One of the first and longest-running MMORPGs ever made, Tibia, will receive a new class for the first time ever in its almost 30-year history, developer CipSoft has announced. The Monk class will join Tibia’s four original classes–Sorcerer, Paladin, Druid, and Knight–which launched alongside the top-down 2D MMO in 1997.
As revealed in a blog post and teaser video, the Monk will be a melee fighter that can also provide a support role by healing allies. CipSoft said the Monk can be “played in a very special way” but wanted to make sure it fit seamlessly into the world of Tibia and existed in harmony with the game’s existing four classes. The team also knew it wanted to introduce a new melee class that could also heal, but didn’t want it to encroach on secondary roles like debuffing filled by Paladin and Sorcerers.
“In fact, one of our main goals was to ensure that the new vocation holds a unique position without undermining the value of others or rendering them obsolete,” CipSoft said. “We are very happy about the arrival of the Monk and hope you are just as eager to experience what it is like when they spring into action.”
The Monk will feature a few unique mechanics, such as the Harmony, Virtue, and Serene systems. Using specific attacks will build up Harmony that can then be consumed to heavily boost the Monk’s power, while Virtues are powerful buffs the Monk can choose between. Monks in a Serene state will be considerably more powerful, but can only be achieved while playing solo or when there are six or fewer monsters nearby. CipSoft said the Serene system is to ensure that Monks are strong in specific scenarios when Serene, but won’t surpass the damage of other classes or the Knight’s ability to tank when not in a Serene state.
CipSoft said it will be rolling out five blogs in the coming days and weeks to dive into the design and development of the Monk. As for when the Monk will be playable, CipSoft said it will officially arrive later this year, with the chance to test the new class starting on February 25.
Tibia is free-to-play, with the option to pay and upgrade to a premium subscription that grants various perks like an XP boost, access to more areas, the ability to purchase homes, and other benefits.