Diablo III Preview
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And that's the other big development since Diablo II. Multiplayer, which will be tied into Battle.net, is way more accomplished this time around. It takes two forms - co-op and PVP - and while the Diablo universe is distinct in its own right, it's plain to see that the Diablo team has learnt a lot from World of Warcraft. There's a definite air of similarity, as you combine skills to tackle dungeons together.
Co-op is a blast. With two buddies at your side, the action ramps up enormously, and the dungeon in the demo build became an indoor fireworks venue as three of us lit the walls with our combined spells and effects. We found ourselves tearing through the environment, melee up front and ranged behind, and making light work of the smaller enemies. But over-pacing yourself comes at a price. At one point, the Monk melee-specialist I tried out found himself a little too far ahead of the group, and suddenly, fatally, beset on all sides as he reached a crossroads.
PVP takes place in arenas, and is uncompromisingly swift. Playing with fellow show-goers, our mixed group (Warrior, Wizard and Demon Hunter) found itself hopelessly outclassed by a party of three Wizards, who'd been playing together in co-op previously. They hit us hard at range before we could close the gap, and we fell repeatedly to their summoning spells and ranged-damage bolts. I felt an enormous desire to really tinker with my character, to tweak its skills and gear for PVP.
