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So now that I've had time to think this over I think I kind of understand the followers now. They are mostly there to help out newer characters. Let's say you're doing a build that focuses primarily on higher level skills. You'll be really weak early on and kill really slowly. You don't want to be a burden in multiplayer because you'll just make it harder for everyone (assuming monster scaling is done well). So you have your follower there to help you out. You level up, you get your end game skills, you reach nightmare difficulty, and now you're ready for multiplayer. You don't need your follower anymore.

This is how I think they are intended to be used. But it still begs the question: Why did they devote so much time and so many resources into this when it becomes obsolete so quickly? I think that's my biggest complaint. If the followers weren't so well done and developed I wouldn't care as much. If they were like Diablo 2 classic mercenaries that followed you around until they died and you couldn't customize them then fine. You knew their purpose was only to help you out in the early stages when you weren't strong enough yet. Plus as we all know Blizzard takes a very long time to develop games. They want to make everything perfect. So you know this follower system had to have taken them quite a few months to do. The game actually may have been out by now if they didn't bother with this follower system. Just some food for thought.


To those saying they prefer playing alone: This isn't Diablo 2. In Diablo 2 there are advantages to playing solo and advantages to playing in a party. The biggest advantage to playing solo is you get all the loot to yourself. In Diablo 3 you get your own loot even with other players around. In fact more loot drops if there are more players because everyone gets their own loot that they can then trade. So you're at a DISADVANTAGE if you play solo in Diablo 3. They are encouraging you to play with others. The matchmaking will no doubt be very quick and easy so you can jump in a game and do whatever area you want with other players. So even if you liked soloing in Diablo 2 remember that this isn't Diablo 2.

I wish there was more detail on each of the followers skills.

Quote from maka

Brilliant. They spend 5 years saying that they want people to play co-op, then go and implement a system to be SP only. Not satisfied, they go and make the system only useful in Normal. Seriously, how many of you play SP only and Normal only? What a f*cking waste of time and effort.

Quote from CrusaderGT

I'm sorry but to me, someone who still wants a follower in co-op is a weak player (and i could've said noob!).

So what? So-called 'weak players' aren't allowed to have fun with this game? Yeah, man, you're a real e-badass

Quote from Butcher2011

When you're in a MP game with 1 to 3 more "real" people helping you out I'm pretty sure you won't feel the need for a follower and surely another player will be more help to you than an NPC?!

Who said anything about 'need'? It's a want. I WANT to play with my mate, and his merc, and my merc. I liked mercs in D2 not for their usefulness, but just because I like minions. And also, because I could outfit them. There's nothing worse than finding an awesome piece of gear that you can't use. With the merc, there was always an extra chance that that epic loot would be put to use.


WASTE
OF
TIME.

Why am I not surprise that you'll be negative yet again like most of your posts. And lol at e-badass? I'm just saying that do we really need a follower after knowing most of the classes skills and other feature.

And I will say it again, Diablo 3 is not made for only you so get over it.

Quote from Lenks

Actually in Diablo III, with individual items drop system, who will make solo mf runs anymore...

Exactly. But if followers were useful in Hell there would be no better way to MF than solo with a follower. Obviously you could take MF away from the followers, but you're still left with balance issues. If they're useful, you have to balance Hell around their usefulness, because its not like Normal where you can have a range of difficulties; the game is supposed to be hard at that point.

So if they were usable in Hell, that means you'd have to balance around them, which makes Hell too hard without them. Which takes us all the way back to the outrage that happened when the video was leaked where everyone was worried they'd be essential. So the only way around that is to make them unusable in Hell.

Maybe its not in your opinion, but all the rage when the video was leaked was caused by people who thought they were going to be essential. So clearly Blizzard had to make a choice, and they went with a compromise.