Diablo 3 Beta

[Genghis Ares]

Has anyone played the beta? We all got keys at work on Tuesday and we've been playing a few hours each night, and I was wondering if anyone else here happens to have gotten one.

I've so far played as the Demon Hunter, Monk,and Wizard.

I really like the Demon Hunter, good quick ranged attacks and some fun skills, like the bolas and the snare abilities.

[rustak]

Only letting you play up to level 13 is so evil (but also a good idea)... just enough to whet your appetite, but not enough to ruin your actual dinner. Too bad dinner's at least a few months off. The game looks and plays very smoothly, and I admit to getting some shivers when I first heard the opening chords.

I was on the fence about the skill system, but I kind of like it now. It becomes impossible to gimp yourself like you could in D2, and you get a much more Guild Wars-style "try out different builds" style of play.

[phlip]

We all got keys at work on Tuesday

Where do you work, and are you hiring?

[Master Gunner]

*Adds Genghis Ares to list of people I hate*

[Genghis Ares]

I work at Gearbox Software.

I like the skill system as well. I hated how in D2 you were pretty much forced into certain build and you had to plan accordingly if you wanted to be at all effective. But now you can use everything and find out which skills you like. I wish there were some rune stones to use on the skills. I don't know if they are just not in the beta or if they are just rare drops.

[Trymantha]

If you dont mind me asking how NDAs have you signed(all im after is just the number)?

[Genghis Ares]

For my job, only 1 that covers everything I see at work.

[Drunk On Mystery]

I'm now insanely jealous.

I mean, I guess I can wait a few more months given that I've been waiting for 10 years, but still: I want this game in my life.

[Myrph]

Well huh. Turns out I've won a couple of beta keys from the Facebook beta sweepstakes. I wasn't even particularly serious when I filled it in, definitely didn't think I'd actually get a beta key, let alone two!

At this stage, gonna see if anyone I know IRL wants the spare code (can definitely think of a couple of people who might), but if I can't find anyone in the next couple of days, I'll probably offer it up here!

[Red Charlie]

Well huh. Turns out I've won a couple of beta keys from the Facebook beta sweepstakes. I wasn't even particularly serious when I filled it in, definitely didn't think I'd actually get a beta key, let alone two!

At this stage, gonna see if anyone I know IRL wants the spare code (can definitely think of a couple of people who might), but if I can't find anyone in the next couple of days, I'll probably offer it up here!

SHOTGUN

Obnoxiously.

[Myrph]

Well huh. Turns out I've won a couple of beta keys from the Facebook beta sweepstakes. I wasn't even particularly serious when I filled it in, definitely didn't think I'd actually get a beta key, let alone two!

At this stage, gonna see if anyone I know IRL wants the spare code (can definitely think of a couple of people who might), but if I can't find anyone in the next couple of days, I'll probably offer it up here!

SHOTGUN

Obnoxiously.

If, by Monday, I can find no one else who will claim it, I'll PM you the details, just don't hold out your hopes too much.

For those who haven't signed up for it and own Facebook accounts, I'd recommend signing up for the beta sweepstakes, its how I got my two beta keys.

[Drunk On Mystery]

Well huh. Turns out I've won a couple of beta keys from the Facebook beta sweepstakes.

So all I have to do to get a pair of Diablo III beta keys is kill Myrph and wear his skin?

Interesting.

[Myrph]

Well my second key has already been claimed (and by I girl I didn't realise was into that sorta thing... the things you learn, eh), so unfortunately can't pass it onto any of you guys!

And I'm not entirely sure how you guys got up to level 13. I completed the entire quest chain as the Wizard, which incidentally was great fun, and as soon as I killed the last big evil, I levelled up to level 10 and that was it.

I guess I'll take a short break for now, though, and play some more of Skyrim!

[Tim]

I want Diablo 3 really badly. I'm not going to be able to afford it, though.

I'll get my hands on it somehow.

[Genghis Ares]

Fortunately, after playing the Beta, my anticipation for the game has gone down to manageable levels. Of course I could just be blinded by Skyrim right now.

[Graham]

I would call it more of a demo than a beta, considering it sort of ends as soon as you beat the skeleton king, but I got it as well, and it was... well, it was Diablo. But new and awesome.

I'm pretty excited about it.


(Also, Genghis, you work at Gearbox? That's so cool! Do you ever get out to cons? We played MtG against Mikey and a bunch of GB guys at PAX, it was awesome.)

[rustak]

And I'm not entirely sure how you guys got up to level 13. I completed the entire quest chain as the Wizard, which incidentally was great fun, and as soon as I killed the last big evil, I levelled up to level 10 and that was it.

Yep, you end up at 10-11, and then you go back and replay quests/areas for xp and items. You can't level past 13 because the enemies stop giving xp at that point (and I think to get to 13 you have to kill the Skeleton King over and over, since very little else gives you xp).

(And at some point you realize "What the hell am I doing? This is just a demo/beta, why am I trying to complete this level 10 set?!" )

[Genghis Ares]

I would call it more of a demo than a beta, considering it sort of ends as soon as you beat the skeleton king, but I got it as well, and it was... well, it was Diablo. But new and awesome.

I'm pretty excited about it.


(Also, Genghis, you work at Gearbox? That's so cool! Do you ever get out to cons? We played MtG against Mikey and a bunch of GB guys at PAX, it was awesome.)

That's pretty cool, unfortunately I work in QA, and we aren't exactly prime candidates for attending cons(with some exceptions). We could still attend some and I think we count as industry professionals, but we would have to take time off ourselves and pay for it out of our own pockets.

[Tim]

I very, very, very highly doubt that Blizzard would make D3 a subscription game, especially since they're going to be doing the real money item auctions.

They would definitely lose more money in sales that way than they would gain in subscription fees, IMO.

[Master Gunner]

*looks at Diablo 2 installation on desktop*

Uh....I don't think so. But they're still not going to make it subscription-based.

[Tim]

What I'm saying, MG, is that there would be a lot of outrage and fewer people would buy it, IMO. And a huge reason that so many people still play D2, or at least have it installed, is that it's free.

[Master Gunner]

What I'm saying, MG, is that there would be a lot of outrage and fewer people would buy it, IMO. And a huge reason that so many people still play D2, or at least have it installed, is that it's free.

I agree with that, but looking at the success of WoW, and how willing people are to put up with Blizzard's crap in the long run, they'd still make more money in the end. Just like what happened with the CoD4 Steam Boycott group (who were all play CoD4 on launch day).

However, Blizzard still isn't that dickish to make Diablo III a subscription based game, unless it was going to be a full MMO, and if it was a full MMO, they'd have announced that a long time ago.

[Aeralis]

Man, the first Diablo was the only game I've ever had fun with rampant hackers running amok all the time. It was awesome/hilarious to walk into a new room and see the town square just COATED in gold, stat potions, Apocalypse staves, and Godly Plates of the Whale.

One summer, I even befriended a rather nasty player-killer. We went on many a hilarious adventure together.

Good times, man.

[ecocd]

The only people playing the first Diablo online were the hackers in the first place. I only played single player and had loads of fun. I never did find a Godly Plate of the Whale, but I knew I was waiting for Diablo 2 to come out. I mean, if couldn't take that long to make. Yeah...

[Aeralis]

The fun thing about Godly Plate of the Whale is that it's not supposed to exist. "Godly" and "Whale" are the best prefix and suffix possible for armor, and the game makes sure that the two of them are never paired together naturally.

I started in single player, but got bored rather quickly. So I hopped online one day and BAM, hackers galore! I came back to the game a couple years later, but the community was mostly dead at that point, and I had lost my TOTALLY LEGIT Warrior, so my stay didn't last long.