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Diablo 3 Basics

2011-11-17T20:03:27Z

BlackLink16:

[[Image:Diablo III Logo.jpg|left|150px]]
This is the '''Diablo 3 Basics''' page, which is the main '''Fact Sheet''' of known '''Diablo III''' information. This much-anticipated sequel to Diablo and Diablo II was announced at [[Blizzard]]'s [[WWI 2008]] in Paris, during 27-28 June, 2008. Regardless if you just heard that Diablo III is announced, or if you have been following some of the {{wl|[http://diablo.incgamers.com Diablo 3 news]}}, this page will get you up to speed!

If you are looking for the '''Basics Section''' of the wiki, you can find that in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''.

==Introduction==
Diablo III, while featured completely in '''3D''' with a 3D environment, will follow closely in Diablo II's track by using the classic isometric view, fast gameplay, and randomized content for high replayability. Some changes have been made in order to make the game faster and more flexible as well as make players choose and employ tactics rather than mindless mouseclicking. Besides taking well-learned lessons from WoW, the developers have been inspired by games such as ''Zelda'' and ''God of War''. Regardless, the game will be possible to play with a mouse alone, if a player so wishes (but you would be a lot less efficient).

Remember that if you're a newcomer to Diablo, you can find more related articles in the '''[[:Category:Basics|Basics Category]]'''
 
 

== Character Classes ==

Blizzard has confirmed that the game will ship with five characters. These are the [[Barbarian]], [[Demon Hunter]], [[Monk]], [[Witch Doctor]], and [[Wizard]]. All five classes will be playable in male or female versions. The gender difference is purely cosmetic; male and female characters have identical stats and abilities. The classes are very distinct from one another, for all armor appears different depending on which character is using it, the characters have completely unique [[skills]], largely unique [[traits]], and each has their own [[resource]] type.

Though all five classes for Diablo III have been revealed, more are expected in the [[expansion]]s. See the [[Other classes]] article for Blizzard quotes on their additional character ideas.

{|
! colspan="3" | Barbarian
|-
| [[File:Barbfemale.jpg|85px]]
| [[File:Barbmale.jpg|80px]]
| '''The [[Barbarian]]''' - The same character you played in [[Diablo II]], but with some [[Barbarian skills|new skills]], and backed with the power of the [[ancient]]s.
* [[Barbarian Skills]]
* [[Barbarian Traits]]
* [[Resource]]: - [[Fury]]
|-
! colspan="3" | Demon Hunter
|-
| [[File:Demon-hunter-art4.jpg|center|125px]]
| [[File:Demon-hunter-male.jpg|90px]]
| '''The [[Demon Hunter]]''' - The last class revealed is a ranged weapon specialist with a grudge against all demon kind, sexy style, deadly traps, and demonic gadgets to go with her glowing eyes.
* [[Demon Hunter Skills]]
* [[Demon Hunter Traits]]
* [[Resource]]: - [[Hatred]] & [[Discipline]]
|-
! colspan="3" | Monk
|-
| [[File:Monkfemale.jpg|85px]]
| [[File:Monkmale.jpg|85px]]
| '''The [[Monk]]''' - A new fellow from [[Ivgorod]]. Combining martial arts of our Eastern cultures with a holy strike from the Western disciplines, he takes names and kicks in faces.
* [[Monk Skills]]
* [[Monk Traits]]
* [[Resource]]: [[Spirit]]
|-
! colspan="3" | Witch Doctor
|-
| [[File:Witchfemale.jpg|85px]]
| [[File:Witchmale.jpg|70px]]
| '''The [[Witch Doctor]]''' - A new class that comes from the jungle region of [[Teganze]], and uses [[Witch Doctor skills|voodoo magic]] to do his bidding. One of his highlights is the [[Wall of Zombies]] spell.
* [[Witch Doctor Skills]]
* [[Witch Doctor Traits]]
* [[Resource]]: [[Mana]]
|-
! colspan="3" | Wizard
|-
| [[File:Wizardfemale.jpg|85px]]
| [[File:Wizardmale.jpg|70px]]
| '''The [[Wizard]]''' - A new class that is a pure spell caster harnessing arcane and elemental magic to do her bidding. Very similar to the [[Sorcerer]] and [[Sorceress]] of previous Diablo games. One of the highlights is the [[Wizard_skills#Slow_Time|Slow Time]] spell which warps space and time, slowing nearby monsters and projectiles.
* [[Wizard Skills]]
* [[Wizard Traits]]
* [[Resource]]: [[Arcane Power]]
|-
|}

=== Skills ===
The skills and their presentation evolved greatly during the game's development. See the [[skill tree]] article for a full pictorial history. As of the Diablo III beta, skills are presented in categories (usually three). The categories separate the skills by function, for example, the [[Barbarian Skills]] are separated into Fury Spenders, Fury Generators, and Situational. The skills are unlocked at various [[character level]]s. All skills are [[active]], there are no prerequisites other than character level, and there are no synergies.

[[Traits]] were added during development in 2010, when all [[passive]] skills were removed from the skill trees. Traits have been replaced by Passives. There are unique passives for each class now, unlike Traits, which had some that were shared between the classes, granting bonuses to [[attributes]] or other common properties such as [[Lucky]] (increased gold drops), or [[Pound of Flesh (trait)|Pound of Flesh]] (increased [[health orb]] benefit). Passives are unlocked by level, like skills.

==== Skill Tree Respecs/Resets ====
In Diablo II prior to v1.13, a character was unable to change their skills and stats once they were allocated. If you made any mistake, the only solution was to [[reroll]]. This is changed in Diablo III, and it will be fairly easy for characters to "[[respec]]," to remove and reassign points from [[skills]] and [[traits]].

The exact methods have not yet been revealed, but the developers have said it will be fairly easy to do, though not entirely free or instant, to prevent exploitation.

====Stats/Attributes====
One major change announced early in Diablo III's development was the elimination of player-assigned stat points. In Diablo III, each class gains various [[attribute]] points in [[Attack_(Attribute)|attack]], [[Precision_(Attribute)|precision]], [[vitality]], [[defense]], and [[willpower]] when they level up, and these are automatically assigned. The Diablo III developers felt the stat allocation in Diablo II was a poor way to provide character customization since players almost always followed an established [[build]], which was always the best choice for a character. This removed any variety or individuality.

Stats can be modified in Diablo III in various ways: by [[traits]], via [[charms]] in the [[talisman]], and with equipment bonuses, including socketing [[gems]].

==== Skill Runes ====
[[File:Runes-hydra-all.jpg|thumb|350px|Hydra runestone effects.]]
While gems return for item [[sockets]], [[runes]] in Diablo III are not used in items. There are five types of runes, [[crimson]], [[alabaster]], [[indigo]], [[golden]], and [[obsidian]], which are socketed into active skills, where they modify the skill in various beneficial ways.

[[Runestones]] are a huge aspect of the game, always improving skills to the point that virtually any socketed runestone, even of the lowest level, will make an immediate and obvious difference in a skill's efficacy. Only a few skill rune functions are known at this point, and all are subject to change as development continues.

The first known complete skill permutation was the [[Wizard]]'s [[Hydra]] skill. The basic skill is much as it was in Diablo II, a three-headed flame dragon that pokes out of a manhole in the ground, spitting firebolts at enemies. Each rune changes this effect quite noticeably. The effects revealed for Hydra changed considerably even between August and October 2010, when the slide to the right was presented at Blizzcon 2010:

* Crimson rune: Turns the dragons blue, and they attack with a chilling/slowing breath.
* Alabaster rune: Turns the dragons purple, and they attack with Arcane damage bolts.
* Golden rune: The dragons remain red, but spit out firewalls, which deal higher damage and leave an [[AoE]] wall of flame on the ground.
* Indigo rune: The dragons turn blue and spit clusters of lightning.
* Obsidian rune: The dragons turn green and spit out poison-damaging acid balls.

==Monsters==
[[Image:Goatmen surround a Siegebreaker.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Goatmen]] & [[Siegebreaker]].]]
Diablo III will have a great array of '''[[monster]]s''', and they will employ more intelligent behaviour and effects as well. There will be more 'mini-boss' encounters that make for more epic gameplay; an example is the [[Thousand Pounder]], who isn't really a [[boss]], but a unit type. Other 'effects' include skeletons with large shields that can block and protect archers, [[ghoul]]s that climb up sheer walls to attack you, or [[Grotesque]]s that explode into a hundred [[Lamprey]] monsters. We can expect many unique attack patterns and behaviours from the Diablo III monsters.

The scale of monsters is greatly increased in Diablo III; demons like the Siegebreaker are not uncommon, and appear in sizes unimagined in previous games in the series. And Siegebreaker isn't even an especially big boss or Act boss.

* '''The [[Monster|Monsters Article]]''' has much more information on the dozens of known monsters.
* Monster [[bosses]] are much improved and varied in Diablo III.
** [[Boss modifiers]] are new and improved as well, and there are many new and dangerous properties.

==Death==
Death is less of an obstacle to success in Diablo III than in previous games in the series. Dead players in Diablo III do not lose equipment or gold. They must wait a mere few seconds before waiting to be resurrected by another player in their party or restarting at the last [[checkpoint]] (not [[waypoint]]) they passed over.

[[Hardcore]] mode is an option in the game, and as in Diablo II, dead HC characters stay dead forever.

Death will even look better. There are many more monster death animations, [[critical hit]] deaths come with bonus gore, and even players get to enjoy the death variety, since some of the special monsters have special fatality animations they'll use if they kill a player during a battle.

==Difficulty Levels==

There are going to be three [[difficulty]] levels in Diablo III, as in other games in the series. The normal difficulty level will not be very difficult, and characters are expected to rise to about Clvl 30 working their way through it, then 50 after Nightmare, and 60 (max level) after Hell. There will not be grinding required to reach the max level in Diablo III; as in World of Warcraft, it will be achieved simply by working through the normal content.

The difficulty will increase substantially on Nightmare, and the developers have talked about Hell as a much greater challenge, though they are committed to allowing solo players to defeat everything in the game. Nothing will be so hard that a group is required to pass it, and there are no plans to include [[raid]]-style content.

==End Game==

The focus of the [[end game]] will be much-changed in Diablo III. The developers have not revealed many details, but they say it will be much more compelling than simply running the same bosses over and over again. That characters will be at or nearly to the max level by the time they finish Hell difficulty (barring rushing or other activities to take a character well outside the normal level progression) makes a big difference, since gaining experience will not be part of the end game.

There are talks about [[Achievements]] being incorporated, or special online-only challenges. The team regards the item-hunting game as the ultimate goal of a character in Diablo III.

Another end-game activity is PvP play in the [[Arena]], as characters could respec and switch around their equipment to build a character entirely focused on PvP play.

==Items==
[[Image:Barbarian swing.jpg|thumb|right|[[Barbarian]] swinging two magical axes.]]
Armor is arranged in [[gear sets]] in Diablo III. There are 18 of them, increasing in quality/appearance from simple cloth to ornate plate mail. The items do not repeat with different names/stats; there are no exceptional/elite versions of items in Diablo III. This means there is a wider variety of total item types, and that players will see a steady progression throughout the game of increasingly dramatic-looking armor.

Weapons are the same, and will increase from plain to fancy, with stats to match.

Most items are rare or magical, as before. Sockets are not a special feature of white items; sockets may occur on any type of item, and there will not be plain socketed items, nor would you want one since there are no [[Runewords]] to put into them. [[Uniques]] return, though they are apparently going to be called "[[Legendary]]" in Diablo III. [[Item sets]] are also likely returning, though they may differ in function somewhat, to make them more useful and/or easier to assemble.

A very popular type of item will be [[crafted]] items, magical or rare items made by the NPC [[Artisans]] from various [[recipes]].

===Armor and Weapon Types===

*[[Armor]]: [[helms]], [[shields]], [[Chest Armor|chest armor]], [[Hands|gloves]], [[Feet|boots]], [[rings]], [[amulets]], and [[belts]] return. Belts are now just another piece of armor; they do not have any special potion-holding function.
** New armor types: [[Shoulders]], [[Wrists|bracers]], and [[pants]].

* [[Weapons]]: [[Axes]], [[Spears]], [[Polearms]], [[Swords]], [[Clubs]], [[Bows]], [[Crossbows]], [[Wands]], [[shields]],
** New weapons: [[Fists]], [[Daggers]] (no longer a type of sword), [[Orbs]], [[Pistol crossbows]], [[short staves]] for casters only, [[battle staves]] for the Monk only.
** Removed weapons: There are no [[Throwing Weapons]] or throwing [[potions]] yet seen in Diablo III.

===Other Items Information===
* [[Runes]] are no longer socketed into items, and [[runewords]] are no more. Runes are objects that get socketed into [[skills]].
* The [[inventory]] is much larger than it was in Diablo II, and after numerous permutations, it's settled on a large grid with all items either 1x1 or 1x2 in size.
* The [[stash]] in town is huge, and will be shared between characters on the same account.
* Items will now drop '''per character'''; you only see items you can pick up, and no other players see or can grab them.
* Trading will be improved, and there will be some sort of auction house, though details have not been revealed.
* [[Potion]]s are much less common than in previous Diablo games. There are no mana or rejuvenation potions, just health, and they come with a long cooldown between uses. Basically, potions are for emergency use, and will only tide a character over briefly; with the cooldown, they will not keep you alive through reckless behavior.

==NPCs==
[[Image:Cain-concept1.jpg|thumb|right|75px|[[Cain]]]]
As in previous games in the series, [[NPCs]] will feature importantly in Diablo III. Much of the game [[story]] will be given by the NPCs, and they will be more interactive, while their speeches will be shorter, more to the point, and can be listened to while playing; you are no longer forced to "stay awhile" while you "listen."

[[Followers]]: More NPCs are found out in the dungeons than in past games, and mini-quests such as [[Escort Mission]]s are common throughout the game.

[[Mercenaries]]: The developers have talked about wanting to make mercs better and more useful than they were in Diablo II, but nothing has yet been revealed.

[[Artisans]]: "Vendors 2.0," these NPCs are merchants, quest-givers, and information sources. They follow the player throughout the game, traveling in a [[caravan]] between the acts, and in addition to the standard item buying and selling, they can [[craft]] new semi-random items from special [[recipes]], as well as [[enchant]], [[socket]], and [[repair]] items. Artisans can even be [[trained]] up to higher levels, giving them better skills.

==Locations==
[[Image:Sanctuary World Map.jpg|thumb|225px|[[world map|Sanctuary world map]], with locations noted.]]The [[world map]] of [[Sanctuary]] was actually released with the second Diablo game's manual, but a new and improved map has been made by Blizzard, outlining the continents and the major [[settlement]]s. Many of these locations will be visited in [[Diablo III]], including [[Tristram]]. Areas close by that were never visited in the previous games will also have a chance, like the [[Leoric Highlands]] and [[Westmarch]], and it's known that much of Act Three takes place in the Barbarian Lands around the [[Arreat Crater]].

We have been shown detailed pictures of [[Skovos]] (the land of the [[Amazon]]s), as well as [[Caldeum]] and Tristram. Skovos is confirmed to be excluded from the game, but the level of detail they are putting into the universe suggests either a big expansion pack, MMOs, or a film.

Outdoor areas will be less randomized than dungeons, and the terrain will for the most part be static. Instead, a lot of random scripted events will take place, and some will even be really advanced. They can vary from an escort [[quest]], to a moldy tome, or a big, bad [[boss]] monster. You will also find interactive environments with dangerous traps, obstacles, and [[destructible]] elements. There will be "numerous" outdoor locations.

==Dungeons==
The land is filled with dungeons, as in Diablo II. Dungeons vary widely in size and design, and are promised to offer better randomization and variety than they did in Diablo II.

<gallery>
Image:Screenshot 20.jpg|[[Dark Berserker]]s and a [[Grotesque]] in the [[Forgotten Tombs]].
Image:Screenshot 19.jpg|Several [[Walking Corpse]]s. [[Follower]]s can be seen as well.
Image:Screenshot 16.jpg|[[Witch Doctor]] who's [[Skull of Flame|flameskulling]] some [[Walking Corpse]]s.
</gallery>

==Transportation==
As in Diablo II, travel is on foot. There are no [[mounts]] in Sanctuary. Nor are there any [[Town Portal]]s, in a major change from earlier games in the series. The developers felt that Town Portals made it too easy for players to escape danger and made it impossible to offer compelling, dangerous combat.

To replace town portals, there are more waypoints, frequent checkpoints, and a new item, the [[Scroll of Wealth]] that allows players to sell their items remotely, without returning to to town. The new [[salvage cube]], an essential element of [[crafting]], is another addition meant to obviate the need for regular town returns.

==Easter Eggs==
While no [[Easter Eggs]] in Diablo III have been confirmed, (though we've seen plenty of Diablo III Easter Eggs in Starcraft II), Blizzard has given plenty of hints about some sort of [[secret level]] in the game.

===Cow Level===
The [[Cow Level]] is a very distinct piece of content in Diablo 2, but is as of yet unconfirmed for Diablo 3. Cows and Diablo have been closely linked in fan's minds since Diablo 1, and it's not unlikely that we'll get a secret Cow Level in Diablo 3 as well, even if it likely will be very different from the Diablo 2 version.

===Rainbow Level===
This is a rumour started by the [[art controversy]] (see below), and all the hub-hub about the colour in Diablo 3 that came after the announcement, which might inspire the dev team to make a rainbow level with unicorns and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carebear Carebears].
* [http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=708777 Rainbow Level forum thread]

==Art Changes==
Some fans were very upset that [[Diablo III]] is seemingly full of much more colour than the predecessor [[Diablo II]]. While the settings in general now include a lot more colour, Blizzard argues that Diablo II was more colourful than people remember. Some fans have also expressed fears that Diablo III will become too much like [[World of WarCraft]]. You can read more about concerns and responses here:
* '''[[Art controversy|Diablo III Art Controversy]]'''

==Story Line==
[[Image:Cinematic 10.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Mystical comet overlooking a settlement in the western part of [[Sanctuary]].]]The [[story line]] of the game takes place twenty years after a few powerful heroes saved [[Sanctuary]] from the demonic onslaught in [[Diablo II]]. Those events took place out of the sight of the common populace, and have become myth or legend over the intervening years. Most of the principles are dead or insane, and no one has had any sight of the Archangel [[Tyrael]] since he destroyed the Worldstone, triggering an explosion that erased [[Mount Arreat]] and shattered the Barbarians' civilization.

Since the destruction of the [[Worldstone]], those few humans (such as [[Deckard Cain]]) who did know of the danger to the world have been expecting an imminent demonic invasion, without the Worldstone to keep them in the [[Burning Hells]]. This has not happened because, and players will eventually learn, the two remaining lords of Hell (presumably [[Belial]] and [[Asmodean]]) have been building armies for a full-on invasion, intended to utterly destroy humanity.

Players will see small-scale demonic events, as in previous games, but the developers have promised that the scale of some aspects of the game, such as the siege on [[Bastion's Keep]], will be amazingly large; far bigger than anything ever previously seen in the series.

===Character Personalities===

Unlike the blank cyphers that all characters were in previous games in the series, the individual characters in Diablo III will have personalities. The Wizard is young, brash, and headstrong. The Monk is powerful and quietly confident. The Barbarian is strong and stoic. The Demon Hunter is angry and reckless in her need for vengeance. And the Witch Doctor is spiritual, mysterious, and misunderstood by the populace at large.

The characters will behave accordingly, and inspire different replies and behavior from the NPCs, though the only known examples came from [[Captain Rumford]]'s dialogues as heard at Blizzcon 2008.

==Quests==
[[Quests]] in Diablo III are largely similar in form to those of Diablo II. The changes are to greatly increase the number of quests, and to vary them in type and style. Numerous smaller events or adventures are randomly added in each game, amidst the main plot-skeleton quests.

Most large areas of the game, surface and dungeon, will also vary in content and form between games. Though the surface areas are non-random in their overall shape, there are randomized elements within them, which can yield mini-quests, bonus dungeons, or just open space and random monsters, depending on how the spawn works in a given game.

==Single Player and Multiplayer==
The main focus of Diablo III is co-op [[PvE]] style play. Up to four players (yes, just four) will join up in a game and play together, and players in the same game are now always friendly and in the same party. There is no non-consensual PvP in Diablo III, and no way to "go hostile" in a normal PvE game.

Game creation and group formation should be easier in Diablo III. Though the details have not been revealed, the developers hope it will be very easy to join up and play. Their hope is that players in one game can simply click an option to start another one, and as everyone accepts it, they'll immediately appear in a new game and continue playing, almost seamlessly.

All multiplayer Diablo III gaming will take place over Battle.net. Diablo III is following in Starcraft's footsteps and will not include LAN support. Though Blizzard never explicitly terms it as such, this is primarily a security measure; requiring players to buy a retail copy and have a valid Battle.net account and CD-Key to play multiplayer is their way of fighting piracy.

===Battle Arena===

[[File:Battle-arena-new-round1.jpg|frame|350px|A new round begins in the Battle Arena.]]
The outlet for PvP in Diablo III is the [[Arena]], a special game type that exists only for head-to-head combat. Players can join up and fight their friends in 1v1 or 2v2 games, but the main design is for players to take part in 3v3 battles, either in teams or as singles who will be sorted together via the game's [[matchmaking]] system.

Arena play debuted at Blizzcon 2010 and was wildly popular, even with just 3 pre-made characters available to choose from, and limited skills all pre-set.

Hardcore Arena will be supported, and the initial plans of the team is for it to be regular Hardcore rules: you die, you stay dead. This approach has many critics, who ask for some sort of non-lethal HC version, and point out that virtually no one plays PvP in D2 Hardcore since the penalty for death is so severe, both in emotional pain and in the play hours required to build up another character to PvP level. It also seems like any sort of team play would be impossible, since even if a team won, one or two of the players on it would lose their character.

===Battle.net 2.0===
Blizzard has promised very big changes in [[Battle.net 2.0]], and besides removing the [[LAN]] functionality, the idea is to encourage people to play online with [[Achievement]]s, handy friends/foes lists, and community support. You can read more about confirmed Battle.net features here:
* [http://www.diii.net/articles/689867/definite-battlenet-20-features Definite Battle.net 2.0 Features]

==Other Changes==
Among the things that are not listed under their own headline, there are a few other things to highlight about Diablo III:
* '''[[Chest]]s''' will no longer be locked.
* Monster corpses are no longer something that players can interact with. There are no corpse skills like Diablo II's {{iw|Corpse_Explosion Corpse Explosion}} or {{iw|Find_Item Find Item}}, and bodies on the ground dissolve and vanish after a moment or two.
** There are no player corpses either, in the sense of lootable objects as they were in Diablo II. Like monsters, dead players are subject to the game's physics and can be blasted aside or out of sight by spells, and will vanish after a few minutes.

==Release Information==
This is a collection of all information available pertaining to the release of Diablo. Including [[release date]], [[system requirements]], [[Beta Test|beta testing]], price/payment methods and age [[rating]].

=== Release Date ===
As usual, the [[Release Date|release date]] for any Blizzard product is kept under wraps for as long as possible. While Blizzard has shown playable builds of Diablo III at conventions and press events, the level of polish makes it harder to estimate development time left. Any other dates or rumours, which are constantly provided by game retailers, are just rumors and should not be given any credence.

More information on the '''[[Diablo III release date]]''' article.

=== System Requirements ===
* Windows XP compatible
* Windows Vista compatible
* Mac OSX compatible
Read more on the [[Diablo III System Requirements]] page. Diablo III is made completely in 3D, using custom in-house tools. The game is currently native to DirectX 9, and will not require DirectX 10 or 11 to run.[http://ablegamers.com/Disabled-Gamers-News/AbleGamers-Interviews-the-Diablo-III-Team.html] The game will probably use a slightly higher level of system requirements than [[StarCraft II]], which also uses Havok & DirectX 9, and is the closest thing we can compare the game to. You can read more on StarCraft II's requirements and DirectX compatibilities as well as shader info here:
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/954/starcraft-2-graphics-requirements-confirmed Graphics Requirements Confirmed] - The most prominent part of the system requirements, the graphics requirements released from Blizzard document.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/675/starcraft-2-system-requirements StarCraft II System Requirements] - System requirements analyse from available information.
* [http://www.starcraftwire.net/articles/735/kalos-chronicles Kalos' Chronicles] - Technical articles for StarCraft II.

===Diablo Beta Testing===
As with the release date, a time for beta is currently unknown. Jay Wilson has estimated that the release will occur about six months after the beta test begins. No dates or estimates for the beta have been given, but Blizzard did say that 1000 randomly-selected ticket buyers to Blizzcon 2010 will win a beta slot. Many fans have taken this to mean that Blizzard hopes to start the Diablo III beta before Blizzcon 2011, which would likely be in the August-October time frame, as it has been each year thus far.

General information on Blizzard beta tests can be seen on the '''[[Beta Test]]''' page.

===Retail Price===
The retail price for Diablo III is unknown and will be stated closer to release. It's likely that the game will be "boxed" (no monthly fees, just a one-off price) and priced similar to other AAA titles. Starcraft II (and other recent AAA titles by Activision) retailed for $60, up $10 from the traditional $50 price tag, and it's virtually certain Diablo III will follow that route.

All online game retailers are listing $60 as their estimated price, at least.

===Game Age Rating===
The '''[[rating]]''' of [[Diablo III]] is estimated to be aimed for gamers above the age of 15, while still trying to avoid USK 18+ in Germany, or other similar ratings that would hamper the sales of the game in that country. [[Blizzard]] have stated that they will censor out blood and other gore, as required to avoid "adult" ratings in various countries with more restrictive gore requirements than those found in the US.
* '''America ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board ERSB])''' - "M" Mature Rating (player should be at least 17 years old). No law enforcement.
* '''Europe ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEGI PEGI])''' - 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). No law enforcement (for most countries).
* '''Germany ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterhaltungssoftware_Selbstkontrolle USK])''' - USK 16+ (player should be at least 16 years old). Law enforcement of USK.
* '''Read more''' in the '''[[rating]]s''' article.

===Copy Protection and DRM===
It's unknown what type of copy protection (DRM) will be used on Diablo III, but with the new Battle.net changes and new Battle.net accounts, the game will likely only use a very light form of copy protection since the license is associated with the account. Online play will most likely not require a DVD in the drive, and offline play is unknown.

==Who's in Charge?==
Naturally, [[Blizzard]] are the guys making Diablo III, but that isn't a surprise. The important people for this production is the relatively new Blizzard employee Diablo III Lead Designer [[Jay Wilson]], besides the regular team. For fans, you might want to keep a look out for [[Bashiok]], the new Diablo Community Manager and [[Leonard Boyarsky]] who is the Lead World Designer for Diablo III, and head of [[quest]]s & [[lore]] as well as designing the world of [[Sanctuary]].

==Expansions, MMO or Diablo Movie==
Whatever will come after [[Diablo III]] is unknown, but it seems apparent that Blizzard is confident [http://www.incgamers.com/Games/1935/features/90/Diablo-III-Inforview] that there '''WILL''' be expansions. They have mentioned that the story line will have a more "final" ending than in Diablo II, which possibly means making it better for an expansion, or perhaps a future MMO or a [[Diablo movie]]. Regardless, [[Jay Wilson]] has said that there is lots of potential for expanding the universe. What types of media this will come in is unknown: books, comics, manga, expansions, games or a movie...

[[Mike Morhaime]] said they would like to make '''Diablo III expansions annually'''[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diablo-3-will-have-several-expansions], and confirming plans for multiple expansions for the game.

==Further Information==
You can follow the links to each specific section for further details on Diablo III development and information. You can also use one of the following links for further information:
* {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/news Diablo III news]}} - The most coherent news listing for Diablo III.
* [[Media Coverage]] - All Interviews, Previews, Pictures, Videos and Articles from around the web.
* [[:Category:Basics|Diablo III Basics]] - A listing of articles with good information if you are new to Diablo III.
* [[Diablo III FAQ]] - Frequently Asked Questions
* [[Diablo 3 History]] - The history of Diablo III up until the announcement.

==References==
* [http://www.blizzard.com/us/press/080628.html Blizzard Press Release]

[[Category:Diablo III]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Electrocute

2011-09-01T21:34:28Z

BlackLink16:

[[File:Electrocute.jpg|left]]
'''Electrocute''' is a [[Wizard skill]] unlocked at [[clvl|level]] 6, which electrocutes an enemy over time.

==Background==
{{Skillbox D3
|portrait= Wiz-electrocute1.jpg
|portrait-width= 200px
|name= Electrocute
|user= Wizard
|clvl= 6
|description= Lightning arcs from the Wizard’s fingertips towards an enemy, electrocuting it for X-Y lightning damage.
|type= Direct [[Damage]]/[[DoT]]
|resource= Costs [[Arcane Power]]/time
|alabaster= Unknown
|crimson= Unknown
|golden= Unknown
|indigo= Unknown
|obsidian= Unknown
}}
The [[Wizard]] opens up a hole between the physical and ethereal realms, and calls forth lightning arcs that grip an enemy and fries it until dead, or the Wizard releases her grip on the ethereal realm.

==Skill Design==
The description of this [[skill]] is incomplete, since it has a hefty [[mana]]-per-second cost, and that makes it awesome for quick hits, especially to finish off moving targets, but not very suitable for big enemies.

Electrocute was not enabled to start with, but once a [[Wizard]] hit level 13 and earned a skill point, it could be used. It's great fun to use, and very useful too. Electrocute is basically a beam weapon, one that the Wizard fires as long as she keeps the mouse clicked. You can not move while using Electrocute, but you're unlikely to want to, since it locks on and keeps zapping the target until it's dead, or you're out of mana. The second happens before the first more often than you'd like, and it's basically unusable on [[boss]]es, or even moderately tough targets like [[Dune Dervish]]es and [[Dark Demon]]s, since mana would run out long before their [[health]]. Other Wizard spells deal far more damage per mana, but few are as much fun to use as this one.

Electrocute was simply awesome for small stuff, especially on evasive enemies like the fluttering [[Sand Wasp]]s, or those last one or two [[Fallen Imp]]s who always scattered away from the battle when their [[Fallen Overseer| Overseers]] and [[Fallen Shaman|Shamans]] went down. Just aim at the [[monster]], or anywhere near it, and the beam locks on, draining that monster steadily. Smaller monsters usually died in less than a second, and I found this one far quicker than the higher damage [[Arcane Orb]] to clean up groups of weak enemies. Some screenshots show this one chaining to multiple targets, but higher levels in this spell only listed more damage.

Note that [[lightning]] damage [[critical hit]]s will [[stun]] targets. This one stuns (very briefly) at least every two seconds, so there must be a lot of hit checks going on, to trigger the critical hit so frequently. That stunning is, of course, highly useful when you're locked onto an enemy trying to charge into [[melee]] range.

==Electrocute Video==
A video of Electrocute can be seen below, courtesy of [http://www.youtube.com/Diablo3Inc the DiabloInc You Tube channel].
 
<youtube>OwzMVuIVfAI</youtube>
 

==Skill Rank Table==
[[File:Wiz-electrocute2.jpg|thumb|350px|Electrocute snakes through some [[Skeletal Executioner]]s.]]
* '''Rank 1:''' Deals 1-15 [[lightning]] damage.

==Synergies==
* No [[synergies]] with any of the [[passive skill]]s are yet known.

==Skill Rune Effects==
* Unknown rune: Adds damage.
* Unknown rune: Causes killed targets to explode, damaging nearby monsters.
* Unknown rune: Triggers Chain Lightning off any target killed by the spell.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2010-hands-on-stuff.co.nz/ BlizzCon 2010 Hands-On: GamePlanet NZ] -- Incgamers 5th Nov 2010</ref>

==Development==
'''Electrocute''' was first shown at [[BlizzCon 2008]], where the lightning could hit a string of targets at lesser and lesser damage. Back then, it was at Tier II on the [[Storm Skill Tree]].

This was changed in the demo displayed at [[BlizzCon 2009]], where it became focused on a single target. The change seemed to have been done briefly before BlizzCon, since the description of the spell had not been completely updated; it didn't show a [[mana]]/sec cost, and a damage/sec stat. [[Flux]] found it fun but very expensive:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/]

<blockquote>''You can not move while using Electrocute, but you’re unlikely to want to, since it locks on and keeps zapping the target until it’s dead, or you’re out of mana. The second happens before the first more often than you’d like, and I found this one unusable on bosses, or even moderately tough targets like Dune Dervishes and Dark Demons, since my mana would run out long before their hit points. Other Wizard spells deal far more damage per mana, but few are as much fun to use as this one.</blockquote>

Unfortunately, by [[BlizzCon 2010]] this spell still had a disturbingly high resource cost, as mentioned by [[Flux]]:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/hands-on-from-blizzcon-mega-pvm-report-wizard]

<blockquote>''It’s not very high damage, so you’ll need to cook for a while on tougher targets, and at low levels this one isn’t very useful against bosses or champions; it’s just to AP expensive for big enemies; you’ll be out of resource before they’re out of hit points.</blockquote>

Skill tiers were removed for the [[July 2011 Press Event]], and Electrocute became a level 6 skill.

===Previous Versions===
See the [[Wizard skill archive]] for more details on previous versions of Electrocute and other Wizard skills. 

===In Other Games===
Electrocute is an updated version of [[Diablo II]]'s {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} skill {{iw|Chain_Lightning Chain Lightning}}, but with more of a Dungeons & Dragons inspiration.

==Trivia==
This spell was originally more inspired by [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/chainLightning.htm Chain Lightning] from Dungeons & Dragons, but later changed to a completely new design, electrocuting one target at a time.

==Media==
Electrocute can be seen in action on video here:
* [[Cinematic: Wizard]]
* [[Gameplay: Blizzcon 2008]]

You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/ Diablo III screenshots and pictures]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/search.php?keywords=Electrocute&cat=all '''Electrocute''' specific gallery contents]

<gallery>
Image:Wiz-electrocute1.jpg|Old version of Electrocute hit multiple enemies.
Image:Wiz-slow-time1.jpg|Electrocute shot from inside a [[Slow Time]] bubble.
File:Wiz-electrocute2.jpg|Electrocute snakes through some Skeletal Executioners.
File:Wiz-electrocute3.jpg|Electrocute chews through some monsters.
</gallery>


==References==
<references/>
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/ BlizzCon 2009 Full Wizard Skill Trees]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/hands-on-from-blizzcon-mega-pvm-report-wizard BlizzCon 2010 Wizard Hands-on Report]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7962606#post7962606 JudgeHype.com July 2011 Press Event Coverage - The Wizard (Translated by Zediono)]

{{Skill navbox Diablo III|Wizard}}

Electrocute

2011-09-01T21:31:47Z

BlackLink16:

[[File:Electrocute.jpg|left]]
'''Electrocute''' is a [[Wizard skill]] unlocked at [[clvl|level]] 6, which electrocutes an enemy over time.

==Background==
{{Skillbox D3
|portrait= Wiz-electrocute1.jpg
|portrait-width= 200px
|name= Electrocute
|user= Wizard
|clvl= 6
|description= Lightning arcs from the Wizard’s fingertips towards an enemy, electrocuting it for X-Y lightning damage.
|type= Direct [[Damage]]/[[DoT]]
|resource= Costs [[Arcane Power]]/time
|alabaster= Unknown
|crimson= Unknown
|golden= Unknown
|indigo= Unknown
|obsidian= Unknown
}}
The [[Wizard]] opens up a hole between the physical an ethereal realms, and calls forth lightning arcs that grip an enemy and fries it until dead, or the Wizard releases her grip on the ethereal realm.

==Skill Design==
The description of this [[skill]] is incomplete, since it has a hefty [[mana]]-per-second cost, and that makes it awesome for quick hits, especially to finish off moving targets, but not very suitable for big enemies.

Electrocute was not enabled to start with, but once a [[Wizard]] hit level 13 and earned a skill point, it could be used. It's great fun to use, and very useful too. Electrocute is basically a beam weapon, one that the Wizard fires as long as she keeps the mouse clicked. You can not move while using Electrocute, but you're unlikely to want to, since it locks on and keeps zapping the target until it's dead, or you're out of mana. The second happens before the first more often than you'd like, and it's basically unusable on [[boss]]es, or even moderately tough targets like [[Dune Dervish]]es and [[Dark Demon]]s, since mana would run out long before their [[health]]. Other Wizard spells deal far more damage per mana, but few are as much fun to use as this one.

Electrocute was simply awesome for small stuff, especially on evasive enemies like the fluttering [[Sand Wasp]]s, or those last one or two [[Fallen Imp]]s who always scattered away from the battle when their [[Fallen Overseer| Overseers]] and [[Fallen Shaman|Shamans]] went down. Just aim at the [[monster]], or anywhere near it, and the beam locks on, draining that monster steadily. Smaller monsters usually died in less than a second, and I found this one far quicker than the higher damage [[Arcane Orb]] to clean up groups of weak enemies. Some screenshots show this one chaining to multiple targets, but higher levels in this spell only listed more damage.

Note that [[lightning]] damage [[critical hit]]s will [[stun]] targets. This one stuns (very briefly) at least every two seconds, so there must be a lot of hit checks going on, to trigger the critical hit so frequently. That stunning is, of course, highly useful when you're locked onto an enemy trying to charge into [[melee]] range.

==Electrocute Video==
A video of Electrocute can be seen below, courtesy of [http://www.youtube.com/Diablo3Inc the DiabloInc You Tube channel].
 
<youtube>OwzMVuIVfAI</youtube>
 

==Skill Rank Table==
[[File:Wiz-electrocute2.jpg|thumb|350px|Electrocute snakes through some [[Skeletal Executioner]]s.]]
* '''Rank 1:''' Deals 1-15 [[lightning]] damage.

==Synergies==
* No [[synergies]] with any of the [[passive skill]]s are yet known.

==Skill Rune Effects==
* Unknown rune: Adds damage.
* Unknown rune: Causes killed targets to explode, damaging nearby monsters.
* Unknown rune: Triggers Chain Lightning off any target killed by the spell.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2010-hands-on-stuff.co.nz/ BlizzCon 2010 Hands-On: GamePlanet NZ] -- Incgamers 5th Nov 2010</ref>

==Development==
'''Electrocute''' was first shown at [[BlizzCon 2008]], where the lightning could hit a string of targets at lesser and lesser damage. Back then, it was at Tier II on the [[Storm Skill Tree]].

This was changed in the demo displayed at [[BlizzCon 2009]], where it became focused on a single target. The change seemed to have been done briefly before BlizzCon, since the description of the spell had not been completely updated; it didn't show a [[mana]]/sec cost, and a damage/sec stat. [[Flux]] found it fun but very expensive:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/]

<blockquote>''You can not move while using Electrocute, but you’re unlikely to want to, since it locks on and keeps zapping the target until it’s dead, or you’re out of mana. The second happens before the first more often than you’d like, and I found this one unusable on bosses, or even moderately tough targets like Dune Dervishes and Dark Demons, since my mana would run out long before their hit points. Other Wizard spells deal far more damage per mana, but few are as much fun to use as this one.</blockquote>

Unfortunately, by [[BlizzCon 2010]] this spell still had a disturbingly high resource cost, as mentioned by [[Flux]]:[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/hands-on-from-blizzcon-mega-pvm-report-wizard]

<blockquote>''It’s not very high damage, so you’ll need to cook for a while on tougher targets, and at low levels this one isn’t very useful against bosses or champions; it’s just to AP expensive for big enemies; you’ll be out of resource before they’re out of hit points.</blockquote>

Skill tiers were removed for the [[July 2011 Press Event]], and Electrocute became a level 6 skill.

===Previous Versions===
See the [[Wizard skill archive]] for more details on previous versions of Electrocute and other Wizard skills. 

===In Other Games===
Electrocute is an updated version of [[Diablo II]]'s {{iw|Sorceress Sorceress}} skill {{iw|Chain_Lightning Chain Lightning}}, but with more of a Dungeons & Dragons inspiration.

==Trivia==
This spell was originally more inspired by [http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/chainLightning.htm Chain Lightning] from Dungeons & Dragons, but later changed to a completely new design, electrocuting one target at a time.

==Media==
Electrocute can be seen in action on video here:
* [[Cinematic: Wizard]]
* [[Gameplay: Blizzcon 2008]]

You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/ Diablo III screenshots and pictures]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/search.php?keywords=Electrocute&cat=all '''Electrocute''' specific gallery contents]

<gallery>
Image:Wiz-electrocute1.jpg|Old version of Electrocute hit multiple enemies.
Image:Wiz-slow-time1.jpg|Electrocute shot from inside a [[Slow Time]] bubble.
File:Wiz-electrocute2.jpg|Electrocute snakes through some Skeletal Executioners.
File:Wiz-electrocute3.jpg|Electrocute chews through some monsters.
</gallery>


==References==
<references/>
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-wizard-skill-trees/ BlizzCon 2009 Full Wizard Skill Trees]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/hands-on-from-blizzcon-mega-pvm-report-wizard BlizzCon 2010 Wizard Hands-on Report]
* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7962606#post7962606 JudgeHype.com July 2011 Press Event Coverage - The Wizard (Translated by Zediono)]

{{Skill navbox Diablo III|Wizard}}

Follower

2011-06-27T17:51:49Z

BlackLink16:

A '''Follower''' is [[Diablo III]]'s answer to {{iw|Mercenary Mercenaries}}. Followers can be equipped with a small amount of [[item| gear]], and [[spells]] and [[skills]] can be chosen for the follower by the player. There are three basic classes: the [[Enchantress]] named Eirena, a ranged [[magic]] caster, the [[Templar]] named Kormac, a melee [[tank]] similar to the [[Paladin]], and the [[Scoundrel]] Lyndon, who is a ranged [[crossbow]] user.

Followers should not be mistook for [[hirelings]], who serve a different purpose in Diablo III.

==Followers in Diablo III==

The followers in Diablo III are well removed from the mercenary system in Diablo II. One of the largest differences is in the name itself--followers are not hired, they are recruited through quests. There are three followers in Diablo III, which will all be gained within the first Act.

To see more about the individual followers, visit:

* The [[Enchantress]] (Eirena) entry.

* The [[Scoundrel]] (Lyndon) entry.

* The [[Templar]] (Kormac) entry.

===Lore Abiding Citizens===

The followers, much like the [[Artisans]], are recruited through [[quests]] that the player must complete in order to gain their trust and companionship. Afterwards, they will be available for play and customization. Unlike mercenaries, the followers will be recruited through the storyline in this way, allowing Blizzard to funnel a lot of narrative through the action of the game.

Fortunately, there are plenty of words from the men in blue themselves on the aspect of [[lore]] in the follower system, such as these quotes from [[Leonard Boyarsky]] in an interview with FZ.se[http://www.fz.se/artiklar/intervju/20110513/diablo-iii-followers]:

<blue>The first thing that happens when you meet them is that you can play through a short sequence that sort of explains their roles in the world. Then it's up to you whether you want to dig deeper into their stories by completing side missions and such. They’ll also make small talk while you run around in the world and you get to know them that way, too.</blue>

<blue>First, I think they [the followers] are much more distinct characters now than they ever were before. As I’ve already pointed out we’ve put much effort into developing your companion's personalities. We want the players to use them as much for their personalities as for their abilities.</blue>

Continuing on that theme, Boyarsky also conducted an interview with Game Planet[http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/games/156898/features/136995.20110513.Diablo-IIIs-Followers/] where he stated:

<blue>As you’re running through the main story arc, you’ll encounter them doing similar things to you. They’re adventurers fighting the good fight. You’ll interact with them in their story and then they have reason to follow you and to help you in your quest. These happen in the first third of the game, they’re spread out a little bit. Once you’ve unlocked them you can keep them with you or send them back to town and choose which one you want.</blue>

In addition to this, each quest for the follower is character specific so, as an example, a quest for Kormac involved retrieving holy scrolls stolen by [[Lazarus| the Archbishop Lazarus]].
While the mercs in D2 had no personality whatsoever, and were very much throw-away expendable characters, the followers have their own sets of motivations, their own goals, and they also react to the world around them. Boyarsky goes into a bit of detail about this in an interview with Ausgamers[http://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3058885]:

<blue>We’ve put a tonne of work into their voice-talent and the number of lines they have to talk to you about stuff, to really bring them to life and add a lot to the experience of the world.</blue>

The rather jarring days of having a mercenary step into the [[Burning Hells]] for the first time, and immediately poking things with a stick without so much as a comment, seems to be over.

===Followers in Single and Multiplayer===

Followers can only be utilized in single player. If a player joins a game, then the follower being used will return to town. [[Jay Wilson]] contributes insight to this design philosophy in an interview with Now Gamer[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1353/diablo-iii-interview-jay-wilson-talks-followers?o=4#listing]:

<blue>Followers aren’t in PvP at all, and in cooperative Followers return to town. We found that having four players and four Followers on-screen all at once was pretty chaotic and hard to tell what’s going on. We logic’d out that a player is better than a Follower, they’re better companionship and they’re certainly more effective than a Follower. We figured any player would prefer to have another player, so at that point we decided to have the Follower return to town. You can always get him back later – if the other player leaves the Follower will return.</blue>

===Follower Death===

Followers do not die in Diablo III. They are simply incapacitated.
Part of the reason for this is the general amount of frustration of having to go back to town and pay a gold fee to resurrect a mercenary, and the lack of logic that follows from that. The other reason being that the followers are not mercs, they are [[NPC]]s with their own story that is relevant to the overall plot of the game.

When a follower is incapacitated, they will revive after a short time on their own, or the player can revive them by standing above them and waking them up. The process of waking them up leaves the player vulnerable to attack, so it will be best to revive them when there aren't any enemies in the vicinity. While the follower is incapacitated, the player will not receive any bonuses that originate from them.

Followers cannot be healed by health potions, although they can benefit from [[health globe]]s.

===Beyond Normal Mode===

From what [[Bashiok]] describes, the followers won't have much use beyond normal mode[http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27808220764&pageNo=1&sid=3000#11]:

<blue>Well, followers are essentially a flavor bonus to those playing through normal the first time by themselves. It provides some story elements, but more importantly it gets the idea in their head of playing with another person. You come across each of them pretty quickly in Act 1, and then they help you throughout the rest of the game if you'd like. They aren't required to beat the game on Normal, even if you're playing by yourself. Feel free to leave them behind if you like. But they are pretty awesome.

They're also tuned so that they become very weak starting in Nightmare, and then are completely unusable in Hell. Even if you're playing alone, you will probably not be using Followers past Normal - - you can try but they're going to just be one-shot back to back. They're there as a bit of flavor, to help get people into the mindset of co-op if they're a bit reluctant, and... that's about it. They won't be usable at end-game, and they'll never replace the abilities and power that another player can bring.</blue>

===Follower AI===

Most who played Diablo II will have not-so-fond memories of their mercenaries running against a wall, or other nonsensical behavior, and they became quite frustrating. Their help amounted to an aura or other passive ability, and the player often struggled to keep them alive.

[[Jay Wilson]] spoke briefly about the AI challenges they faced, and what players can expect from follower AI, in an April 2011 interview with Now Gamer[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1353/diablo-iii-interview-jay-wilson-talks-followers?o=2#listing]:

<blue>'''NowGamer''': You’ve talked in the past about improvements to enemy AI – what about NPCs?

'''Jay Wilson''': They were a bit easier because they tend to lean on the monster AI, use a lot of the same things as them. Making the Followers interesting revolved around making our monster targeting systems better. In Diablo II monsters pretty much just targeted whatever was closest to them, which meant if you played as a necromancer, it could be kind of a boring class because you almost never get attacked by anything. Your scouts always moved fast to get in front of you. So we said ‘OK, let’s have enemies that attack in different ways, or choose their targets in different ways’.
Take an enemy that burrows for example – they’re really most dangerous to a ranged class, so that’s what they focus on – they burrow and make a beeline for a ranged character. Whereas a lot of enemies will go ‘I want to attack somebody, but if I can’t reach one of the guys closest to me, or he has a lot of people attacking him already, I’m just going to choose somebody else’. So the attacks get spread out a little more. It makes having a Follower a lot more interesting because they’ll pick up some of the enemies’ focus but not all of it.</blue>

Contrary to popular speculation, followers will not be able to be controlled by the player outside of dictating their fighting style by selecting their [[skill]]s. There will be no "aggressive/defensive" toggle, nor will the player be able to dictate precise movements of the follower.

==The Follower Interface==

[[Image:Templar_skillpane.jpg|500px|thumb|center|The [[Templar]]'s interface.]]

The [[interface]] for followers is separated into three basic sections: Gear, Skills, and [[stats]].
The gear portion of the pane lets players equip their followers with [[item]]s.
The skills interface allows the player to assign skills or spells to the follower for each milestone bracket of levels.
The stats portion of the interface allows the player to view relevant statistics such as [[health]] and [[elemental]] resistances.

===Skill System===

One of the larger changes from mercs in Diablo II is the ability to assign abilities to the followers, instead of picking a vague type from a list. Gone are the days of useless [[Flux]] mercs from Act III!

Upon reaching [[level]] five, the player can choose one of three [[spells]] or [[skills]] for the follower. Each subsequent five levels, up to level twenty, will award an additional choice for the player. Each different type of follower will offer a customizable skillset to either boost the player's effectiveness in a certain area, or cover a weakness in another.

Once the skills or spells are assigned, that is the end of it, unless the players choose to [[respec]] them, which will be small in cost. There are no extra ranks of abilities for followers, nor do they benefit from [[trait]]s of their own.
Follower abilities may not be affected by [[rune]]s.

===Follower Inventory===

The player is able to equip the follower with two [[ring]]s, an [[amulet]], a main-hand [[weapon]], and an off-hand item when applicable, which includes [[shield]]s and possibly [[orb]]s. The locked box in the inventory pane will be an item that is unique to that follower, which is unlockable at level 25. The unlockable item will be gained through completing the follower's questline, and only one special item is known at the moment: [[Kormac]] the [[Templar]] can unlock a holy book to equip that will aid him in battle.

===Follower Statistics===

The [[attribute]] section of the interface for mercenaries is gone with the introduction of followers. Instead, the relevant statistics displayed are the [[health]] of the follower (current health and maximum health), the range of damage they will inflict with a standard attack, and also resistances.
It is currently unknown what effect, if any, equipping a follower with an amulet containing player [[attributes]] will have, or if there are restrictions on gear or modifiers that the followers will be able to equip.

==Design Goal of Followers in Diablo III==

The function of a mercenary in Diablo II was a permanent helper that would scale with their level. Upon release of the expansion pack, Lord of Destruction, mercs gained a lot of power, particularly due to [[dupe]]d [[runeword]] items. Many [[Magic Find| MF]] characters relied on mercs for defense and damage.
This will not be the case with followers. The design philosphy for the follower differs drastically, where the dev team has stated that they want the followers to be a sort of introduction to co-op multiplayer. [[Bashiok]] expands on this idea[http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27808220764&pageNo=1&sid=3000#11]:

<blue>Well, followers are essentially a flavor bonus to those playing through normal the first time by themselves. It provides some story elements, but more importantly it gets the idea in their head of playing with another person. You come across each of them pretty quickly in Act 1, and then they help you throughout the rest of the game if you'd like. They aren't required to beat the game on Normal, even if you're playing by yourself. Feel free to leave them behind if you like. But they are pretty awesome.

They're also tuned so that they become very weak starting in Nightmare, and then are completely unusable in Hell. Even if you're playing alone, you will probably not be using Followers past Normal - - you can try but they're going to just be one-shot back to back. They're there as a bit of flavor, to help get people into the mindset of co-op if they're a bit reluctant, and... that's about it. They won't be usable at end-game, and they'll never replace the abilities and power that another player can bring.</blue>

==Development==

It was said by the D3 development team for ages that they "weren't ready" to reveal mercenaries in Diablo III, or otherwise they "didn't know" what they would do with them. In April of 2011, the follower system was indeed revealed, but to the chargrin of Blizzard, it was leaked by the Korean Blizzard official website on accident. Diablo fans quickly picked this up[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/new-follower-video/] and accepted it as real due to the superb quality of the presentation of the video. The day after, Blizzard unveiled the followers in an official capacity[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/followers-artwork-and-interface-shots/] in a deluge of interviews, information, and new screenshots.

Previous comments by the development team follow:

The team has said they hope to include full mercenaries as a feature, and that if they do they'll be bigger and better than mercs were in D2. But they've given no details yet. [http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/games/156898.Diablo-III/features/133759.20090831.BlizzCon-Diablo-III-devs-discuss-design-decisions-direction-depth-drops/]

<blue>Do those NPC's provide abilities to the hero, like a proper party system? 
Julian Love: That's also not yet finalised. We're trying to make them definitely a step above the henchmen of Diablo II, but how big of a step is something I can't say yet. Hopefully next time we reveal something I can show you more.</blue>

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] spoke in more detail about their plans for Mercs at Blizzcon 2008.

<blue>We have two different types of mercenaries now. As you saw in the demo, if you got the quest where you could rescue the adventurers or their leader, those guys are a low level and are just along for the quest, or are cannon fodder. You can't really control them or have anything to do with them at all.

When you have what we are calling followers, they are the guys you can equip, give them different weapons, you can give them different armor. They will probably have some quests that involve them. Much more than in Diablo II, you could equip them but they were more like a game mechanic in a body of an NPC. Where this time, were making them much more individuals with their own back story and their own reason for being in the world.</blue>

Leonard went on to say that there would be different hireables to fill different roles, such as tanks, artillery support, etc.

No more updated info has since been released, though in April 2011 Bashiok hinted[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/mercenaries-system-reveal-draws...-closer/] that an announcement was imminent.

<blue>We’re not quite ready to talk about our approach, but I will say it’s something that’s been a part of the game since before announcement. We have a very solid direction for them. </blue>

==Video==

This is the reveal video for the Followers released on the 12th May 2011 by the official Korean site before, it seems, Blizzard Irvine was ready to do so.

<youtube>2S3U8I_a_x8</youtube>

{{Character navbox|d3}}

[[category:NPCs]]
[[category:mercenaries]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[category:followers]]

Follower

2011-06-27T17:50:28Z

BlackLink16:

A '''Follower''' is [[Diablo III]]'s answer to {{iw|Mercenary Mercenaries}}. Followers can be equipped with a small amount of [[item| gear]], and [[spells]] and [[skills]] can be chosen for the follower by the player. There are three basic classes: the [[Enchantress]] named Eirena, a ranged [[magic]] caster, the [[Templar]] named Kormac, a melee [[tank]] similar to the [[Paladin]], and the [[Scoundrel]] Lyndon, who is a ranged [[crossbow]] user.

Followers should not be mistook for [[hirelings]], who serve a different purpose in Diablo III.

==Followers in Diablo III==

The followers in Diablo III are well removed from the mercenary system in Diablo II. One of the largest differences is in the name itself--followers are not hired, they are recruited through quests. There are three followers in Diablo III, which will all be gained within the first Act.

To see more about the individual followers, visit:

* The [[Enchantress]] (Eirena) entry.

* The [[Scoundrel]] (Lyndon) entry.

* The [[Templar]] (Kormac) entry.

===Lore Abiding Citizens===

The followers, much like the [[Artisans]], are recruited through [[quests]] that the player must complete in order to gain their trust and companionship. Afterwards, they will be available for play and customization. Unlike mercenaries, the followers will be recruited through the storyline in this way, allowing Blizzard to funnel a lot of narrative through the action of the game.

Fortunately, there are plenty of words from the men in blue themselves on the aspect of [[lore]] in the follower system, such as these quotes from [[Leonard Boyarsky]] in an interview with FZ.se[http://www.fz.se/artiklar/intervju/20110513/diablo-iii-followers]:

<blue>The first thing that happens when you meet them is that you can play through a short sequence that sort of explains their roles in the world. Then it's up to you whether you want to dig deeper into their stories by completing side missions and such. They’ll also make small talk while you run around in the world and you get to know them that way, too.</blue>

<blue>First, I think they [the followers] are much more distinct characters now than they ever were before. As I’ve already pointed out we’ve put much effort into developing your companion's personalities. We want the players to use them as much for their personalities as for their abilities.</blue>

Continuing on that theme, Boyarsky also conducted an interview with Game Planet[http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/games/156898/features/136995.20110513.Diablo-IIIs-Followers/] where he stated:

<blue>As you’re running through the main story arc, you’ll encounter them doing similar things to you. They’re adventurers fighting the good fight. You’ll interact with them in their story and then they have reason to follow you and to help you in your quest. These happen in the first third of the game, they’re spread out a little bit. Once you’ve unlocked them you can keep them with you or send them back to town and choose which one you want.</blue>

In addition to this, each quest for the follower is character specific so, as an example, a quest for Kormac involved retrieving holy scrolls stolen by [[Lazarus| the Archbishop Lazarus]].
While the mercs in D2 had no personality whatsoever, and were very much throw-away expendable characters, the followers have their own sets of motivations, their own goals, and they also react to the world around them. Boyarsky goes into a bit of detail about this in an interview with Ausgamers[http://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3058885]:

<blue>We’ve put a tonne of work into their voice-talent and the number of lines they have to talk to you about stuff, to really bring them to life and add a lot to the experience of the world.</blue>

The rather jarring days of having a mercenary step into [[Burning Hells]] for the first time, and immediately poking things with a stick without so much as a comment, seems to be over.

===Followers in Single and Multiplayer===

Followers can only be utilized in single player. If a player joins a game, then the follower being used will return to town. [[Jay Wilson]] contributes insight to this design philosophy in an interview with Now Gamer[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1353/diablo-iii-interview-jay-wilson-talks-followers?o=4#listing]:

<blue>Followers aren’t in PvP at all, and in cooperative Followers return to town. We found that having four players and four Followers on-screen all at once was pretty chaotic and hard to tell what’s going on. We logic’d out that a player is better than a Follower, they’re better companionship and they’re certainly more effective than a Follower. We figured any player would prefer to have another player, so at that point we decided to have the Follower return to town. You can always get him back later – if the other player leaves the Follower will return.</blue>

===Follower Death===

Followers do not die in Diablo III. They are simply incapacitated.
Part of the reason for this is the general amount of frustration of having to go back to town and pay a gold fee to resurrect a mercenary, and the lack of logic that follows from that. The other reason being that the followers are not mercs, they are [[NPC]]s with their own story that is relevant to the overall plot of the game.

When a follower is incapacitated, they will revive after a short time on their own, or the player can revive them by standing above them and waking them up. The process of waking them up leaves the player vulnerable to attack, so it will be best to revive them when there aren't any enemies in the vicinity. While the follower is incapacitated, the player will not receive any bonuses that originate from them.

Followers cannot be healed by health potions, although they can benefit from [[health globe]]s.

===Beyond Normal Mode===

From what [[Bashiok]] describes, the followers won't have much use beyond normal mode[http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27808220764&pageNo=1&sid=3000#11]:

<blue>Well, followers are essentially a flavor bonus to those playing through normal the first time by themselves. It provides some story elements, but more importantly it gets the idea in their head of playing with another person. You come across each of them pretty quickly in Act 1, and then they help you throughout the rest of the game if you'd like. They aren't required to beat the game on Normal, even if you're playing by yourself. Feel free to leave them behind if you like. But they are pretty awesome.

They're also tuned so that they become very weak starting in Nightmare, and then are completely unusable in Hell. Even if you're playing alone, you will probably not be using Followers past Normal - - you can try but they're going to just be one-shot back to back. They're there as a bit of flavor, to help get people into the mindset of co-op if they're a bit reluctant, and... that's about it. They won't be usable at end-game, and they'll never replace the abilities and power that another player can bring.</blue>

===Follower AI===

Most who played Diablo II will have not-so-fond memories of their mercenaries running against a wall, or other nonsensical behavior, and they became quite frustrating. Their help amounted to an aura or other passive ability, and the player often struggled to keep them alive.

[[Jay Wilson]] spoke briefly about the AI challenges they faced, and what players can expect from follower AI, in an April 2011 interview with Now Gamer[http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1353/diablo-iii-interview-jay-wilson-talks-followers?o=2#listing]:

<blue>'''NowGamer''': You’ve talked in the past about improvements to enemy AI – what about NPCs?

'''Jay Wilson''': They were a bit easier because they tend to lean on the monster AI, use a lot of the same things as them. Making the Followers interesting revolved around making our monster targeting systems better. In Diablo II monsters pretty much just targeted whatever was closest to them, which meant if you played as a necromancer, it could be kind of a boring class because you almost never get attacked by anything. Your scouts always moved fast to get in front of you. So we said ‘OK, let’s have enemies that attack in different ways, or choose their targets in different ways’.
Take an enemy that burrows for example – they’re really most dangerous to a ranged class, so that’s what they focus on – they burrow and make a beeline for a ranged character. Whereas a lot of enemies will go ‘I want to attack somebody, but if I can’t reach one of the guys closest to me, or he has a lot of people attacking him already, I’m just going to choose somebody else’. So the attacks get spread out a little more. It makes having a Follower a lot more interesting because they’ll pick up some of the enemies’ focus but not all of it.</blue>

Contrary to popular speculation, followers will not be able to be controlled by the player outside of dictating their fighting style by selecting their [[skill]]s. There will be no "aggressive/defensive" toggle, nor will the player be able to dictate precise movements of the follower.

==The Follower Interface==

[[Image:Templar_skillpane.jpg|500px|thumb|center|The [[Templar]]'s interface.]]

The [[interface]] for followers is separated into three basic sections: Gear, Skills, and [[stats]].
The gear portion of the pane lets players equip their followers with [[item]]s.
The skills interface allows the player to assign skills or spells to the follower for each milestone bracket of levels.
The stats portion of the interface allows the player to view relevant statistics such as [[health]] and [[elemental]] resistances.

===Skill System===

One of the larger changes from mercs in Diablo II is the ability to assign abilities to the followers, instead of picking a vague type from a list. Gone are the days of useless [[Flux]] mercs from Act III!

Upon reaching [[level]] five, the player can choose one of three [[spells]] or [[skills]] for the follower. Each subsequent five levels, up to level twenty, will award an additional choice for the player. Each different type of follower will offer a customizable skillset to either boost the player's effectiveness in a certain area, or cover a weakness in another.

Once the skills or spells are assigned, that is the end of it, unless the players choose to [[respec]] them, which will be small in cost. There are no extra ranks of abilities for followers, nor do they benefit from [[trait]]s of their own.
Follower abilities may not be affected by [[rune]]s.

===Follower Inventory===

The player is able to equip the follower with two [[ring]]s, an [[amulet]], a main-hand [[weapon]], and an off-hand item when applicable, which includes [[shield]]s and possibly [[orb]]s. The locked box in the inventory pane will be an item that is unique to that follower, which is unlockable at level 25. The unlockable item will be gained through completing the follower's questline, and only one special item is known at the moment: [[Kormac]] the [[Templar]] can unlock a holy book to equip that will aid him in battle.

===Follower Statistics===

The [[attribute]] section of the interface for mercenaries is gone with the introduction of followers. Instead, the relevant statistics displayed are the [[health]] of the follower (current health and maximum health), the range of damage they will inflict with a standard attack, and also resistances.
It is currently unknown what effect, if any, equipping a follower with an amulet containing player [[attributes]] will have, or if there are restrictions on gear or modifiers that the followers will be able to equip.

==Design Goal of Followers in Diablo III==

The function of a mercenary in Diablo II was a permanent helper that would scale with their level. Upon release of the expansion pack, Lord of Destruction, mercs gained a lot of power, particularly due to [[dupe]]d [[runeword]] items. Many [[Magic Find| MF]] characters relied on mercs for defense and damage.
This will not be the case with followers. The design philosphy for the follower differs drastically, where the dev team has stated that they want the followers to be a sort of introduction to co-op multiplayer. [[Bashiok]] expands on this idea[http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=27808220764&pageNo=1&sid=3000#11]:

<blue>Well, followers are essentially a flavor bonus to those playing through normal the first time by themselves. It provides some story elements, but more importantly it gets the idea in their head of playing with another person. You come across each of them pretty quickly in Act 1, and then they help you throughout the rest of the game if you'd like. They aren't required to beat the game on Normal, even if you're playing by yourself. Feel free to leave them behind if you like. But they are pretty awesome.

They're also tuned so that they become very weak starting in Nightmare, and then are completely unusable in Hell. Even if you're playing alone, you will probably not be using Followers past Normal - - you can try but they're going to just be one-shot back to back. They're there as a bit of flavor, to help get people into the mindset of co-op if they're a bit reluctant, and... that's about it. They won't be usable at end-game, and they'll never replace the abilities and power that another player can bring.</blue>

==Development==

It was said by the D3 development team for ages that they "weren't ready" to reveal mercenaries in Diablo III, or otherwise they "didn't know" what they would do with them. In April of 2011, the follower system was indeed revealed, but to the chargrin of Blizzard, it was leaked by the Korean Blizzard official website on accident. Diablo fans quickly picked this up[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/new-follower-video/] and accepted it as real due to the superb quality of the presentation of the video. The day after, Blizzard unveiled the followers in an official capacity[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/followers-artwork-and-interface-shots/] in a deluge of interviews, information, and new screenshots.

Previous comments by the development team follow:

The team has said they hope to include full mercenaries as a feature, and that if they do they'll be bigger and better than mercs were in D2. But they've given no details yet. [http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/pc/games/156898.Diablo-III/features/133759.20090831.BlizzCon-Diablo-III-devs-discuss-design-decisions-direction-depth-drops/]

<blue>Do those NPC's provide abilities to the hero, like a proper party system? 
Julian Love: That's also not yet finalised. We're trying to make them definitely a step above the henchmen of Diablo II, but how big of a step is something I can't say yet. Hopefully next time we reveal something I can show you more.</blue>

[[Leonard Boyarsky]] spoke in more detail about their plans for Mercs at Blizzcon 2008.

<blue>We have two different types of mercenaries now. As you saw in the demo, if you got the quest where you could rescue the adventurers or their leader, those guys are a low level and are just along for the quest, or are cannon fodder. You can't really control them or have anything to do with them at all.

When you have what we are calling followers, they are the guys you can equip, give them different weapons, you can give them different armor. They will probably have some quests that involve them. Much more than in Diablo II, you could equip them but they were more like a game mechanic in a body of an NPC. Where this time, were making them much more individuals with their own back story and their own reason for being in the world.</blue>

Leonard went on to say that there would be different hireables to fill different roles, such as tanks, artillery support, etc.

No more updated info has since been released, though in April 2011 Bashiok hinted[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/mercenaries-system-reveal-draws...-closer/] that an announcement was imminent.

<blue>We’re not quite ready to talk about our approach, but I will say it’s something that’s been a part of the game since before announcement. We have a very solid direction for them. </blue>

==Video==

This is the reveal video for the Followers released on the 12th May 2011 by the official Korean site before, it seems, Blizzard Irvine was ready to do so.

<youtube>2S3U8I_a_x8</youtube>

{{Character navbox|d3}}

[[category:NPCs]]
[[category:mercenaries]]
[[Category:Basics]]
[[category:followers]]

Ghoul

2010-10-18T15:09:31Z

BlackLink16: /* Diablo III Monster */

'''Ghouls''' are swift and dexterous "cannon fodder" monsters that swarm players. Easy to kill one at a time, harder in greater numbers. Ghouls are [[undead]] [[monster]]s.
 
 
==Diablo III Monster==
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
{{Monsterbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Ghoul.jpg


|classif= Undead
|family= Ghoul
|role= Cannon fodder
|life= Unknown
|mana= None
|armor= Unknown
|resist= Unknown
|armament= Jagged Sword
|dps= Unknown
|dmg_low= Unknown
|dmg_high= Unknown
|range= [[Melee]]
|speed= Fast
|movement= Fast
|modifier= None
|spells= None
|found= [[Forgotten Tombs]]
}}Ghouls are a new monster type for [[Diablo III]]. These swarming [[monster]]s appear to be the [[Zombie]] cannon fodder of [[Diablo III]]. They are blue-skinned [[undead]] who spawn in great numbers, are quite but fleet of foot and quick of movement, but are fairly weak and easy to kill. Ghouls can be seem climbing up the walls and swarming the [[Barbarian]] in the beginning of the [[WWI 2008]] [[gameplay movie]]. They die almost as fast as they race to battle (which is quite quickly).

Ghouls might be undead, but are nothing like slow shambling zombies; the Ghouls are fast and uncanny, running hunched over in a bestial, almost quadrupedal style. They climb quickly and leap out at the player from all angles, scaling a huge wall to get into the action in the WWI 2008 gameplay movie. Ghouls generally fight with a cruel jagged sword that looks like fangs.

The primary advice to stay alive against Ghouls seems to just be avoid being swarmed from all directions, and use skills like the [[Barbarian]] Berserker skill [[Leap Attack]] or the [[Wizard]] spell Arcane [[Teleport]] (preferably with a [[Striking Rune]]) or the [[Witch Doctor]] spells [[Horrify]] or [[Mass Confusion]].

===Spells and Abilities===
* Climbing Walls
The Ghould is to be able to climb walls. If this is a gameplay feature or just a "spawn animation" is not yet known.









==Background==
Nothing is known about the Ghoul. They seem to be re-animated corpses, like [[Zombie]]s and other [[undead]] creatures, but they are more intelligent, cunning and dexterous. Since they are so easy to kill, they must still be relatively easy to summon for a [[Necromancer]].

==Diablo I Monster==
Ghouls do not appear in [[Diablo I]].

==Diablo II Monster==
Ghouls do not appear in [[Diablo II]].

==Development==
Ghouls were first seen in the [[WWI 2008]] [[gameplay video]], and have changed little since then. The Ghouls in the WWI 2008 gameplay video had significantly less health than in later gameplay videos as well as the [[BlizzCon 2008]] demo. This is not spectacular though, as it seems that video had all mob's health turned way down to show the strength of the [[Barbarian]].




==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=all&si=ghoul Gallery search for Ghouls]

<gallery>
Image:Mon-ghoul-messy.jpg|Ghouls have red blood, surprisingly.
Image:Mon-ghouls3.jpg|Ghouls spawn in mobs, and climb nimbly.
</gallery>





{{Monster navbox|undead}}

Skeletal Executioner

2010-10-15T15:51:11Z

BlackLink16: /* Diablo III Monster */

'''Skeletal Executioners''' are [[Skeletons]] with more strength, carrying heavy axes which they swing with great power.

Skeletal Executioners are [[Undead]] [[monster]]s.
 
 
==Diablo III Monster==
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
{{Monsterbox
|game= Diablo III
|portrait= Mon-skeletal-executioner2.jpg


|classif= Undead
|family= Skeleton
|role= Power-attacker
|life= Unknown
|mana= None
|armor= Unknown
|resist= Unknown
|armament= 2-H Axe
|dps= Unknown
|dmg_low= Unknown
|dmg_high= Unknown
|range= [[Melee]]
|speed= Slow
|movement= Slow
|modifier= None
|spells= None
|found= [[Tristram Cathedral]] [[Leoric Highlands]]
}}Skeletal Executioners are a larger, more powerful version of [[skeleton]]s, instantly recognizable by their red hoods, huge shoulder pads, and the massive headsmen axes they wield. [[Undead]] or not, those axes are heavy, and the executioners drag them behind, leaving a trail of sparks. They only pick up the axes when they are about to use them, and they use both arms to deliver vicious overhead chops with their weapons. Their attack rate is fairly slow, and if you can dodge their first swipe you can almost always finish them off before they can take a second one.

Skeletal executioners have a short range charge attack that they finish with a devastating chop of their axes. Being hit by one won't actually kill a character in a single blow, but it's quite painful.

As with many undead, it's usually possible to avoid the hits quite easily against one, but when they stack up, the threat becomes more significantly. Try to keep your back free and take them out one by one, or use some [[AoE]] damage to kill many at once, while still not being swarmed.






===Related Monsters===
* [[Skeleton]]
* [[Skeletal Archer]]
* [[Skeletal Executioner]]
* [[Skeletal Shieldman]]
* [[Skeletal Summoner]]



==Background==
Skeletal Executioners are just regular [[Skeleton]]s with great axes. They are subject to the same rules of existence as their less advanced versions.
* '''[[Skeletal Executioner|Skeleton Lore]]'''







==Media==
You can find pictures in the Diablo 3 screenshot and picture gallery:
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/ Diablo 3 screenshots and pictures]
* [http://www.diii.net/gallery/showgallery.php?si=skeletal+executioner Skeletal Executioner gallery search]
<gallery>
Image:Mon-skeletal-executioner1.jpg|Executioners.
</gallery>



==References==
* [[Writings of Abd al-Hazir: Entry no. 0008]]

{{Monster navbox|undead}}