Currently, all Rare and Champion monsters have exactly one affix, which is fairly reasonable, but also very predictable. With only 3% of the game, it's hard to tell how challenging these monsters will be.
Official Blizzard Quote:
Just keep in mind, as illustrated above, monster affixes have a few design challenges. We try to keep these core ideas in mind when designing them:
- Ideally they create new gameplay for the player. The point of affixes is to change up how the player is playing and make them adapt to some kind of new situation that the affix mechanics present.
- They need to work for a wide variety of monsters, in a wide variety of environments.
- We try to make them easy for players to understand. A design buzzword we use internally is "affordance". A monster affix with good affordance is intuitive to understand. The visual, the concept, and the name all communicate clearly what the mechanic is.
I've compiled a few pics of the Champion and Rare monsters you might find in the beta.
Epic Diablo Costume
Enkeria pointed us to a really cool Diablo costume someone is constructing, and so far it looks really great:
Sword of Justice Comic Update
Update: Bashiok must have mis-tweeted (after all, this is DC Comic's product). The comic is being sold now! Check out Medievaldragon's post here for more info.
Bashiok tweeted that the upcoming 'Sword of Justice' comic series will become available as early as next week:
Official Blizzard Quote:
@Bashiok Any idea when we can buy the "Sword of Justice" Diablo comic?
@Thunderclaww I believe it drops next week!
If you're interested in picking up a copy, it's quite inexpensive. Here's a quick summary of what the series entails:
Official Blizzard Quote:
From the world and legends of Sanctuary, the setting for the award-winning Diablo video game, comes the tale of a hero's birth. Jacob has fled from his homelands in the north, hunted by his kinsmen for the crime of murder.
Led by the visions of an ancient prophet, pursued by his childhood friend, Jacob finds his destiny in a desert cave at the foot of a mountain carved in two by the sword of an archangel-- Tyrael. But will Jacob be able to claim the sword that could save his people, if not the world, before he's brought to 'justice?'"
I'm betting anything, he'll show up in 2012
From the world and legends of Sanctuary, the setting for the award-winning Diablo video game, comes the tale of a hero’s birth. Jacob has fled from his homeland in the north, hunted by his kinsmen for the crime of murder. Led by the visions of an ancient prophet, pursued by his childhood friend, Jacob finds his destiny in a desert cave at the foot of a mountain carved in two by the sword of an archangel — Tyrael. But will Jacob be able to claim the sword that could save his people, if not the world, before he’s brought to “justice”?
Cover: Joseph Lacroix
Writer: Aaron Williams
Art: Joseph Lacroix
Color: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Editor: Michael McCalister
Story & Art Consultants: Micky Neilson & Doug Alexander
Yeah it's just a really bad screenshot, not to mention the arcane "Lines?" still have major issues clipping with the walls in the beta, they don't look too bad out in the open but in confined areas it's pretty terrible.
since they said something about not having all of the affixes in the yet. Can't wait for the release to see the full content list. =3
There are a few places still to catch Diablo # 1 though. You can order it [url=http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574977284&toolid=10001&campid=5336988302&customid=bp-diablo-1-dc-comics&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FDIABLO-1-OF-5-DC-COMICS-%2F190604339516%3Fpt%3DUS_Comic_Books%26hash%3Ditem2c60e7693c]here[/url][img]http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574977284&toolid=10001&campid=5336988302&customid=bp-diablo-1-dc-comics&mpt=[CACHEBUSTER][/url]
There are a few places still to catch Diablo # 1 though. You can order it here
I'd like to read the new comic but I don't live in the U.S.