Joystiq

"We have no plans to carry classes over. It's a fresh start, we haven't finalized the final classes or how many there will be."

Q: Will the seven classes from Diablo II be kept as well as the new classes you're introducing?
A: We have no plans to carry classes over. It's a fresh start, we haven't finalized the final classes or how many there will be. We're not trying to bring back Diablo II classes.

Q: Will there be different systems like mana, energy and rage for each class?
A: We're exploring these systems, we have no specific plans.

Q: Will there be hardcore mode in Diablo III?
A: I don't see why we wouldn't. That decision is made towards the end of development, we might not, but we probably will.

Q: With the loot system in Diablo II, the player with the fastest connection often got the loot. Will this change?
A: We're changing the drop system. Monsters will drop multiple items, each player will see loot generated for them.

Q: Will you be able to respec your player's skills?
A: We're not talking about it but I think it's a bad idea not to. I can't give you any specifics.

Q: Is the witch doctor a spiritual successor to the necromancer?
A: It's not really a replacement. It's a really cool class that we liked the sound of. The witch doctor doesn't prohibit us deciding to put a necromancer class in too.

"The witch doctor doesn't prohibit us deciding to put a necromancer class in too."

Q: How does the gear system differ from Diablo II?
A: There are new features for items planned. The core system isn't drastically changed. The loot structure is already good, we've maintained and improved on that.

Q: Will there still be the ability to cheat over Battle.net?
A: I can't give you specifics, there's a new version of Battle.net with a huge focus on cheats and anti-hack. We really want to make sure it works as cheating hurts the community.

Q: Will there be secret areas and hidden levels?
A: That's a secret.

Q: Will single-player and co-operative play be balanced? Do you have to group to get the best items?
A: The game experience is different in co-op but items will be available in both modes, there won't be anything available in co-op you can't get in single player.

Q: You announced LoD in 2001, why is the sequel so late?
A: It's a development issue. We wanted to make a game worthy of being a Blizzard game, so it took this long to make it that good.

Q: Will male and female characters have different attributes?
A: There will be no differences beyond physical appearance. We don't want to get into that area.

Q: Will system requirements be high or will a WoW-capable PC run it? Will you need DirectX 10?
A: It's not settled but Blizzard's goal is to support a broad set of systems. We'll have as low system requirements as we can. We don't plan to use DirectX 10 at the moment.

Q: Will there be a map editor?
A: We haven't nailed specifics but the Diablo series isn't very friendly to mods, mostly due to the random nature of the game. It's not a big focus of ours. But we haven't decided.

Q: In Diablo II there was a rune system, will you keep that?
A: No comment at this time.

Want to know what else went down at this year's Worldwide Invitational? Check out WoW Insider's coverage of the event!