Choosing Your Class In Diablo 3

When starting out making sure you pick a class that suits you is essential in your fight against the legions of hell.

If you are like me, the rainy summer is getting you down, it may be time to take a trip to a place where it is always hot…HELL! Diablo 3 is Blizzard’s latest entry into their acclaimed action RPG series that sees players slashing, bashing, cursing and burning their way through the forces of the underworld.

The game has 5 distinct character classes that each have their own styles of play that will dramatically alter your game experience. Finding a class that interests you and feels fun and enjoyable will help you keep on enjoying yourself when things get really tough in Inferno difficulty.

Barbarian:

Primary Stat: Strength

Range: Melee

Barbarians are robust, resilient and ferocious melee fighters. Barbarians can opt to become strong damage dealers, wielding huge 2 handed weapons and crushing their enemies, or use a 1 handed weapon with a shield and become an unbreakable tank. Barbarians can also buff themselves and their party with inspirational shouts in addition to having some very fun high-damage self-buffs that turn them into even more of an unstoppable killing machine.

In higher difficulties barbarians need to start gearing a little bit more defensively to survive, as melee damage from enemies becomes a lot heavier. This change of pace comes as a shock to many players so if you always want to gear purely for damage then a barbarian may not be for you. But if playing as a tough, tanky damage dealer interests you then give the barbarian a try.

Demon Hunter:

Primary Stat: Dexterity

Range: Long

Demon Hunters are capable of dealing huge damage at a great distance through the use of bows and crossbows. In addition to their high damage they have a wide range of abilities that can help them escape and elude their enemies. They have a variety of slowing effects and traps that help to always keep a safe distance between the Demon Hunter and their target.

However, if you are caught out by enemies then you can be killed very quickly. This is helped by having a couple of defensive abilities that can buy the Demon Hunter some time to escape, however it is not always enough. Play a Demon Hunter if you like the idea of a highly mobile ranged damage dealer that can outrun enemies and keep them at arm’s reach whilst killing them.

Monk:

Primary Stat: Dexterity

Range: Melee

Monks are acrobatic and quick melee damage dealers that use Spirit to destroy their demonic enemies. As well as having the ability to deal good damage, Monks also have an array of defensive abilities that can shield, heal and protect themselves and their allies. A unique aspect of Monks is their Mantras, strong buffs that aid themselves and their allies. You can only have 1 Mantra active at a time but you can choose between reflecting damage, healing, dodging or dealing increased damage.

Monks suffer the same fate as Barbarians in that they must start to get more defensive stats on their gear as enemies become tougher. However this is greatly aided by the Monk’s powerful self-healing and defensive abilities. Try the Monk if you like the idea of an agile martial artist who can aid their allies and smite their enemies with holy power.

Witch Doctor:

Primary Stat: Intelligence

Range: Mid to Long (build dependant)

Witch Doctors are the masters of voodoo magic, cursing, poisoning and summoning undead minions to destroy their enemies. Witch Doctors have some great crowd control abilities at their disposal that allow them to hex and disorient their targets. There are a wide range of AoE abilities that the Witch Doctor can choose between for taking on large groups of enemies.

However, Witch Doctors can be reliant on good positioning in order to do maximum damage and sometimes the targeting of their abilities can be quite random. Try the Witch Doctor if you like the idea of a voodoo shaman who can summon a wide range of undead servants to do their bidding whilst they cast damaging spells.

Wizard:

Primary Stat: Intelligence

Range: Long

Wizards are a true magical damage dealer, calling on their arcane power to burn, shock and disintegrate their enemies. Much like Demon Hunters, Wizards are also very good at kiting enemies whilst killing them at range. Most of the Wizard’s abilities are standard damage dealing spells but they also have the ability to buff themselves with magical armour as well as imbue their weapon to do extra damage.

Wizards have the ability to teleport which can help protect them in tough situations and keep them out of melee range where they are in greater danger. Wizard is recommended if you like archetypal mages who use devastating elemental and arcane spells.

If you want to give Diablo 3 a try then you can pick up your copy by clicking here. Be sure to consult our Boss Guide to help you defeat the most powerful evils of hell

Steve ‘Skuax’ George