Diablo 3 - A Hellraising Preview

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Tomatoes

Here's what's unfair: three wizards, each dropping a fireball-spewing Hydra, firing laser beams of death, calling meteors out of the sky and landing them on our hapless team. The Wizard is over-powered.

We are PC Gamer and two friends. We're playing at Blizzcon, on the open machines that are available for attendees to test the game. Our enemies have been round the queue multiple times, fine-tuning their build, their tactics and their teamplay – discussing everything in fine detail. They really know what they're doing.

We haven't discussed our tactics much. We've pushed to the front of the queue, waving press badges and pretending we're important. We're completely outmatched.

We think a spread of skills will be fun. We have one of each of the three PvP classes: a Witch Doctor, a Barbarian and our own Wizard. Our Barbarian leaps in first, swinging his axe like a whirlwind. The Witch Doctor lobs magic Molotovs. The Warrior is a blur, punching and kicking seven shades of hell out of anything that moves. We giggle.

The three wizards on the opposite side spam meteor. They focus fire with a disintegrate beam. When we think we've got one cornered, she teleports out of the trap, her skin turning to diamond. It's bloody irritating.

Within a few moments, we're dead. All three of our enemy wizards are still standing. Shit. Try again. Same result. Again. They smash us even harder. Pause. Let's think about this.

“Barbarian, you corner one, get in their face. I'll stand back and disintegrate. Witch Doctor, you... you... God, what is it you do anyway?”

“I make zombie bears happen.”

Brilliant.