Diablo 3...

[YmirGF]

Barby now clvl 42 - (Act 2 - Nightmare) Awesome tank
Monky now clvl 31 - (Act 4 - Normal) neato character
Demon Killer clvl 31 - (Act 4 - Normal) ok, I guess, Ball lightning arrow (?) seem to be a tad overpowered
Wizard - clvl 26 - (Act 3 - Normal) A bit underwhelming... but promising
Witch Doctor - clvl 25 - (Act 3 - Normal) Odd. The noble savage, I assume.

 

[Iti oj]

A few more days

 

[Iti oj]

installing now

 

[YmirGF]

Barby now clvl 42 - (Act 2 - Nightmare) Awesome tank
Monky now clvl 31 - (Act 4 - Normal) neato character
Demon Killer clvl 31 - (Act 4 - Normal) ok, I guess, Ball lightning arrow (?) seem to be a tad overpowered
Wizard - clvl 26 - (Act 3 - Normal) A bit underwhelming... but promising
Witch Doctor - clvl 25 - (Act 3 - Normal) Odd. The noble savage, I assume.

Well, it's been out for awhile now and has proved to be a great game.

I'm slow and tend to play alone or with a friend on occasion and now have two characters in Act 1 of Inferno mode, the Barby and Monk. After playing the game for some time now I have decided that I do not like the Witch Doctor character and find the Wizard more than a bit lame, though it does have some kick-butt traits, it is not the veritable powerhouse that has usually shone in previous incarnations of Diablo.

The Demon Killer is also great, but my faves are the Barby and Monk.

Of late, I have been playing hardcore mode and that is an exercise in patience, let me tell you. In hardcore mode, I have 3 characters, a Monk called StinkyPants for obvious reasons, who is now level 45 and at the end of Act 2 in Nightmare. My barby is level 43 and at the Oasis in Act 2. Likewise, the Demon killer is in the same place at level 42.

My last barby got toasted by a pack of maniacs in the Oasis. It was over so fast, I didn't really know they were there. *sigh* Unlike in normal mode, where death is merely inconvenient and something one gets used to, in hardcore mode, well, it's pretty final. It is due to that reality that hardcore play goes MUCH SLOWER as one clears area after area, so that one has places to RUN away to.

So far, the worst combo for hardcore players seems to be FROZEN/Arcane or Frozen/Molten combinations. You can only sit and hope you thaw out before death overtakes. I lost one Demon Hunter to the Frozen/Arcane "feature" who had been doing great right up to that moment... *sigh*

Alas, to relax, I still play normal mode, because it is very useful understanding what lies in store for the hardcore characters. So far, I don't see how to get past Hell in hardcore mode as it is only a matter of time. Ohhhhh... did I mention I lost one Barby due to a nanosecond power outage that reset my cable modem? I had actually finished clearing the area (from my view) then I noticed I could not go back to town. My connection was interrupted and then when I got to the character screen, my barby was dead. *Big sigh* (Even though the character had not died from my view, in the game itself.....)

Anyone up to double digit paragon levels yet?

 

[YmirGF]

So far, I don't see how to get past Hell in hardcore mode as it is only a matter of time. Ohhhhh... did I mention I lost one Barby due to a nanosecond power outage that reset my cable modem? I had actually finished clearing the area (from my view) then I noticed I could not go back to town. My connection was interrupted and then when I got to the character screen, my barby was dead. *Big sigh* (Even though the character had not died from my view, in the game itself.....)

Anyone up to double digit paragon levels yet?

Update (if anybody cares, LOL.)

My normal mode characters are all now Paragon Level 9 and have finished Inferno mode. I take back what I said about the Wizard and the Witch Doctor. Both are really cool - once you have the gear to make them virtually unstoppable.

My endeavors in hardcore have gone exceedingly well and now I can well imagine playing hardcore characters in Inferno. My barby-ette, Atilla is now at Paragon Level 1 (aka 61) and has great gobs of life and pretty nice gear. She romped through Act 3 of Hell for the first time today and finished off down at Azmodanny. She will (hopefully) off him tomorrow.

Likewise, StinkyPants got nailed in the same place in Hell that a former Demon Hunter got nailed in Nightmare... again... frozen and Arcane baked her considerable cookies. Her replacement, aptly named Revenge, is half way to Paragon 1 and has just begun Act 3 of Hell.

The demon Hunter, ElectricHail, is also 60 1/2 but at the end of Hell, Act 2 and still a bit chicken to take on Belial. She only has 37500 life... and doesn't want to lose it or her ferrets any time soon.

So, I never thought I'd see the day, but there you have it, 3 Level 60 plus character who have never died. (Hopefully I haven't spoken too soon.) I'll say one thing else and that is hardcore is really the way to go, it is FAR more challenging. Normal mode gets to be a bore, but sadly, it is necessary to romp thru the game to the end of Inferno - a couple of times - before you attempt to try hardcore mode. :beach:

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Don't know how I missed this thread. D3 I think is alright. It' doesn't come close to the greatness of D2, but they did do a few things right with it, such as the inventory and multiplayer looting that isn't a free-for-all click fest. I'd still prefer being able to spend my own stat and skill points though. People who understand the mechanics of such games shouldn't be forced to suffer with average characters because other players would make mistakes in spending points that make it impossible to get past a certain point. I also think it's dumb that you have to go into the options to be able to customize your skill bar, for the same reason of making it easier and protecting players from making mistakes and having a character that can't get past a certain point.
I play D3 once in awhile. My highest two are a lvl 42 Demon Hunter in Normal and a 56 Sorceress in Nightmare. I keep trying to get my Sorc into Infernal, as I've heard soloing that difficulty with a Sorc is very difficult, but this game can't hold my attention for days, weeks, and months at a time like D2 can.

 

[YmirGF]

Don't know how I missed this thread. D3 I think is alright. It' doesn't come close to the greatness of D2, but they did do a few things right with it, such as the inventory and multiplayer looting that isn't a free-for-all click fest. I'd still prefer being able to spend my own stat and skill points though. People who understand the mechanics of such games shouldn't be forced to suffer with average characters because other players would make mistakes in spending points that make it impossible to get past a certain point. I also think it's dumb that you have to go into the options to be able to customize your skill bar, for the same reason of making it easier and protecting players from making mistakes and having a character that can't get past a certain point.

I agree that the limited skills selection IS hard to get used to, however there IS also a great range of flexibility to customize characters if one selects ELECTIVE mode, wherein you can decided what skills get used. You can ever rearrange the skill/key assignment, again, to an extent. Plus I laughed at the looting comment. I'm so used to the D2 scenario that when I joined public games and saw stuff ALL over the ground it took a few weeks for me to realize everything that dropped was MINE... and no one else could SEE my drops. In D2 etiquette, I didn't want to appear greedy and would leave items on the ground, LOL. I got over that...

I play D3 once in awhile. My highest two are a lvl 42 Demon Hunter in Normal and a 56 Sorceress in Nightmare. I keep trying to get my Sorc into Inferno, as I've heard soloing that difficulty with a Sorc is very difficult, but this game can't hold my attention for days, weeks, and months at a time like D2 can.

I hear you, Shadow Wolfie. I agree that though I am currently fixated on D3, I don't really see myself playing it in 10 years, as I did religiously with D2. I can tell from your description that you don't play with other people though. I got my first Barby-ette to the middle of Act 2 in Hell when I gave up on solo mode and began joining public games.

The key to D3 is the items you get and to be honest, the game does NOT even begin until your character hits Level 60 and is MEANT to be played in Inferno. Everything else is just a prelude to Inferno mode. After level 60 there are a further 99 "Paragon" levels...

As for the Sorc/Wizard not being able to solo Inferno, that was certainly true at first for mine, however once I learned how to trade via the auction house with the gold I had accrued, well the lid came off their performance. No longer did I have to content myself with using the game equivalent of a butter knife, LOL. I refuse to use the real $$$ auction house, but there are some genuine bargains in the "Game gold" auction house. If you don't figure out how to use the Auction Houses... you are missing a major section of the game, as it is the key to getting the items that as eluding you... Add me to your friends list... [email protected] and I can take you well into Inferno, if not to the very end...

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I have poured alot of gold already into the AH. Pretty much whenever my characters start to fall behind in their performance, I reevaluate my skill layout, and if that doesn't seem to be the problem I upgrade my equipment.
I caught the paragon levels in one of the patch notes, and read it apparently takes about as long to get to level 99 as it does to raise a character to 99 in D2. My problem is I get past a few acts and move on to something else. D3, to me at least, just doesn't have the awesomeness that D1 and D2 have that set it apart from other hack 'n slash dungeon crawlers. But D3 I get bored with it too quickly, although I might have to make myself push through and get to Infernal.
And I have tried joining public games, but whenever I search for one there is nobody on the same quest as me, and maybe only a few people on a quest behind the one I'm on. I did get a group to fight Diablo on Nightmare, but I found him to be much easier on my own.

 

[YmirGF]

I have poured alot of gold already into the AH. Pretty much whenever my characters start to fall behind in their performance, I reevaluate my skill layout, and if that doesn't seem to be the problem I upgrade my equipment.
I caught the paragon levels in one of the patch notes, and read it apparently takes about as long to get to level 99 as it does to raise a character to 99 in D2. My problem is I get past a few acts and move on to something else. D3, to me at least, just doesn't have the awesomeness that D1 and D2 have that set it apart from other hack 'n slash dungeon crawlers. But D3 I get bored with it too quickly, although I might have to make myself push through and get to Infernal.
And I have tried joining public games, but whenever I search for one there is nobody on the same quest as me, and maybe only a few people on a quest behind the one I'm on. I did get a group to fight Diablo on Nightmare, but I found him to be much easier on my own.

Hehe. I sold an amulet for 1,000,000+ gold a week or two ago and now have about 36 million and I still pick up gold all the time. The thing is the whole game is slanted to level 60, so until you get someone there you really haven't had the full meal deal yet. Look me up, if you are so inclined. I can go as fast or as slow as you like.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Last night, and earlier today I remembered the main reason I haven't fully beaten the game yet, and why it usually fails to hold my attention. If I am having any sort of internet connection problems, or if there is some issue with the Blizzard servers, I can't play!
Assuming I have a stable connection for the rest of the day, I should be hitting 60 and clear Hell difficulty. Last night though I went to the AH to upgrade my staff. I went from having 220 DPS up to 905. Stuff became so much easier to kill I was able to adjust my skills from being more defensive to more aggressive.

 

[YmirGF]

Last night, and earlier today I remembered the main reason I haven't fully beaten the game yet, and why it usually fails to hold my attention. If I am having any sort of internet connection problems, or if there is some issue with the Blizzard servers, I can't play!

That would seriously impact on the quality of your experience, for sure. Be assured there are no issues with the Blizzard servers. They are working just fine.

Assuming I have a stable connection for the rest of the day, I should be hitting 60 and clear Hell difficulty. Last night though I went to the AH to upgrade my staff. I went from having 220 DPS up to 905. Stuff became so much easier to kill I was able to adjust my skills from being more defensive to more aggressive.

I spent a few moments and cobbled together a profile image of my wee Wizard, Ymir.
If your stats are approaching his, you will have no real problems with Inferno mode.
Take note of his DPS (36,999 LOL ... weeeeee), Life (46,709 ) and Resists (756 to 876 :drool .
The game is really a balancing act between the three.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

That would seriously impact on the quality of your experience, for sure. Be assured there are no issues with the Blizzard servers. They are working just fine.

The other day I was having internet problems, but there have been many times I've suffered through server lag, and although it hasn't happened in awhile there was error 37.
I attempted the hour run of act 1 earlier today, and missed it by a minute. I'm about to attempt it again.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

What I just noticed, according to the game developers, King Leoric's crown was "lost to the ages." I really don't remember how many years are between 2 and 3, but considering 2 is shortly after 1, and Cain is alive in 3, I don't really see much of an "ages" happening between the two. It's in the quest description of A Shattered Crown.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I compared my Wizard, and I'm not too far behind yours, except my DPS isn't nearly as high. I do need to invest some in resistance though once I get some gold saved up to upgrade my armor.

 

[YmirGF]

Well, 11 days later and my hardcore characters are still alive and kicking.

The barby, Atilla, is Paragon 4 and in Wortham in Inferno mode.
The demon hunter, ElectricHail, is Paragon 4 and at the Skeleton King in Inferno mode.
The monkey, Revenge, is also Paragon 4 and also at the Skelly king, in Inferno mode. (7:15 PM Note: Mission accomplished... off to the Fields of Misery)

I'm still doubtful that the demon hunter can handle the king, but am pretty certain the monkey will off him in nothing flat.
I'm still amazed that I have got this far without their latest incarnations dying, though each one was rebuilt, from scratch, once.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

For a week now I've been having some sort of issue that has prevented me from connecting to any battle.net games, even SC and D2. I have tried everything I can think of (except do a factory restore my computer), and Blizzard tech "support" actually asked me if I was still having problems after I reopened the ticket.

 

[McBell]

For a week now I've been having some sort of issue that has prevented me from connecting to any battle.net games, even SC and D2. I have tried everything I can think of (except do a factory restore my computer), and Blizzard tech "support" actually asked me if I was still having problems after I reopened the ticket.

Are you able to log in to Battle.net from a web browser?
If not, I would check to see if your ISP might have banned something that inadvertently includes Battle.net.
It happened to me a few years ago and it took forever to figure it out.

Has your anti-virus or firewall or ad blocker software updated recently?
Sometimes the software we use to protect our systems can get a little to protective.

If you have not done so already, I would suggest forwarding the Battle.net ports, unless you have more than one computer on your network playing the same games.

 

[YmirGF]

Are you able to log in to Battle.net from a web browser?
If not, I would check to see if your ISP might have banned something that inadvertently includes Battle.net.
It happened to me a few years ago and it took forever to figure it out.

Has your anti-virus or firewall or ad blocker software updated recently?
Sometimes the software we use to protect our systems can get a little to protective.

If you have not done so already, I would suggest forwarding the Battle.net ports, unless you have more than one computer on your network playing the same games.

Good advice, Mes. The problem is certainly not on Blizzard's side of the equation.

That said, my wee monk got herself to Wortham in Inferno last night at about 11pm and is now over half way to Paragon 5.
Update: The demon huntress, ElectricHail, is now past the skelly king in Inferno and 1/2 way to paragon 5 (I don't know why I was worried about it, he was stunned most of the time.)

 

[Shadow Wolf]

After over a week of frustrating tech support communication, it seems my problem has finally been fixed. All it took was using the repair tool in the launcher.
And some of the tech support reps have been unbelievable. I had one guy who seemed more interested in showing off his fancy ascii-sword in his sig than fixing problems, because he asked what error message was displaying when I stated in the first ticket there was no error message. The one that made the suggestion that fixed my problem asked for my dxdiag and msinfo reports, which made him the third one in the same ticket to get them. One of them asked for a tracert with my connection wired straight to my modem, and what she replied was, after I reopened the ticket because I was still having a problem, "your numbers are much, much, much, much better now. Are you still having problems?" And later she was "very, very, very, very sorry" I was having problems.
I'm currently getting D3 back on my computer. Hopefully I've got a small stack of gold waiting for me from the AH because I put some shimmering essence up. Although playing WoW again, it's like I'm snorting some WoW crack again, especially now with the combat pets adding a Pokemon twist to the game. My mini Diablo will finally do something other than just run around and occasionally spew fire. I might have to put alittle money down for the lil Ragnaros though, because those things make even mini Diablo and the Core Hound Puppy seem pathetically weak.

Update: The demon huntress, ElectricHail, is now past the skelly king in Inferno and 1/2 way to paragon 5 (I don't know why I was worried about it, he was stunned most of the time.)

It may be because I don't normally play those type of characters, but I've had a much harder time with my Demon Hunter than the Wizard. Where I only really struggled with my Wizard for awhile when I was putting money into my armor and neglected my weapon, and have blown through the game with amazing effeciency with my monk (I even got the one hour achievement during his first run on normal act 5, there have been many times I have struggled with the Demon Hunter. I actually think my only attraction to the Demon Hunter is how painfully obvious it is they modeled the female after Selene from the Underworld movies.

 

[YmirGF]

After over a week of frustrating tech support communication, it seems my problem has finally been fixed. All it took was using the repair tool in the launcher.

Well, that is good to hear, Shadow Wolf.

It may be because I don't normally play those type of characters, but I've had a much harder time with my Demon Hunter than the Wizard. Where I only really struggled with my Wizard for awhile when I was putting money into my armor and neglected my weapon, and have blown through the game with amazing effeciency with my monk (I even got the one hour achievement during his first run on normal act 5, there have been many times I have struggled with the Demon Hunter. I actually think my only attraction to the Demon Hunter is how painfully obvious it is they modeled the female after Selene from the Underworld movies.

I hear you, then again, I always loved the Amazon in D2, so I felt I had to give it a go. That said, once they come into their own, the Demon Hunter is an awesome character and probably the easiest class due to it's ranged attacks. However, since she left Wortham behind, early last week, she encountered very little problems and now is standing at the top of the stairs leading to the Butcher. Hail of arrows or whatever it is called is her standout attribute and reduces most bosses in very short order. I was having so much fun with her that she was the first to make it to Paragon 6. :flirt:

Update:

Atilla, the barbarionette faced the Butcher and carved him into little pieces, earning the Inferno "Dead Meat" banner. It took less than 2 minutes and she never drank a drop. Her standout attribute is Berzerk, with Cleave as her mainstay. Now at Paragon 6. However she chickened out about going to act 2. She dreads the bees or wasps......

Revenge, the Monkette, is P6 as well, having 7 side kicked her way through the Butcher and then went on to act 2, thus beginning a nail-biting hour long romp finishing up at the Command Post. During this run she had SEVERAL near death experiences and I can see that she is going back to Act 1 for a level or 2 more before continuing on in Act 2. The baddies were noticeably harder to kill and the champion packs were ... brutal... The poor kid ran into, not one, but two Champion Wasp packs that almost exterminated her a few times, but at least she is now 1/3 the way to P7.

Bottom line. If you find playing Diablo 3 a bit dull, try playing it in hardcore mode. Trust me, it livens things up... just a tiny bit... especially once the characters are getting "up there".