PSA: Diablo III Open Beta Weekend

WD felt like the weakest class to me, too. So, I dunno.

Kinda silly seeing some grumble about the introductory areas being easy. From what I've read, up the end of the beta is maybe 1/3 of Act I with 4 Acts overall (last I heard, anyway). This is then eventually repeated in Nightmare, Hell, and the new Inferno difficulties, with the added layer of Hardcore if you're the masochistic type that likes losing everything if you die. The proposed level spreads are something level 30 around finishing Normal, 50 for Nightmare, and 60 for Hell. As one might expect, the EXP curves will climb as you, so the EXP needed to hit 30 might pale compared to 31-50. For now, hard to say how "fast" this will feel since effectiveness in later acts/difficulties will hinge heavily upon gear you're using. Just because you beat Nightmare doesn't mean you're ready for Hell. And according to Blizz, people will die a lot in Inferno.

Anyway, I tried not to get too hung up on how useful lower end skills were. When ultimately limited to a number of abilities, people will choose what works best for them. Yeah, I expect cookie cutters... some abilities are just conceptually better by default, but I'd say there's a modest enough variety to keep everyone from "being the same" as some are concerned with. I'm of the mind playing a ranged attacker like Wizard or Demon Hunter will be the smartest thing to do as first characters, as melee will have to express a greater concern for defense since they must absolutely be in the fray, even if Barb and Monk gets a passive damage reduction. Ranged superiority has just be one of those things that historically dominated gaming, too.

Overall, not fond of the skill selection UI, but it's not like I'll be sitting in that a lot. With the Nephilim Valor concept kicking it at 60, you'll lose possible built magic find if you switch skills around. This encourages people to find what will work for them and stick with it instead of feeling compelled to constantly flip flop between abilities. You still can if you believe it worth the loss, but I no doubt Inferno will require high end gear to tackle reliably.

Can it be May 15th now? :/