Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Preview

We’re getting fairly close to the March release date of Reaper of Souls, Diablo III’s first expansion, and I suspect this means we’re going to see more pieces like this hands-on preview from PC Gamer, which focuses on the newly-added Crusader class. Here’s a snippet:

The Crusader is tankier and more supportive a knight clad in heavy armor that’s a bit slower than the rest of Diablo III’s warriors; but makes up for a lack of speed with some interesting passive skills and party buffs. Having played through a chunk of the opening portion of Reaper of Souls’ new story chapter, Act V, it’s apparent that Blizzard wants the Crusader to be a defensive juggernaut. Its starting skill is Punish a melee attack that increases the Crusader’s blocking chance by 50 percent when used. Later on, the class unlocks skills like Iron Skin which temporarily renders them invulnerable and Provoke, which restores Wrath while drawing the attention of foes. At higher levels, passives like Heavenly Strength make it possible to equip both a two-handed sword and a shield, though at the expense of a drop in speed. For group situations, it has abilities like Laws of Valor, which grants a 10 percent increase in attack speed for the Crusader and its allies (5 percent when used passively). And we shouldn’t forget Shield Bash, a stun-attack staple from the earliest days of roleplaying.

For the most part, the Crusader’s skills feel both intuitive and powerful, especially early on. Its defensive buffs give it a high degree of survivability; and unlike the Demon Hunter, Monk, or Witch Doctor, the Crusader has no problem wading into the middle of a mob and dishing out major punishment with attacks like Consecration a fiery circle that can set enemies ablaze with the right rune while healing the player and their allies. In that way, the Crusader should make a great starting class for anyone picking up Diablo for the first time.