A few years back in 2008, I got the opportunity to sample Diablo 3 as it currently stood, and boy do I wish I hadn't. It wasn't that the game was bad; in all honesty, it was incredibly fun. The 20 or so minutes my friends and I were able to play felt more like two or three, tops, and then it was back in line for another 45 minutes to get another go; time well-spent in my opinion. There's a lot of hype right now about Cataclysm, the next World of Warcraft expansion, and understandably so. Being Blizzard's most popular (and lucrative) game, much of the hoohah at Blizzcon had to do with this title specifically. However, Cataclysm wasn't the only awesome thing showcased this October; Diablo 3's final playable character: the Demon Hunter made her debut with much fanfare and applause.

"A sharp sound whistled by my ear, and a crossbow bolt sprouted from the eye of the beast before me, spraying my face with its burning blood. It howled an inhuman cry of pain and threw me to the ground, grabbing at the quarrel. The other creatures scanned for this unseen attacker, and I was forgotten for the moment. From the ground at their feet, I tore my head around to see where the bolt had come from.

That was when I saw a demon hunter for the first time.

The girl could have been no more than 20. She emerged from the shadows cast by the setting sun and wasted no time in dispatching the rest of my attackers. Her hands worked twin crossbows, launching a glowing arc of flaming bolts over my head, blanketing the hulking monsters. Every shot found its mark in one of the horned beasts, felling the lot of them. From the corner of my eye, I saw more of the savage brutes sneaking up on her from behind. My voice froze in my throat as I tried to scream a warning. I needn't have worried: She was not unaware. The hunter reached into her belt and rolled a trio of strange metal spheres into their path. The monsters looked down just as the contraptions exploded into light and flame, stunning them. It gave her enough time to round on them, her crossbows dispatching them one by one.”

Demon Hunter

For those of you who played Diablo 2, the Demon Hunter seems to be a mix between the Amazon and Assassin character classes. Relying on ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows, as well as mixing in some trap-like abilities such as the bola and grenades, the Demon Hunter dispatches her foes from a distance with both speed and finesse. This final revelation, along with the Wizard, Barbarian, Monk and Witch Doctor complete the list of playable classes in Diablo 3.

In typical Blizzard style, Diablo 3 not only utilizes popular mechanics from the previous titles, but expands them dramatically. Take crafted items for instance. In Diablo 2, the player receives a magical cube (known as the Horadric Cube) and can use it, along with a few specific ingredients, to craft powerful magical items to aid in their battle. Diablo 3 will offer this same opportunity; however, instead of carrying around some little box, you can acquire the aid of several craftsmen who follow you around in a caravan, which you can make use of to improve your gear. Essentially, instead of finding random items strewn about the battlefield and lugging them back to town to sell, you can break them down into their components, which can in turn be used to craft new, better items. There are several different artisans you can acquire on your journey who make very specific types of items. A blacksmith, for instance, can forge weapons and armor while a mystic can craft various potions, spells, and charms. That's not all, however, as it's possible to train your artisans to create better items by the allotment of gold and materials.

Health management is also getting a revamp in the upcoming release. In previous games, you could simply consume potions in random succession to refill your life. In Diablo 3, drinking a potion will now be followed by a cooldown period, prohibiting mass consumption. Some classes will possess health restoration abilities, but the new major mechanic to regain health is the addition of health globes that spawn from the carcasses of your enemies. Health globes of varying strength will drop, and in multiplayer games, they will not only restore a portion of your health, but those of your party as well.

The third big change in Diablo 3 is the arena-style PvP or "player versus player" combat. If you're at all familiar with the arena in World of Warcraft, then you already know what I'm talking about because it's exactly the same. Players will engage in matches with other ranked teams and receive points for winning, which can be used to get titles, achievements, and other things. For those of you worried about getting stomped by much better opponents, or perhaps a system that is too easy because you are the much better opponent, have no fear. Battle.net's ranking system will provide you with opponents that are of a similar skill level, so all players will have the chance to take part in challenging, competitive combat.

Diablo 3 will be run on a brand new engine, providing realistic-looking character models and environments that are absolutely breathtaking.

There is currently no release date for Diablo 3, and Blizzard isn't giving any hints. As usual, however, you can just about bet on the game being well worth the wait. Someday, though, it will come out; and when that day comes ...

I'm calling in sick.