Let’s start off this daily selection of [wiki]Diablo III Beta[/wiki] Videos with a great 15 minute video by Fluddastud. It shows off a melee-fighting Wizard (all basic attack with only an occasional [wiki]Wave of Force[/wiki]). It’s an unconventional play style, but it’s nice to see something different in pace and style. The footage is very good too, with a great look at all the options that come with the [wiki]Banner[/wiki] system, before the game starts. The gameplay is good too, with a full clear of Cathedral levels 3 and 4. The first sight and rescue of the [wiki]Templar[/wiki] is shown, as well as his eventual revenge on the one who betrayed him. The class of that NPC could be considered a spoiler, but it’s a pretty small one, so you’re unlikely to cancel your preorder if you view it.
Click through for several more, mostly focused on high level Wizards and their massacring power in the beta.
Given the fairly minimal content in the Beta, it seemed obvious that players would start doing Leoric runs with high level characters. They are, and it’s about as much of a slaughter as you’d expect. MrTidus recorded a video of his Clvl 13 Wizard using Shock Pulse vs. Leoric, and it’s definitely in the “don’t blink or you’ll miss it” category. If not for Leoric’s few seconds of invincibility while he stretches his neck (wut?) after standing up, there would hardly be any footage at all.
If you’re wondering what that Clvl 13 Wizard was wearing, MrTidus uploaded a movie with a good look at each item’s tooltip. It’s almost all magical stuff, surprisingly. I’d have expected some more rare and legendary stuff by that point, given the numerous item runs the character has done.
Another video from MrTidus shows two battles against some [wiki]Champions[/wiki] with the very nasty [wiki]Arcane Enchanted[/wiki] modifier. This enables them to cast spells that create something a bit like a single-headed Hydra, that fires small purple ([wiki]Arcane[/wiki]) orbs very rapidly. The Wizard is powerful, but a second of incaution during the second such encounter with some Flyers and a regular boss with the [wiki]Molten[/wiki] property is long enough to finish her off. It’s a bit reminiscent of the [wiki]MSLE[/wiki] bosses in early D2X, when one or two of their mega bolts could kill you in a blink.
If you want revenge for that death, one last video from MrTidus provides it. How well does the Clvl 12 [wiki]Disintegrate[/wiki] skill work against Mlvl 6-8 monsters? Pretty well, actually. How about instant death to everything but the Skeleton King? The massive Imp laser harvest at the 0:55 point is the funniest moment. There’s some nice footage of Blacksmith crafting recipes in this one as well, at around the 1:00-1:11 mark