During the opening ceremony Blizzard stuck with their tradition of unveiling something for the eager fans waiting to hear the latest in information that hasn't been discussed yet. While it wasn't the StarCraft II release date, what Mike Morhaime announced was pretty cool, and we can't wait for a hands-on chance.
Morhaime, as he wound down the ceremony, announced the third playable class for Diablo III: the Wizard. This class is all about flashy effects and explosions, and during the Diablo III Class Panel, we had a chance to find out more about it from Wyatt Cheng, Class Designer on Diablo III.
"Players want a blaster class," said Cheng. The team feels the Wizard is an interation of Diablo's Sorceress, but they wanted to fulfill the 'glass cannon' fantasy in a new way. To that end, the team went back to RPG roots -- Pen and Paper -- and designed the Wizard as a class that uses High Magic, manipulating time physics, and generally channeling the power of the universe. "If she lived today, she probably would have dropped out of school and started a .com," he said while describing the mentality they're going for with the class.
Marquee Skills
Cheng then covered four of the marquee skills behind the Wizard. This class is given access to a lot of magic you're typically not used to in the Diablo universe.
Magic Missle -- functionality like a firebolt -reminiscent of old school P&P.
Electrocute -- similar to chain lightning from Diablo II.
Slow Time -- part of Reality Control kit; designed as a bubble that literally slows down time around it.
Disintegrate -- classic pen and paper skill rarely seen in video games; "face melter skill"; sweep with the mouse, holding down the button; does more damage as you "heat up" a target; tried out the idea originally with the Barbarian called 'Giant Swing' but it didn't work, sucked in multiplayer too, but turned out great for the Wizard.
We'll be playing Diablo III as extensively as possible this weekend, so be sure to check back for our impressions of the game in general and each of the classes available.
In the meantime, don't forget to head over to our BlizzCon 2008 page, where you can find coverage across the entire Curse Network.
