Difference between revisions of "Diablo 3 Basics"

Revision as of 12:53, 15 September 2008

This is the main Fact Sheet of known Diablo III information. Regardless if you just heard that Diablo III is announced, or if you have been following some of the news, this page should be able to get you up to date!

Introduction

Diablo III will follow closely in Diablo II's track, and among the most heavily prioritized functions is the isometric view, and fast gameplay. Some changes has been made to change details in the game to make it faster and more flexible, but also making players have to make choices and employ tactics rather than mindless grinding. Besides taking well learned lessons from WoW, the developers have been inspired by games such as Zelda and God of War.

Classes

Blizzard have confirmed that the game will ship with five character classes. Two classes have been revealed:

The Barbarian - The same character you played in Diablo II, but with some new skills, and backed with power of the ancients.
The Witch Doctor - A new class that comes from the jungle region of Taganzi, and uses voodoo magic to do his bidding. One of his highlights is the Wall of Zombies spell.

Monsters

Diablo III will have a great array of monsters, and they will employ more intelligent behaviour, and effects as well. There will be more 'mini-boss' encounters that make for more epic gameplay, an example is the Thousand Pounder, who isn't really a boss, but a unit type. Other 'effects' include skeletons with large shields that can block and protects archers, ghouls that climb up from sheer walls to attack you, or Grotesques that explode into a hundred Lamprey monsters.

The Monsters Article has much more information on monsters.

Items

While the system won't be identical to the one of Diablo II, it will be very similar. Items will drop randomly and have random attributes. Some of the things that definitely changed:

Runes no longer attach to weapons, and 'rune words' are completely removed.
The inventory is now 'WoW-style' with one slot per item. No more 'inventory-tetris'.
Items will now drop per character, and be invisible to other characters. They are still tradeable, but you will never go a run without loot again.
The Full List of Items contain all known items.
Potions are drastically changed, with some sort of limits. If it's less gained health/mana, or if it has a cooldown is unknown, but the old potion system is replaced by Health Orbs and the belt is replaced by a skill bar.

Known Locations

Sanctuary world map, with locations noted.

The world map of Sanctuary was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new an improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major settlements. Many of these locations will be re-visited in Diablo III including Tristram. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the Leoric Highlands.

Story Line

The story line of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved Sanctuary from the demonic onslaught in Diablo II. This has gone by largely unnoticed by the general population as most of those warriors who directly faced Hell's armies (and were fortunate enough to survive) went mad from their experiences. Some people know that some sort of conflict took place, but for the most part the war against Diablo is a myth.

What happened to Tyrael after he destroyed the World Stone is unknown to everyone. Scholars like Deckard Cain anticipated a huge invasion of demonic forces as the protection from the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, but no invasion have begun. Cain has spent the last years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to prepare us for the inevitable onslaught.

We know from the Diablo III cinematic that a great comet of some importance is falling down on to the Tristram Cathedral, and that some unlucky soul (if it's Leah or Cain isn't sure) is hit by it. Hell's armies are amassing, and it isn't safe any more.

Hardcore Mode

Blizzard have not given a final decision if there will be a Hardcore mode in Diablo III or not, but Jay Wilson have said that he likes the idea and can't see any reasons why it should not be included.

Other Changes

Among the things that are not listed under their own headline, there are a few other things to highlight about Diablo III:

The death penalty will be a lot more lenient. People will no longer loose experience when dying. Naturally, if the Hardcore mode makes a return, a death will be permanent, but potentially possible for friends to loot the corpse.

World map

Diablo III Fact Sheet

Diablo III is being developed as the definitive action role-playing game, and a true continuation of the Diablo series. Players will create a hero from one of five distinct classes, such as barbarian or witch doctor, each equipped with an array of spells and abilities. As these heroes adventure through rich and varied settings, unraveling an epic storyline and engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, they’ll grow in experience and ability and acquire items of incredible power.

The game 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 Hell’s armies -- and were fortunate enough to survive -- went mad from their experiences. And 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.

Diablo III will be a fitting sequel to Diablo II, with the easy interface, fast-paced action, and visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy. It will also include many new features that will take the Diablo action-RPG experience to the next level.

Features

Five powerful character classes to choose from, including the barbarian and witch doctor
Brand-new 3D graphics engine enhanced with spectacular visual effects and Havok physics
Numerous indoor and outdoor areas detailing new regions in the world of Sanctuary
Interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and destructible elements
Randomly generated worlds bolstered by scripted events for endless and dynamic gameplay
Vast assortment of fiendish monsters, with unique attack patterns and behaviors
New quest system and character-customization options for the ultimate action RPG experience
Multiplayer functionality over Battle.net with support for cooperative and competitive playDiablo III FAQ

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
-==World map==
+==Known Locations==
 [[Image:Sanctuary World Map.jpg|thumb|150px|<span style="font-size:90%;">Sanctuary world map, with locations noted.</span>]]The [[world map]] of [[Sanctuary]] was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new an improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major [[settlement]]s. Many of these locations will be re-visited in Diablo III including [[Tristram]]. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the [[Leoric Highlands]].
 ==Story Line==
-The game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught.
+The [[story line]] of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]]. This has gone by largely unnoticed by the general population as most of those warriors who directly faced [[Hell]]'s armies (and were fortunate enough to survive) went mad from their experiences. Some people know that some sort of conflict took place, but for the most part the war against [[Diablo]] is a myth.
+What happened to [[Tyrael]] after he destroyed the [[World Stone]] is unknown to everyone. Scholars like [[Deckard Cain]] anticipated a huge invasion of demonic forces as the protection from the [[High Heaven]]s and the [[Burning Hell]]s, but no invasion have begun. Cain has spent the last years trying to figure out what happened, and trying to prepare us for the inevitable onslaught.
+We know from the [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=600 Diablo III cinematic] that a great comet of some importance is falling down on to the [[Tristram Cathedral]], and that some unlucky soul (if it's [[Leah]] or [[Cain]] isn't sure) is hit by it. [[Hell]]'s armies are amassing, and it isn't safe any more.