Flavours of entanglement

[swirly]

What is it that draws you toward making whatever first character you are going to make in D3? Is it the min/max potential of it? The style of combat like melee/ranged sort of stuff? Is it the lore, look, or what I would call the flavor of the character? I just thought it could be interesting to hear what it is that excites everyone and makes them choose one particular class to be their first when the game is actually released.

For me it is Witch Doctor all the way and it is purely a flavor choice. In WoW I loved Trolls. It had nothing to do with what classes they could be and everything to do with the feel of them. Then when they made Troll Druids with their wacky colors I was just in love. It just hit the Troll flavor right on the nose and was perfect. For me, Witch Doctors are the Trolls of D3. They are the class that really embodies that slightly funky out there vibe that I love so much. So it doesn't even matter how strong or weak they end up being or if they are ranged/melee/pet/whatever. I'd play them first just because of the flavor. I do happen to love the pet aspect of them as well so that makes it an even easier choice, but in the end it is all about flavor for me.

So what is it for you that determines your first choice character?

[MMAgCh]

I'll be playing the monk first, just because I've always liked the "fantasy/Eastern monk" archetype in games and fiction. Getting to take a shot at the open beta only further cemented that decision as the monk plays great as well.

[Treesh]

I would love for my monk to be first, but it's going to be demon hunter first for a few reasons. One, my softcore monk is going to be played in a group so I have to wait until we can get together to play before I can play her. Two, if I go with my second choice first, then I can get her to 10 so I can create a hardcore monk to play monk when I'm not playing in the group. =) Three, I enjoyed the rogue in D1 and the bowazon in D2 so I figured I can't go wrong with the demon hunter in D3. Plus, after playing her in the beta she was fun. Fourth, by making her first, I have a better chance to get the name I want for her.

Now, that being said, the class I'm most drawn to after playing the beta is the monk. It's a fast melee style unlike the slow, plodding barbarian. She can heal people, which I found out I love doing in MMOs and hell, even Left4Dead2 I watched the other health bars. The poor Russian accent I could do without, but I love her white hair. Oh! And the fact that even with weapons equipped she still is punching and kicking instead of swinging the weapon. Who doesn't love a girl who can punch a statue into rubble?! I also love the fact that her attacks generate spirit, but that she starts out with a full globe of spirit (just like the demon hunter, now that I think about it. Maybe that's why I like her second best). I don't have to wait for regen to give me more mana like the wizard and witch doctor (although in the beta their regen was high enough that it wasn't much of a concern, just when I got spam happy ) and the barbarian pisses me off greatly with starting with an empty fury globe and has to build it each time I take a break from fighting for a town run or whatever.

[LochnarITB]

Wizard/Mage first and favorite! My first game was Wizardry on an Apple II+ with a green screen monitor. First character was the mage and my favorite spell and description of all times is "Tiltowait - The effect of this spell is somewhat like the detonation of a small tactical nuclear weapon." I love standing back and doing huge damage. No need to be strong or fast. A wave of the hands and things "go away". How many times in life do you wish you could wave your hands and have your problem go away? No matter what class I play in any game, at some point I realize I am again trying to mold that class' mechanics to the magey way.

[Mavfin]

Fourth, by making her first, I have a better chance to get the name I want for her.

I believe names are only unique within your account, and, you can have a hardcore and softcore toon named the same if you wish. On beta, by accident, I had a softcore and hardcore monk, both named the same thing. So, creation order won't matter for the name.

On topic, I believe I'll make either a demon hunter or a barb first. However, what will happen will be that I'll play them all to SK, covering what I saw in the beta, then I'll see which one I like the feel of the best at that point in the live game, and continue on from there. It'll be a 'feel' decision, not a 'min/max' decision.

[Treesh]

Fourth, by making her first, I have a better chance to get the name I want for her.

I believe names are only unique within your account, and, you can have a hardcore and softcore toon named the same if you wish. On beta, by accident, I had a softcore and hardcore monk, both named the same thing. So, creation order won't matter for the name.

Ooh. I did not know that. Thanks Mav. =)

[FireIceTalon]

DH for me. Always loved the dynamics and skilled required to play ranged classes. Rogue was a work of art on D1, I think DH will be the same way on D3. I love melee classes too though, so Barb will probably be my second char. Casting classes are OP and usually my least favorite but nevertheless I will eventually play WD and Wizard, and probably have incredible fun in doing so. I like all the classes quite well in the open Beta. In a way it hardly matters, since I plan on leveling all classes to 60, farming the best possible gear, and eventually playing high end PvP. But yes, DH encompasses my playing style the best, and will be my first char.

Pretty cool that I dont have to worry about anyone stealing any of my char names, since it is the Battle Tag that everyone sees anyway.

[NuurAbSaal]

For me it is Witch Doctor all the way and it is purely a flavor choice. In WoW I loved Trolls. It had nothing to do with what classes they could be and everything to do with the feel of them. Then when they made Troll Druids with their wacky colors I was just in love. It just hit the Troll flavor right on the nose and was perfect. For me, Witch Doctors are the Trolls of D3. They are the class that really embodies that slightly funky out there vibe that I love so much. So it doesn't even matter how strong or weak they end up being or if they are ranged/melee/pet/whatever. I'd play them first just because of the flavor. I do happen to love the pet aspect of them as well so that makes it an even easier choice, but in the end it is all about flavor for me.

So what is it for you that determines your first choice character?

This, to the letter

Throwing jars of spiders? SOLD!

take care
Tarabulus

[NiteFox]

I'm still really undecided about what my first character will be. My favourite Diablo class was Sorcerer (though let's be fair, sorcs were overpowered in Diablo), but I never got on with ranged characters at all in Diablo II; I preferred dual-wield barbs and werewolf druids, even experimented a bit with a spearazon. Then came Torchlight and the only class of the three I found to be interesting in any meaningful way was the Destroyer.

I'm thinking a Barbarian or Monk, but I'm also drawn to Demon Hunter and Wizard. Gah, not sure what to do...

[RTM]

It's a toss-up between witch doctor & barb for me. The barb was just so satisfying and visceral to play, and the witch doctor was just plain fun. I'll probably end up leveling them simultaneously.

[NuurAbSaal]

It's a toss-up between witch doctor & barb for me. The barb was just so satisfying and visceral to play, and the witch doctor was just plain fun. I'll probably end up leveling them simultaneously.

I've been thinking about doing that as well. While I stand behind my earlier (shamelessly quoted for copy/paste) statements about the Witch Doctor, there was that meaty OOMPH behind Barbarian attacks. Even on the lowest graphics and sound settings you could feel the power and ferocity behind every swing, not unlike unloading a double-barreled shotgun into a zombie from point-blank range. Well, I imagine...

Eventually they will all down the Skeleton King and then face my judgement.

take care
Tarabulus

[Sirian]

What is it that draws you toward making whatever first character you are going to make in D3?

Barbarian for a locked pair with my wife's coop toon, and Monk for solo play.

The monk represents something new to the franchise, mechanics-wise. I also am craving GOOD Diablo melee, which to me will be the benchmark of this game's greatness -- or lack thereof. They blew it with melee in D2. I think they know that. But I intend to find out quickly. If melee is viable all the way through, D3 will get a sincere stamp of approval from me. And if not, they will hear about it. I would be quite disappointed with a D2 retread of melee classes being forced to use ranged skills most of the time because they just can't take a hit. D1 had it right. You had to use caution, good tactics, be smart about it, not blindly charge in, but you didn't have to run run run like Red Riding Hood. "Run away little girl! Run away!"


- Sirian

[MongoJerry]

After messing around with an amazon and necromancer in softcore DII, I started a sorceress in hardcore simply because it was the most fragile of all of the characters. In the first few months of DII, when the hardcore population was small and nobody had twink gear, I actually had a lot of whispers from people saying essentially, "You're playing a sorceress in harcore mode? Are you crazy?!" But it didn't take long for me to absolutely fall in love with the class. I liked teaming up with necromancers doing Diablo runs. I'd static field whole screens of mobs down while the necromancer's minions would protect us and finish them off. And, of course, it was fun to just teleport right on top of players=8 Diablo with a sorceress with max block and as fast cast as I could get and static field him down in 5 seconds or less. Later, when Blizzard reduced static field's power (and it needed to be nerfed), I still loved the sorceress for her ability to teleport around the screen and confuse the heck out of monsters. Later, after the patch where Blizzard introduced synergies (when finally LoD became fun and playable), I loved playing my various incarnations of enchantresses -- especially the melee enchantress who could zip over and together with her buffed barbarian mercenary take out a miniboss while the small minions were still turning around.

I'm a little nervous about the new wizard with the 15 second cooldown on teleport, because that was really my favorite skill of the sorceress. But I see a lot of other skills that I think I'll like, so I think I'm pretty much hooked on playing a wizard (wizardess? sorceress? witch?). In fact, I think I'll just jump right into hardcore and learn the sorceress that way. I've never worried too much about dying in hardcore. I just get right back up and build up another character again.

[NiteFox]

I thought watching the class videos on the D3 website would help me make a decision. Now I just want to play them all.

Wasn't even going to roll a Witch Doctor, but they can summon giant frogs to eat enemies. You can't argue against that.

[MMAgCh]

Wasn't even going to roll a Witch Doctor, but they can summon giant frogs to eat enemies. You can't argue against that.

The Toad of Hugeness (actual rune name at this time, too) indeed brooks no argument.

Of course, throwing an infinite supply of vases full of spiders at monsters is a pretty damn close second.

[Kevin]

I played all the classes in one version of the beta (at the point where there were no runes because they had just pulled them out and hadn't decided on the new system. I had fun with all of them, though at the time I would have to say witch doctor was my least favorite even though I wanted to like them (I always liked the D2 necro). I let a friend use my beta account one weekend during a visit and got to see improvements pretty much across the board, most all of the problems I had with the witch doctor had been fixed. Other things I had small issues with in general and with other classes had been fixed as well.

So that being said it's likely going to be a dice roll for me, 10 sided, and late random chance figure it out. Of course if I do play with a group (I'm interested if other folks are and times work) then I might just grab one of the two classes that the other 3 aren't. I did that with D2 a lot because I didn't have a strong affinity for any of the classes (or a strong dislike) and it tended to be more fun with all different classes.

Obviously I'm going to end up with one of everything and there is a strong chance of parallel leveling, which I've done in other games too. Dunno, we will see in a few days I guess.

[swirly]

So that being said it's likely going to be a dice roll for me, 10 sided

I love you GG! It never even crossed my mind that somebody might do such and I find it completely awesome that you would. It reminds me of Conc using a spreadsheet to determine something random. Somehow that and this both made me really happy.

[RTM]

So that being said it's likely going to be a dice roll for me, 10 sided

I love you GG! It never even crossed my mind that somebody might do such and I find it completely awesome that you would. It reminds me of Conc using a spreadsheet to determine something random. Somehow that and this both made me really happy.

I learned today of a hardcore gameplay variant that might be fun to try out eventually:

1. Lay out the classes from 1 to 5. Go here and get a random number from 1 to 5- whatever number you get, that's the class you play.

2. Go to the character builder for your character and click the gem at the bottom. That's your build, you're not allowed to deviate from it.

Get 4 folks, see how far you can get!

[Kevin]

So that being said it's likely going to be a dice roll for me, 10 sided

I love you GG! It never even crossed my mind that somebody might do such and I find it completely awesome that you would. It reminds me of Conc using a spreadsheet to determine something random. Somehow that and this both made me really happy.

I learned today of a hardcore gameplay variant that might be fun to try out eventually:

1. Lay out the classes from 1 to 5. Go here and get a random number from 1 to 5- whatever number you get, that's the class you play.

2. Go to the character builder for your character and click the gem at the bottom. That's your build, you're not allowed to deviate from it.

Get 4 folks, see how far you can get!

I like this idea. This is what I got.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/wi...Vfc!cbaZaa

[Treesh]

I learned today of a hardcore gameplay variant that might be fun to try out eventually:

1. Lay out the classes from 1 to 5. Go here and get a random number from 1 to 5- whatever number you get, that's the class you play.

2. Go to the character builder for your character and click the gem at the bottom. That's your build, you're not allowed to deviate from it.

Get 4 folks, see how far you can get!

That's awesome. http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/mo...bZV!abZcab And yes, the monk coming up was legit! I thought for sure it'd stick me with barb. =D