It looks like we will not be seeing the PvP Arena system at release. However this will be patched in after release. Oddly enough this seems to be tagged with Sign of Release
Originally Posted by Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
(As we’re counting down the days until we’re ready to announce a release date for Diablo III, we’ve come to realize that the PvP game and systems aren’t yet living up to our standards. Today, we wanted to let you know that we’ve made the difficult decision to hold back the PvP Arena system and release it in a patch following the game’s launch. After a lot of consideration and discussion, we ultimately felt that delaying the whole game purely for PvP would just be punishing to everyone who’s waiting to enjoy the campaign and core solo/co-op content, all of which is just about complete.
While we work on making sure PvP lives up to its full potential, we hope you’ll find some consolation in the fact that soon, you’ll be having a blast leveling characters, finding items, learning the classes, and perfecting builds…and that when the Arenas do arrive, you’ll be all the better prepared for battle.
When the PvP patch is ultimately ready, it will add multiple Arena maps with themed locations and layouts, PvP-centric achievements, and a matchmaking system that will help you and your team get into fairly matched games quickly and easily. We’ll also be adding a personal progression system that will reward you for successfully bashing in the other team’s skulls.
We know a lot of you are looking forward to PvP, and we’ll be focusing our post-launch efforts on making sure the Arenas are as brutal, bloody, fast-paced, and awesome as we know they can be. In the meantime, we’re in the process of putting the finishing touches on what we think is a truly epic campaign and co-op experience for launch.
We’ll have a lot more info to share on the PvP system in the future, and we look forward to the moment we can get the game into your hands.
While we work on making sure PvP lives up to its full potential, we hope you’ll find some consolation in the fact that soon, you’ll be having a blast leveling characters, finding items, learning the classes, and perfecting builds…and that when the Arenas do arrive, you’ll be all the better prepared for battle.
When the PvP patch is ultimately ready, it will add multiple Arena maps with themed locations and layouts, PvP-centric achievements, and a matchmaking system that will help you and your team get into fairly matched games quickly and easily. We’ll also be adding a personal progression system that will reward you for successfully bashing in the other team’s skulls.
We know a lot of you are looking forward to PvP, and we’ll be focusing our post-launch efforts on making sure the Arenas are as brutal, bloody, fast-paced, and awesome as we know they can be. In the meantime, we’re in the process of putting the finishing touches on what we think is a truly epic campaign and co-op experience for launch.
We’ll have a lot more info to share on the PvP system in the future, and we look forward to the moment we can get the game into your hands.
lol. you guys miss the "everything in beta we intend for ship" statement? theres nothing left to change. they are done. couple features will be added after release but its done. crying/complaining at THIS point is 110% pointless
Honestly, I've read your posts in this thread and don't see you posting very much constructive criticism yourself.
Lets see, you've complained about the skill UI. I've watched quite a bit of streaming and I'll admit.. this is a legitimate bother. However, it does do the job of guiding new players through the game and once you've reached max level, you're not likely to change your skills incredibly often anyways.
You've complained about runes being 'dumbed down'. Rune actually have been streamlined into a system that makes quite a bit of sense. Having to farm and combine runes just to get perfect runes for your chosen abilities was a very clunky system to say the least. They could have just made runes just have one level and still make you hunt for them, however, the new system accomplishes the same thing in a way that lets people experiment nicely as they level.
As for the postponement of PvP....I think I've more then explained why that was a good thing. If you want to complain that PvP isn't going to be a focus for Diablo 3 and that it'll be a downplayed feature...all I can say is 'too bad'? Seriously, Diablo 3 is a ARPG where you run around and kill hordes of monsters with your awesome spells and abilities. Blizzard has stated this, fans have stated this, and its not likely to change. Diablo 3 is not a PvP focused game. If that means you won't want to play it... then don't?
In my eyes Diablo 3 will be an amazingly fun game that I'll probably end up dumping months straight into. With how randomized the world is, its sure to have a ton of replay value as well. What we've actually seen of the game is only the first boss in the first Act as well. If the epic gameplay continues throughout the rest of the game, its sure to be a very fun experience. I'm looking forward to playing Diablo 3, as are most of you that are complaining...
ecutruin +9000
So, just because you can change a skill, replay is ruined? I fail to see the logic in this statement. The world is randomized with various dungeons and quests each play-through. In addition, the amount of choices available with the skill/rune combinations means that the amount of options for each character is just amazing (doubly so when you consider items/sockets).
As for the magic find issue, from what I've read there is a boost to global MF for each player in the game as well. Which should help balance a low MF character with a high MF character pretty well. Since items will drop per character anyways.. you essentially get an extra chance to drop a rare item per player too (at least from what I understand). I think you're blowing this out of proportion quite a bit.
You really sound like someone that wants Diablo 3 to be Diablo 2 with a new story. Sorry.. Diablo 3 is a new game and if you want Diablo 2, play it instead.
Yeah. I've never been able to grasp how being forced to re-roll your character if your build didn't work adds fun replay. To me, it seems like that kind of requirement actually makes the game less fun as you end up hitting a wall where you're forces to make a new character instead of just continuing to play through the game.
Actually, you are quite wrong. I've played a lot of Diablo 2. If you don't build correctly, it is very possible to actually make it impossible to get through all the difficulties solo. Which ends up meaning you have to remake your character, generally following some guide on some fansite in order to actually do well.
I'd really like to know how being able to respec your character actually detracts from the game?
You make it sound like they've spent this entire time developing the game. In all honesty, I would bet that a good amount of the last some odd years has actually been devoted to designing the storyline and characters, going through revision after revision. After that they try come up with the game feature design. They try to offer whole ton of features during this time and turns out some of the features don't actually play that nicely when it gets in the hands of testers.
The only difference between Diablo 3's development and most other games is that Blizzard is actually telling you what's going on each step of the way. You get to see them iterate through changes as the game evolves from a collection of features the designers thought would be fun into a polished game with more streamlined gameplay. Honestly, I prefer it this way and if you don't...perhaps you should stop keeping up on D3 news?
As for PvP... IT IS AN EXTRA. You guys really need to get this through your head. PvP is not a core feature of Diablo 3. Its an additional feature that they are adding to the game purely to let people have fun killing their friends. They've stated countless times that they are not marketing D3 as an esport. They are not balancing around PvP. They are not even making PvP a primary development goal. PvP in D3 will be done when it is done. If you are only buying Diablo 3 to PvP you are going to be disappointed and probably should look into other games instead.
I don't see a problem with them calling skill alterations runes. It doesn't actually bother me in the least. The only reason you could possibly be bothered by the concept really is because they had showcased a different concept for runes that had them as an item. If someone picks up D3 without ever reading the pre-release information they aren't likely to ask where they got a rune when they leveled up, they are more likely to try and figure out what it does. Calling them runes gives the concept a solid name to use when explaining them. They could have called them talents, perks, w/e.. instead they call em runes. I like it, personally.
As for the UI. Its not incredibly hard to navigate. In fact for a new user, its probably pretty nice to simply click on a slot, click an ability, and click a rune. For more advanced players, it is a bit bothersome to navigate and I won't disagree that I would have liked to see a better implementation. However, I won't go as far as saying they shot themselves in the foot with this design. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see the UI revised sometime in the future, perhaps even for launch.
Again, I want to point out that you are being given a glimpse into what goes on during a game's development. Things go through iterations and change drastically from start to finish. You're going to like some iterations more then others, but it doesn't mean the new iteration isn't done without some reasoning behind it. I think you're blowing this all WAY out of proportion and not really thinking about WHY they might have done what they did.
im sorry but are you 7 years old? or daft? sifting through a few pages and things blinking and highlighted when you get new skills is some how hard? im sorry but its not even a little bit difficult, if anything its too easy and in your face and they should tone it down. its like going through spell pages in a book of spells, and theres what like 6 pages with a few skills each? OMG SIX WHOLE PAGES!? ///wrists.
cant take you seriously at all when you say something that is mind numbingly easy is "mind bogglingly hard"
No offence, but that post I could hardly understand. I don't see how difficult it is to press and left or right button to navigate skills though. I've watched people do it a hundred times on streams and it doesn't seem mind bogglingly difficult. I mean, how hard is it to click on a skill slot, click right a couple times, and then click on the ability and rune? Its not really all that difficult, just different.
EDIT: Damn, I was ninja'd.
lmfao. troll
Um.. you're really blowing the whole issue WAY out of proportion. They UI menu isn't anywhere close to as bad as you make it seem. Its a lil inconvenient to have to go through a couple screens to find the skill you want. Its not really any more difficult then finding a skill in your spellbook in WoW though. In fact, I believe it might actually be easier.
Really, the UI issue is a very minor gripe at most. Heck, once I actually play with it myself.. I might actually like it.
gamebreaking means it ruins the entire game. do you think this? do you think a slightly inconvenient skill UI ruins the entire game?
then there is nothign anyone can do to help you. a minor inconvenience ruining the entire game is a joke of a complaint.
I don't need to try it to see how its designed. Its not overly complex and it doesn't ruin the game.
As a comparison.. In WoW, you have to open the spellbook, click on one of the three trees, then navigate the couple pages of spells in that tree (right and left arrow buttons), and then drag the spell to a skill slot on your action bar. In Diablo 3, you open the skill page, click on a skill slot, navigate through the couple pages of spells, select a skill and rune.
These processes are quite similar and neither is really more complicated then the other. I don't see how its all that game breaking at all. In fact, I think the only frustrating thing I find with it is that they didn't make tabs for the different spell groups instead of arrow navigation. However, thats not a HUGE issue.. its a rather minor one.
i like how the haters like crysto automatically go "oh your a retarded fanboy or working for blizzard if you have the opposite opinion of me". priceless