It’s my feeling that Monk was sort of left behind when every other class received updated spell effects/ability visuals throughout WoD and Legion, and it would be awesome if Monks could get some of the same love.
For Windwalker, my go to example is always going to be the Diablo 3 Monks. The abilities in that game feel so kinetic and forceful. Fists of Thunder (D3) creating an explosive sound barrier breaking clap in front of the Monk followed by the crack of thunder, Way of the Hundred Fists (D3) just being a better versions of Fists of Fury. Blackout Kick leaves a purple trail following a slow kicking animation with a really weak “woosh” sound. It doesn’t feel like you just kicked someone’s lights out. Spinning Crane Kick is Mistweaver green, Rising Sun Kick is yellow, Blackout Kick is purple. It lacks visual consistency. Windwalker in its current state just feels so floaty visually when compared to other melee, like it’s lacking force, in my opinion.
For Mistweaver, the fantasy in the visuals is already really solid, but I think it’s also in need of some particle count bumps and general visually fidelity leaps. Life Cocoon is the main example that comes to mind. In concept I really like how the spell looks, but it’s starting to show its age when the inner white circle clips out of the green circle half the time, and when compared to newer Paladin bubble or Mage shields. A higher res Jade Serpent Statue would be great too.
Brewmaster is another one where the visual consistency is all over the place, especially when you consider talent picks, and the flames from Breath of Fire looks noticeably dated when compared to the much newer fire effects in the game.
Just some scattered unorganized thoughts about the general visual state of Monk. Am I wrong, do you guys feel like aesthetically Monk is great in its current state?
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I feel that you can’t fix the fists of fury animation without locking the character in place, what is lacking is the animation to affect the whole body, not just the upper torso, and you can’t have that with fists of fury.
But, there are some improvements that could be done to improve the impact, speed up the animation and have more punches, don’t know if it is possible to add proper smears in the animation, and remove that ugly cone effect for something better.
Rising Sun Kick and Blackout kick to me are in a good place animation wise.
Tiger Palm doesn’t use the fist weapon you have equipped, and that to me is a problem when i equip a fist weapon or two.
Spinning Crane Kick and leg sweep could improve their animation as well.
When it comes to particle effects, it really could receive some consistency.
Brewmaster is weird, because of what is supposed to be, and how it can’t achieve.
Keg smash is great, i love how it works, but visually is just weird to summon a keg from nowhere and hit the oponent with it. Fire breath is supposed to be drinking from the keg and then igniting a flame, but that can’t be done on actual combat because it would make the attack have a delay.
I feel that there is a lot to improve on both to be honest, while keeping the idea behind the attacks the same.
You could change the ability to do something like “over the next 2 seconds you swing for 10 empowered melee swings”
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Honestly, I wish they implemented the Blessings of Yu’lon graphic into Revival. Revival’s super, super visually boring to cast. Give it some oomph by letting us have it summon Yu’lon again <3
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I liked the casted artifact ability, Moses parting the red sea looking stance.
I was thinking more in line of changing the animation without changing what the ability does gameplaywise.
Though, to be fair the ability only hit 5 times IIRC, so it could be changed into 5 impactful punches instead of the sequence of punches that feel weak
I miss when FoF shot little wind ghosts in Legion.
I have been pushing for improved visuals for years now. Monk not only has some of the weakest visuals in WoW, but some of the worst martial arts visuals of any game. Go ahead, search up Monk in FF14, Black Desert Online, and Jade Empire.
Monk is the least played class in the game, so it doesn’t deserve the time and effort to make it cool, I guess.
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100% this.
For a martial arts master we look like a 5th kyu.
For a best case, we would want completely redone martial arts rigging not golf swings with a 2h weapon that is not only impractical but a horrible animation for martial arts. Monks need to motion cap actual kicks by good martial arts. Great example is the Streetfighter V. Pixel rigging but they used motion capture from actual martial arts.
At the minimum, if blizzard just added partial effects to our punches and kicks it would be a vast improvement. Think of how a fire mages hands look during a cast. That fire effect on our fists during every auto attack.
But from a business owner perspective I do not see this happening. We are the least played class and as that we account for least amount of profits. It’s a sad snowball effect we have had since launch of the class. Low dps at start of MoP, then we made it middle of pack and that caused a nerf. That cycle has played out like clockwork ever expansion since MoP. This keeps people away from rolling the class and chases away even our most hardcore players. I am sure everyone in here knows at least one monk who went back to rogue,warrior, etc or just re-rolled into a DH which is everything monk should have been (Just think KAMEHAMEHA Blast instead of eyebeam). Only adding to the snowball of a low population.
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Just here to post my support for this. I’d LOVE to main my monk, but my god the outdated pastel-colored particles are hideous, and the motions have no UMPH to them.
The statues, the tiger, the punches. It’s all still 2012 art, isn’t it? 8 years old?
I also think monks need some options besides pastel-green. There is soooo much monk inspiration to choose from. Glyphs for holy-colorations a la Diablo 2, for example.
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I also want more animations for black out kick, something that looks more appropriate that U can use on the run.
Also where we use our weapons occasionally.
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The only visual update I’m waiting for is, believe or not, a way for WW to actually use the damn weapons (that aren’t fists) in combat… : /
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I would settle for at least having fist weapons on the Tiger palm animation.
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