In ExileCon 2023, Grinding Gear Video games took us by way of a bit of Act 3 and confirmed off two of its six new character lessons. After all, 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 observe. The co-founder of Grinding Gear Video games—James Rogers—emphasised that the dev group has carried out 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. Should you’re interested in their abilities and talents, learn our overview of the lessons to seek out out!
Sorceress Abilities
The Sorceress is an Intelligence-based class that makes a speciality of 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. Should you use Arc help with it, it’ll flip into a strong, single-target hit.
- Ice Nova: An AoE ability 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 option 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 incredible ability 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 enhance her melee protection, which is weak in comparison with the opposite lessons. Monsters that hit the Sorceress whereas the buff is lively will take chilly harm 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 ability that prices a whole lot of mana to make use of. It has a protracted solid time, but it surely’s well worth the wait if you happen to pull it off. Comet offers devastating harm, particularly on enemies that transfer slowly or stand nonetheless. Each time the Sorceress casts this spell, she’ll routinely transfer again barely to maneuver out of the vary of hazard.
The Sorceress appears to be like 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 reside in Path of Exile 2, however the dev group assures that they’ll play in a different way to the Witch in observe.
Monk Abilities
A melee fighter who excels in uncooked energy and mobility, the Monk’s main focus is energy expenses, 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 achieve an influence cost. Most of the Monk’s abilities work together with energy expenses, making Killing Palm an incredible prep ability. It additionally has a built-in sprint ahead, enabling you to focus on the ability proper the place you want it.
- Whirling Assault: It doesn’t do as a lot harm as the opposite abilities, but it surely covers a whole lot of floor and means that you can flip as you execute it. Should you flip on the good time, you’ll be able to even get a few further hits on the monsters.
- Falling Thunder: Creates a small lightning AoE in entrance of you (with no energy cost). If in case you have some energy expenses added in, Falling Thunder turns into a bigger AoE assault with further projectiles able to clearing out a mob.
- Flicker Strike: Should you’re actively enjoying Path of Exile, then Flicker Strike is perhaps a well-known ability to you. This ability teleports you to a close-by monster by consuming energy expenses and briefly rising your motion length. It’s an incredible finisher to make use of on a difficult boss ought to you could have energy expenses constructed up beforehand.
- Glacial Cascade: Creates a wave of ice in entrance of the Monk. Many of the harm 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 harm.
- Shattering Palm: A palm strike that places an ice bomb on the goal. As soon as the goal has sufficient harm dealt to it or is lifeless, the bomb will explode. The explosion will deal harm 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 effectively 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 shortly reposition and evade assaults whereas in fight.