What do you think the 5 character classes are? [Archive]

Flux

29-06-2008, 11:42

character names aren't that useful, since it's more about the play style and variety:

1) i can't see witch doctor and necro. witch doctor already has curse type skills and summonings and undead spells.

2) barbarian looks pretty much like the d2 barbarian now, but we've only seen a few of hi skills. They may hybrid him some more; give him some more party skills to enable some paladin style overlap? his skills were pretty redundant in d2, with 6 weapon masteries that could easily have been one to allow more variety per character, and he was overly boosted by passives. easy to retain most of his combat styles and still add more variety.

3) they've got to have an archer of some kind, and might hybrid that character to give him/her more abilities. throwing knives drop in the movie, so there should be a throwing weapon specialist. Seems more logical to make that the ranger/javelin user, than the way they squeezed some of those skills into the barbarian in d2. make this char all ranged but with a variety, instead of strong melee too.

4) they've got to have a mage of some kind. sorcerer/ess. that goes w/o saying. could be direct attack trees and then give them some of the delayed, trap type stuff as well, to give the char more variety and keep the caster skills on one char.

5) which means the 5th would probably be another melee fighter type, or maybe some hybrid melee/ranged fighter. knight/paladin? maybe some assassin melee skill stuff worked in?

Other abilities: Unclear where the party booster type is. someone has auras? barbarian with his warcries?

Can any character transform, druid style?

any character have skills that use the masses of monsters against themselves, ala CE or lightning fury?

Meimu

29-06-2008, 11:56

My opinion is 5 classes is much too bare bones for a third installment of the Diablo franchise. Not that I think it's a bad thing...but can someone smell expansions in the near future? =P I do...

stillman

29-06-2008, 11:59

I can't ignore the Q&A transcript where it says they're going for fresh chr class ideas and they don't intend to bring over other D2 characters to D3.

Consider the necro from D2: wasn't he rather original in that he did not fit in to the typical melee fighter/mage/thief (archer) molds? If Blizzard can do that, then I figgure they will invent a few new molds, as hard as that may sound. At least, I hope they do. I'm one of the players who wants to see new ideas, since we've played out the D2 heros for so many years.

Of course, the 2 chrs they have shown seem to contradict my idea. The barb is the D2 barb and the witchdoctor seems to include components of the WoW shaman and the necro. I hope this is where the old ideas end so that new ones can emerge with the new classes.

Meimu

29-06-2008, 12:01

:Edit:

My bad, DII was crazy laggy for a min.. xD

Nacaa

29-06-2008, 12:07

I hope there will be some kind of Paladin class. An RPG game without a true hero would be a bit of a meh.

lothars

29-06-2008, 12:32

Es Mors

29-06-2008, 12:45

Doesn't anyone else think that the game would really benefit from not having any sorceress-type character? Personally, I feel we have had enough of those and it is really the most unoriginal thing together with the barbarian in an RPG.

Gallant One

29-06-2008, 13:37

I cheated and named 7 (for hypothetical expansion):

Barb
Witch Doctor
Cavalier (meelee/paladin type)
Rogue type (like a ranger or assassin that can backstab)
Monk (character that uses little armor or weapons/martial artist and "spiritual magic")-this may be more of an expansion character. This is a character I want (not nec. one of the five I think it will be.)
Mage
Shapeshifter-Prob. a expansion character

Arkardo

29-06-2008, 14:07

Seeing how classes will be able to be both male and female, Amazon is out.

My guess for the three remaining classes:
Knight
Ranger
Sorcerer/Sorceress

Maybe they'll have some kind of system where your character can advance to sub-type classes like in Secret of Mana 2/Seiken Densetsu 3. That could make something like:
Fighter -> Knight -> Paladin
OR: Warrior -> Champion
Apprentice -> Magician -> Magus
OR: Enchantress -> Sorcerer/Sorceress
Thief -> Archer -> Ranger
OR: Rogue -> Assassin
Witch Docter -> Shaman -> Necromancer
OR: Alchemist -> Druid
Barbarian -> Monk -> Berserker
OR:
Summoner -> Trainer

Or whatever. :azn:

prion

29-06-2008, 17:39

what do you call a female monk?

Mad Mantis

29-06-2008, 18:33

That would be a nun.

sneakytails

29-06-2008, 18:46

I will say this one more time. There needs to be a certain level of flexibility (freedom)in characters and their skills.

That means that a "melee" character such as a barb should be able to use a missle weapon to dispatch a very dangerous monster that is suicide to melee.
This is a big deal when playing solo.

This whole idea of locking a class into certain weapons is dumb.

And yes I have been backed into a corner as a sorc and fought my way out with a random melee weapon from off the ground. This was the cool thing about diablo.

This is why I want a character like the amazon that could wield a spear and bow and not be bow only which is dumb and restricting.

Cast_Raider

29-06-2008, 18:56

I'm going to go ahead and predict some sort of assassin/ninja type character. Although I hope the implementation is better this time around. It should be because of the new possibilities that a 3D environment opens up.

This character would make use of throwing knives and potions that were rarely used in D2. Also katanas, claws, and bows--but these would be extremely powerful single-shot boss-buster type attacks, not area-effect attacks like multishot or WW or whatever. Other classes get to do that.

For mobs, you'd want traps I suppose. I don't like the way they were done in D2 though. I mean come on, a trap isn't something you throw. It's something you plant on a wall or the ground...carefully. Then you lure things towards it and run like hell.

Since the game will be 3D, we need one or more classes to take full advantage of this. How about an assassin that can stealthily spiderman his way up walls? Climb ceilings? Drop down and quickly dispatch a summoner before he calls up any more minions? Or perhaps some rope skills. Passing over chasms with a rope line, climbing up/down cliffs, etc.

Finally, I also think this type of character would work better if the monster AI were more sophisticated. Like now, if you get in a certain radius of a monster, he automatically sees you, period. Even if his back is turned. I guess I would almost like for the assassin gameplay to feel more like Splinter Cell. Like, there's gear and it's important; but the strategy of stalking and manuvering and lurking in the shadows and knowing when to strike is important too.

ChrisF

29-06-2008, 19:17

"When he died and his ineffectual child heir took the throne, Caldeum began to circle the abyss. Our list of ills seems never-ending: the state of our downtrodden and the slums they are forced to live in, our incompetent leadership, the reemergence of the intolerant Zakarum, and their quarrels with our mage class...I could go on for pages."

I copied this from the diablo 3 site. Could The Zakarum + Mage be 2 more classes?

Lyrs

29-06-2008, 22:58

These classes need to be more story orientated and set or originated from the area where we're going to fight monsters. I loved the fact that we had Barbarians + Act5, Paladians + Act 3, but we really needed more connections.

I'd love a Pirate class though.

PiXeL

30-06-2008, 06:48

hopefully ranger class will be similar to Hunter in WoW would reallly love to see a class that can TAME pets and other beasts

Manovan

30-06-2008, 07:06

Barabas

30-06-2008, 08:04

It would be a sacrilege not to include the ol' kickin' a*ses paladin.

But please mr. Blizzard d3 project director DO NOT make him overpower like you did in d2. No more hammer overpower stuffs or something, we had enough with din din. We hate din din in pvp. Like it really sux'd.

No more din please.

IamMartin

30-06-2008, 08:06

Seeing how classes will be able to be both male and female, Amazon is out.

As much as I look forward to this game.
Without Amazon, I probably won't get it :rant:
And as for classes without both sex.
Since as far as I can tell and definition from a Dictionary.
Seems to me that a "witch" can only be female as well.
But since there are male witchs in D3, hopefully my favorite class will make a return and having male "Amazon" won't bother me a bit.

prion

30-06-2008, 08:34

hopefully ranger class will be similar to Hunter in WoW would reallly love to see a class that can TAME pets and other beasts

i don't really see this happening...I don't think there's any beasts in the game world that a "light-side" character would want to tame

Flux

30-06-2008, 10:13

I'd love a Pirate class though.

I'm going to go ahead and predict some sort of assassin/ninja type character.

well, we've got pirates and ninjas in this thread. that's 4/5 of the game locked in. what's left? cowboys?

-wicked~night-

30-06-2008, 12:56

I'm rooting for the comeback of the rogue and mage classes to replace the amazon and sorceress. As for the fifth I'd prefer a mage-hunter (assassin) but will most likely be the paladin.

SirLuxeflex

30-06-2008, 13:56

In my opinion, the Paladin should return as the more intelligent fighter-class (compared to Hulk-style Barbarian). The amazon is out, since there will be no male Amazons (i hope not....).
Sorceror should come back, with the sorceress of course.

So there's one more class left, the rogue. Rogues can be male or female (though in Diablo only female). Let them specialize in Bows/Spears/Katars (if there will be skill-trees again).

So; Barbarian, Witch-Doctor, Paladin, Sorceror, Rogue. Seems plausible...

mackemradge

30-06-2008, 14:00

I would love to see a rider class of some kind. Heard a rumour that D3 will include rideable mounts. Don't know how reliable this info is though.

If this is true then I would love to try out some sort of horse archer/mounted spearman character. Best analogy would be a LOTR Rider of Rohan. Low damage but quick, agile ranging attacks. Any thoughts guys?

Could open a whole new skill set, item class and upgrades to mounts etc. Upgrade your donkey for a war charger, buy him some go faster horseshoes and kick some a**. :thumbup:

Lazarus II

30-06-2008, 14:55

So apart from the two already announced I would love to see an eastern styled warrior. A mix between the Paladin and the Rogue. Maybe something similar to a Persian Immortal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Immortals). Adding to that I wouldn't complain if we had a Druid character, but instead named a Shaman. I think there's a cool concept picture (the one holding the snake) at the official site that would fit the bill perfectly. Using the nature and animals to fight the battle. So one left. Maybe a type of monk? Like Hratli in Kurast. That would be wicked. Balanced both in magic and in the art of war. That would leave us with:

Barbarian (Melee)
Witch Doctor (Magic)
Shaman (Magic)
"Immortal" (Melee/Ranged)
"Monk" (Magic/Melee)

Pyratheon

30-06-2008, 15:40

Im hoping that a mage type will be present, with some changes. Personally i believe ditching tele for something like acrobatics could be cool. If it happens here comes a cartwheeling firesorcerer, and u can try to stop me. Means you'd have to be more cautious, cause couldnt just tele out. Hoping that its also not as supremely powerful as in d2, but cant be resisted, cause that takes half the fun out of pvp, cause u end up fighting people with so much your doing no dmg, or even some spells resistable, some not. Mages r fun, but id prefer less just combat magic, and more stuff like traps, rituals, stuff to help youre team get out of tight situations(imagine not being able 2 tele, but able 2 tele others over short distances). Of course some combat magic will be needed, im hoping for a mix of seeking and straight line.What i'd mlove wuld be spells like baal uses at the beginning of the expansion movie vs. that barb. Hoping for the best, and some suprisies.

Pyratheon

30-06-2008, 15:42

And as to the other predictions im hoping for some kinda hybrid being availible. Prepare to feel the wrath of my ninja-pirate-cowboy-nun

mackemradge

30-06-2008, 18:14

Love the concept of ninja-pirate-cowboy-nun.

If Blizzard takes on board all forum member suggestions and wish lists we're gonna see some pretty f'ed up characters in D3.

SirLuxeflex

30-06-2008, 18:20

And as to the other predictions im hoping for some kinda hybrid being availible. Prepare to feel the wrath of my ninja-pirate-cowboy-nun

It's the nun part that's really scary! :scratchchin:

But I think the Sorceror and Paladin should definately return, just to broaden your options a bit more (hmm, I want a fighter-class but I can only choose the moronic Barbarian...).

So 2 casters (Sorceror/Witch Doctor), 2 fighters (Barb/Paladin) and one jack-of-all-trades (Rogue).

Joshisapoolie

30-06-2008, 20:18

I think its already been mentioned but I'd like to see a Cleric. Perhaps an old man/woman with the ability to cast a spell which transforms them into a more youthful version of themselves, maybe increasing vitality/strength/dex/energy?

Perhaps they could have some sort of healing ability too, maybe even revival.

-wicked~night-

01-07-2008, 00:57

This game doesn't need healers.

raishi

01-07-2008, 02:36

the BARD!!!!

singing is way to hell...lol

DufresneXV

01-07-2008, 02:46

I think 6 characters would be enough for starters. While Many might like more characters, you may want to save some for an expansion pack. Unless of course, you don't want an expansion or are not concerned about having to many character types.

For D2 I could care less about Druid/ Necromancer/ Assassin builds, as I focus on Sorcs/ Paladins/ Barbs/ Amazons. However, I think they should be represented in D3 since they are popular.

Here are my 6 classes

Barbarian- need a brute force fighting type character
Witch Doctor (since Blizzard intends to make it)
Sorceress type character
Explorer/ Merchant type character (good at MF?)
Ranger/ Amazon
Paladin combined with something else

Other character idea (for fun)

Rogue/ Outlaw- You could be a wanted criminal? lol

DeathByCactus

01-07-2008, 03:02

Barb
WD
Shield/plate class
Pure Mage class
Some sort of Rogue/amazon/assassin hybrid with good range, I would guess

I highly doubt they will not have a plate/shield class and a pure mage class. I highly doubt there will be an explorer/merchant class, that would be a waste of a character slot for 95% of people who will end up exploring and killing anyway who can use MF gear as they find it.

Pyratheon

02-07-2008, 00:31

Love the concept of ninja-pirate-cowboy-nun.

If Blizzard takes on board all forum member suggestions and wish lists we're gonna see some pretty f'ed up characters in D3.

Yeah, whatever. Bet you wouldn't dare say that to the face of my ninja-pirate-cowboy-nun.

Hoping they don't take all the wishlists etc into account, or with all the complaining going on I reckong we'd end up with this:

Amazon. Barbarian. Necromancer. Sorceress. Paladin. Assasin. Druid.

Maybe a witchdoctor, tho they'd probably end up scrapping it since everyone would decide some of the skills aren't to the liking.

Pyratheon

02-07-2008, 00:42

the BARD!!!!

singing is way to hell...lol

If anyone heard me singing i'd be heading straight to hell.

Then again, if my chars singing was anything like mine itd be the deadliest character ever. Everything within a miles radius goes deaf and dies. Itd own pvp. Probably kill everything in town aswell. Except Deckard Cain whose probably deaf as a post....

Speaking of such, I've got a theory that adventurers really dislike him, but pity him to much to tell him to piss off. Like an annoying kid that always follows you around. You're in the middle of doing something interesting, sunbathing in the desert, taking in the sights of hell, or having a nice game of tennis with mephisto when suddenly up he comes and ruins everything. Your hero street cred instantly dies. You're the laughing stock of adventurers forever! You could die of the shame. And you become instantly uncool. You just wish you could get him to shut up and go AWAY!

Yet still he perseveres, never shutting up, despite all your attempts.

"You have quite a treasure in that horadric cube....."

Oh god. Here we go again...

HRP

02-07-2008, 02:06

Here's what I'm shootin' for...

Melee: Barbarian
Offensive Support: Witch Doctor
Defensive Support: Paladin/White Knight
Offensive Magic: Mage
Ranged Attack: Ranger/Rogue

MrProphet

02-07-2008, 05:53

The only thing I ask for...is no healer class. There are no healers in diablo. (exceptions include abbot-paladins >.>) The only class used to heal allies in diablo ii was holy bolt. Even that, when used against undead, did some pretty good damage. (although nobody used it)

Kanji

03-07-2008, 07:54

I'd have preferred to see nothing but new classes, but it won't be the end of the world to me if one or two more classes come back. There's almost certainly going to be a pure offensive spellslinger with the more iconic elemental spells from D1 and D2 (hopefully in addition to some cool new tricks, of course) they may as well just collapse the Sorcerer and the Sorceress into one class (hooray, genders!) and cover that base.

Since we already know about the Witch Doctor, I think the other two classes we'll see are going to be another fighter with better ranged skills than the barb and more finesse-based melee, and a hybrid class with caster and fighter elements. I can't see there being more returning classes than new ones, so the last two will likely (hopefully) be new additions, as well.

I'd love to see a "Scout" type class with a focus on bows/x-bows and throwing weapons (mostly knives, instead of axes or javelins), with a subtle, stealthy style of melee combat. Something less showy than the 'zon, but harder-hitting than the Rogue. Not really sure about hybrids; I've always liked the idea of a summoner/melee hybrid, a character designed around summoning up a cadre of minions, then running in and fighting alongside them instead of hanging back and/or slinging spells.

Hopefully they won't reuse more than one or two classes. Part of what made D2 so great was the total departure, in terms of playstyle.

This is just the sort of stuff I'd like to see, of course. Of course, only the guys at Blizzard have the plan. As long as it fits the spirit of the franchise, and is executed well, I'm sure we'll all find their decisions appreciable.

5zigen

03-07-2008, 08:49

My prediction, with explanations for new classes:

Barbarian
Witch Doctor
Ranger (kind of like a cross between the druid and amazon, nature pets + bows)
Mage (or whatever you want to call a pure caster, only this time with elemental summons)
Priest (perhaps monk, need something to represent the holy, partially spellcaster partially other)

I'm tempted to think they may make the Priest the spellcaster, but the sorcerer has been a staple and they said 3 staples.

FistOfFury

03-07-2008, 11:30

Barb
Mage
Rogue/Sin hybrid (if not the return of zon)
Witch Doctor
and I'm guessing the last two will prob be either something completely new or reworked shifter/druid and pally (prob renamed to cleric/monk)

Angel_of_Wrath

03-07-2008, 21:07

Ok, so no monk or amazon because of gender issues. I dont see the druid or necro returning. So I think:

Barb - the dual wielding, offensive damage dealer, swords, mauls, spears
Witchdoctor - summoner, curses, some spells, wands and masks

Rogue/Ranger - All ranged weaponry, bows, knives, axes, etc
Paladin/Knight - Shields and shiny plate armors, auras
Mage/Wizard/Sorceror - Elemental or 'arcane' spell caster

Yes, the sorc is overdone, but I looove big spells. You gotta have it. You think there's an outrage over colour? Wait till there's no Chain Lightning motherf... err... sorry. I am a bit worried about it though because they said the witchdoctor controls fire and I love meteor too.

For xpac:
-A hand to hand combatant like Monk/Assassin hybrid. I really wanna see hand to hand stave combat with staff block.
-A shapeshifting class of some sort, hopefully demon shapeshifter with revives! hmm, that might suit the witchdoctor
-One other, hopefully a variation of a magical class like an alchemist

It would be a shame for D3 to have the same number of classes as D2 - unless! they are able to have greatly diversified skill trees. For example, your Rogue class can have bows or knives or traps. Hmmm. Thinking about diablo makes me ramble.

Maedhros

03-07-2008, 23:42

Barb

WD

Ranger (Bows/Lances/traps) - Make the ranger familar, yet add new aspects to it with
the combo of traps and lance knock backs

Sorc ( Lighting/Cold/Shape shifting) - This would take care of the druid aspect and add new game play

Paladin- because when you think about it, barbs not realy a tank, more of a killer

Pyratheon

04-07-2008, 00:09

oh NO! Just realized that if WD has fire spellcaster may not. I love pure fire sorcs on d2. I mean, casting hydra traps, blasting fireballs, summoning down meteors, i lived for that stuff. I hope they keep the hydra, other than that, well, im sure other offensive spells will be similar type ish to fire ball, straight line dmg spell, pretty simple.

ELox

05-07-2008, 01:16

ELox

05-07-2008, 01:36

We know:

1)Barbarian
2)Witch Doctor

Here's what I'm thinking:

3) Battlemage//Elementalist//Arch-Mage
This would be a pure caster similar to the sorc in d2 but with some cool spells taken from D1 mage (i.e. apocolypse) and of course new spells.

4) This one I'm not sure what to think. Could be a Ranger//Rogue type char that is ranged with amazon related skills but not named amazon due to gender issue. Perhaps Female could be called Amazon and Male could be Ranger but share alot of skills. Lorewise maybe the Amazons trained some males after their numbers were dwindling?

5) Paladin/Champion/Crusader
Whatever you call it there is a need for someone to where full plate with a shield and do some in your face action. I don't see any reason the Paladin wouldn't come back as they are firmly entrenched in the lore. Perhaps they are modified for more holy type demon *** kicking. Maybe a metamorphosis into angel form would be swell.

OR

5) My thinking outside the box character: *Mystic*
Sort of an Assassin/Paladin if you will. This character specialize in hand to hand melee fighting with really cool flourishing combos that are like a dancing martial arts attacking. Also this character could have a tree for party buffs // enemy debuffs focusing on his mastery of his mental powers and discipline to create AURA LIKE effects that could cause enemies to move more slowly, take damage over time or any number of things like the paladin auras currently do to buff or debuff in an AOE. The third tree could focus on his body discipline for personal buffs and bonuses like adding speed, armour, elements to his melee attacks etc. Just a thought.

skorpiostouch

06-07-2008, 00:44

in one of the game screenshots from the official site, there can be seen a trio of male warriors: two of them are engaged in melee combat, while the third one stands from a distance weilding a bow. that makes me think the rogue/amazon class will be blended together with the paladin/ewarrior, of course classes in d3 will have a much deeper development of skills and allow for more flexibillty, example of this being the witch doctor, incorporating elements from the necromancer, shaman, and even the druid. i dont think or expect we will have all our long-time favorite classes from diablo 2, but i like to think of d3 as a brand new game that keeps the spirit of the previous chapters, which i think it does. so i hope for a game that is a complete improvemente to d2, just like d2 was a huge boost to d1 playability. lastly, my insight on the possible new classes.

barbarian
witch doctor
warrior/templar/paladin/knight (call it whatever you want, this class will allow players to specialize in melee or ranged physical weapons)
sorcerer/mage (class devoted to elemental magic, probably very similar to d2 sorceress)
psionic/mentalist (focusing on mind powers, this class will take full advantage of the new manipulable environment)

much to my disappointment, we will have to face that the necromancer is gone. and so are the druid and assassin. some of these chars abilities have been revamped and used in the new classes. i would also like to point out that there will be an expansion pack for sure, with maybe up to three additional classes. i am still trying to figure out what they gonna be.

phillycheez

06-07-2008, 06:37

My personal take on the character classes are (assuming that there will be 5 classes only and the Barb and Witch Doctor are counted amongst those):

- Ranger/Hunter class: They're basically going to be a mix of the Bowazon and the traps of the Assassin. Also, if it's going to be a hunter, they should definitely have animal summons like panthers or wolves.

- Shapeshifting class: Shapeshifting was one of the cooler things about the Druid. I can see them bringing it back, but they should add in more forms rather than just a Werewolf or Werebear form. Maybe include some elemental/spirit forms (similar to the Dungeons and Dragons rendition of a Druid) that uses different skill sets.

- Mage/pure spell casting class: Let's be rational here. There has to be a class that uses the Blizzard spell and a spell casting class fits that bill. I can't see anyone else other than a pure spell casting class using that spell. It doesn't have to be a Sorceress or Mage per se. It could be like the Druid, but focused purely on elemental spells. Give the character spells like Blizzard and Hurricane. Throw in Armageddon and the crazy fire and lightning spells to boot. Call it a Stormcaller or Elemental Druid or something like that.

If there are more than 5 classes to choose from the start, then I would think of something new. Maybe add a more finesse melee fighter that acts as a counterpart to the Barbarians brute force melee. Something like a Sword Dancer or Dervish.

5zigen

06-07-2008, 07:17

KiLLJOi

06-07-2008, 08:02

*I think*
Barbarian
Witch Doctor
Range/Rogue
Necromancer
Mage

Agreed. but who knows, maybe an expansion pack will enable more classes in the future?:scratchchin:

Psycroptic

06-07-2008, 10:14

They don't need 2 pure melee classes if they can somehow make the necro a viable melee alternative, like he was always meant to be. Skills like poison dagger,and dedicated Scythe and dagger weapons suggested the Necro was supposed to be able to melee along side his golems and summons.

They should lose the WD, it is a poor concept. Blizzard say they want to innovate with their character classes, then they pull a new class directly from the Warcraft scene. How about fixing a couple of the cooler existing characters, how is that for some innovation.

KiLLJOi

06-07-2008, 10:21

How about fixing a couple of the cooler existing characters, how is that for some innovation.

I wouldn't buy a HD version of D2, I personally like the whole new 3d engine along with the concept of brand new character classes. Seeing as D2 has been out for almost a decade, it'd probably be a better idea to move on from the old stuff and give their fans something new to be addicted to, alongside new heroes to fight with:thumbup:

Psycroptic

06-07-2008, 10:28

I wouldn't buy a HD version of D2, I personally like the whole new 3d engine along with the concept of brand new character classes. Seeing as D2 has been out for almost a decade, it'd probably be a better idea to move on from the old stuff and give their fans something new to be addicted to, alongside new heroes to fight with:thumbup:

A fully functional Necro or Druid is far more desirable than a WD to most Diablo fans i'm sure. I'm not saying there shouldn't be any new classes. I think there will be 6 or 7 classes in D3,despite what the FAQ says.

And what is new, anyway? A Warcraft class that (so far) chucks fulmination potions, summons dogs and casts curses and disease/rabies? How is that new? It will bring in alot of warcraft people "new" to the diablo world,that's for sure.

KiLLJOi

06-07-2008, 11:39

A fully functional Necro or Druid is far more desirable than a WD to most Diablo fans i'm sure. I'm not saying there shouldn't be any new classes. I think there will be 6 or 7 classes in D3,despite what the FAQ says.

And what is new, anyway? A Warcraft class that (so far) chucks fulmination potions, summons dogs and casts curses and disease/rabies? How is that new? It will bring in alot of warcraft people "new" to the diablo world,that's for sure.

If your thinking of it like that, a D2 rendered necromancer would look out of place when compared to the D3 graphical engine would he not? If Blizzard (god forbid) dared to change the graphical nature of the characters we know and love such as said necromancer from the previous game, there would be pitchfork wielding mobs outside their HQ in less than 24 hours. "He's too cartoony" "He's too old" Basically its a lose-lose situation for the poor company unless gamers give them a chance to show off what they can really do. Premature judgment and online character bashing aren't going to revive any classes Blizzard is wishing to leave out, they aren't a multi-billion dollar company for nothing. I'm confident in saying they know what they are doing, and they are going to deliver a great game. Plus, we don't even know what the other classes are yet. Maybe they have been leaving us in the dark for a reason, something possibly up their sleeve:scratchchin: but as you can see by looking around these forums, there are plenty of people waiting to get their hands on that Witch Doctor class...so they must have done something right

Psycroptic

06-07-2008, 11:49

If your thinking of it like that, a D2 rendered necromancer would look out of place when compared to the D3 graphical engine would he not? If Blizzard (god forbid) dared to change the graphical nature of the characters we know and love such as said necromancer from the previous game, there would be pitchfork wielding mobs outside their HQ in less than 24 hours. "He's too cartoony" "He's too old" Basically its a lose-lose situation for the poor company unless gamers give them a chance to show off what they can really do. Premature judgment and online character bashing aren't going to revive any classes Blizzard is wishing to leave out, they aren't a multi-billion dollar company for nothing. I'm confident in saying they know what they are doing, and they are going to deliver a great game. Plus, we don't even know what the other classes are yet. Maybe they have been leaving us in the dark for a reason, something possibly up their sleeve:scratchchin: but as you can see by looking around these forums, there are plenty of people waiting to get their hands on that Witch Doctor class...so they must have done something right

Looking on this forum and some others there is far more people disliking the WD and worrying about losing the necro. I know Blizzard are good at what they do, but they are not infallible. Lets face it, most of the D2 classes are have broken skills or even entire skill trees, and are forced into 1 effective build (if they are lucky). Yes D2 is still a great game, but i refuse to be one of the Blizzard fanboys who will praise them even if their next announced class is Snoop Doggy Dogg and raps his way through hell.

Also i don't understand why you are talking about graphics, i haven't mentioned them i don't think. I wouldn't care what a Necro looked like in D3, i'd be more interested in Poison Dagger and Bone Spear working properly, for example.

KiLLJOi

06-07-2008, 12:00

i refuse to be one of the Blizzard fanboys who will praise them even if their next announced class is Snoop Doggy Dogg and raps his way through hell.

First off, that was funny as hell :grin:
and yea I agree with you on the skill trees aspect. The fact that we are basically forced to pick a single themed character isn't too innovative, hopefully that is addressed. And I don't know about you, but I highly doubt they will let the Necromancer go anyway, it'll be interesting seeing how they will make him look 20 years older like the barbarian class if he does remain lol.

I was on some sort of a typing spree so I thought i'd throw in the complaints regarding the new graphics engine as well. I personally like it, but its not up to me what stays:dontknow:

Ed from Russia

07-07-2008, 21:59

I think there will be 10 characters max, including expansions. Blizzard would probably like more, but at the same time each character needs to be distinctive. You try thinking of more than 10 characters that have 30+ skills each, and each needs to be clearly different. I think the trick is to make the skill setups better, so that more variations are possible. In D2 there are only a few viable builds per character (e.g. for Necro you have Summoner, Poisonmancer and Bonemancer). Ideally you have many more skill layouts that work.

Which characters will be in D3? I have no idea but I think the 5 starting ones in D2 were quite strong, and I'm sure what we'll get is very similar.

One more thing - I think the characters in D3 shouldn't conflict with the Diablo literature. Unfortunately I've never read anything so I can't give input, but the recent literature might give hints about new characters.

Ishmayl

07-07-2008, 23:10

Barbarian: melee
Cleric: melee/caster hybrid (variation of paladin and some kind of priest)
Demonologist: caster/shapeshifter (elemental magic + demonic shapeshifting)
Shadow Ranger: ranged/melee hybrid (with traps) (amazon+assassin)
Witch Doctor: caster

Because they are planning on "breaking molds," and such, out of seeing everything posted so far, this one seems the most likely, both in terms of flavor ("witch doctor??") and role.

WraithCaller

08-07-2008, 00:01

For my guess as to the 3 unannounced classes, I'd say:

Assassin - Keeping the flavor of the original in terms of lore (mage-hunting, demon slaying, ect) but make them more martial-oriented with some Amazonesque skills (bows, spears). A master of stealth, martial arts, and exotic weaponry to balance the barbarian's raw might and skull-bashing play.

Mage - There will be SOME pure magic user; let's face it, Diablo III is full of magic, so what what would the world be without someone to rain death from above with fire and lightning. Whether the class is a mixture of the Vizjerei and Zan Essu (Sorceror and Sorceress respectively) or members of the other two mage clans (Ennead and Amuit) is debateable, but I'd put money on seeing someone out there casting classics like Chain Lightning, Frozen Orb, and Apocalypse.

Zealot - Judging by the game's lore, I wouldn't be surprised to see the holy men in an Anti-Hero role. Hell, the Necromancer worked for the good guys, and he ran around creating nightmarish undead minions. Zealots would be similar to paladins, but play alot more offensively, with skills geared towards smiting the crap out of demons and the undead. Auras would stay, but wouldn't be the main attraction here. The Zealot would be a magic/melee blend, with physical combat being complimented by a few nasty supernatural tricks.

snarfbot

08-07-2008, 00:09

maybe there will be a paladin/shadow knight class, with a skill tree splitting into good or evil magic

a brick

08-07-2008, 06:03

Okay, i don't have a layout of a balanced set of all the classes, but i think these would we really cool to see.

1. Okay, if you guys have ever played Magic the Gathering, i know i know...i was like eight years old and thought it was super super neat! but one of the creature types was called a Dryad and it seemed to be some sort of nature oriented guy. Now i know you're thinking well thats a druid, but a dryad i think should be someone more focussed on plants
He can summon plants rooted to the gound that do various types of damage. or throw seeds that explode after a certain amount of time and do other stuff. but, coolest of all imo...a tree man. the dryad could summon a huge treeman that does a lot of neat stuff that i cant think of lol.

2. All rpgs seem to have some sort of all around caster that is sort of based off of elements of some sort... I think that there will be one but itd be cool if it was kind of like a dancer/sorcerer. They would "prance" and jump around while they are unleashing torrents of destruciton all around them... it would be so pretty! thats just me tho. I think you could incorperate water element too, cus ther was none of that and i think thatd be nice to have in d3.

And as i side note i can really see the druid coming back. i mean, i think that class was a seirously unique character. it could be revised and given a slightly more...rugged look... for starters and given a heaping pile of new skills. maybe transform into a thirod form...idk what that would be, maybe something like a bird? a lizard?

Fegon

08-07-2008, 16:53

Is´nt dryads some sort of tree spirits? That sounds more like a monster to me..

I believe the developers mentioned the introduction of a fourth damage element, arcane. That sounds like a new wiz/sorc to me. Sorry if someone allready pointed this out, im to lazy to read the whole thread.

mince pies

09-07-2008, 18:20

I think a good idea would be an actual Hybrid class where you choose however many skill trees you get (let's say three from DII) and you get to choose three different skill trees from any of the four other classes, so for example, you could choose two from the WD and one from the Barbarian, or vice versa. Personally I think that would be great, just a thought though :)

ColtFourFive

09-07-2008, 18:58

GOOD CHARACTER IDEAS:

1. Weatherman - He controls the winds like a windy druid, makes acid rain fall and burn through demonic flesh like a meteor sorc/fire ele druid, and brings the THUNDERRRRR like a lightning sorc. Oh, and he can make it snow, aka blizzard, like a cold sorc. (His cheesy bow ties throw the enemies off-guard, aka lower resists?!?!?)

2. Velociraptor - Why bother with shapeshifting? Why not just make a playable character a friggin DINOSAUR!!?!1! So the raptor can do scary mating calls and screeches that reduce defense and do damage (aka paladin's offensive auras and barbs war cries). In addition, you've got a handful of passive skills (Assasin skills? Try some real claws on for size and then block a few arrows, eh?) and you can totally do moves like Frenzy, Vengeance, Berzerk, ZEAL. I mean come on, its a dinosaur. Hell yes is what I say. Hell. Yes.

3. Chuck Norris - We all know that Blizzard likes to implement pop culture into their games (Those patterns in the Act5 snow totally resemble David Hasslehoff's masculine and beautiful face, not to mention the adidas and nike product placement we see on every pair of boots) so why not take it a step further? Chuck Norris would be a master at stealth, martial arts, and absolutely would place mad awesome traps. He could totally fill in for the role of "holy man" or "hero" like the pally, and I think he would bring a huge Chuck fanbase into the games (aka, like 7 billion more players) which is a good busineess idea on Blizzard's part.

If one or all of those characters are in the game, I think we would all have a much better experience, and what I say is always right, so Blizzard listen up.

Divi

10-07-2008, 12:21

a brick

10-07-2008, 12:33

hallelujah!!

Matora

10-07-2008, 13:21

Nah, Chuck Norris would throw balance and fairness out the friggin wall (not window, wall).

A mage is to be expected I think, unless they bring in some real interesting classes like Druids. What about the townsfolk that see demons? A regular Joe decides to defend his home with a stick and a rock- go from there, or what about plain old knights in shining armour? Then again, I'd kill (Tell me who) to see the implementation of minor minions of Heaven of fallen from Hell.

Daimoth

10-07-2008, 15:40

I want to be able to play as a demon of some sort. Or a renegade angel/hybrid thing. That would rule to me. Hard.

MrLiteIre

10-07-2008, 21:09

I'm kind of hoping that they steer away from the characters in D2 and come up with completely new and exciting characters.

mince pies

10-07-2008, 22:56

I think the five character classes will be:

Barbarian
Witch Doctor
Some sort of mage
Some sort of Archer
Archangel

SirLuxeflex

10-07-2008, 23:05

I think the five character classes will be:

Barbarian
Witch Doctor
Some sort of mage
Some sort of Archer
Archangel

An archangel? Come on dude, archangels are way more powerful than hero's ;).

Maybe a halfangel would be a better idea?

Apocalypse

11-07-2008, 00:40

My opinion is 5 classes is much too bare bones for a third installment of the Diablo franchise. Not that I think it's a bad thing...but can someone smell expansions in the near future? =P I do...

i bet they already have at least 1 expansion planned, with the story all mapped out. not sure if they will go beyond 1 as they didnt with d2 and never even made one for the original

Necraphael

11-07-2008, 10:09

I think and I hope the 5 class characters will be:
1. Barbarian
2. Witch Doctor

3. Elemental Summoner (Mage Type):
Example of ability:
Summon phoenix (fire damage + heal on nearby allies) (fire)
Summon Lightning Beast (electric damage + static field) (lightning)
Summon Ice Guardian (ice wall + frostbite damage) (ice)

4. Monk

5a. Pirate (melee and range type) >>> bad feeling about this but I guess it will be nice to have one.
Example of Ability
Snipe
Curses (this time on himself...just like Pirates of the Carrabean)
5b. Rogue

ColtFourFive

11-07-2008, 17:16

MORE GOOD CHARACTER IDEAS:

4. Handyman - Talk about a well rounded hero, this bad boy would throw wrenches, shoot his nail gun (bone spear) and would never have to repair his own equipment! You can summon forklifts, tow trucks, and other utility vehicles to do your bidding, and you have some powerful water attacks as a result of your plumbing mastery. Not to mention that you get character specific belts (utility belts) and helms (hard hats!?!).

5. Soccer Mom - Talk about power, the housewife soccer mom character eradicates throngs of demonic enemies with her yells and screams, in addition to aiding other players by cheering them on and giving them juice boxes. The most deadly aspect of the Mom, however, is undoubtedly the "Punishment" skill tree, including spanking, time-out, and grounding. These deadly attacks can cause even Diablo himself to shudder at the thought at staying out past curfew ever again.

6. Alcoholic Frat Bro - One of the most dangerous pepole in our world today, the Fratstar could certainly knock a few skulls in Hell. His "Date Rape" skill tree would do 50% extra damage to any female demon, and would consist of powerful magic attacks such as "Roofie" and "Spiked Punch", which do hefty damage in addition to greatly lowering enemy defense. His drunken brawler fighting style would include beer bottle throwing and countless hair-flips and collar-pops to enhance intimidation and fear in his enemies, and his own personal item types would all be labeled "Abercrombie".

Once again, Blizzard should take my suggestions, because these heroes would surely increase the level of interest in the game as well as the entertainment value.

pinefi

11-07-2008, 18:37

"Ohh I would really want:
1. barb
2. witchdoctor
3. amazon
4. sorc
5. paladin
and an expansion with a shapeshifter and an assasin.
you know what? forget it. I just want Diablo 2 with a different skills bar."

You guys really need to be more original.

A LOT more original. You really want everything to be the same?
Haha, I was about to say the same thing. Really 'original' ideas :hammerhead:

Anyways.. When I read the rumors about tyrael beeing corrupted, I thought that it could be possible for a demon (or other 'dark' creature) to turn to the player side. So one class would be i.e. fetish shaman or something.. Would be cool to play as a not-human class.

ill logic

11-07-2008, 19:09

I think one class will return, more or less.
------------------------------
Cavalier
Finesse fighter, high ranked warrior of the Hand of Zakarum. Zeal, Smite, Holy Shield, and Salvation return. Vengeance, Conversion, Fist of the Heavens reenvisioned. No Blessed Hammers or Charge. More crowd control this time around and fewer auras in total. Better healing skills than Prayer/Holy Bolt
Personality: Pissed off about D2 act 3 and critical of D2's Paladin, Holier than thou ("I will do what those fools 20 years ago couldn't....What? Calling someone a fool will make you guilty enough to go to hell? Who are you to tell ME that?")
-----------------------------
The last two will be magical ranged and physical ranged (predominantly). Bow skills are a must but the javelin/spear thing from Amazons won't be present. Instead they'll use the moon swords from Warcraft's Wardens

Crane

12-07-2008, 16:59

Well, Shaman is the necro/druid summoner, so we don't need another one of those
Barbarian is.. barbarian.
What's left?

I'm bad at coming up with names, but I think the general consensus is:

Some sort of holy warrior/monk - whatever it's called, it'll be a new paladin class, probably the only real healer of the game, and with the emphasis on co-op I bet he'll be a damn good one. I agree that it will be from Zakarum somehow. Maybe a polearm wielding one. And poster above is right, he will be pretty pissed :-P what I want to see is him blessing his attacks. Fist of heavens reworked would be sweet... as a melee attack.

Arcane mage. the true spellcaster. I really want to see this class use more 'physics' abilities. Pushing, crushing, earth-shifting, throwing pieces of the terrain at enemies. I'd be frankly annoyed if the magic build had to cater to immunities again and forgo one to two-thirds of their abilities just to be able to kill things.

Rogue/assassin/amazon. There are so many ways to take this class, it's almost silly, but I think it will tend towards the darker assassin side. Lots of knives hopefully. Stealth _should_ be a main part of their attack, and hopefully their damage will be immense if they attack something from behind. in D2 it was the same damage from any angle... I hope that changes for the assassin in D3.

mince pies

14-07-2008, 18:46

An archangel? Come on dude, archangels are way more powerful than hero's .

Maybe a halfangel would be a better idea?

Really? Then why couldn't Tyrael defeat Diablo and Baal in the Act 2 cinematic when they weren't even in their final forms and we (the hero) can kill them in their uber forms? Also, humans are the result of demons and angels, half demon, half angel

Necraphael

18-07-2008, 10:40

Hmmm since the barbarian is older now and more powerful than before.... maybe, just maybe they would create a SAGE for the mage class... Its a sorcerer in its highest form.

For the Paladin, I think an hierophant or crusader for its advance version.

Hmmm I'm thinking Deathbringer for an assassin.

NKlint

18-07-2008, 10:46

Just give me a Fireball Chucker... I don't care what it's name is.

Dacar92

18-07-2008, 14:53

RAlso, humans are the result of demons and angels, half demon, half angel

Never heard that before. Is that part of some mythology or is it in the Diablo story that I shut out of hearing?

HeroQuest

18-07-2008, 14:59

It'd be nice of you could choose an allegiance. Light or Dark, and your quests and chars were distinguished by this choice

Angel_of_Wrath

18-07-2008, 18:26

Never heard that before. Is that part of some mythology or is it in the Diablo story that I shut out of hearing?

Yes. IIRC, it is as follows: Lillith the demon and Inarius the angel were lovers and of their love was bred the Nephalem, a hybrid demon/angel creature of great strength. This creature and the bond between Inarius and Lillith was despised by Heaven. Inarius felt that their offspring were somewhat too powerful so he created the Worldstone, not only to shield Sanctuary from prying eyes, but to hold the Nephalem down and govern their power. Over the centuries, their powers became more saturated and diluted, until only humans remained... their powers long forgotten.

One of the theories is that, with the Worldstone destroyed, the generations of humans would grow steadily stronger, eventually returning to their former powers. For example, Bul-Kathos was an original Nephalem and the first king of the Barbarians, who later would call themselves 'the children of bul-kathos'. The Barbarians seem to have a greater connection to this heritage than any other race.

hth. i dont remember the novels/lore as much as others here

Geothermal

18-07-2008, 19:45

Pirates, Ninjas, Robots...
Discussion closed :D

Dacar92

19-07-2008, 04:27

Pirates, Ninjas, Robots...
Discussion closed :D

FTW!!!

Robots would be so cool :crazyeyes:

Geothermal

19-07-2008, 10:51

Wow... I was expecting abuse for that one ^^
Being more serious, I think it's just gunna follow a relatively standard mould. It's probably going to be a ranged and/or assassin type class, some sort of holy dude and a pure spellcaster, there isn't much else there can be if you think about it. I seriously doubt Blizzard have some sort of Archangel or half-angel character in mind, I think that's more than a tad ridiculous :p

SnickerSnack

20-07-2008, 13:09

Some of these have been mentioned already, some haven't, but any 3 or 4 of these would be nice:

Elementalist:
offensive spells, summon elementals, elemental resist buffs
skill trees could still be arranged by element

Monk:
staff/polearm/fist combat (blocking without shield)
catch missiles
acrobatics?
focus the mind for combat buffs or heal self

Psionic:
telekinesis ---- takes advantage of interactive environment. grab and throw objects/enemies
mental shield ----- gives dr% and blocks missiles
telepathy ---- mindblast/conversion type skills, this could replace a summoner
maybe limited teleport ----- teles the psionic or whole group, no spamming the tele
maybe shape shift ----- perhaps he can mimic any enemy

Rogue/thief:
knives and bows
stealth
illusion magic?
acrobatics?

Bard:
1-handed swashbuckling
play music for buffs or to debuff enemies
some elemental magic

Paladin
pretty much the D2 pally

Knight:
melee fighting
shields
bow/xbow
little or no magic

Deuterium

21-07-2008, 01:16

bekai

21-07-2008, 21:29

i don't want to see the amazon anymore :)) .. barbarian, paladin, mage, rogue, witch doctor . Can't wait to see it ! :x

Mini

24-07-2008, 03:22

Well barb and Witch doctor are already announced and i am HAPPY about that..... even though i dont play necro my 2 friends that i play the game with are barb and necro and the necro is happy with the witch doctor swap...

1. I hope they wont drop pally but i really think they will :scratchchin: Its my favorite class and think they wont be including it...

2. They must have left - 1 Magic user (which will be sorc, mayb with different name)
1 Range (amazon ofc)
and i think they will add something like a Sin with MORE emphasis on stealth and easier combos.. this would make them easier to use with non-trap builds...

so
1. Barb
2. Witch doc
3. Sorc
4. Zon
5. Assasain

6. I HOPE for pally.. although if pally is not there im fine with Sorc

Ampersand

26-07-2008, 00:00

The Chronomancer

Warps time and space to kill and confuse his enemies

Interesting spells could be

Phase Shift : The new Teleport

Time Stop : pretty self explanatory

Age: Slowly drains the lifeforce from an enemy killing him slowly

Seperate body: Teleports an enemy's body parts to seperate locations...ok this one would be hard to balance I admit

Teleport Foe: Teleports a group of enemies up in the air, causing fall damage when they land.

Clone Self (lack of a better name): The Chronomancer summons past and future versions of himself. Perhaps in a weakened state due to timetravel sickness or something along those lines.

etc.

Telzen

26-07-2008, 04:32

There any lore to support that? Its easy to make a class if you can just disregard the whole Diablo universe and make stuff up.

NKlint

26-07-2008, 04:45

There any lore to support that? Its easy to make a class if you can just disregard the whole Diablo universe and make stuff up.

Noone knows things like Lore about a Chronomancer because they go back in time and kill those people before they even meet. Hence noone has yet lived long enough to meet a Chronomancer.

Psycroptic

26-07-2008, 06:39

Just give me a Fireball Chucker... I don't care what it's name is.

I lol'd. Very succinct.

Azymn

26-07-2008, 08:15

Noone knows things like Lore about a Chronomancer because they go back in time and kill those people before they even meet. Hence noone has yet lived long enough to meet a Chronomancer.
Strange you should mention that, this weird looking guy with a clock on his forehead showed up in near my apartment just a few minutes ago. It's almost like he kne

andreasdr

27-07-2008, 09:40

I dreamt that the three remaining characters were revealed. The necromancer was making a comeback, more or less intact. The other two were a strange fish-man and some sort of fairy. I was glad to wake up :)

Chard

27-07-2008, 09:51

From the inclusion of two genders for class the Amazon is probably on the chopping block. Easily replaced by another archer class if thats what they think will work; but the name Amazon is gone, too many conotations with a group of warrior WOMEN for it to be reasonably accepted that there could be male Amazon warriors. If the suspected 3 old/2 new is right then its probably going to look like:
1. Barb
2. WD
3. Sorc(something elemental)
4. Pally
5. XXXXX

I can't even think of grounds that might cause me to speculate about that last one except for can use bow. They might pull a Ranger out of their heads (i am imagining something like the guild wars ranger here) and that would allow for a decently varied play experience. Maybe a secondary pet class, bow and arrow, fast melee char.

I would just be really surprised if they cloned the Amazon completely into this game with a different name. What I HOPE shows up eventually maybe in an expansion is somebody who fights with knives. Knife throwing, close up, all of it. Not ninja, not assassin. Dirty street DnD rougish type fighting. Cutthroat if you will. That or a Swashbuckler, because I like saying Swashbuckler.

Schwalker

29-07-2008, 21:14

A rumour I heard suggest that apart from the Barb and the Witch Doc we might expect the following...MIND YOU, this is just a rumour, the guy that mentioned it said that nothing is decided yet. He might be lying as far as I know..

A knight of the Order (a somewhat arturian round table knight hailing from Westmarch), éxpect some mouthwatering merlinesque twists but I´ll be rather upset if they put in a Holy Grail somewhere...Any "Brave Sir Robin" Monthy python fans out there?

The Shaolin monk mixing amazing mental powers with martial arts skills, hailing from Xiansais many mountain monastries these wandering monks travels frequently in the eastern continent, as opposed to the assassin the Shaolin player will have plenty of elemental resistance but no traps.

The Dragon mage, these alooft mages that resides in the mountain range above Ureh have always considered themselves above the ordinary mage clans as they devote their lives to harness the magic powers of the legendary Dragon race and their easily recognised Dragon claw staves can deal serious damage in a tight spot as well.
Basically this is your elemental mage with a few other tricks available as well.

All in all I see the RUMOURED chars above as rather likely, or not that unlikely perhaps...

Schwalker

29-07-2008, 23:54

I might add to the post that I seriously doubt the "Dragon mage" concept...Especially since the Caldeum mage clans have already been mentioned.

MooCQ

31-07-2008, 07:41

Barbarian, Witchdoctor, Thieving Bastard, Unholy Cow, and Rusalki *****.

dravenxx

02-08-2008, 18:51

All I have to say is Paladin.... bring the paladin!

Techboss

03-08-2008, 05:41

Known classes:

Barbarian - Heavy melee combat with shout based buffs/debuffs. I suspect the class will be split between dual welding and two-handed weapons.

Witch Doctor - Pet class with magic (shadow/voodoo and nature) back up. I suspect the class will be split between more summoning or more magic based.

Classes I suspect will be in the final game:

Ranger/Rogue - Class that can be split between ranged weapons and/or light melee weapons (daggers, short swords, etc.). Depending on what direction Blizzard wants to go, the class could incorporate a summon or not. Think Amazon with pike and javelin tree replaced with dagger and light weapons skills. Could replace Valkyrie with a bear if they go the Ranger route, something else if they go Rogue route.

Mage - Class that is split between lightning, fire and ice spells. Basically pick your element and concentrate in that area. Class is basically a ranged nuke class dealing elemental damage.

Paladin/Priest/Cleric - Class that is the split between melee and holy type damage. Probably the most group centric class. Depending on the route they take, they could also give it some shadow abilities, but I don't think so.

As far as the classes that aren't included:

- Assassin - will a good class, I think the ranger/rogue could cover it.
- Druid - my preference to the Paladin, but I think Blizzard will go with crusader for light over the naturalist.
- Necromancer - having played one, I actually consider them kind of boring and the Witch Doctor is a good replacement.

Ampersand

10-08-2008, 13:29

There any lore to support that? Its easy to make a class if you can just disregard the whole Diablo universe and make stuff up.

Who cares?

They can make the lore as they go...seems to have worked out so far for them.

It could be a new group of casters emerging as a result of the destruction of the worldstone, which released some new kind of "magic" into the world of sanctuary. Just an example.

jakotaco

11-08-2008, 17:52

If I would name 5 and only 5...
Barbarian
Witch Doctor
and the speculations...
Vizjerei (main caster)
Ranger (main ranged, mobile, real traps (not turrets and sentries!)
Druid (more feral action, better ways to combine feral/caster)

Wussenbol

11-08-2008, 17:56

Barbarian
Witch Doctor

Sorcerer
Rogue
Paladin

Obviously Blizzard will keep us waiting for a LONG time, and eventually probably WILL suprise us.

Starving_Poet

12-08-2008, 22:37

It would be interesting to see the paladin / sorceress classes combined so that we have an 'otherworldly' caster type. One tree could devoted to hell-based casts, the other to celestial - assuming only 2.

Yuri The Barbarian

14-08-2008, 20:27

These aren't exact class names, but a general idea.

Barbarian
Witch Doctor
Paladin/Knight/Crusader
Mage/Wizard
Rogue

There is absolutely no point in having a necromancer class now with the new witch doctor class. Personally, I think the witch doctor class is stupid and seems like some of the developers at Blizzard had a hard time giving farewells to their favorite WoW class, the Shaman.

The Witchdoctor in Diablo 3 is nothing like the Shaman in WOW.

In WOW, the Shaman is a healer/caster/fighter hybrid. He has healing spells, totems which act like auras, as well as combat abilities. He's more like a combat/singer barb with a bit of elemental druid and aura paladin mixed in.

In Diablo 3, the Witchdoctor has summonable zombie dogs that run in and attack, disease based spells, zombie wall, among other abilities.

Witchdoctors are all about the voodoo that you do. Sort of the yin to the Shaman's yang, or the druid's yang. They're the dark side of spiritual/natural magic, affiliated with swarms of diseased flies and rising the dead in the form of zombies and stuff.

Yuri The Barbarian

14-08-2008, 20:57

I'm hoping though that they continue down the path of making unique classes instead of going to the old common class types.

Kaeros

17-08-2008, 18:37

- Barbarian.
- Witch Doctor.
- Sword-and-board, knight in shining armor fighter with a focus on instant buffs and de-buffs rather than passive auras.
- A hybrid of the amazon, necromancer, and assassin .. utilizing traps, poison/daggers, and ranged weaponry.
- A pure caster class. Magic, magic, and more magic.

Majaii

19-08-2008, 01:00

I kinda agree with some of the earlier posters, most of the classes mentioned are just rehashes from DII. While I won't be upset if we have many of the same classes from Dii with improved skills etc... I would like to see some new classes, which I think the witch doctor bodes well for.
Classes I would like to see along with the Barbarian and the Witch Doctor would be something like this:

1. ) Vizjerei'n Guard. A melee elementalist, plate mail wearing mage, who has spells that are designed to protect their charges, and beat down small amounts of attackers. He would wear armor, but either enchant his weapons/armor or summon his own out of fire/lightning/ice etc.. Examples of spells would be summon lightning sword, project armor (to protect someone else) and teleport other.

2.) Dark Apprentice: A group of apprentices to practitioners of dark demonic arts, they have split from their masters in recognizing the threat from the demon realm. Commanding demonic and otherworldly powers, they can be immensely powerful, but sometimes unstable, their most powerful AOE attacks have a chance to go wrong and damage themselves and their party.

3.) Stalker: Originally a cast out group of assasins, the stalkers have learned to augment their already formidable weapons skills by the teachings of a rogue sorcerer. They now command the ability to become insubstantial for short periods of time, allow them to walk through walls, or escape from bodily harm by shifting at a crucial moment, such as when your about to get mauled by a zombie. They can also partially shift to allow themselves to still interact with with the world around them, but become physically lighter, allowing them to jump great distances and move with great speed.
They are expert with all manner ranged weapons, and of course daggers and short swords. As a penalty for their magic however they have become horribly disfigured, and must always remain masked. It has been rumored however; that for a stalker to show you his/her face can be enough to paralyze most sane people.

4.) Conjurer: Driven mad by their delving into different planes of reality, the conjurers nevertheless remember their convictions to fight evil. Through their twisted magic they can change both the perceptions and the reality of the world around them to match their madness. Enemies will suddenly find weapons turned to water, walls that will suck them in, and holes suddenly open under their feet, or they will imagine their allies become otherworldy figures. The conjurer's power lies in his madness, if he was ever cured he would be powerless.

I realize I do not know much of the lore of Diablo and Sanctuary, so these are just ideas that I thought up and I think would be outside of the box, and fun to play.

-Majaii

strongdwarvenale

29-08-2008, 13:07

...my 2 cents (nothing new):

1. Barb
2. WD
3. Elemental Mage (like the Barb as basic fighter class, it's unthinkable that they'd leave out a mage)
4. Assa + Ama ~> Ranger Class. Never liked em, but if they're elf-like, that'd be pretty cool
5. Monk: Since they say there's no Dins, there needs to be a different "Holy Fighter"

I don't think any class will be designed as Offensive/Defensive Supporters. Diablo 1 and 2 were designed in a way that any class can solo Bosses, so why would they change that. That's more like WoW, I think.

RyojiroSan

30-08-2008, 11:19

While fun to speculate on what classes may come, I'll just throw out some classes that I would like to play.

1. Samurai - Mastering the blade and the bow he has a Melee oriented tree, a Ranged oriented tree, and passive tree that augments the other two. He is a master of weakening enemies at range with his bow and moving in to melee to finish them off. He wears heavy armor yet with his years of training is agile and has good parrying. (D3 should bring in parry) This class would bridge the must have a ranged class, yet offers unique and interesting gameplay and brings in an eastern flavored style that Diablo lacks.

2. Bard (Hellfire expansion doesn't count!) - Master of the song and dance, is agile, and deadly. Skill trees include debuffs / buffs (AoE versions too), Passive (To augment debuff/buff tree and his agility), and a melee tree (Tired at work so didn't come up with a unique name for this yet) *this tree focuses on his ability to duel wield 1h swords, increasing damage, attack speed, accuracy etc.* This would essentially be your assassin / ninja-esque class. Wears light to medium armor and focuses on using his skills to weaken the enemy and attack them fast and swift to rid the world of the demons!

3. Lancer - Wears heavy armor and uses Lance (Polearm) and Shield. This character is a master at defense and timed aggression. Skill trees include Defense Mastery (Shield, increased defense, defense buff etc.), weapon specialization (Tree includes AoE style attacks with the polearm, increase attack speed, DoT effects (bleed etc.)), last tree would be Rally (Uses passive buffs to increase resistances, HP regen overtime, and adrenaline type rush effects (faster speed for short duration etc.). This is your defensive shield warrior, but with a new flavor. With this they should add different types of polearms with differing abilities such as Naginata and regular AoE attack, Lances that intensify his bleed effects, and pikes that increase distance to attack slightly etc.

4. Scholar - This is your magic user. Has 4 different tree skills compared to other classes 3. Has Ice Tier, Lightning Tier, Fire Tier, and Earth tier. Ice includes ice armor that increases resistance to ice, your classic blizzard effects, freeze, ice wall that freezes target inside wall unable to move and does DoT, and has passive ice resistance, increase ice damage etc. At the top of Ice tier is Ice Avatar. Summon Ice elemental to your side to fight alongside you uses all skills in the tree and you have passive skill to increase dmg, lessen MP usage etc. Lightning has all the same, but has shock armor for every strike you receive you deal dmg back, has Lightning Avatar etc. Also has Phase, shifts you outside the plain of existance increasing your evasion. Fire is the same as the others has Fire Avatar. Earth is new and has many new abilities, such as Stoneskin (Temporary magic buff increase armor % and unable to take damage until the skin is broken (for example starts at 200 damage, so it effectively soaks up 200 damage before you can get damaged)), Earthquake deals AoE damage and demobilizes enemies effectively making them stationary for a short duration (high tier skill), Mountain Buster (Uses telekinesis to lift and throw giant rocks at the enemy ranks), Stone wall that has rock spikes attached effectively damaging any attacker attacking it, has Earth Avatar etc. Lots of room to play with these and I just touched base with the concept, basically it would be your summon and magic user class.

5. Beastmaster - This is your true summon class. Upon character creation you have the option to select one creature out of 3 to always be your loyal companion, your best friend as you will since your birth. The five creatures are: Condor (Your bird of prey, large predatory aggressive, good DPS evasion and resistances, low defense), Tiger (Your classic cat, good for tanking, high resistance, high defense, good damage), Overgrown plant (lol at the name, don't want to rip FF or anything, but similiar to an Ochu. Good debuffs and has high HP regen, is your support creature.) Three tree skills are Creature Synergy (Adds creature HP, attack, defense, resistances, etc. basically the tree to buff your creatures), Unique Creature skill (Based upon which creature you initially created sets you with differing branches, if you picked condor you get the condor related skills, if you picked Plant you get those, etc.), last would be your creature tree (Includes differing types of creatures to call by your side and abilities for those, can include: wolves, bears, swarming insects, giant crabs, lizard types -dragon esque-, alligator, etc. use your imagination ;) ) Uses medium armor, has good resistance, natural HP regen, uses staffs and short swords.

Just a few classes I thought would be different and unique to play. I definitely do not want to see classes rehashed with different names, but essentially the same damn class. No to paladin, no to rogue / amazon that purely is range, no to your rehashed sorceress with updated graphics and uses same damn elements IN FACT I would replace one of the existing elements and switch it with wind, non-elemental magic, DoT magic abilities, etc., just something different! And I want to definitely see some type of elemental summon with the mage class ;)

Anyways, all opinion so feel free to disagree.

Arbedark

30-08-2008, 18:30

Come on guys, think outside the box.

Blizz aren't going to do really boring classic characters like in D1 and some D2 characters.

This said, they ARE going to have the elements that would make up said characters (Archer, Mage, Knight etc...)

Some ideas (not all outside the box, but beats the old ranger, mage, knight suggestions...):

Archer

1. Arcane Archer - Mix the Mage and the Archer character together, enchants his arrows with arcane spells. Arrows cast spells on hit, adds elemental damage to arrows, magical shields, magical traps, magical summons etc.

2. A Pavise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavise) using Archer. - Mix of the Archer and Knight. Wears heavy armour, uses a crossbow with a body length shield. Extra defensive skills which slow movement. High damage output, high survivability, but slow movement and lack of AoE would balance out.

3. A Skirmisher - Similar to a Ranger but without pets. Fast, wears light armour, uses a Bow, Javelin and short sword. Movement increasing skills, ensnaring skills, some traps, bow skills such as strafe, bow skills can be used with a Javelin, some melee skills.

4. Engineer - Crossbow user who constructs traps, sentries etc. Uses crossbow to fire explosive bolts etc. Can throw explosive grenades (ala Witch Doc). Some melee skills with hammers, stuns etc.

5. An Oriental Archer (comes from Xiansai or whatever the island's called) - Ranged character, can use Bows, Crossbows and Hand Cannons (new class-specific weapon, functions like Crossbow). Ranged tree, passive tree and a magic tree. Can summon temporary dragons. wyverns etc to fit with the oriental stereotype.

Mage

1. Arcane Archer - More focus on magic than the one which would replace the Archer character though. More spells, bow as backup?

2. Tank Mage - Heavily Armoured Knight who specalizes in magic, debuffs, PBAoE's (Nova style) etc. Wades into the thick of fighting. Slow to counteract the general imba of Tank Mages. Creates magic weapons to fight with. Mix of massive damage spells on timers and melee attacks. Merges Mage and Knight class into one, allowing more specialized classes for the other slots.

Knight

1. Beastmaster - Uses Weapon and Shield as his main weapons, supported by melee based pets with high damage and low life and buffing pets. Active issuing of commands to pets while tanking and doing some melee.

2. Hoplite - Uses a spear and shield. Lots of knockback skills, defense buffs to party members. Long range for melee, slow attacks. Maybe semi religious and can cast self / target buffs in the form of blessings to pad skills out.

3. Shape shifting class - class that turns into a were creature which is more human like, including wielding weapons, armour and shields visible on the character model. Some skills can only be used without weapons, some skills can only be used with weapons etc. (Sort of like these, but better) (http://www.rackham-store.com/boutique_us/fiche_produit.cfm?type=840&ref=WFCH02&code_lg=lg_us&pag=1&num=51)

4. Tank Mage - Focused more on melee than casting. Essentially a melee warrior who enchants weapons with elements, casts elemental shields, and small AoE damage skills with debuff side effects etc.