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Diablo III finally gets PvP…sort of

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Diablo III launched with its fair share of issues – and now, more than half a year after its release, it’s still missing a number of promised features, not least of which is proper PvP. As outlined in a post on the state of PvP, Blizzard said it’s just not ready for primetime, but it will be getting PvP of sorts, duelling, in the next update.

“Our original intent with PvP for Diablo III was to provide more formal support for the duelling community that existed in Diablo II,” lead designer Jay Wilson said. “We wanted to give players some kind of structure that would not only make it easier for you to duel with one another, but also allow you to have duels that were team-based. This is how our Team Deathmatch mode emerged, and it’s been instrumental in making a lot of improvements to Diablo III. But in continuing to develop this mode, playtest it, and put it in front of other developers within the company, we’ve found that it falls short of our expectations for a high-quality Blizzard experience.”

Instead, patch 1.07 introduces duelling, a one-on-one or up to four player free-for-all that has you battling other plays for no good reason whatsoever. Yeah, that’s right; duelling isn’t scored, no stats are saved and there are no objectives. Instead, it’s all just for bragging rights.

Here’s how it works:

  • To duel another player, you’ll need to speak with Nek the Brawler at the inn in New Tristram.
  • Speaking with Nek will take you and your party to the Scorched Chapel, a new zone designed specifically for player combat.
  • This zone has custom geometry and features four different areas: the church, the graveyard, the river, and the lake.
  • Duelling currently supports up to four players in a Free-For-All format, which means you can battle your friends either one-on-one, three-player FFA, or a full four-player FFA.

While it’s amazing that Blizzard continues to patch and improve the game, I can’t help but feel that Diablo fans have to be at least a little disappointed with Diablo III. Eight months later and its still not complete, and just seems to lack the draw and longevity of previous Diablo games.

Are any of you still playing Diablo III? Any of you excited for the prospect of a largely pointless, PvP lite update?

Last Updated: January 14, 2013

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