Yeah, I think you guys hit the nail.
We’re setting out to create unique, interesting, and diverse classes that each have their own style and flavor. Most importantly this isn’t just a basic look at each individual class, but how they compare to each other and overlap (or hopefully, don’t).
When you up the number of classes more and more you’re eventually going to begin down the route of homogenization, they start to bleed into each other’s core abilities and styles which really just detracts from each individual class’ recognizability and distinction within the game.
In addition, by limiting the number - and I say limiting not because it’s a low number, it’s the number of classes in Diablo II and a good one at that, but because we’re not going crazy with it - we can focus on making each class really impressive, both visually and through the way they each feel and play.
As for wanting classes to make a comeback, I bet pretty much every class will make a spiritual comeback in some combination or another. To me it's pretty clear the Witchdoctor is a twist on the Necromancer, so I doubt we'll be seeing the Necromancer, as those two classes would be too similar. Unless they radically change the Necromancer that is..
1. Witch Doctor Replaces Necromancer (Obvious given from skill over lap). *Further to the point there's a part about the damage necromancers did and would make sense that they're no longer in the lime light of the "good" side.
2. Barbarian is the Coup De Grace of melee, though there will probably be one other at least partially reliant melee type with some sort of hybridization.
3. Ranged type is required (Some Equivilancy if not the Amazon) *Though having a male and female to each class kind of eliminates the "amazon" idea.
4. Glass Cannon type (Sorceress will probably be replaced by some other caster of very similar type).
And Lastly....
5. The final type is more or less up in the air, Druid is a strong possibility, particularly if they are actually hinting at it with the animation. Paladin is a favorite from back in the day and still seems viable to bring back. Assassin isn't out of the picture yet, as it is a favorite, though I somehow doubt it's immediate arrival into the game. And lastly, an entirely new cast to the crew that resembles something else in skill use (Like the Witch Doctor is to Necromancer).
i must say that i am hoping for the paladin, and it's because of the combination of physical and magically enhanced combat (like Vengeance) but i'm kinda worried that they are straying away from characters that aren't purely one style of play. i hope they can find a place for either the necromancer (even if it is, perhaps, heavily reworked) and the Paladin (which may be overshadowed entirely by the Barbarian)
1. Pure caster. Wizard, mage, sorceror... whatever you want to call it. There has to be a pure elemental magic user
2. Ranged class. Again with the diablo lore, you can't have rogues or Amazons as male, so they will call it something else. It will still be a class dependant on bows/spears.
I guarnetee you these 2 class roles will be filled in D3.
My vote for the 3rd and final slot will go to the Paladin. His buffs are very group friendly and he is a hybrid of melee/caster. I'm almost 100% sure he will remain in the 5. It doesn't matter if the barb uses some of the skills the Paladin had in D2, Blizzard will just give him new ones.
Didn't Blizz say something about a reduced need for healing anyway?
Paladins healing in D2 sucked big time. Just because there won't be a healer doesn't mean the pally won't be there.
How can you justify no pure caster? What good action RPG has no caster?
Kicking in heads was just a phrase meaning that all classes will be able to KILL stuff. They didn't mean litterally. Casters are physically weak and die easy, but they become very powerful later in the game with AOE's etc. They can take down more mobs faster then melee classes typically.
I love the blink-ability. Combining the diablo 2 with a cheatprogram made for some extreamly skillbased and fun encounters with my friend. I know that it was called overpowered. I would say that the other characters where underpowered. Aaaa, original Diablo mage, you have never seen the light of day since or before.
That was a true combat caster. I still miss you mucho
Edit: So after i wrote this out i read EtheriChaos's post and great minds must think alike. It's quite obvious though if you think critically about what blizzard is trying to accomplish.
I think it would be kind of funny if there was no pure caster class and another class that no one has even thought of... like a samurai? It wouldn't be a class that is heavy into the defenses like the paladin had and he could have swifter and more agile attacks that were less powerful then that of the barbarian.
And what if they replace old ideas of characters with similar ideas, for instance instead of the assassin there could be ninja...
Now I know that those ideas don't really fit into the Diablo Plot but I just started reading the books and you have to remember that D3 is placed 20 years into the future, there could be many changes
One last thing, there won't be a Rouge character because that was used in D1 already.
who knows - witch doctor does not seem like a summoner, more like a hybrid. necromancer is a full summoner, we Could see the necromancer return
The necro is a confirmed expansion hero
he's the dark / black / unholy magic user using negative siphon Keris (the dagger)
he's the only one that can kill imperius.
it 'll be a cinematic where the necro face off with imperius and defeat him.
Where did you hear of the "confirmed expansion hero"?
the necro is too similar to the witch doctor and Blizzard already said that they want as little overlap of characters as possible.
1. Pure strength + vitality = Barbarian class - close quarter, melee, +health
2. Pure dexterity +agility = Ranger class (Rogue, Amazon) - long ranged, fast atk speed
3. Pure intelligence = Mage class (Wizard, sorcerer/ss) - ranged/melee spellcaster, +mana
4. Intelligence + vitality = Summoner class (Witch Doctor/necromancer/druid) melee attack type summoner, +mana +health
5. Strength + intelligence = Holy Knight class (Paladin) - melee support type, caster, healer, aura enchanted, +mana
6. Dexterity + intelligence = Assassin class (Ninja?) - melee close quarter, stealth, fast attack speed, traps caster, +attack damage +mana,
Hmm, these are just my suggestions,
I'm thinking the Witch Doctor should be the pure summoner, so they should include a little necromancy(bone/undead casting) spells on him
And I know, it's only 5 classes, but I want to have an Assassin type, like a Ninja, with some stealth flourishes and traps and all, it would be soo cool!
It seems I've been playing a lot of MMORPG lately,:D
P.S. yeah I'm also wondering, who is HER? She's so hot
Heres my prediction:
The Barb
The Witchdoctor which may be the necro replacement but im thinking there will be a new evil class.
The Sorc who focuses on ranged elemental spells in three areas ice, lightning and fire.
The Rogue(mobs were dropping bows)
The Paladin. His skills would be split into combat skills, defensive auras, and offensive auras, or healing.
2 original classes which may be hybrids or completely new.
Because they were fun to play? The assassin was more than just a click fest, the druid was very versatile, and the necro... well he was just fun. The game isn't really about "who can get to 99 first", it is about fun and story (at least from Bliz's end).
The problem with the "rush to 99" ethic is that it destroys creative builds, which makes the game less fun as a whole. Bliz has always had the "cookie cutter" build problem (at least in D2 and WoW), and I really hope they fix it for D3. They should find a way to eliminate "easy" builds that only rely on one skill to play.
That said, and to move back on topic; I agree with the majority. There probable will be a Rogue-ish class (perhaps merging in assasin skills), a Paladin class (which will never be balanced, see their other paladin classes for example), and a Sorcerer/ess class. This goes without doubt.
The only thing I'm wondering about is the trees. I'm guessing that the Barb has some druid spells now (it makes sense from a Lore perspective), and that the Rogue/Amazon has some assasin spells (for us melee-ers, and makes sense from a gameplay sense).
I just wish they would scrap the silly Paladin idea, they never impliment them properly, and they always rather suck. I never got the point. In the hundereds of hours I playerd D2:LOD, I've gotten a Pally up to around 20. In the hundereds of hours of WoW, I got a pally to about 20. I always quit, they are no fun.