MMORPG Tibia Adding New Class After Nearly 30 Years

Classic MMORPG Tibia has announced the addition of a new class, The Monk, after nearly 30 years in the industry. CipSoft dropped a short video teasing Tibia’s new vocation, followed by a statement from the product manager providing insight into this unexpected addition to the classic MMORPG.

Tibia is one of the earliest and longest-running online MMORPGs still active today. Though it’s not as popular as others, Tibia belongs to the list of classic MMOs that still boast a significant player base, like World of Warcraft or RuneScape. The game focuses on exploration, combat, and social interaction, with the distinction of having no level cap, meaning players can progress indefinitely. When it was first released, Tibia featured only four classes (called “vocations”): Knight, Paladin, Druid, and Sorcerer. And since its 1997 release, it had never expanded its class options—until now.

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CipSoft has released a video teaser for the new class joining the free-to-play PC game Tibia after nearly 30 years: The Monk. The new class will feature its own fighting system along with three different virtues that have active and passive effects. The 34-second video doesn’t reveal much, showing only the Monk’s splash art alongside the announcement that it’s coming soon. Following the teaser, product manager “Niadus” offered insight into the new vocation in a blog post, commenting on the challenges this addition represented for the studio.

Classic MMORPG Tibia Adding New ‘Monk’ Class After Nearly 30 Years

The main gameplay change the Monk introduces is related to its “harmony” system, which, according to Niadus, makes it “stand out against the other vocations.” The Monk features specific attack spells that are cast using harmony, essentially making its gameplay all about strategically managing harmony to inflict damage or heal. Its virtues can boost three different aspects of the Monk, and all of them grant the passive ability to heal either themselves or an ally.

The exec explained that the new vocation had to be a melee fighter, as Tibia already features three ranged vocations. This led to extensive consideration regarding the character’s damage-dealing and healing capabilities to ensure it was viable for both group and solo play in this classic MMORPG. Once CipSoft decided this, it considered several classic roles like Rogue, Bard, and Monk, ultimately choosing the latter as it best fit the team’s vision.

Niadus explained that adding a new vocation to the game initially felt like an impossible task—too complex and risky—though CipSoft believed it could rekindle Tibia’s “sense of discovery.” While Tibia’s fans wait for the Monk, it will be interesting to see how this unexpected addition positions the game against other, more popular old-school MMORPGs.

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Released

November 23, 2004

ESRB

T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)