In ExileCon 2023, Grinding Gear Video games took us by a piece of Act 3 and confirmed off two of its six new character lessons. In fact, I’m speaking concerning the Sorceress and the Monk. The demo confirmed half-hour of uninterrupted gameplay, the place many noticed how the lessons work in apply. The co-founder of Grinding Gear Video games—James Rogers—emphasised that the dev staff has achieved severe work to make utilizing abilities satisfying.
Very like the shadow, the Monk relies on Intelligence and Dexterity, whereas the Sorceress relies on Intelligence alone. For those who’re inquisitive about their abilities and talents, learn our overview of the lessons to search out out!
Sorceress Abilities
The Sorceress is an Intelligence-based class that focuses on elemental destruction. By wielding lightning and ice spells, she will use the next abilities:
- Spark: A lightning assault that bounces round; nice to make use of in tight passageways. You need to use a Piercing help gem to up the voltage, enabling Spark to hit a whole room of targets as a substitute of being a single-target assault. For those who use Arc help with it, it’ll flip into a robust, single-target hit.
- Ice Nova: An AoE talent that hits all enemies round you and slows them down. For the reason that Sorceress is squishier than most lessons, having Ice Nova round is a wonderful solution to escape the melee vary.
- Frost Bomb: Locations a bomb on the bottom. Earlier than detonation, the bomb will scale back the enemies’ chilly resistance for some time. It’s an important talent to make use of along side your different chilly abilities earlier than it expires.
- Arctic Armor: A buff that builds up when the Sorceress stands nonetheless. The armor helps improve her melee protection, which is weak in comparison with the opposite lessons. Monsters that hit the Sorceress whereas the buff is energetic will take chilly injury till it builds up into the Freeze impact. The one caveat of Arctic Armor is that standing nonetheless will go away the category weak to enemy assaults.
- Comet: A tough-hitting talent that prices a whole lot of mana to make use of. It has an extended forged time, but it surely’s definitely worth the wait in case you pull it off. Comet offers devastating injury, particularly on enemies that transfer slowly or stand nonetheless. Every time the Sorceress casts this spell, she’ll routinely transfer again barely to maneuver out of the vary of hazard.
The Sorceress seems fairly rad regardless of being a glass cannon. Whereas the Witch class is centered round occult magic and summons, the Sorceress is all about utilizing elemental magic. Little doubt a few of her abilities will really feel acquainted when she goes stay in Path of Exile 2, however the dev staff assures that they’ll play in another way to the Witch in apply.
Monk Abilities
A melee fighter who excels in uncooked power and mobility, the Monk’s major focus is energy costs, which considerably profit his abilities. The Monk’s abilities are the next:
- Wind Blast: Blasts away enemies; nice for crowd management functions. The nearer the enemies are to the caster, the farther they get knocked again. Nevertheless, Wind Blast isn’t as efficient on bigger mobs.
- Killing Palm: A strike that marks an enemy as culled. When the goal dies, the Monk will acquire an influence cost. Most of the Monk’s abilities work together with energy costs, making Killing Palm an important prep talent. It additionally has a built-in sprint ahead, enabling you to focus on the talent proper the place you want it.
- Whirling Assault: It doesn’t do as a lot injury as the opposite abilities, but it surely covers a whole lot of floor and means that you can flip as you execute it. For those who flip on the good time, you may even get a few further hits on the monsters.
- Falling Thunder: Creates a small lightning AoE in entrance of you (and not using a energy cost). You probably have some energy costs added in, Falling Thunder turns into a bigger AoE assault with further projectiles able to clearing out a mob.
- Flicker Strike: For those who’re actively taking part in Path of Exile, then Flicker Strike could be a well-recognized talent to you. This talent teleports you to a close-by monster by consuming energy costs and briefly growing your motion period. It’s an important finisher to make use of on a difficult boss ought to you’ve gotten energy costs constructed up beforehand.
- Glacial Cascade: Creates a wave of ice in entrance of the Monk. Many of the injury happens on the finish of the wave, so your finest guess is to cease the enemy in its tracks first, then place the wave good to finish on the mob. Hitting frozen mobs with Glacial Cascade will deal extra injury.
- Shattering Palm: A palm strike that places an ice bomb on the goal. As soon as the goal has sufficient injury dealt to it or is lifeless, the bomb will explode. The explosion will deal injury and may freeze a mob or boss.
- Ice Strike: Creates three sequential assaults which have an opportunity to freeze a goal.
- Wave of Frost: An assault that has a built-in retreat. Tosses out a chilly assault that may freeze a mob and lets the consumer transfer backward; it pairs properly with Glacial Cascade.
Since most of the Monk’s abilities have built-in actions, he’s a flexible and agile fighter. The category’s mobility is additional emphasised with the upcoming dodge roll mechanic, permitting you to rapidly reposition and evade assaults whereas in fight.