Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Hands-on Previews
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Crave Online starts us off:
Entering one of the new area's dungeons I noticed that the map layout was different than another player sitting next to me. Blizzard has put a lot of work into a new dungeon map randomizer, and it's already impressive in its current state. This welcomed randomization means that Diablo 3 is less predictable and you'll feel compelled to enter the game's many optional dungeons. The days of stagnant grinding are hopefully a thing of the past.
During this time I got a good feel for the Crusader, and I'm happy to report that it fits extremely well into the current lineup of classes. In a way it's a hybrid that can perform admirably at close range with plenty of durability, but really shines with its mid-range prowess. Its skillset is very disruptive to enemies with knockbacks and powerful AoE attacks. It also interweaves useful support abilities that Monk fans will find delightful. It doesn't stray too far from Barbarian's Fury with its Wrath mechanic, but it does manage to feel like it has an identity by making use of a flail, shield, and flashy effects that Paladin fans will find familiar. Everything it uses is magical, even its Steed Charge that summons a magical horse to ride for 3 seconds my new favorite ability in the game.
And then we get more from Gaming Trend:
As we open the Cathedral doors we find bodies stacked against the walls as Kasadya, a Conjurer of Death, forcibly rips out the souls of helpless victims. Dispatching her left us with more questions than answers.
Leaving the Cathedral we meet up with Tyrial once again. He believes that he can use a shard of the black soulstone to divine Malathael's location, as well as the true intent and depth of his plan. As we set off to destroy the remaining Soul Crucibles our demo ended. Just like the closed beta of Diablo III, I'm certain that this is just a very small taste of the world that Blizzard is building in Reaper of Souls. There are a few more changes coming, though Blizzard was fairly tight-lipped about how they will work as the game is still very much in development. Obviously the Auction House is about to close, but the team is also changing the way that loot is operating. Dubbed Loot 2.0, the drops are still being tuned in the recently-released patch. Similarly, the team is rethinking the way Paragon levels should work, changing them from a character specific trait to one that is shared across your account. The team cares deeply about extending the game well beyond your initial play-through, and while we don't have a release date yet, it can't come soon enough. We are ready to return to the world of Diablo.
