Melee Wizard

[NASE]

Actually there is no reason to assume it won't work before testing it out, so Blizz is the only one who has an actual say in this matter ( not the angry WoW haters ), let's leave it at that ( or maybe until they actually reveal what kind of crafting system they have on mind for D3 to replace the Cube )

Even still, there is no reason to assume it will work without testing it.

Ok, so what kind of Melee Wizard variations do you have in mind.

I don't, I've entered this thread because I feel that you misinterpreted bowazons. And those builds are where me love is. Melee wizard simply don't seem that interesting to me - nofi.
Ranged enchantresses do however, and if I remember the wizard skills correct, that's atleast is one build that in the current layout won't be easy.

So what are your dream builds for a melee wizard ?

A full vitality wizard or a titan wizard.
I guess we knew that one already.

[konfeta]

@Knight_Wolf: the problem isn't that enchanting is part of wow. The problem is that it appears to me that konfeta likes the idea simply because it's part of wow and simply because it works there. Diablo ain't wow so simply taking over idea doesn't work.

The problem here is that people like you have rampart WoW-phobia, when upon seeing any suggestion that is even tangentially related to the game as the incarnation of the Antichrist himself.

(hey, strawman accusations are FUN, aren't they?)

I like the idea because the idea itself is good, irregardless of its source. World of Warcraft is an action oriented RPG. Simply by overlap of genres and the scope of the game alone it will have an astounding number of good ideas that can be used in Diablo 3 and will be used in Diablo 3.

Me, and many other such people, don't want to see Diablo 3 to be a smaller version of WoW, a clone of WoW, or any other repetitive similie for WoW. It's just that we don't have such an aversion to the game that we can't see some interesting concepts in it that work.


*P.S. Ranged Enchantress is still very possible. Slow Time, Mirror Image, Teleport, Frost Nova; stick on a good a bow and Enchant Weapon and go to town. In fact, a ranged enchantress seems far more viable to me in Diablo 3 than it ever was in Diablo 2 excluding equipment options, judging from the skills alone.

[NASE]

My apologies, just forget I ever mentioned wow.


The ranged enchantress you are building seems to me like slow shooting, low damage, single target bow user compared to a true bowmaster. The only thing that might have power is the Mirror Image though that's every depending on how exactly the skill is implemented.

if you then look at diablo 2. You have 3 skills that play along nicely - fine, 2 of them come from equipment, though it's enchant that gives the skills power. You have enchant to boots fire damage, exploding arrow to deliver it to several monsters and pierce to give an extra boost.

I'm just not seeing it at this moment. Perhaps when we know more about items.

[konfeta]

Well, character customization in Diablo 2 was <insert arbitary high percentage here> equipment and skill choices; in most builds attributes supported those choices, not the other way around. If Blizzard promising more customization while taking away assignable attributes, it strikes me that we will likely have more varied, interesting, and powerful equipment choices.

Form this perspective, a Wizard using a bow/crossbow/whatever will have a large variety of defensive and crowd control skills, as well as a damage booster from the new enchant, and can focus her equipment entirely on nifty items that would give the equivilent of piercing/exploding arrow. I mean, compare a naked Sorc to a naked Wizard on skills alone - wouldn't you agree that the Wizard has far more useful skills to a bow user than the Sorc?

Alternatively, the Wizard could play more like the Amazon (excluding mana leach/pot spam) - normal arrows for enemies that don't warrant mana expendure and that weapon-damage-boosting-spell-damage skill to stand in for Freezing/Immolation Arrow.

Unless Blizzard messes up the balance of these skills or makes the itemization poor, I already see what... Nuke caster, crowd control caster, melee fighter, ranged fighter, melee/cast hybrid, range/cast hybrid? In a single class from the skills alone? With quality itemization, skill runes, whatever crafting system they use, and maybe other stuff there are already plenty of build options.

[NASE]

I agree, pure skill bases things look quite good. Though you need to look at possible combination with special gear as the skills alone don't cut it - for me that is. Gear that will allow for some sort of splash effect or multishot/strafe effect.

The only enchantment from skills that seems to add elemental damage is the 'Magic Weapon' skill. This should add magic damage and I would be surprised if there were magic exploding arrows.
And I really don't see multishot/strafe to be on items. Those things would be way to powerful I think.
So eventhough skills look good, they'll have to come up with some strange items/rune effects.

And to play like amazons, they need amazon skills. Thing like mutlishot or strafe. I don't expect any of those to be available for other characters. They might have guided arrow or magic arrow equivalences, though that aren't the skills used by amazons, simply because they lack the multihit aspect of multishot/strafe.

P.S.

Unless Blizzard messes up the balance of these skills or makes the itemization poor, I already see what... Nuke caster, crowd control caster, melee fighter, ranged fighter, melee/cast hybrid, range/cast hybrid? In a single class from the skills alone? With quality itemization, skill runes, whatever crafting system they use, and maybe other stuff there are already plenty of build options.

Just imagine what perfect additional stats customisation could add.

[konfeta]

We have a magic damage fireball now. Can't think it would be too far off to have a magic damage explosion bow.

Just imagine what perfect additional stats customisation could add.

It would add a perfect stat distribution for each of the builds. In other words, not add any real customization at all. Unless you call "pump willpower for spell damage" vs. "pump vitality for hitpoints" customization unique to stats, because items and stat focusing skills cover that pretty well.

(Fringe builds not withstanding)

[DiabloIIIFan]

I think that Blizzard is purposefully making a melee wizard viable. The lack of attribute requirements on all items will be awesome too.....Sword and shield wizard? Wizard with a giant hammer? Should be doable.

On another note, I see melee wizards playing out the best by having longer term buffs up, but then debuffing groups of enemies before going into melee range.

A string of magic missiles that slow, creatures, reduce their armor, and increase their damage taken? As well as adding a percent of weapon damage to your Magic Missile? Then teleport in, drop a slow time, and start mowing things down.....

Who knows what will be possible or not based on mana and game play, but I could see it playing out like that and being totally awesomesauce.

Just a question.

You said you see a lot of melee wizards playing by debuffing enemies before engaging in melee combat etc.

Does this mean that there's a DIII demo out or something? Or are you talking about closed beta?

I know this post was made a long time ago, but I just wanted to ask. I didn't follow the making of DIII as closely lately, at least not as much as I'd like to.

Anyone know if there's a demo available or there's just a closed beta or something?

Sorry for the derail.

[konfeta]

"I see" is just an expression that means the same as "I can visualize this happening." D3 isn't anywhere remotely close to being in beta stages. Maybe by next winter if we are lucky.

[DiabloIIIFan]

"I see" is just an expression that means the same as "I can visualize this happening." D3 isn't anywhere remotely close to being in beta stages. Maybe by next winter if we are lucky.

Lol duh!

*slaps forehead*

Stupid question from a newbie, as usual

Thank you for clarifying. I thought it was strange because I knew I read somewhere that DIII is gonna be finished only in maybe 1.5 years or so, or maybe more.

[Chorkstain]

Somehow I don't think a pure melee Wizard would ever be super effective. To my mind, putting points into melee skills would be a way of conserving mana. Although yeah, this time around the caster class has more utility spells so they could supplement a melee caster's arsenal. With a build like this, I'd love to use the passive skill Mana Burst, the one where you deal extra damage casting spells from full mana. If you're conserving mana by attacking in melee, you could strategically eliminate hordes with a Mana Burst spell, and then finish off the remainders with your sword. I still reckon it would be a pretty explosive, area damage oriented character, however.