Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Anyone that has ventured into the world of Diablo knows that PvP has become a staple feature for the game. Diablo III is building on this fact with the addition of the PvP Arena, which will allow players to square off against each other in team battles. Unlike PvP in Diablo II, players won't lose loot in the arena when killed, so it is considerably toned down from having to look over your shoulder in every room for the random PvP attacker. But die-hard PvP fans will be happy to learn that the arena will feature a Hardcore PvP mode, which when a character is killed, that's it, they're gone.

Each class has different skills that you need to master, and thinking I could go in with my axe swinging left me vulnerable to the Wizard's Slow Time bubbles, after which they usually swap to Disintegrate and focus that burning laser beam on your big, furry behind. Thankfully, the Barb's Leap Attack can get him (or her) out of most jams, but all-Wizard teams can be very lethal. Besides their arsenal of attacks, which include Hydras that spawn like ranged cannons, they can also teleport, which will blink them out of your range and off of the line of sight on your minimal in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

The preview features a write up of a hands-on session with the dev team and a video interview by G4TV's Morgan Webb with Diablo III Sr. Designer Jason Bender. The article notes that some classes played seem a bit overpowered at the moment, but the build is very early and other aspects such as Runes have yet to be factored in, so things will certainly change before the final build is slotted in and ready to go. The full PvP preview is available at G4TV.com.