Diablo III PvP Preview

After getting the chance to try the PvP Arena offerings of Diablo III at BlizzCon 2011, Piki Geek has written an hands-on preview on their experience, which they synthesize as “an absolute blast”. Here’s a snip:

The current setup for Diablo III PvP is a four on four team-deathmatch style competition. It is not certain if this is will be the final model that Diablo III features, or if there will be other modes available as well, but this seems to be the current format going forward. Teams trade blows while dashing through a decent sized arena, and the team with the most kills at the end of the time limit wins.

The first thing you’ll notice when you step into the arena is how deadly Diablo III’s combat is. If you meet up head on with another player, you’ll be able to stand head-to-head for a little bit, but dash headlong into two or more opponents by yourself and you’ll quickly find yourself smashed into the ground. Teamwork is the name of the game here.

Attacks are quick and brutal, taking significant chunks of health off of opponents with each blow. Some of these are straightforward: the Demon Hunter’s Rapid Fire and the Wizard’s Arcane Torrent both lay down a heavy amount of fire in a given area. Some, however, have to be built up. The Monk’s Seven Sided Strike and the Barbarian’s Hammer of the Ancients take time to generate the necessary resource, but deal an absurd level of burst damage when unleashed.

However, most of the classes have a number of defensive options at their disposal, clever use of which can save your skin in a close situation. Barbarians can shrug off pain when straits get dire, Demon Hunters can vanish in a puff of smoke, slinking around the arena invisible, and Wizards can transmute their skin into diamond, shrugging off a set amount of damage for a time.