Got news?   tips@destructoid.com  |  Never miss a story:   RSS + Twitter + YouTube
Hey! New here? Destructoid is a gaming discussion community, updated nearly every 20 minutes. Make a quick avatar to comment and enter our contests. Take the tour!

 


Home PC updates

Two Diablo III character classes revealed

10:27 AM on 06.28.2008, Brad Nicholson 38 comments

Two Diablo III character classes revealed photo
     PC

The news on Diablo III just keeps on churning.

Two new classes have been introduced. The first is the Barbarian. Thankfully, he is still a huge, armored beast that cuts up monsters at will. The other is the Witch Doctor, which may prove to excite many potential players with his combination of voodoo and necromancy.

Hit the break to check out the two new classes in more detail and to take a gander at the gallery for some accompanying artwork.

The Barbarian in Diablo III is an endangered species, having not being seen for a period of time. The reason why the Barbarian disappeared is, for the most part, unknown, but logic suggests that such a brutish culture that apparently values red meat as much they do would probably suffer from cardiovascular difficulties. According to the lore, Barbarians were once the great protectors of Mount Arreat and the unknown object within it. They eventually subjugated themselves to the mountain for so long that it became a holy place where even the dead were buried.

Barbarian fightin'

The Barbarian still looks huge, and dual wielding has been confirmed. The list of special powers available are Cleave, Ground Stomp, Leap, Seismic Slam, and Whirlwind. You can view a brief little video of each of the special powers on Blizzard’s site, here.

The Witch Doctor apparently drew the same societal downfall straw as the Barbarian. The class race, umbaru, lives in tribal units in the jungle regions of Diablo III. They are an aggressive culture, constantly willing to wage war against one another for the precious resources of the region. The deeply religious umbaru use these resources for both magic and sacrifices.

Witch Doctor Fighting

The class also has a special kinship with an alternate plain of existence and can tap into it with the power called “Ghost Trance.” Powers like Firebomb, Horrify, Locust Swarm, Mass Confusion, and Soul Harvest all appear to possess an otherworldly feel. In addition to that, the Witch Doctor can also toss out some voodoo bottles and dabble in a bit of necromancy. You can see all the powers in little videos on Blizzard's site, here.

Personally, the Witch Doctor really has me excited. Blending together voodoo and necromancy is a brilliant idea. Although, judging by the videos, it appears as if he may just be a spell slinger. I would much rather toss vials of nasty substances at monsters than just the routine fireball. Who knows what Blizzard really has up their sleeve, though? We'll be sure to keep you in the know as crazy Blizzard day progresses.


LAUNCH GALLERY (6 IMAGES)
Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo
 

Next page: More Diablo stories




OutrageousToob's Avatar
OutrageousToob at 06/28/2008 10:44
Before I comment on the pictures and whatnot I have to say, when Diablo roared like a fucking dinosaur at the end of the trailer I got chills of awesomeness.

The gameplay pictures look pretty much as expected.

I, unfortunately, won't be playing this game though, as I no longer have a gaming quality PC. I have foregone the gigantic desktops of yore for slim, cheap, replacable laptops. No more room for big PC.
OutrageousToob's Avatar
OutrageousToob at 06/28/2008 10:50
*sigh* Never mind. I know full well that when this comes out, I'm going to go to ANY length to play it. Damn. Farewell $1300.
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 06/28/2008 10:52
IM HAVING MORE ORGASMSSMSMS THAN MY GF!!?!?!?!!?
4knuckleshuffle's Avatar
4knuckleshuffle at 06/28/2008 11:00
I hope this will run on my PC. And if not, there's always suicide.
SomaOtter's Avatar
SomaOtter at 06/28/2008 11:07
oh my god

i can't wait!
kielejocain's Avatar
kielejocain at 06/28/2008 11:09
@Outrageous Toob: I'm sure it will be futile to say this, but you probably don't NEED to spend $1300 to get a pooter that plays D3.

That said, I'm sure you'll convince yourself (as would I) that you do and can afford one.
P3T3Y's Avatar
P3T3Y at 06/28/2008 11:10
Keep in mind guys that Blizzard has always tried to keep their requirements accessible, aside from WoW, a monsterous gaming rig have never been a necessity to run Blizzard games.
Aertyr's Avatar
Aertyr at 06/28/2008 11:13
Where is my Sorcerer!
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 06/28/2008 11:24
YESSSSSSSSS
omar's Avatar
omar at 06/28/2008 11:42
Yessssssssssss Bewbs, finally. I feel a monstrous urge to use the rest room, to late...I CAME!! XD
mix's Avatar
mix at 06/28/2008 12:05
Awesome news!

As long as we don't have to pay monthly fees, I'm in.

Those screens don't look like you would need anything "crazy" PC wise to be able to play it.
kagai's Avatar
kagai at 06/28/2008 12:11
I haven't been this excited about something since my first girlfriend said, "F**K ME!". This is freaking AWESOME!
mo0man's Avatar
mo0man at 06/28/2008 12:36
You know why all the barbarians are an endangered race? CAUSE TYREAL BROKE THE WORLD RIGHT UNDER THEM
MisterMingo's Avatar
MisterMingo at 06/28/2008 12:42
I can't wait to use the Witch Doctor's "OOH EEH OOH AAH AAH TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG" spell. It's gonna be TYTE!!
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 06/28/2008 14:31
The power of the voodoo...
scottoid's Avatar
scottoid at 06/28/2008 15:00
OMFG... must play. Blizzard has the PC gaming community by the balls.
Fronz's Avatar
Fronz at 06/28/2008 16:18
The sound effects are truly what sells those character class videos. It just looks like so much fun!
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 06/28/2008 16:23
Oooh, Witch Doctor sounds awesome!
rbrooks's Avatar
rbrooks at 06/28/2008 16:28
FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK.ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.FUCK ME.

I love DIABLO!
kapshhh's Avatar
kapshhh at 06/28/2008 19:00
More cows please.
BlackSunEmpire's Avatar
BlackSunEmpire at 06/28/2008 19:31
More please. I'm truly excited by this announcement. Have they said how many classes there will be??
godkow's Avatar
godkow at 06/28/2008 20:24
@ BlackSunEmpire

They're planning on having five classes.
maverick535's Avatar
maverick535 at 06/28/2008 20:31
I'd say the inclusion of the witch doctor definitely bodes poorly for the possibility of the shaman or necromancer to appear in Diablo III. I'm going to assume that they'll have five classes to begin with, then add more with the inevitable expansion pack, so I'll keep my hopes up.
Pacopaco's Avatar
Pacopaco at 06/28/2008 20:32
That's some fine voice acting in the trailer. That or trailer made it seem more impressive...I'm going with the former.

*goes off to watch the trailer again to make sure*
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 06/28/2008 20:33
::drools::
The Grudge's Avatar
The Grudge at 06/28/2008 22:44
I splooged.
SyntaxError's Avatar
SyntaxError at 06/28/2008 23:56
While I was reading, I kinda saw how the necromancer will somehow get the boot, to make room for the witch doctor.
kiel's Avatar
kiel at 06/29/2008 05:31
OH MY AWESOME!

I just weeed in my pants!
Kiranio's Avatar
Kiranio at 06/29/2008 14:51
I feel like I'm dreaming. This is just fantastic. To see the barbarian in action again... it's priceless.
Killomatik's Avatar
Killomatik at 06/29/2008 18:04
Haha... There are so many freaks in this comment-thread...!;P


I LOVE YOU D3 <3<3<3<3<3<3<3! :'(
Skribble's Avatar
Skribble at 06/30/2008 01:25
Ive never been interested at all in the Diablo series

But this game looks fucking awesome
StuffOfLegend's Avatar
StuffOfLegend at 06/30/2008 19:53
Suffice it to say that since we'll be able to choose the gender of the new character classes, Amazon and Sorceress are out. They'll prolly be replaced by classes not so gender specific like Ranger and Archmage. That leaves room for of course a Paladin/Knight type or an Assassin/Rogue like character. I'm leaning towards the former since pallys are the long standing standard in RPG. So we'd have 1 pure melee brute(Barb)-1 pure caster(Mage)- 1 ranged/melee hunter(Ranger)- 1 caster/summoner (Witch Doctor) - 1 melee/caster (Paladin). Sounds balanced to me. Although I'd love to see a backstabbing Assassin....I'll keep my fingers crossed.
LarkOhiya's Avatar
LarkOhiya at 07/03/2008 01:10
I got an illness docter and only diablo can cure it.
kobypolish's Avatar
kobypolish at 07/22/2008 12:38
To the dingleberry that wrote this article...
Brad,
If you actually watched the game play video you would KNOW that the Witch Doc DOES lob his fireBOMBS... they aren't just spells thrown... The WD is a physical caster using alchemy to do his bidding... If it was just a simple spell it would just erupt around the target and burn them... BUUUUT! It is clearly evident that he is lobbing bombs of some alchemical nature at his enemies hence the reason some of them miss the moving targets... So next time you want to write an article do your homework properly =D Otherwise a well written article =D

~CHeers!
prev next

Returning Dtoiders: login now to post a comment

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just Create an avatar now - it's fast and free: PLUS you also get your own gaming blog and begin posting stories and uploading videos in our open community area that may also appear on our home page. Sign up and we'll guide you through it, it's easy and 100% anonymous.




 Original Videos

 Reviews
Mad Dog McCree Gunslinger Pack
Overlord II
Yosumin Live!
Let's Tap
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Wii)
View all Game Reviews

 Community blogs -   39776 Dtoiders!

This month's theme: Untapped Potential

New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide


 Originals

How Pokemon Red is blatantly better than Pokemon Blue











more original Destructoid stories



 Popular now more













Destructoid is:
Nick Chester
Editor-in-Chief
Jim Sterling
Reviews Editor
Dale North
News Editor
Hamza Aziz
Community Manager
Anthony Burch
Features Editor
Rey Gutierrez
Video editor & director
Niero
Founder, publisher
Letters to the editors
tips@destructoid.com
Associate Editors
Ashley Davis Jonathan Holmes
Brad Nicholson Jonathan Ross
Brad Rice Jordan Devore
Chad Concelmo Matthew Razak
Colette Bennett Tom Fronczak
Conrad Zimmerman Topher Cantler
Dyson Samit Sarkar
Contributors
Adam Dork
Ben Perlee
Daniel Lingen
Joseph Leray
Joe Burling
Mikey
Will Maddock
Stella Wong




get involved

register or login
post a blog
post a forum
enter a contest
discuss a review
contribute a news tip
write a guest editorial
support

new member's guide
login assistance
tech support
report abuse
email our editors
read our dev blog
nuclear crisis?
keep in touch

RSS feed
Twitter
Facebook
Myspace
Flickr
Game nights
Meet-ups
seriously

about us
advertising
terms of use
privacy policy
jobs at MM
buy our crap
our network

Tomopop
Japanator




Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press
living the dream since March 16, 2006