After 28 years, Tibia is getting a new class: the monk combines martial arts and magic – and you will be able to play him for the first time soon.
When you think of long-running MMORPGs, you probably immediately think of long-running games like World of Warcraft, The Lord of the Rings Online or Runescape; But there is one game that is even older than the ones mentioned: Tibia.
The German fantasy MMO has been running in its quaint 2D look since 1997, keeping a dedicated community happy. And now, almost three decades later, something is happening that hardly anyone expected – a brand new class is being introduced.
The Monk – a mix of magic and martial arts
So far, Tibia offers four playable classes: knights for close combat, paladins for ranged combat, as well as druids and sorcerers for healing and damaging magic. This has proven itself over the years – but now the monk is mixing up the proven role distribution.
The monk is supposed to combine physical strength with mystical abilities. To do this, he relies on martial arts to harm his opponents in close combat, but he also has magical tricks up his sleeve to strengthen himself or support his fellow players. This could bring new strategic possibilities into play that could really shake up group play.
Tibia is known for implementing changes very cautiously: the game ran without sound for about 25 years – music was finally added in 2022. So introducing a new class is a huge step for the developers that will have a lasting impact on the feel of the game.
However, the developers want the Monk to be able to fit seamlessly into the existing classes:
A Monk can be played in a very special way and should fit seamlessly into the world of Tibia at the same time. In fact, one of our main goals was to ensure that the new profession occupied a unique position without undermining the value of others or making them redundant.
It remains to be seen how the Monk will affect the existing group dynamics of Tibia. In the forum of the MMO, some players have already expressed concerns that the Knight, for example, might lose his place as the main melee fighter and be demoted to a pure tank.
The first public tests for the monk will start on February 25, 2025. If all goes well and the community receives the concept positively, the new class should officially be added to the game in the second quarter of 2025.
