Diablo III probably needs no introduction, but for the uninitiated, suffice to say that this will probably be the biggest title in hack n’ slash RPG since, well, Diablo II. Blizzard is at the development helm and many gamers will be hard pressed to say that the company has ever steered wrong.
BlizzCon 2011, Blizzard’s annual fan conference, is around the corner and we can expect more detail to emerge from the event on their upcoming games, including Diablo III. However, the game has been in development for an aeon and we already have plenty to talk about, including some recently revealed info on the multiplayer and Battle.net systems to be implemented.
Diablo III Characters & Classes
Players will create a male or female hero from one of five distinct classes: barbarian; witch doctor; wizard; monk; or demon hunter – each equipped with an array of spells and abilities. Character customization options will provide for a greater level of character specialization than the previous Diablo games, allowing players to create their own unique take on the base characters. Descriptions and crests of the character classes follow.
Barbarian
The dual-wielding barbarian is one of the stoic guardians of Mount Arreat. Armed with powerful abilities and moves, this plate-wearing savage wields ferocious weapons to annihilate the demonic forces threatening the world of Sanctuary.
Witch Doctor
The fearsome witch doctor hails from the terrifying Tribe of the Five Hills of the legendary umbaru race. The witch doctor is equipped with spells and alchemical powers, able to summon mongrels, locust swarms, and zombie armies, and hurl fiery concoctions to annihilate any demon foolish enough to trifle with the powers of the umbaru.
Wizard
The wizard is a wielder of the elements and a master manipulator of time, who combats the hordes of the Burning Hells by launching environment-shattering lightning bolts, channeling explosive arcane energies, and creating pockets of space outside of the normal flow of time.
Monk
The monk is a skilled warrior of unparalleled dexterity. Armed with speed, holy fervor, and a quest for physical and spiritual perfection, the monk becomes a deadly apparition in the heat of battle, moving faster than the eye can follow to strike down enemies with a barrage of lightning-fast blows.
Demon Hunter
The demon hunter has a sole purpose in life: to track down and destroy every last demonic being that dares to threaten humanity. Lithe and notoriously deadly with a pair of dual crossbows, the demon hunter brings an entire arsenal of arcane gadgets and mystical traps to the battlefields of Sanctuary.
The Diablo III beta gameplay B-roll footage below should give an adequate taste of the various classes.
The Diablo III story
Diablo III takes place on Sanctuary, a world of dark fantasy. Unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants, Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago from the demonic forces of the underworld by a few brave and powerful heroes. Most of those warriors who directly faced the armies of the Burning Hells – and were fortunate enough to survive – went mad from their experiences. Most of the others have buried their haunted memories and pushed the horrors from their thoughts. In Diablo III, players will return to Sanctuary to confront evil in its many forms once again.
Players will return to Tristram and certain other familiar locations from the previous games, and they’ll also be exploring new areas of Sanctuary. Players will also encounter a number of characters from the previous games, including Deckard Cain, along with several new characters.
Diablo III game engine
Diablo III is powered by a new 3D graphics engine capable of delivering many special-effects. A physics systems provides realistic object dynamics and cloth simulation so that players can enjoy the spectacle of crushing the minions of Hell.
Random environment generation, a hallmark of the Diablo series, makes its return. Random scripted events and dynamic encounters have been added to the mix.
Hardcore mode will of course be featured for those who prefer the specter of permanent death hanging over their head. Blizzard will reveal more info about hardcore mode at a later date.
Diablo III on Battle.net
Diablo III will make use of Blizzard’s improved Battle.net (introduced with StarCraft II), which has been dubbed Battle.net 2.0. Cooperative online play is the primary focus for Diablo III, with multiple enhancements being planned to make connecting with friends easy. Blizzard is still building in support for competitive player vs. player gameplay.
Battle.net features include:
• An achievement system;
• Diablo III banner system;
• Co-op and PvP matchmaking system;
• Comprehensive stat-tracking;
• Persistent characters that won’t expire and are accessible from any computer with Diablo III installed;
• Persistent Real ID friends list across multiple Blizzard games;
• Cross-game chat;
• A shared stash accessible by all Diablo III characters on the Battle.net account;
• Friends can join any of your games currently in progress
Players will be able to transition between single-player and cooperative play with their characters at any point during their Diablo III campaign, and the map will dynamically adjust to accommodate for additional players midstream.
Diablo III will offer each player their own individual loot drops, health globes will be automatically shared among players, and players will be unable to go hostile at will – all of which should help cut down on griefing.
Diablo III will require an ‘always-on’ internet connection to play – even for the singleplayer experience. This is likely required to ensure that players do not try and cheat the game system for items and gold, a problem which plagued previous Diablo titles. This also means that mods and bots will be prohibited by the terms of use of the game.
When considering that the Diablo III Auction House will allow for the trade of real-world money for in-game items, it’s understandable that Blizzard wants to keep tight control of the game via Battle.net. There is also an in-game gold auction house for those not willing to part with real money.
MyGaming has an in-depth look at how the auction house works and the Battle.net interface in store, so stay tuned.
Diablo III banner system
The banner system will be a visual representation of the achievements players earn across all of their Diablo III characters on their Battle.net account. A player’s banner will have multiple components that can be earned through various modes of gameplay.
Completing different parts of the game at different difficulty levels, defeating bosses, earning achievements in PvP, and earning various other achievements will unlock ways for players to customize their banner and show off their progress in the game. Example pictured below.
Diablo III beta testing
Diablo III beta testing will be opened with limited spaces for the public. Anyone, from any region will be eligible to participate; all you have to do is create a Battle.net account and make sure your account has been set to opt-in for beta testing. Blizzard will be inviting players in waves. The North American region will be first to have servers set up for testing, but players in other regions will still be invited to join.
Most of the gameplay features, all five character classes, and the gold-based auction house will be available during the beta. However, any characters and progress made during beta will be wiped when the game launches.
Hopefully this has brought you up to speed with the common knowledge on Diablo III. We’re looking forward to BlizzCon 2011 in October where hopefully more details are dropped (maybe even the illusive release date).
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