Hello, Monks!

I've been keeping a close eye on this thread (and others) so when it came time to talk a little bit about patch 2.0.5, and the future of Monks, this seemed like a good place to do it. I’ve updated the posting limit in this thread, so feel free to keep it alive.

I'd like to start by pointing out that patch 2.0.5 wasn’t really intended to focus much on class balance when it first was scheduled, but there were some circumstances that resulted in it including a lot of class changes, particularly for the Crusader. The Crusader is not only the newest class in Diablo III (and a big feature of Reaper of Souls), but was in a state that (we felt) merited some immediate tuning and balancing, so 2.0.5 did end up featuring a lot of Crusader changes.

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). 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.

Our future goals for the Monk in 2.1.0 focus improving core class attributes, class abilities, and addressing Legendaries that need improvement. You should all be able to see (and test out) these changes soon™ on the 2.1.0 PTR once its live. (Note: Initially, the PTR will not have all the changes we want to do for 2.1.0, but as the PTR progresses, more changes will be added. Also note that we do not have an ETA for the 2.1.0 PTR at this time.)

We also want to let you all know that we will be improving some of the underwhelming Set items. 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 FineryRaiment of a Thousand StormsMonkey King’s GarbThorns of the InvokerThe Shadow’s Mantle