Monk like in their abilities.

Based on the quantity of moldering ruins on Artaeum, once there must have been many more Monks of the Psijic Order than are present today. This hall looks to have been abandoned more recently than most.

and mention of them in this lore book;

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Ternion_Monks

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Traitor's_Vault

and as well I wonder if the Druids of the Stonelore Circle we might meet in High Isle will be of a Monk type class too... I am curious to see what abilities they will have...

Ratzkifal

When I think of the Monk as a class in an RPG, I am usually thinking about martial arts. Currently the Dragonknights are technically already martial artists as they come from an Akaviri martial arts tradition. However in the lore there are warrior monks in Elsweyr, which is probably what originally spawned this thread as we saw them in Elsweyr. I hope once the Tenmar forest region is added to the game (there are still two cities there) we can get Monks either as a class (unlikely) or unarmed as a weapon choice, which would then enable other classes to play as monks.
If weapons and item sets are a concern, then they could easily add brass knuckles as a weapon to fill the slot for the "unarmed style", same as the idea to add magical foci for spellblade weapon choices.

Other than the Khajiiti martial artist there aren't really any combat monks around. Psijic monks, Ternion monks etc are called that because they are orders of hermits practising a philosophy or religion while lacking in the specialized combat department the way we know the martial arts monks. Also note that not all martial arts are exclusively unarmed. Special sword training or (magic) staff training can also be included in martial arts. That fact could save the Monk as a class, but it would/should mean that a monk class would need a passive interacting with weapon choice.

chattygeekHD

I love the idea of a monk character, and actually try to RP that kind of a character in my builds. Personally, and interestingly, I find the Warden resonates with me more as a monk than the DK does - but this is probably just down to personal preference - I definitely get and appreciate that the DK has the purposeful martial-arts lore behind them.

I do think it could work though - especially when there are devotees to each of the Divines.
Magic is an easy trait to use as a monk in this way, and Stam wouldn't take too much (I'm not a Dev - so would prob take a lot of work in reality) to maybe just have "unarmed" as a slot, or maybe the use of staffs or simple weapons...

So here's one. If you were to have a monk class: What about a skill line for each of the Divines??! Now that would be interesting...

Heydan_Seegil

Monks have a place in ES lore. The Khajiit are known for them and there is a martial arts school on Khinarthies Roost. There is a lot of lore in Morrowind about monks too with a school in Ebonheart iirc.

KingArthasMenethil

I think the problem with a Monk class is the identity of a monk. As first you need a weapon because of enchants/poisons, traits and item quality which rules out bare hands. I don't know if they'd add a new weapon type for hand weapons given the amount of motifs and styles available (100+) unless they restricted it to certain motifs which I doubt they'd do.

adyreonb14_ESO

Earrindo wrote: »

I suspect it's more indicative of an unarmed skill line, rather than a class.

An unarmed skill line is what I'd like to see. This way a new class isn't needed and you could have various "types" of monks (Nightblade, Templar, etc.).

To work with sets, just make the weapons brass knuckles/etc. or allow you to hide the weapons.

Sjestenka

Nail polish as unarmed weapon Kidding, kidding. I just wanna nail polish