Blizzcon Leak: Necromancer Reveal

[Coldkil]

Ok, this definitely looks like a serious leak.

Possibilities:
- we get a D3 expansion. While i really like the idea of playing the necro again, i think there are major issues about the game (paragon revamp, itemization/gearing/building) that need to be addressed absolutely in a short time. Though given how deep these issues are rooted, an expansion is the right time to do so. (and this is my best option).

- we get a major D3 patch with the new class (if true). Still doesn't address any of the previous issues but it's free content so i cannot complain.

- part of the D2HD project (very unlikely)

We still miss a druid/shapeshifter class, and necro while being a playerbase huge favourite has the concept running over the WD; i hope it works good and doesn't overlap the WD.

[Tzalix]

I hope not, we don't another witch doctor, even if it has less green spell effects

Who's "we"? Because I absolutely loved the Necromancer in D2 and I want to see an updated version of it.

[tikcol]

Who's "we"? Because I absolutely loved the Necromancer in D2 and I want to see an updated version of it.

me myself and I, we're 3 right at this moment, but I'm sure others will join us.

You think you do, but you don't

[Gallahadd]

I want durid.

Me too! Although... It doesn't HAVE to be druid, it just has to be a shapeshift class.

What if to make Necro different to WD, instead of summoning skellies/golem, they shapeshifted INTO them?

So you could shift into:

Skeleton Warrior:
Short range Medium armor, High ST damage, low AoE.

Skeleton Mage:
Long range, Low armor, medium ST, high AoE damage.

Golem:
Short range, High armour, Low ST, Medium AoE damage.

Note: Forms wouldn't be exclusive, they'd be different trees with different skills/abilites in each. The key to playing Necro well would be knowing when to swap between different forms, depending on what the situation needed.

[Gadzooks]

why

they've never remastered any of their older games and released them, they didn't even want people playing vanilla wow even though by their admission it is a defunct game version as they don't have the code anymore.

rereleasing d2 would be like admitting d3 was a bad game design

They're remastering starcraft, Diablo 1&2, and Warcraft 3. Work has already started, they're hiring for it - go to their careers page, and look at the Classic Games listings.

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Those saying Blizz should release Diablo 4 have no earthly idea how Blizz works. It was 12 years before they released D3...do you guys really think they're going to release D4 barely 4 years later? No chance in hell keep dreaming.

D3 didnt take 12 years to develop. Blizzard North develeoped a Diablo 3 that was scrapped because Vivendi didn't think it was good enough, and then Blizzard North was shut down when the top guys left to start their own company. Diablo was then moved to Irvine in 2005 or 2006, and a new team assigned to it - they're the ones who designed and shipped D3. I don't know how much work was actually done when they announced it in 2008, and pretty much everything they showed was redone or scrapped. I've seen references to 3 versions before the final one shipped. The announcement was 2008, the game shipped in 2012. 5 years sounds good as a development time.

And, there's no rules in regards to things being done on an exact time schedule - just because Diablo 3 took 4 or 5 years to develop, doesn't mean they have to wait 4-5 years until the next one, that's just dumb to even pretend to believe. This isn't WoW with it's release schedules - D4, if it's being worked on, will release when it's ready, not "it's been enought time between." Even with a smaller team than WoW, 12 years of solid work is enough time for D4, two expansions, and D5.

[FelPlague]

Someone said this on Reddit:

"I bet it's just concept art that they plan to show off during the anniversary panel while talking about Diablo history and D3 development.
"Necromancer was a D2 fan-favorite, and we wanted to go with something similar but different for D3. Here's how concept of the Witch Doctor came about, etc"."

This is what I'm thinking also. Concept art for early D3 but they decided to go with Witch Doctors instead.

Edit: Nevermind, someone below that comment said that the artist just started working at Blizzard this year. So I dunno.

also why wouldent this art be released before? if its that old
also why would the art have female and male, and look so much like zul

[Gadzooks]

I would love a Necro, they could probably make it sufficiently different from the WD with enough work. But you know, leaks, we'll have to wait and see.



We're due a second expansion, unless they go back on previous remarks. D4 is only 4 years old and is still releasing regular seasonal updates.

Based on the D2-D3 gap, expect D4 in 2024 :P

More like 2019/20. You have to remove 6 years from the Diablo 3 history for the version Blizzard North did, and was scrapped. D3 as we know it wasn't started until 2006, at the very earliest, when Irvine was given the franchise. And, like I posted before, most of what they showed at the 2008 reveal was scrapped or redone.

[Fayenoor]

It's real artwork. It was made by the art director.
https://www.artstation.com/artist/johnmueller

He does a lot of concept art just like Sam Didier. Not all of them make it to their games. They are artists; they have a lot of leeway to do concept art for weird stuff many of which might not make it to any game.

[Unholyground]

For me it's mainly the lack of Bone spells and the massive army of Skeletons that separates them. That's how I played Necromancer.

They will likely also incorporate steeling life from enemies, probably bleeds too, I mean bone is sharp and so are teeth.

[Gadzooks]

He does a lot of concept art just like Sam Didier. Not all of them make it to their games. They are artists; they have a lot of leeway to do concept art for weird stuff many of which might not make it to any game.

Which would make sense if the image was leaked from a private conversation with him, or prepping a book, or something (I'd love a Chronicles-like book for Diablo), but the image appeared on the site for the shop - the context here means it's being used for something official. Could be Hearthstone, HOTS, or Diablo - won't know for 3 days.

[Unholyground]

Which would make sense if the image was leaked from a private conversation with him, or prepping a book, or something (I'd love a Chronicles-like book for Diablo), but the image appeared on the site for the shop - the context here means it's being used for something official. Could be Hearthstone, HOTS, or Diablo - won't know for 3 days.

The fact that there is a female and male stylized similarly rules all but Diablo out as far as game.

[Gsara]

I will play the shit out of d3 if this is actually for d3. If its for d4 even better.

[Unholyground]

I will play the shit out of d3 if this is actually for d3. If its for d4 even better.

D4 is probably still quite far off.

[Gsara]

D4 is probably still quite far off.

Thats fine, I dont expect d4 or a d3 xpac to be released anytime soon if thats what is announced.

[Deleted]

You think you do, but you don't

And all those people who don't like D3 probably also don't know they actually like D3. Because new is always better.

[tikcol]

There's room for new classes, not just revamped old ones or plain old ones.

Necromancer is the worst of both worlds. An old class and very similar to a new one.

[Unholyground]

There's room for new classes, not just revamped old ones or plain old ones.

Necromancer is the worst of both worlds. An old class and very similar to a new one.

Well it is likely going to play similar to how they designed it for HoTs and he will be far more melee oriented with attacking with some ranged too of course.

[Axcel]

I know who he is, that doesn't make the leak anything more than a piece of artwork. Doesn't mean necromancer will be revealed.

I never said anything about a necromancer being revealed, only that it was real artwork, because people were saying that it wasn't real artwork.
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[Deleted]

Makes me wonder where the image came from then.

Directly from the Blizzard servers along with the Sombra leaked picture.

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He does a lot of concept art just like Sam Didier. Not all of them make it to their games. They are artists; they have a lot of leeway to do concept art for weird stuff many of which might not make it to any game.

Except it was using the same tag as the Sombra leaked picture

[Manhands]

It's definitely Diablo 4. Confirmed from non-blizz employee (who had access to the info) who told Kripp who said on stream.

Totally reliable. Kappa (well, except I believe it)