Diablo 3 Basics

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.

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