Just minutes after the announcements were made at the Opening Ceremony, Blizzard has already posted pages for both the new Demon Hunter class and PvP Arena mode. Undoubtedly, more specifics are being revealed at the various Diablo III panels throughout the convention, but there is plenty of information to be found on the official website, as well.
I’ve got to admit that the more I hear about the Demon Hunter, the more I’m convinced that it is the class I really want to play. Here are five very good reasons why:
- Fan Of Knives — As a fan of World of Warcraft‘s Rogue class, I am infinitely pleased to see this skill being adapated for use by the Demon Hunter, and it works even better here since you’ll constantly be facing hordes of enemies at once in true Diablo fashion.
- Molten Arrow — Not only does it pack an extra, flame-fueled punch to the targeted enemy, it leaves a Wall of Fire-style trail behind it to catch any other foes that may wander into you line of sight.
- Grenades — Toss a bundle of pineapples into a large crowd and watch stuff go ka-boom. What more could you ask for?
- Bola — Grenades not your style? Send a gun-powder-packed ensnaring device towards your enemies and turn them into living bombs. When they explode, they’ll do splash damage to any other bad guys near them.
- Entangling Shot — Tether multiple enemies together, temporarily stunning them and slowing them down. Chain gangs were never so much fun!
Short videos of each spell can be found at the website linked above, as well as the full trailer shown during the Opening Ceremony.
As for PvP? I’m not yet convinced it’ll be anything more than a fun distraction. The clicky nature of Diablo’s combat never really seemed to lend itself to high-level arena play, but it’s a nice gesture, nonetheless. Here are a few of the key features:
- Arenas are not Random — they will be carefully constructed with differing terrain and cover.
- Use the Character of Your Choice — These are not pre-mades, they are characters you have built up online or in single-player.
- Pure Rewards — You won’t really be earning new armor and equipment in PvP. Instead, you’ll get bragging rights in the form of rankings and points that will accumulate towards vanity rewards like titles and achievements.
- Future Game Types — Blizzard is still exploring the possibility of future game types outside of ranked matches, such as 1-on-1 duels.
Don’t forget to check out our Live Blog of the Diablo III Gameplay panel for more details!