the updated skills we’ve seen make the Barbarian much more dynamic – not merely a piece of meat, but a piece of finely trained, combat-honed meat – the filet mignon of fighting. The new Leap conveys impact and damage in a way the old attack utterly failed to do, and the updated, gory Whirlwind makes … Read More “the inquisition of authoritiesthe inquisition of authorities“ »
The Barbarian was Diablo II’s ultimate melee badass, and the only class that could dual-wield. He’s back with a beefy update, but many of his old attacks have been seriously enhanced. The Leap was more like a hop in Diablo II; now, it’s truly a vault, as the Barbarian bounds about six feet into the … Read More “philosopher’s stonephilosopher’s stone“ »
for instance, can slam a wall in the Forgotten Tombs to make it collapse on and eliminate a crowd of walking dead. When he lunges into a wall, rubble falls away from the edges. Bits of concept art suggests a city desert environment with cave-like apartments, an Arabian palace dungeon reminiscent of Diablo II’s Lut … Read More “Malleus MaleficarumMalleus Maleficarum“ »
 Don’t let nostalgia upscale the screenshots in your mind: Diablo II’s maximum resolution was a paltry 800×600. Diablo III’s overhead isometric view keeps the game’s look consistent with the series; the camera stays clear of the action and we’ve seen no gimmicky use of 3D so far. We really don’t see a downside to this … Read More “The Environment” »
After a decade of desperation, the prayers and ritual sacrifices of Diablo fans have been answered with the announcement of Diablo III. But with an eye to the past, not everybody’s happy about Diablo’s future. Here’s what we know – and what we think – about Blizzard’s next (best?) thing. What we know: Diablo … Read More “The GraphicsThe Graphics“ »
You’ll learn many of the fundamentals of PvP (like how to avoid attacks or target specific foes) by playing the single-player game, but PvP differs in that it isn’t an ideal venue for gathering new weapons and armor. Your rewards for shedding blood in the arena are purer than that: bragging rights, the joy … Read More “you’ve progressed on the path to fame and gloryyou’ve progressed on the path to fame and glory“ »
When you participate in ranked games (fights that pit two opposing teams of players against each other in ‘best of’ matches), you’ll earn points for advancement based on kills, accomplished objectives, wins, and other factors. Points lead to multiplayer achievements, titles, and more. Our system is focused on encouraging furious combat and multiplayer progression, … Read More “Your rewards for sheddingYour rewards for shedding“ »
PvP (short for ‘player versus player’ combat) has had a storied history in the Diablo series. For Diablo III, we’ve decided to take it in a new direction to ensure that it’s deep, organized, frantic, and fun. Diablo III’s PvP battles are fought in arenas spread out across the world of Sanctuary. These arenas … Read More “Is that what they’re thinking too?Is that what they’re thinking too?“ »
Part of making monster encounters more interesting rests on the shoulders of the monsters themselves — but it’s just as important that we prepare you, and our heroes, for exciting combat. Every class in Diablo III is a ‘DPS’ class, and damage output is vitally important, but no matter your build, you can customize … Read More “new monsters in subsequent acts, eventsnew monsters in subsequent acts, events“ »
to die. I couldn’t face that thing; it was all just too horrible.” “And then we heard this…this horrid voice that I can only describe as the sound of a saw ripping through bone. “I can’t even recollect what he was saying. I was so terrified I don’t think I could understand it, but he … Read More “left my fellows to die left my fellows to die “ »