I was kind of let down by most melee characters in D3 -- especially as I dig the whole Warrior/Knight/Paladin theme, and neither the Monk, nor the Barbarian (whom I intend to play eventually) cut it for me.
I was also looking forward to the Demon Hunter, hoping he'll be more of a rogue-type character, but I am not really interested in him now.
The new spell-casters are great, but they are just not my cup of tea.
So on this whole versus new thing:
Amazon/Demon Hunter - new (although it is fair to say that Demon Hunter takes a lot more after the Assassin from D2X and perhaps the Rogue from D1)
Necromancer/Witch Doctor - new (although again WD is based also on the Druid from D2X)
Barbarian - new
Sorceress/Wizard - new (more interesting skills and mechanics, I guess)
Paladin/Monk - old (mixing the Paladin with the Assassin wasn't a smart move tbh)
What he said. My point exactly. But I must say I'm beginning to think that absence of 100% pleasing class leads to a more balanced assortment however. I don't like any of given D3 classes too much as directions I used to choose are now non-existent (knight/warrior/paladin in full plate armor). So I guess it's correct to say now that I like all classes equally which is a good thing for variety. Now on the old-vs-new topic... I don't think it's ok to compare D3 classes to those of vanilla D2. Expansion classes must be included in comparison as well IMO.
Barbarian = Barbarian
I prefere the new version due to more brutal flavor and better balance of skills. He is like one of the ancients now in a way. New version feels better all in all.
Demon Hunter = Assassin + Amazon
And I must admit I prefere DH here. Assassin's traps were nearly useless but interesting utility. Now they are remade and make gamplay far more diverse and fresh. Ranged aspect of Amazon is a good complement to it making a fine and balanced class gameplay-wise. Will miss Amazon's spear-based skills a little.
Monk = Assassin
I don't see much of a Paladin here. Monk is a holy version of Assassin to me, with the fist weapons and three-strike-queue attacks but without traps. Female version with claws even looks exactly like a recolored Assassin from D2. I liked Paladin more then Monk. But I generally like Monk more then Assassin.
Wizard = Sorceress
Like new version more. A lot more I must admit. Never liked to play as a sorceror inn RPG games, but seriously consider to start a Wizard as my second character in D3. She feels somehow different, lighter, more fresh. New design feels better. Melee aspect is a great addition as well.
Witch Doctor = Druid
I can't see him as a replacement of Necromancer just as I don't picture Monk to be a new Paladin. He is just too different. Lots of beast summons, nature magic and tribal feel... It's what Druid used to be for me aside from shapeshifting. No bone magic, nor mass-curses, not even a golem. What Witch Doctor and Necromancer have in common is just the dark feel, like Monk and Paladin only share the holyness. And I prefere Witch Doctor to a Druid.
Wiki info is based on last Blizzcon mostly. It's dated as hell, even if that's the last thing we heard. Since then attributes have been changed and a lot of new animations were added. Bashiok mensioned some time ago that every class will probably be able to use any existing weapons except some class-specific (Dual Crossbows, Wands, Orbs, 2H-weapons) once animation for them is done. Prooflinks FTW:
Good news is that animation seems to be ahead of schedule, so we're working on a new definition of restrictions that's based more on class flavor than anything else. (Didn't I just post about this?) For instance we don't want anyone but the barbarian or monk dual-wielding, we don't want anyone but the witch doctor or wizard using wands, we don't want anyone but the wizard to wield orbs, fist weapons will probably only be usable by the monk, etc. etc. but other than for flavor reasons most of the restrictions are being removed.
Also some spells seem to be based on caster's weapon damage, so many Wizards will carry a sword or a mace. Magic weapon enchances your weapon nicely and may turn out to be lovely with certain runes. Wizard in D3 feels like a 50/50 ranged/melee oriented and going pure melee is a viable option, really. Reading the forums I get the impression there will be far more melee Wizards then ranged ones when game comes out...
For each class and weapon, a new and unique animation must be made.
Also for each gender as Bashiok has stated.
Those confirmed so far are: Axes, Swords, Daggers, Staves, Pole Arms, Mauls, Fist Weapons, Orbs, Wands (which are now a ranged weapon), Bows, and Battle Staves.
Also shields were in game (see Artisan video for example).
Polearms all the way for me. My most beloved type of melee weapons of all I guess. While first Diablo game didn't have any I enjoyed flails as much as possible, but there were hardly any good ones. But since Diablo II peloarms used to be an all-time favourite weapons just fot the looks of it. Surprisingly, not only for melee characters sometimes, he he he... I really hope polearms will make a glorious return in Diablo III being availible for most classes. For sure a Barbarian will be able to wield it, and so might be able a Monk, but I also hope to have an ability to give some bad-*** scythe to a Wizard or Witch Doctor at some point. I also did vote for the "Distance Weapons" as throwing weapons is an ineteresting and rarely used concept. Often inferior to other weapons, they are more interesting to use.
Those images resemble a o-yoroi and a katana, no matter what game or source they're from.
They do resemble, no objections here. So what comes out of it? I... I don't get what you are telling me with this, sorry. That is exactly what I was trying to say - the items from Diablo resemble those weapons and armor pieces of eastern culture. Is it... wrong to say so?
Besides calling them "chinese-like" is such a fail, makes a great picture of what you know about the east.
Well, my bad I guess. Perhaps my knowledge of eastern culture isn't any good and limited to well-known terms like "katana". If "chinese-like" is a poor choice of words then it was my mistake to say so. Will "items of eastern fashion" do?
I found those items too, though I didn't hear or see any samurai.
Yes, we did not see or hear of any samurai. But when one takes a look at those "items of eastern fashion" he can just imagine how does one's character look while wearing those. Like this:
I may be dead wrong to call this item set "samurai-like". But these items do exist in the world of Sanctuary. And it means there must be an existing culture using them. A lot of "items of eastern fashion" fill Diablo universe just as you pointed out.
Do you know what does that mean? There's a full list of chinese, japanese and korean related stuff in d1, especially d2. Still no mention of samurai.
So either lore says that eastern civilization is extinct (I will just shut up and sit back if it's a given fact, for I had no idea about it really) or there is an existing part of the world in Sanctuary where samurais exist. Well, I should say "warriors who wear armor and weapon of eastern fashion".
My whole point is, I would like to see such a warrior join the party in Diablo III to further diversify class variety. The fact that armor parts now will resemble the style of their wearer makes it a convenient implementation. That's all. If the word "samurai" isn't one suiting the lore - so be it, my apologies on that. I guess either you completely failed to see my point, or I still fail to understand what you are saying. Sorry if it's the latter.
Alright then, Double Facepalm is an achievement worth getting I guess. =)
Not that there is any point to argue about a matter of opinions... But still.
picture of a O-Yoroi and Katana
Wrong. Pictures of armor and weapon from Diablo. So out of place in a world of Diablo, really... Right?
Exactly. Diablo is based on European feudal ages (dark-ages, early medieval), there's no room for samurai, ninjas and dragons.
Exactly! Now that Witch Doctor is SO... European, right? But there is no way there could be a hero from Xiansai... You know, like the Wizard, but an armored melee warrior instead of a mage.
Well, laHomme, I guess your lore of Sanctuary is somehow different from what BLIZZARD gives us since the first game. I see you hate the idea of a Samurai-LIKE warrior, and it's totally OK. You've made a good job to offend my thoughts on 'Class I wish was in Diablo III'. It may very well be a terrible idea really. But from a lore point it seems correct to me. Sorry if I speak nonsense to you.
Oh, also. To answer directly to a question of this topic let me describe a class I was really hoping to see in Diablo III bofere, but now heavily doubt anything similar will ever be in a game however. I dreamed it to make a return to the roots of first Diablo. Do you guys remember the loot? Those armors and swords of different fashion... And for sure you must remember the good old Splint Mail. And one of the best unique Great Swords - Shirotachi? Here they are:
Those were awesome... But unlike most of the game's loot they belonged to some asian culture that has been totally lost in Diablo II. These chinese-like items were superb. Too bad they never made an appearence after first Diablo. So my point is... The Samurai class could be a genuine addition in my opinion. Isn't that a great concept? Is it really inferior to a Demon Hunter? I mean, look at this from a Sanctuary lore point. Picture one into the world of Diablo III. It's not a ninja or something, it's a unique-looking warrior that can be as interesting as any other existing class.
Would be good to have one... But I guess BLIZZARD has long forgotten this concept for some reason. Pity.
In my narrow opinion the root of this problem comes from the name of a class consisting of two words. Which is against all what we used to in this particular franchise. Let's see... Original Diablo had most straightforward names for the few classes it had, including those added with Hellfire along the line:
Warrior
Rogue
Sorcerer Bard
Monk
Barbatian
Simple as that, one-word names were dead plain and represented what the class essentially was. Great concept, easy to grasp, brings no delusions nor complexity. Diablo II with it's expansion did follow the same path having one-word names of classes which makes them easy to address and understand without even taking a look at one's appearence. Here:
Amazon
Barbarian
Sorceress
Necromancer
Paladin Druid
Assassin
Awesome! Well done! Clarity achieved and diversity is vast. One says 'Necro', 'Sorc', 'Pal', 'Barb' etc. and everyone understands. One word = one class. Perfection! Oh well... Here comes Diablo III with it's classes as follows so far:
Monk
Wizard
Barbarian
Witch Doctor
Demon Hunter
Two out of five still do well along the lines of nice traditions. Monk is a comeback to the very roots of series. Barbarian follows directly from the second game to save the day. Wizard is a new term for sorceror which implies the class is supposed to feel more fresh and revisioned... But WD and DH are just out of place along those names here. The two-word names ruin a concept so nicely saved to rhis point.
I can see clearly why they are named this way. Because this is what they are. A tribal Witch Doctor and a gothic Demon Hunter. They invented the class as it was and then named it, and not contrariwise. Alternatives could be Shaman and Hunter but these felt just wrong. So the designers had to make a step away from one-word concept to put exactly an intended flavor into the character. Witch Doctor from that point of view sounds good enough actually. I personally hate this class, but it is interestingly unique and the name suits just fine. But for the Demon Hunter I personally would name at least two possible alternatives to consider:
Shikari
Shadower
One word, no intersections with WoW, more interesting overall tone. Could work just fine for that class as it is. But specifically I'd rather have a Bard class return instead of the DH. Well, doesn't matter. Game will be magnificent anyway. It's BLIZZARD, damn it! =)
Crusader - a warrior class visually similar to a Paladin. Shining hevy armor and massive weapons, but different from an aggressive Barbarian. More defensive type. Capable of effectively using shields, polearms and crosbows (yes, I terribly want at least two classes in a game to be able to use phisical ranged weapons in a different way). In other words, a weapon master with many weapon-class-specific skills and traits. Always started RPG games with a kind of a knight and seem to miss one this time. One that reads 'HEAVY DEFENCE' in his look and feel while others scream 'ATTACK!'.
______________________________
If I had to choose a class to replace with another class from previous games, I'd want the Demon Hunter replaced by Amazon wich was awesome in many ways. I so wish they had Bard instead of Demon Hunter. Druid was a really cunning concept but the shape-shifting aspect negates the specific character look with all those dyes BLIZZARD puts so much effort in. So I don't really see any transformers coming this time. Necromancer was the most ineresting to me on the other hand. If they were to bring one later with an expansion I'd like him be like this:
Necromancer - he is wielder of forbidden soul arts and isn't really what a Witch Doctor came to be. While the latter uses voodoo, desease and nature spells being a summoner class, Necromancer could rely more on bones, souls and golems. For example skills like that could be implemented, new and old together:
+Bone Spear+
Penetrates enemies with a spear of bone dealing phisical damage.
With Crimson rune - increases critical chance
With Indigo rune - creates multiple bone spears
With Golden rune - impaled enemies are stunned
With Alabaster rune - deals arcane damage
With Obsidian rune - knocks enemies back on impact
+Leech Soul+
Drains an amount of enemy's life energy over time while Necromancer remains stationary.
With Crimson rune - increases leech rate
With Indigo rune - allows leeching from multiple targets
With Golden rune - leeches the resource as well
With Alabaster rune - immobilizes the target being leeched
With Obsidian rune - leech caster's own health to deal it's twice amount as DMG to target
+Graveyard+
Skeleton hands raise from ground in an area under enemy's feet reducing their movement and attack speed.
With Crimson rune - chance to stun enemies in the area
With Indigo rune - increased area of effect
With Golden rune - all damage dealt to enemies in an area becomes critical
With Alabaster rune - leeches life from enemies to increase spell durability
With Obsidian rune - if enemy is killed within Graveyard area it returnes as a friendly skeleton
+Clay Golem+
Summons a golem of solid clay to fight by summoner's side.
With Crimson rune - increases golem's size and armor amount
With Indigo rune - upon death golem's pieces of clay slow nearby enemies
With Golden rune - golem absorbs 1/3 of non-phisical damage to replenish own health
With Alabaster rune - golem attracts significantly more aggro
With Obsidian rune - phisical attacks on golem have a chance to stun the attacker
+Iron Golem+
Summons a golem of metal to fight by summoner's side.
With Crimson rune - increases golem's size and adds splash damage to attacks
With Indigo rune - upon golem's death pieces of iron deal 1/2 of golem's maximum HP to nearby enemies
With Golden rune - golem has a chance to deflect phisical damage back to the enemy
With Alabaster rune - golem becomes electrified and deals lightning damage to enemies nearby
With Obsidian rune - phisical attacks on golem retaliate 2/3 of damage back to the enemy
______________________________
An etc. There are so many awesome possibilities to make a diverse and interesting Necromancer class bearing no similarity with a Witch Doctor. I would totally love to see one return in an expansion some day. Those saying 'You want to play old classes - go play Diablo II then' just seem to not understand how genuinely awesome can some of those classes be recreated within the Diablo III enviroment and rune system. I would even say some of them can become better and more diverse then the Barbarian happened to be... Well, man can dream.
Among the existing classes I more and more tend to try out the Monk first. A couple of months ago I'd say otherwise, but the more I think of game progression of each class the more I feel like starting with this one. The alternatives aren't really tempting in my vision of their class specific.
Wizard is a typical mage in every possible way. Not in a single RPG game I ever liked playing any mage classes as long as I had a choice of melee. I just don't feel like playing one at all. Those wands and orbs instead of swords and polearms... Mantle instead of shiny full plate armor... I have no sympathy nor interest in spamming spells from afar. I'll give her a chance someday, but it's not a class I feel like starting a game with.
Barbarian is a good old blunt melee overkill of raw power. War machine incarnation is a good way to begin an acquaintance with a new game being as simple and straight-forward class as one can be. It's appeal is strong, but... It feels old somehow. I mean Barbarian class is basicly played the same way it was before and doesn't seem to bring any innovative game mechanics to taste. I was going to start with him but I feel more like trying something fresher at first. Another good reason not to start with one is that I feel like almost everyone around will be Barbarians day one.
Witch Doctor is not my type. I loved Necromancer class and enjoyed some Druid summons, but Witch Doctor is just one single class in a game I don't feel like playing at all. At least not before I try out every other class there is. It's aestetics, visual design and common flavor are so twisted I don't like it. I can see why some people tend to enjoy it, however. 'Exotic' would be the right word to describe him I suppose.
Demon Hunter was going to be my first played class... As long as it wasn't a Demon Hunter it is. One of the most interesting classes from a gameplay point with all those traps and decoys combines dynamic action with phisical ranged attacks which I enjoy a lot. Сrossbow is my second favourite weapon after the polearms... What I don't really like about this class is it's style and general feel. Would be lovely to have a Bard instead as a reference to first Diablo game in some way. But the way it is it just feels somehow fairytalish to me. Don't like the design. Still it's possible I'll start with this class, not sure.
Monk is a melee character and it suits me well unlike Wizard. He seems to be more interesting then a Barbarian in a sense of skill usage diversity and more fresh also. It's design is much more unique and crisp then of a Demon Hunter. He perhaps can use polearms wich I love. And he isn't as alien and twisted as the Witch Doctor. So I feel like trying this class at first. There is still a good chance to change my mind during beta while new skills, rune effects and further details unveiled.
In a year after release I'll probably have a character of each class at 60th level. May be I'll love each of them when I get to try them myself. But that is how I feel right now.
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Barbarian = Barbarian
I prefere the new version due to more brutal flavor and better balance of skills. He is like one of the ancients now in a way. New version feels better all in all.
Demon Hunter = Assassin + Amazon
And I must admit I prefere DH here. Assassin's traps were nearly useless but interesting utility. Now they are remade and make gamplay far more diverse and fresh. Ranged aspect of Amazon is a good complement to it making a fine and balanced class gameplay-wise. Will miss Amazon's spear-based skills a little.
Monk = Assassin
I don't see much of a Paladin here. Monk is a holy version of Assassin to me, with the fist weapons and three-strike-queue attacks but without traps. Female version with claws even looks exactly like a recolored Assassin from D2. I liked Paladin more then Monk. But I generally like Monk more then Assassin.
Wizard = Sorceress
Like new version more. A lot more I must admit. Never liked to play as a sorceror inn RPG games, but seriously consider to start a Wizard as my second character in D3. She feels somehow different, lighter, more fresh. New design feels better. Melee aspect is a great addition as well.
Witch Doctor = Druid
I can't see him as a replacement of Necromancer just as I don't picture Monk to be a new Paladin. He is just too different. Lots of beast summons, nature magic and tribal feel... It's what Druid used to be for me aside from shapeshifting. No bone magic, nor mass-curses, not even a golem. What Witch Doctor and Necromancer have in common is just the dark feel, like Monk and Paladin only share the holyness. And I prefere Witch Doctor to a Druid.
0
http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27808130599&postId=278057081745&sid=3000#3
http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23710862003&postId=237085289187&sid=3000#19
http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23710862003&postId=237085288489&sid=3000#12
Also some spells seem to be based on caster's weapon damage, so many Wizards will carry a sword or a mace. Magic weapon enchances your weapon nicely and may turn out to be lovely with certain runes. Wizard in D3 feels like a 50/50 ranged/melee oriented and going pure melee is a viable option, really. Reading the forums I get the impression there will be far more melee Wizards then ranged ones when game comes out...
EDIT: May be someone should update Diablo III wiki on that matter already.
http://www.diablowiki.com/Items_(Diablo_III)
Also for each gender as Bashiok has stated.
Also shields were in game (see Artisan video for example).
0
Polearms all the way for me. My most beloved type of melee weapons of all I guess. While first Diablo game didn't have any I enjoyed flails as much as possible, but there were hardly any good ones. But since Diablo II peloarms used to be an all-time favourite weapons just fot the looks of it. Surprisingly, not only for melee characters sometimes, he he he... I really hope polearms will make a glorious return in Diablo III being availible for most classes. For sure a Barbarian will be able to wield it, and so might be able a Monk, but I also hope to have an ability to give some bad-*** scythe to a Wizard or Witch Doctor at some point. I also did vote for the "Distance Weapons" as throwing weapons is an ineteresting and rarely used concept. Often inferior to other weapons, they are more interesting to use.
0
Well, my bad I guess. Perhaps my knowledge of eastern culture isn't any good and limited to well-known terms like "katana". If "chinese-like" is a poor choice of words then it was my mistake to say so. Will "items of eastern fashion" do?
Yes, we did not see or hear of any samurai. But when one takes a look at those "items of eastern fashion" he can just imagine how does one's character look while wearing those. Like this:
I may be dead wrong to call this item set "samurai-like". But these items do exist in the world of Sanctuary. And it means there must be an existing culture using them. A lot of "items of eastern fashion" fill Diablo universe just as you pointed out.
So either lore says that eastern civilization is extinct (I will just shut up and sit back if it's a given fact, for I had no idea about it really) or there is an existing part of the world in Sanctuary where samurais exist. Well, I should say "warriors who wear armor and weapon of eastern fashion".
My whole point is, I would like to see such a warrior join the party in Diablo III to further diversify class variety. The fact that armor parts now will resemble the style of their wearer makes it a convenient implementation. That's all. If the word "samurai" isn't one suiting the lore - so be it, my apologies on that. I guess either you completely failed to see my point, or I still fail to understand what you are saying. Sorry if it's the latter.
0
Not that there is any point to argue about a matter of opinions... But still.
Wrong. Pictures of armor and weapon from Diablo. So out of place in a world of Diablo, really... Right?
Exactly! Now that Witch Doctor is SO... European, right? But there is no way there could be a hero from Xiansai... You know, like the Wizard, but an armored melee warrior instead of a mage.
Well, laHomme, I guess your lore of Sanctuary is somehow different from what BLIZZARD gives us since the first game. I see you hate the idea of a Samurai-LIKE warrior, and it's totally OK. You've made a good job to offend my thoughts on 'Class I wish was in Diablo III'. It may very well be a terrible idea really. But from a lore point it seems correct to me. Sorry if I speak nonsense to you.
0
Those were awesome... But unlike most of the game's loot they belonged to some asian culture that has been totally lost in Diablo II. These chinese-like items were superb. Too bad they never made an appearence after first Diablo. So my point is... The Samurai class could be a genuine addition in my opinion. Isn't that a great concept? Is it really inferior to a Demon Hunter? I mean, look at this from a Sanctuary lore point. Picture one into the world of Diablo III. It's not a ninja or something, it's a unique-looking warrior that can be as interesting as any other existing class.
Would be good to have one... But I guess BLIZZARD has long forgotten this concept for some reason. Pity.
0
Warrior
Rogue
Sorcerer
Bard
Monk
Barbatian
Simple as that, one-word names were dead plain and represented what the class essentially was. Great concept, easy to grasp, brings no delusions nor complexity. Diablo II with it's expansion did follow the same path having one-word names of classes which makes them easy to address and understand without even taking a look at one's appearence. Here:
Amazon
Barbarian
Sorceress
Necromancer
Paladin
Druid
Assassin
Awesome! Well done! Clarity achieved and diversity is vast. One says 'Necro', 'Sorc', 'Pal', 'Barb' etc. and everyone understands. One word = one class. Perfection! Oh well... Here comes Diablo III with it's classes as follows so far:
Monk
Wizard
Barbarian
Witch Doctor
Demon Hunter
Two out of five still do well along the lines of nice traditions. Monk is a comeback to the very roots of series. Barbarian follows directly from the second game to save the day. Wizard is a new term for sorceror which implies the class is supposed to feel more fresh and revisioned... But WD and DH are just out of place along those names here. The two-word names ruin a concept so nicely saved to rhis point.
I can see clearly why they are named this way. Because this is what they are. A tribal Witch Doctor and a gothic Demon Hunter. They invented the class as it was and then named it, and not contrariwise. Alternatives could be Shaman and Hunter but these felt just wrong. So the designers had to make a step away from one-word concept to put exactly an intended flavor into the character. Witch Doctor from that point of view sounds good enough actually. I personally hate this class, but it is interestingly unique and the name suits just fine. But for the Demon Hunter I personally would name at least two possible alternatives to consider:
Shikari
Shadower
One word, no intersections with WoW, more interesting overall tone. Could work just fine for that class as it is. But specifically I'd rather have a Bard class return instead of the DH. Well, doesn't matter. Game will be magnificent anyway. It's BLIZZARD, damn it! =)
0
______________________________
If I had to choose a class to replace with another class from previous games, I'd want the Demon Hunter replaced by Amazon wich was awesome in many ways. I so wish they had Bard instead of Demon Hunter. Druid was a really cunning concept but the shape-shifting aspect negates the specific character look with all those dyes BLIZZARD puts so much effort in. So I don't really see any transformers coming this time. Necromancer was the most ineresting to me on the other hand. If they were to bring one later with an expansion I'd like him be like this:
Necromancer - he is wielder of forbidden soul arts and isn't really what a Witch Doctor came to be. While the latter uses voodoo, desease and nature spells being a summoner class, Necromancer could rely more on bones, souls and golems. For example skills like that could be implemented, new and old together:
+Bone Spear+
Penetrates enemies with a spear of bone dealing phisical damage.
With Crimson rune - increases critical chance
With Indigo rune - creates multiple bone spears
With Golden rune - impaled enemies are stunned
With Alabaster rune - deals arcane damage
With Obsidian rune - knocks enemies back on impact
+Leech Soul+
Drains an amount of enemy's life energy over time while Necromancer remains stationary.
With Crimson rune - increases leech rate
With Indigo rune - allows leeching from multiple targets
With Golden rune - leeches the resource as well
With Alabaster rune - immobilizes the target being leeched
With Obsidian rune - leech caster's own health to deal it's twice amount as DMG to target
+Graveyard+
Skeleton hands raise from ground in an area under enemy's feet reducing their movement and attack speed.
With Crimson rune - chance to stun enemies in the area
With Indigo rune - increased area of effect
With Golden rune - all damage dealt to enemies in an area becomes critical
With Alabaster rune - leeches life from enemies to increase spell durability
With Obsidian rune - if enemy is killed within Graveyard area it returnes as a friendly skeleton
+Clay Golem+
Summons a golem of solid clay to fight by summoner's side.
With Crimson rune - increases golem's size and armor amount
With Indigo rune - upon death golem's pieces of clay slow nearby enemies
With Golden rune - golem absorbs 1/3 of non-phisical damage to replenish own health
With Alabaster rune - golem attracts significantly more aggro
With Obsidian rune - phisical attacks on golem have a chance to stun the attacker
+Iron Golem+
Summons a golem of metal to fight by summoner's side.
With Crimson rune - increases golem's size and adds splash damage to attacks
With Indigo rune - upon golem's death pieces of iron deal 1/2 of golem's maximum HP to nearby enemies
With Golden rune - golem has a chance to deflect phisical damage back to the enemy
With Alabaster rune - golem becomes electrified and deals lightning damage to enemies nearby
With Obsidian rune - phisical attacks on golem retaliate 2/3 of damage back to the enemy
______________________________
An etc. There are so many awesome possibilities to make a diverse and interesting Necromancer class bearing no similarity with a Witch Doctor. I would totally love to see one return in an expansion some day. Those saying 'You want to play old classes - go play Diablo II then' just seem to not understand how genuinely awesome can some of those classes be recreated within the Diablo III enviroment and rune system. I would even say some of them can become better and more diverse then the Barbarian happened to be... Well, man can dream.
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Wizard is a typical mage in every possible way. Not in a single RPG game I ever liked playing any mage classes as long as I had a choice of melee. I just don't feel like playing one at all. Those wands and orbs instead of swords and polearms... Mantle instead of shiny full plate armor... I have no sympathy nor interest in spamming spells from afar. I'll give her a chance someday, but it's not a class I feel like starting a game with.
Barbarian is a good old blunt melee overkill of raw power. War machine incarnation is a good way to begin an acquaintance with a new game being as simple and straight-forward class as one can be. It's appeal is strong, but... It feels old somehow. I mean Barbarian class is basicly played the same way it was before and doesn't seem to bring any innovative game mechanics to taste. I was going to start with him but I feel more like trying something fresher at first. Another good reason not to start with one is that I feel like almost everyone around will be Barbarians day one.
Witch Doctor is not my type. I loved Necromancer class and enjoyed some Druid summons, but Witch Doctor is just one single class in a game I don't feel like playing at all. At least not before I try out every other class there is. It's aestetics, visual design and common flavor are so twisted I don't like it. I can see why some people tend to enjoy it, however. 'Exotic' would be the right word to describe him I suppose.
Demon Hunter was going to be my first played class... As long as it wasn't a Demon Hunter it is. One of the most interesting classes from a gameplay point with all those traps and decoys combines dynamic action with phisical ranged attacks which I enjoy a lot. Сrossbow is my second favourite weapon after the polearms... What I don't really like about this class is it's style and general feel. Would be lovely to have a Bard instead as a reference to first Diablo game in some way. But the way it is it just feels somehow fairytalish to me. Don't like the design. Still it's possible I'll start with this class, not sure.
Monk is a melee character and it suits me well unlike Wizard. He seems to be more interesting then a Barbarian in a sense of skill usage diversity and more fresh also. It's design is much more unique and crisp then of a Demon Hunter. He perhaps can use polearms wich I love. And he isn't as alien and twisted as the Witch Doctor. So I feel like trying this class at first. There is still a good chance to change my mind during beta while new skills, rune effects and further details unveiled.
In a year after release I'll probably have a character of each class at 60th level. May be I'll love each of them when I get to try them myself. But that is how I feel right now.