==Development Background==The [[Image:Mon-dunethresher-concept1.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Concept art of a Dune Thresher was .]]These beasts travel silently under the dunes, and attack surprised land-based victims, dragging them down under the surface. Due to the fact that the Threshers attack from the subject of sand, many believe that they are safe as long as they travel on solid rock. This is a presentation during dangerous misunderstanding, as it's quite common for the Thresher to attack quite far up on the [[BlizzCon_2009_Panel:_Diablo_3_Heroes_and_Monsters|Diablo 3 Heroes rock and Monsters panel]] at literary drag their victim with them down below the sand dunes, likely suffocating the victim, unless it's killed before that. The attack is made with a jump from the sandy depths up unto the rocks. Professional Thresher-hunter [[BlizzCon 2009Franklin Burroughs]]. The following is not a direct transcriptsays that an experienced hunter could possibly survive such an attack, but it summarizes the panel discussionaverage city-dweller would be "lunch".

::This monster was largely inspired by When hunting, it will generally not chew it's pray, but rather let the monsters in the movie effective juices of it''Tremors''. Those were crazy carnivorous giant worms that lived under the desert. They ate anyone they caught standing on s digestive system take care of it, essentially melting the sandy surface, but were unable to reach anyone who stood on a rock outcroppingpray alive.

[[Image:Mon-thresher3.jpg|frame|A Sand The Dune Thresher swims after its preyuses the rhythmic sound of footsteps to determine what creature is a potential meal, and where they are.]]::The idea is that the Sand Thresher would submergeExperienced hunters will adapt by walking slightly more irregular as well as careful, but only when heregardless if it's on rock or on the sand. He can't burrow under other surfaces. Also, when he's submerged he's invulnerable. You can only attack him when he's above grounddunes.

::The idea was coolThese Dune Threshers once lived in the more settled locales, but it didn't really workwas driven away to the deep desert wastes of the [[Borderlands]] a long time ago. The players were confused by this. They couldn't average city dweller will rarely ever see the a Thresher when he was underground. Every so often, however, and didn't know what was happening. The Thresher has a dorsal finwhether due to injury or old age, but it wasn't very visible in all one of these unholy beasts ventures to the screen chaos and battles going edge of civilization to feast onthe frail human animal. We had some cool diving animations When this happens a professional hunter is called in to put an end to make the Thresher more visible, but even with those he wasn't obvious enoughthreat.

::The fix we eventually used When hunting a Dune Thresher, direct combat is whatinadvisable. It's in much easier, as well as safer, to rely on hunting [[Scavenger]]s, subduing them and using them as baits. Other burrowing animals could potentially also be used, but the game now. We're trying thresher needs to play up be interested in the idea movements of the Thresher as a sharkanimals, like and the original working name. Hescavengers have the added advantage of hurting the Thresher from within it's a hunterstomach, a stalkeroften killing the beast before they themselves expire due to the acid contents of the Thresher stomach. Now he moves very fast while undergroundIf they fail to cause lethal damage to the Thresher, and closes in quickly. He can no longer attack from underground, so he swims under it's possible to use attached chains to drag the player and then emerges right next monster up to them, ready for combatpermanently disable it.

==Game Lore==[[Image:Mon-dunethresher-concept1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Concept art We currently lack information to tell whether or not the meat of a Dune Thresher.]]The Dune Thresher is described in an entry from [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0005|at all edible, or if the journal of Abd al-Hazir]]only reason to hunt them would be to diminish their murdering attacks.

The Dune Thresher is described in detail by [[Abd al-Hazir]] in his [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir::''When hunting, it will generally not chew it's pray, but rather let the effective juices of it's digestive system take care Entry no. 0005|fifth entry]] in his renowned works [[Writings of it, essentially melting the pray aliveAbd al-Hazir]].

::''The Dune Thresher uses the rhythmic sound of footsteps to determine what creature is a potential meal, I was extremely tense by this point. I felt naked and where they areexposed. Experienced hunters will adapt by walking slightly more irregular as well as careful, regardless if itWhat insanity had convinced me that coming out here was a good idea?''s on rock or on the dunes.

::''These Dune Threshers once lived I looked out over the wastes in the more settled localesfading light, but was driven away trying to detect the deep desert wastes telltale horned fins of the [[Borderlands]] a long time ago. The average city dweller will rarely ever see a Thresher. Every so often, however, whether due to injury or old age, one of these unholy beasts ventures to thresher cutting through the edge surface of civilization to feast on the frail human animal. When this happens a professional hunter is called in to put an end to the threatsand.''

::''When hunting a Dune Thresher, direct combat is inadvisable. It's much easier, as well as safer, to rely on hunting [[Scavenger]]s, subduing them and using them as baits. Other burrowing animals could potentially also be usedWith absolutely no warning, but the dune thresher needs to be interested in the movements of violently broke the animalssurface, and the all three scavengers have caught in his horrifying maw. There was a massive explosion of sand as the added advantage of hurting thresher dove back into the Thresher from within it's stomachground with its prize. The ropes immediately snapped taut, often killing the beast before they themselves expire due and I thought Burroughs would be pulled to the acid contents of the Thresher stomachhis death. If they fail to cause lethal damage to the ThresherI didn't understand how he thought he could reel in a monster that huge, itbut he wasn't even trying – just holding on. ''s possible to use attached chains to drag the monster up to permanently disable it[[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no.0005|Read on >>]]

The Dune Thresher was first shown in September 2008 in the [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0004]] and [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0005|Entry no. 0005]]. It was included in the [[GamesCom 2009 demo]] as well, and also shown at [[BlizzCon 2009]] as well as PAX 2009.  ===Heroes and Monsters Panel===The Dune Thresher was the subject of a presentation during the [[http://www.diablowiki.net/BlizzCon_2009_Panel:_Diablo_3_Heroes_and_Monsters|Diablo 3 Heroes and Monsters panel]] at [[BlizzCon 2009]]. The following is not a direct transcript, but it summarizes the panel discussion. '''The Dune Thresher<br>'''Work in Progress<br>AKA "Sand Shark" This monster was largely inspired by the monsters in the movie ''Tremors''. Those were crazy carnivorous giant worms that lived under the desert. They ate anyone they caught standing on the sandy surface, but were unable to reach anyone who stood on a rock outcropping. We liked the idea of the sand being dangerous in D3, and tried to use this monster for that purpose in the sandy desert areas. He's been very tricky to get working properly, and that's got a lot to do with his behavior being too complicated to work smoothly with the speed of Diablo 3. The idea is that the Sand Thresher would submerge, but only when he's on the sand. He can't burrow under other surfaces. Also, when he's submerged he's invulnerable. You can only attack him when he's above ground. Our original idea was to let him attack while he was under the sand. This was going to be a nasty sneak attack, one that players could not fight back against. They'd have to run to a rocky section or a road where the Thresher couldn't attack, since we wanted players to have to play more tactically. The idea was cool, but it didn't really work. The players were confused by this. They couldn't see the Thresher when he was underground, and didn't know what was happening. The Thresher has a dorsal fin, but it wasn't very visible in all of the screen chaos and battles going on. We had some cool diving animations to make the Thresher more visible, but even with those he wasn't obvious enough. Even when players did see him, he didn't work, since players just ignored him. There was no reason to hang around and wait for the Thresher to come to the surface, when it was easier just to run to the next screen to find more non-hidden enemies to fight. The fix we eventually used is what's in the game now. We're trying to play up the idea of the Thresher as a shark, like the original working name. He's a hunter, a stalker. Now he moves very fast while underground, and closes in quickly. He can no longer attack from underground, so he swims under the player and then emerges right next to them, ready for combat. That's pretty fun, and he's a cool monster, and is very effective against ranged attackers, who don't like monsters they can't hit appearing out of the ground beside them. But the Thresher isn't at all what we wanted initially, which was a creature that interacted with the environment and forced players to do the same, and to play tactically. So we're still working on it, hoping to improve it eventually.