Diablo 3 Monk Abilities List

Every class in Diablo 3 will have at least 20 spells available to it by the max level, and the Monk is no different. With 21 different skills and 5 runes available for each skill, the Monk has over 100 different abilities at its disposal.

In this Diablo 3 Monk skills list, we will provide you with information on what the base skill (pre-rune) does and what level it is unlocked.

By clicking on the name of a particular D3 Monk skill in the list below, you will be taken to a page dedicated to that particularly ability’s runes including what each one does and what the best uses for each rune are.

Diablo 3 Monk Abilities List

There are 6 different categories of D3 Monk skills: Primary, Secondary, Defensive, Focus, Techniques, and Mantras. These classifications are used to split up the skills in the game up into similar categories, but very different skills are often in the same category.

The reality is there are really three types of Monk skills: Spirit generators (which are abilities that regenerate your Spirit resource), Spirit spenders (which cost Spirit to use), and Mantras, which are buffs which are active all the time once they are used. Keep this in mind, as you will want at least 1 skill from each of these 3 categories when looking at the skill list below.

D3 Monk Skills – Primary

Primary skills are also your Spirit generating abilities. These are your basic attacks that are used to generate Spirit for your more powerful abilities.

In addition to generating spirit, your Primary attacks have a combat system unique to the Monk. Each time you use up a Primary attack in succession, you start a “combo”. On the third ability in the combo, you get some sort of special effect. It does not matter if you use the same ability three times or mix them up.

For example, if you use Fists of Thunder three times in a row, on the third time, the strike hits every enemy in front of you and knocks them back, whereas on the first two strikes it just deals weapon damage.

These strikes must be in succession to work. If you strike an enemy twice and then interrupt your combo with other abilities for a few seconds, you will not get the burst effect. Additionally, some runes make your primary abilities have a special effect on the second hit of the combo as well.

There are four primary skills to choose from:

Fists of Thunder. Unlocked at level 1. Basic melee strike that deals 110% weapon damage as lightning. Every 3rd hit strikes all enemies in front of you and knocks them back a short distance.
Deadly Reach. Unlocked at level 3. Deals 110% weapon damage to the targets directly in front of you in a short straight line. Every third hit sends the range out 25 yards. The width of the attack however is very narrow.
Crippling Wave. Unlocked at level 11. Deals 110% weapon damage to enemies in front of you in a short arc. Every third hits all enemies around you as well as reduces their movement speed by 30% and attack speed by 20% for 3 seconds.
Way of the Hundred Fists. Unlocked at level 15. Strikes enemies for 140% weapon damage. Unlike other Primary skills, an unruned Way of the Hundred Fists does not seem to have a special effect on the third hit.

Diablo 3 Monk Abilities List – Secondary Skills

Your secondary skills are an arbitrary collection of three abilities. These abilities are all very different and there does not seem to be a theme which draws these skills together aside from the fact that they all cost spirit.

Lashing Tail Kick. Unlocked at level 2. Cost: 30 spirit. Unleash a roundhouse kick which deals 200% weapon damage to all enemies around you (short range), dealing 200% weapon damage and knocking them back.
Tempest Rush. Unlocked at level 5. Cost: 15 spirit, then 10 spirit while channeling. Charge through your enemies, dealing 50% weapon damage and knocking them back and reducing their movement speed by 60% for 2 seconds.
Wave of Light. Unlocked at level 12 – Cost: 75 Spirit. Drops a mystical bell which deals 215% weapon damage as Holy to enemies that it falls in, then unleashes another 45% weapon damage in a line to enemies in front of the bell.

D3 Monk Skills – Defensive

The Monk’s defensive skills are the primary thing that separates it from the Barbarian. Its secondary skills are far superior to the Barbarian’s in their ability to protect teammates. While the Monk may not have as many damage-dealing abilities as the Barbarian, this skill tree is what gives the Monk an edge in group play

Blinding Flash. Unlocked at level 4. Cost: 10 Spirit. 15 second cooldown. Blinds all enemies within 20 yards for 3 seconds. Elite enemies recover faster but have a 30% chance to miss with attacks for 3 seconds.
Breath of Heaven. Unlocked at level 8. Cost: 25 Spirit. 15 second cooldown. Heals you and all allies within 12 yards for a large amount of health.
Serenity. Unlocked at level 16. Cost: 10 Spirit. 20 second cooldown. Become immune to all attacks and control effects for 3 seconds.
Inner Sanctuary. Unlocked at level 22. Cost: 30 Spirit. w0 second cooldown. Creates a runic circle on the ground that enemies cannot enter for 5 seconds.

D3 Monk Abilities – Techniques

Skills belonging to the Monk’s Techniques class are skills which by themselves may not seem very good, but when used intelligently or paired with other skills, they can be quite effective. These skills have no cooldown but will drain your Spirit quickly.

Dashing Strike. Unlocked at level 9. Cost: 25 Spirit. Quickly dash at the target enemy or location, dealing 100% weapon damage and rooting the target for 1 second.
Exploding Palm. Unlocked at level 13. Cost: 40 Spirit. Deals 220% weapon damage over 3 seconds as physical. If the enemy dies while bleeding, it explodes, dealing 30% of its maximum life as physical damage to all nearby enemies.
Sweeping Wind. Unlocked at level 21. Cost: 75 Spirit. Surrounds the Monk in a vortex which deals 15% weapon damage continuously to enemies within 10 yards for 6 seconds. Each time you strike an enemy, the duration is refreshed back to 6 seconds. Landing a critical hit has a chance to increase the damage dealt by the vortex by 15%, up to two times, for 45% total weapon damage max.

Diablo 3 Monk Skills List – Focus

The Monk’s Focus skills are among its most powerful but also its most expensive abilities. They all cost a lot of Spirit but are also quite useful.

Cyclone Strike – Level 14. Cost: 50 Spirit. Pulls all enemies within 24 yards to you, then deals 100% weapon damage to them as Holy.
Seven-Sided Strike. – Level 17. Cost: 50 Spirit. 30 second cooldown. Dash rapidly between target enemies, dealing 777% weapon damage over 7 hits.
Mystic Ally. – Level 22. Cost: 25 Spirit. Summons a Mystic Ally which deals 40% of weapon damage as physical per swing.

Diablo 3 Monk Mantras

Mantras in Diablo 3 are like Auras from Diablo 2 (or even World of Warcraft). They are buffs which affect you and all allies within 40 yards. They cost a lot of Spirit to initiate, but once used, they provide their buff to any friendly or enemy target (depending on the Mantra) that comes within range. Additionally, the first 3 seconds of activating a Mantra have enhanced effects.

The buffs that Mantras provide are very powerful and you will always want to use at least one. The only downside is that you can only have a single one active at a time.

Mantra of Evasion. Unlocked at level 19. Cost: 50 Spirit. Activates a Mantra which affects you and allies within 40 yards, increasing your chance to dodge by 15%. For 3 seconds after activating Mantra of Evasion, your dodge rate is increased by an additional 15%.
Mantra of Retribution. Unlocked at level 21. Cost: 50 Spirit. Activates a Mantra which affects you and allies within 40 yards, reflecting back 40% of enemy damage as Holy. For 3 seconds after activating Mantra of Retribution, the reflection rate is 80%.
Mantra of Healing. Unlocked at level 26. Cost: 50 Spirit. Activates a Mantra which affects you and allies within 40 yards, restoring a substantial amount of health per second. For 3 seconds after activating Mantra of Healing, the healing rate significantly increased.
Mantra of Conviction. Unlocked at level 30. Cost: 50 Spirit. Activates a Mantra which affects all enemies within 20 yards, increasing the damage the enemies take by 12%. For 3 seconds after activating Mantra of Conviction, enemies take an extra 24% weapon damage.

Diablo 3 Monk Abilities List Wrap-Up

The Monk certainly seems to have a large variety of abilities and a healthy mix of ones that deal both Area of Effect and single-target damage as well as some good group-oriented skills. However, we have not yet gotten to test out all the runes in-game yet, so be sure to visit our Diablo 3 guide once the game comes out to get an updated runes list of all the Diablo 3 Monk abilities.

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