Diablo III: Not Just a Vitality Race!

[Karoht]

Some of the names get pretty crazy in later difficulties. Like Wallers, who throw up 1-3 walls to corral you into moving in a specific direction. I think they're hell difficulty and up?
Arcane Enchanted are fun. For the scant few I found in the beta on normal, they were quite the pain in the bottom. I think they moved them to nightmare and up but I'm not sure.
Nightmare enchanted not only fear you, but your attacks cause them to be feared, and they supposedly enjoy pathing into other packs of stuff. I think they are nightmare and up as well.

Also, there are A LOT of monster types in the game. And many of them seem to have unique properties and tactics as well.

[Suichimo]

Some of the names get pretty crazy in later difficulties. Like Wallers, who throw up 1-3 walls to corral you into moving in a specific direction. I think they're hell difficulty and up?
Arcane Enchanted are fun. For the scant few I found in the beta on normal, they were quite the pain in the bottom. I think they moved them to nightmare and up but I'm not sure.
Nightmare enchanted not only fear you, but your attacks cause them to be feared, and they supposedly enjoy pathing into other packs of stuff. I think they are nightmare and up as well.

Also, there are A LOT of monster types in the game. And many of them seem to have unique properties and tactics as well.

Nightmarish creatures are in Normal, actually. Ran into an annoying amount of then in the beta.

[Karoht]

Nightmarish creatures are in Normal, actually. Ran into an annoying amount of then in the beta.

I thought I read that those were being moved up a notch in difficulty, or perhaps I misinterpeted. I'll blame the name for being similar.

[Starwulf]

Oh ye gods, I hated Lightning Enhanced... And I only dipped my toe into Nightmare.

(Both of the characters I actually finished the game with - Necromancer and Paladin - ended up not well specced for dealing with Nightmare. The former, I fell into the trap of sinking lots of points into Bone Spirit before I realised it was nowhere near as good as Bone Spear (as I only played single-player mode), and it cost so much mana I was forever running out... The latter was a thorns specialist whose modus operandi was "get hit by enemies who then die" which isn't a very viable tactic at the higher difficutly levels.)

While remenscing with one of my mates, he recalled that his paladin found the best way of dealing with them was with a charge move that had knockback, and if you had enough room he found the follow-up kept him clear of the lightning, as well as stun-locking the enemy.

Wow, you must have played D2 waaaayyy early in the beginning(like me!!!). I had a necro just like that, he was ahead of his time as well, spamming Bone Spirit all the time. Thing is, around patch 1.10, bone Spirit became freaking amazing, especially for duels(as well as ultra poison Necros with Bramble). It was actually just like Hydra Sorcs. I was one of the earliest people running a Hydra Sorc in D2, back when it was pretty lousy, but then it got a massive buff and became pretty freaking incredible ^^

[Aotrs Commander]

Wow, you must have played D2 waaaayyy early in the beginning(like me!!!). I had a necro just like that, he was ahead of his time as well, spamming Bone Spirit all the time. Thing is, around patch 1.10, bone Spirit became freaking amazing, especially for duels(as well as ultra poison Necros with Bramble). It was actually just like Hydra Sorcs. I was one of the earliest people running a Hydra Sorc in D2, back when it was pretty lousy, but then it got a massive buff and became pretty freaking incredible ^^

I think initially, it was really, really awesome, then it got nerfed to crap in the early patches. I stopped playing not long after 1.09 came out (after deciding that single-player "players 8" was the only way to play!). By that time, I'd already finished by necromancer on normal. D2 is still on my machine (it's pretty much ALWAYS on my machine, just as a standby, even if I don't use it much).

And, of course, I never fought duels (or indeed played multiplayer at all), so Bone Spirit's advantage there was lost to me.

[Starwulf]

I think initially, it was really, really awesome, then it got nerfed to crap in the early patches. I stopped playing not long after 1.09 came out (after deciding that single-player "players 8" was the only way to play!). By that time, I'd already finished by necromancer on normal. D2 is still on my machine (it's pretty much ALWAYS on my machine, just as a standby, even if I don't use it much).

And, of course, I never fought duels (or indeed played multiplayer at all), so Bone Spirit's advantage there was lost to me.

Yeah, I do believe it started out pretty decent, then got nerfed, then got massively buffed around 1.10 or 1.11, I'm pretty sure at the same time that Hydra Sorcs got buffed. Hell, even Teeth were pretty useful once that particular line of spells got buffed.

[Aotrs Commander]

Yeah, I do believe it started out pretty decent, then got nerfed, then got massively buffed around 1.10 or 1.11, I'm pretty sure at the same time that Hydra Sorcs got buffed. Hell, even Teeth were pretty useful once that particular line of spells got buffed.

Now that I think about it, I do vaguely recall the new synergy bonuses when I last played a year or two ago (after installing in the last time). I think I'd started a new necromancer...

I think I might have to pull myself away from my Evil Idiot run through ME 2 long enough to have a nosey...

[Avilan the Grey]

How the mind of gamers work:

The pre-order at the local Game Store-store are all sold out; you can still pre-order but you won't get the game until the second shipment, around May 22nd.

At the same time my local supermarket will have plenty of copies, for the same price on release day... I guess "real gamers can not buy games at the supermarket and still be hardcore"? Or something?

And yes I discovered this when I fell off the wagon yesterday and decided to pre-order. I won't do it, because there will be plenty of copies available in stores close to me on the 15th.

[Aotrs Commander]

So, I dug out D2 and had a nosey. My old Necromancer is still pretty much unsalvageable (being only level 38, for a start, with a too-wide base of skills).

My last try has just hit L18 and bone spear (with a point in Amplify Damage and Corpse Explosion, and everything else into teeth).

What I can't work out is what build I was working in terms of stats... He's got Str 60 (I have a distant recollection I was working to some maximum for some kit of some kind), and currently Vitality and Energy 40. What's odd is all the current guides suggest you never touch Energy, so I wonder what guide I was using last time, unless I just choose to disregard it.

(I'm working on the basis whatever gear I was going for must have had a fairly low level requirement, since I would not have expected to get much further than a pass through normal under the best of circumstances.)

But damned if I can find a necromancer guide with my googling that even looks remotely convincing to what I looked up priorly...

Go figure.

[AgentPaper]

How the mind of gamers work:

The pre-order at the local Game Store-store are all sold out; you can still pre-order but you won't get the game until the second shipment, around May 22nd.

At the same time my local supermarket will have plenty of copies, for the same price on release day... I guess "real gamers can not buy games at the supermarket and still be hardcore"? Or something?

And yes I discovered this when I fell off the wagon yesterday and decided to pre-order. I won't do it, because there will be plenty of copies available in stores close to me on the 15th.

Not really that surprising. This day and age, you don't really need the CD at all. All you really need is the account so you can log in after downloading the game.

I would assume that your store has some kind of system that allows people to get their CD keys or whatever on release ay even if they can't ship them the box yet.

[Avilan the Grey]

Not really that surprising. This day and age, you don't really need the CD at all. All you really need is the account so you can log in after downloading the game.

I would assume that your store has some kind of system that allows people to get their CD keys or whatever on release ay even if they can't ship them the box yet.

No: their homepage even says "No delivery until second shipment".
But yes, this is why I am disappointed that Battle.Net charges so very much more for a digital (non limited- or collectors edition!) copy than if I walk my a.. to the store. With a price for all of Europe at 59.99 Euros (539.12 SEK) it is much too expensive to consider (price in stores 449 SEK).

[Aotrs Commander]

No: their homepage even says "No delivery until second shipment".
But yes, this is why I am disappointed that Battle.Net charges so very much more for a digital (non limited- or collectors edition!) copy than if I walk my a.. to the store. With a price for all of Europe at 59.99 Euros (539.12 SEK) it is much too expensive to consider (price in stores 449 SEK).

If my quick currency conversion is right it's nearly cheaper for you to buy it from the UK and pay the shipping! (If you could find somewhere that does free shipping it would be, as 450SEK equates to about £40 and the game itself if £35.)

I feel also guilty I'm getting it not far off half-price...! (Thank you, silly months-ago-Amazon pricing!)

[Avilan the Grey]

If my quick currency conversion is right it's nearly cheaper for you to buy it from the UK and pay the shipping! (If you could find somewhere that does free shipping it would be, as 450SEK equates to about £40 and the game itself if £35.)

I feel also guilty I'm getting it not far off half-price...! (Thank you, silly months-ago-Amazon pricing!)

Exactly.

Anyway, I'll just take a walk on my lunch break and pick it up. I work in a zoned business only area with a number of big (Walmart-like) supermarkets on the fringes of it, which means they will have tons of copies at lunch the 15th: very few gamers in the area and everyone working until 5pm anyway.

[Adumbration]

Hey, does anyone know if you can use the Beta client to run the actual game, or do I have to uninstall it and download again?

EDIT: Also, I just discovered - I have Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU T4300 @ 2.10GHz, and apparently the minimum requirement is Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+. I was able to run the Beta, though, so is it completely lost cause? I have laptop so it's kinda hard to upgrade.

[AgentPaper]

If you can run the beta, you can run the game. They didn't make any major changes.

You will have to re-download the game. You don't technically need to uninstall the beta, but you may as well because it's useless now.

Edit: Also, you can start downloading the game right now. You can't install it until Tuesday, of course, but it should save you some time, especially with the servers clogged as they will be on release day.

I'm pretty sure you can download the game even if you don't have the game on your account yet, for example if you're waiting on physical copy. You'll just need to attach the game code to your account before logging in.

[Adumbration]

If you can run the beta, you can run the game. They didn't make any major changes.

You will have to re-download the game. You don't technically need to uninstall the beta, but you may as well because it's useless now.

Edit: Also, you can start downloading the game right now. You can't install it until Tuesday, of course, but it should save you some time, especially with the servers clogged as they will be on release day.

I'm pretty sure you can download the game even if you don't have the game on your account yet, for example if you're waiting on physical copy. You'll just need to attach the game code to your account before logging in.

Thanks, downloading the installer right now. Will try to acquire a physical copy on Wednesday (hopefully won't have run out - not sure if it's as popular here in Finland as in some places) - but failing that, I might get a digital copy.

[Avilan the Grey]

So, once again visiting a forum has made me lose a bit of my hope for humanity.

The Fan Dumb has gone down from 6 months ago at the official D3 forum, but it is still totally overcrowded by the L33T players who are already calculating the optimum Inferno Builds* and do little else (except laughing at new players, especially new players that cross over from the WoW franchise, for some reason).

So right now my worst three forums are:

3. Bioware Forums
2. D3 Forums
1. No Mutants Allowed

Thank the gods for GiTP!

*Despite Blizzard's promise that there is over 1 trillion builds that will work and be able to solo Inferno, they are obsessed with finding that specific combo.

[AgentPaper]

So, once again visiting a forum has made me lose a bit of my hope for humanity.

The Fan Dumb has gone down from 6 months ago at the official D3 forum, but it is still totally overcrowded by the L33T players who are already calculating the optimum Inferno Builds* and do little else (except laughing at new players, especially new players that cross over from the WoW franchise, for some reason).

So right now my worst three forums are:

3. Bioware Forums
2. D3 Forums
1. No Mutants Allowed

Thank the gods for GiTP!

*Despite Blizzard's promise that there is over 1 trillion builds that will work and be able to solo Inferno, they are obsessed with finding that specific combo.

Making fun of new players certainly sucks, but making fun of them for being "obsessed" with finding the best build is just as bad. They enjoy the game in a different way than you do, but that doesn't make them wrong.

[Avilan the Grey]

Making fun of new players certainly sucks, but making fun of them for being "obsessed" with finding the best build is just as bad. They enjoy the game in a different way than you do, but that doesn't make them wrong.

Point taken, although I am not making fun of them. I am just saying it is a very unwelcoming environment for "noobs".

[Runestar]

Making fun of new players certainly sucks, but making fun of them for being "obsessed" with finding the best build is just as bad. They enjoy the game in a different way than you do, but that doesn't make them wrong.

Since when we're blizzard forums ever hospitable? It was crap with wow, got worse with Starcraft 2, and d3 seems to be the next logical casualty.

[Avilan the Grey]

In 23 hours I will have the game! ...Not that I can play it until tomorrow night, but hey at least I can drool over the package...

[Adumbration]

Can you play the game in single player mode and still buy/sell stuff at the auction thingie?

[polity4life]

Can you play the game in single player mode and still buy/sell stuff at the auction thingie?

As you've probably heard, there isn't a single player mode per se. You just make a private game instead of a public game or joining a public game. You will be able to use the in-game currency AH and the RMAH in either a private or public game.

[Karoht]

@Fandumb and Forums

Yeah, the official forums are going to fill up with that junk, especially after live. But, the D3 community has been showing itself to be made up of not completely jerkwad type people, so it will probably calm down in a few weeks.


@Inferno Mode
I'll play whatever 'feels' like it's working. If I am hitting a brick wall, I'll change things up, if things are smooth enough for my tastes, I'll leave them be. I've never been 100% attatched to builds as I play characters (though I was extremely fond of my powershifter druid back in original WoW), I'm really only concerned with two things:
-Am I able to clear content with the build?
-Is it still fun to play?

If the optimal build is filled with abilities I'm not keen on, then I'm not going to be jumping into the optimal build. However, if my build is just flat out ineffective, then I'll look to the optimal build, see what I can learn from it, and adapt where possible/necessary.

IMO the most optimal build in the game is the one that is fun, perhaps challenging to master and rewards the skill input, and clears content 'effectively'

[Chen]

*Despite Blizzard's promise that there is over 1 trillion builds that will work and be able to solo Inferno, they are obsessed with finding that specific combo.

For reference Blizz never said all 1 trillion (or whatever the number of possible builds are) would be viable for soloing inferno. They said there would be multiple viable inferno builds though.

[Karoht]

They said there would be a gazillion build possibilities, and that many would viable. Many being a very poorly defined word. It could mean half, more than half, less than half, or it could mean a very small number of builds per character are in fact actually viable.

That said, they did say in a video all about Inferno Mode, they recommend 2 defensive abilities, 1 high damage single target, 1 high damage AoE, and the other two as economy (fury build/dump, signature spells, etc). Even going by that loadout, there are still quite a few builds that follow this pattern. Bearing in mind of course that viable is a word that becomes difficult to measure even in this sense. The defensives are especially hard to quantify because many of them are situational. And then rune effects take defensives even further.


Either way, I would say that "many" builds will be potentially viable as a result. Many being a rather large number, but I couldn't begin to speculate on exactly how large. I would not be surprised if it numbered high though. IE-If 1 trillion builds are possible, 1 million of them being inferno viable is still a pretty significantly high number (in my opinion). Yes, this represents a fraction of 1% (a very tiny fraction at that), yet it is still a high number of builds in that it would take rather a long time to actually build and test even just 1 million builds.
In other words, it might be a statistically insignificant number, but to the player (in practice) it will likely be a significant number.

[Chen]

It also depends on how they define viable. If at least one person can beat Inferno with a build will it be considered viable? I suspect there will be many builds where someone with a lot of skill or a lot of time will beat Inferno with. I also suspect there will be a much smaller subset of builds that the majority of people will be able to successfully complete Inferno with. While individual builds may be different I suspect people will sort them in more generic templates anyway. Things like a "Electrocute/Disintegrate Wizard" where numerous other skills can change (like what armor skill they use) but that don't dramatically change the build.

[Karoht]

It also depends on how they define viable. If at least one person can beat Inferno with a build will it be considered viable? I suspect there will be many builds where someone with a lot of skill or a lot of time will beat Inferno with. I also suspect there will be a much smaller subset of builds that the majority of people will be able to successfully complete Inferno with. While individual builds may be different I suspect people will sort them in more generic templates anyway. Things like a "Electrocute/Disintegrate Wizard" where numerous other skills can change (like what armor skill they use) but that don't dramatically change the build.

Indeed. As I said, 'viable' isn't exactly something we can quantify, at least, not easily. Is it easier to quantify what viable is not? I don't know.

I would recommend 3 catagories, if I were serious about trying to catagorize a build:
Faceroll-Press buttons, watch pretty colors, you will do just fine, anyone can play this build.
Viable-Doable but with varying levels of challenge, this build is not for everyone.
Unviable-Unable to clear content without a group or unreasonable levels of challenge if solo. Perhaps a build of nothing but support abilities and defensive abilities.

And even then, we have to compair these builds to the specific situations they find themselves in. IE-Against Boss X the A build is Faceroll and the B build is Viable or Unviable. But against Boss Y the A build is viable or even unviable, while the B build is Faceroll.


Personally speaking, I am largely unconcerned about the viablity of builds, at least for the next week or two.


EDIT:
What I am more intersted in is the direction some builds take. For example, when I start toying with a Wizard build on the Skill Calculator, I can't help but gravitate back to Hydra at some point. Which then starts to direct other aspects of my build. So I'm really waiting to see what direction other builds take to sort of force me to try other things.

[Chen]

What I am more intersted in is the direction some builds take. For example, when I start toying with a Wizard build on the Skill Calculator, I can't help but gravitate back to Hydra at some point. Which then starts to direct other aspects of my build. So I'm really waiting to see what direction other builds take to sort of force me to try other things.

I'm going to take the same approach I did in the beta the first time I played it. Get a new skill/rune, try it out and determine if its better than the current skills I have. If so use it. If not wait for the next rune that changes it.

[TechnOkami]

Heya, so, I've definitely got a question about Diablo 3, seeing that it's release is several hours away.

What's the best way to reduce lag with the game?