The coolest Monk attack is the Touch Of Death. It recharges fast, and doesn’t take much to perform – a couple of build-up strikes to raise Chi. What does it do? It one-hit kills just about any NPC, provided they don’t have more health than you do and aren’t a protected boss. In short, forget about getting Bruce Lee on Deathwing or another player’s buttocks, but just about anyone you meet out on the field? They’re history.
You also get a couple of ways to utterly humiliate yourself in battle – the king of them being the Flying Serpent Kick. This kick launches you through the air, but rather than targeting an enemy, will happily see you zoom straight past them and off the nearest cliff. To use it, you have to tap the button again mid-flight to slam down with a shockwave. It’s laggy though, so practice and good timing are needed to use it effectively.
The three Monk sub-classes are Brewmaster (Tank), Windwalker (Damage) and Mistweaver (Healer). The first is easily the silliest. Want to be a giant happy panda who stops enemies by drinking beer and hurling the kegs at your enemies? This is your class. It has quite a lot less class than its trainers like to pretend.
Monks have their own Moonglade equivalent in the snowy Pandarian mountain, with a spell to take a ‘zen pilgrimage’ for advanced training. The return trip puts you back more or less where you left, with no need to take taxis or run across the whole world. In a cute touch, you have to bow to your master before fighting. By typing ‘/bow’.
There is no Achievement for snagging a panda-related pun, but that’s not going to stop anyone. Pandrogny, Monium and Ring are just three of the names you’ll fi nd funny at fi rst, but which will develop into deep shame over the next few years. Have fun!