Rainbow Goblin

Playing Seasons mode as a Demon Hunter when I encountered a Rainbow Goblin.

I killed it, got a bunch of loot, and it also opened up a portal to a colorful dimension.

Given the environment, the blood bothered me somewhat here.

Now that is LEGENDARY!

Now that's something you don't see everyday (for me at least): a legendary item with two (2) sockets!

The item was found by my Barbarian earlier during a farming escapade (I'm trying to earn enough money to combine my lesser sparkling rocks into higher level gems) but I'm pretty sure my Demon Hunter character will be very happy to see this baby. Very happy indeed!

Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

Now that's a legendary item!

Switching Classes + Attributes

After playing a Barbarian for 20 or so levels, I tried playing the Demon Hunter, which turned out to be more difficult than playing a Barbarian (at least for me). I played the character for a few levels and then switched again, this time to a Monk.

And man, the Monk is AWESOME!

He seems much stronger and more durable than the Barbarian and the Demon Hunter (at least in my experience) but his moves and attacks are much more cooler. Visually, at least they look more lethal. I tried taking a screen shot of my character but it doesn't seem to work. WTF, Blizzard.

Anyway, I'm thinking I'm going to be playing the Monk for a while.

All right, now I think I can talk about how attributes are distributed in this game.

Path of Exile attributes distribution.

With something like Path of Exile, or even Diablo 2, you get to choose which attributes your character will achieve (Intelligence, Dexterity, Strength, etc). In Diablo 3, a set group of attributes is given to you each time you level up.

I only noticed this when I did level up and I looked at the bunch of text that appeared on the lower left corner of the screen. I didn't pay much notice to that area because for much of the time, it simply repeated what's being said on the screen by the characters. But when I looked again, it actually listed the attributes that were added to my character when I leveled up.

Now, for me, that takes a little of the fun out of the game. In Diablo 2, you get to choose which attributes to improve. In Diablo 3, they're spoon-fed to you.

I guess it makes the game more accessible to casual players but to someone like me who has played Diablo 2 and other games which allowed me to have bigger control over how my character is developed, well I'm kinda frustrated.

And disappointed.

What’s your Diablo III Character of Choice?

Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game in development by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise.

In other words, evil is back!

“The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo II, heroes who, having survived the onslaught brought by the armies of the Burning Hells, have gone mad from their ordeals. It is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary.”

There will be five available character classes this time around, some familiar but mostly new ones.

The Barbarian

The Barbarian is the staple of the Diablo franchise and will have a variety of revamped skills.

This human tank will be able to whirlwind through crowds of enemies, cleave through swarms, leap across crags, and crush opponents upon landing. Fury is the fuel that powers the Barbarian’s skills which is generated through getting attacked by enemies, attacking enemies, and through certain other abilities.

Fury is used for certain strong abilities and degenerates over time which means the Barbarian has to keep fighting or lose steam.

The Witch Doctor

A new character reminiscent of the necromancer from Diablo II, the witch doctor has skills more traditionally associated with shamanism and voodoo.

The doc can summon monsters, cast spells and curses, and has great proficiency throwing poisons and explosives. Contrary to ongoing opinion among fans, the Witch Doctor is not another version of the necromancer (who, speaking of which, may or may not see a comeback with future expansion in the third installment of the franchise).

To power spells the Witch Doctor uses mana which regenerates slowly.

The Wizard

The Wizard is a new version of the Sorcerer from previous Diablo releases.

This master of magic’s abilities range from shooting lightning, generating fire and ice, slowing time (reminds of Neo in The Matrix Movies and his famous bullet time), and teleporting (around enemies, through walls, etc.).

The wizard fuels their spells with arcane power which is a fast regenerating power source which is probably a very good thing since they need to be dishing out a lot damage before the enemies can get close which is when a wizard is often most vulnerable.

The Monk

The Monk is a melee attacker, sort of like those Shaolin monks in those kung-fu movies (okay…a lot like those Shaolin monks in those old kung-fu movies).

These monks use martial arts to cripple foes (see what I mean?), resist damage, deflect projectiles, attack with blinding speed, and land explosive killing blows. It combines the melee elements of Diablo II's assassin class with the holy warrior role of the Paladin.

The monk is fueled by spirit, which has defensive purposes and is slowly generated through attacking, though it does not degenerate.

The Demon Hunter

The Demon Hunter combines elements of Diablo II's Amazon and Assassin classes (which I guess makes this class a sort of Ranger-type character).

Demon hunters use crossbows as their main weapon but can also throw small bombs at enemies. Some of their skills have been revealed and among them are arrow skills such as Chain Arrow. The demon hunter is fueled by discipline and hatred (which is kinda weird since hatred tends to have a negative light to it).

Hatred is a fast regenerating resource that is used for attacks.

So, which class are you going to play as?