Diablo 3 diary: The 'unlucky 13 hours in' edition

At level 19, my monk Darkartiste has been punishing evil in Diablo III for 13 hours now. It's at that unlucky hour mark that all his training flies out the window during Act II.

John Keefer

May 17, 2012 8:15 AM

The Skeleton King is dead. Those of you that played the Diablo III beta knew this battle intimately, I, on the other hand, had abstained for the sake of keeping my game experience pure for launch day. So the battle against the undead Leoric was my first major challenge. Yeah, I had died once foolishly earlier, but this time, I kept death at bay with a combination of Crippling Wave strikes and a few well-timed Exploding Palms coupled with a Lashing Tail Kick to move to range so I could watch him bleed.(although seriously, how do skeleton's bleed?) The battle went well and I was rewarded a couple usable pieces of gear. I thought that killing Leoric would end Act I, but it didn't. I got a nice little cut-scene but the Act continued with my pursuit of the demon witch Maghda, who does some not nice things to some of the primary story characters. The fun part of the game so far has been the exploration and recovering every bit of gold and crap armor and weapons I can carry. Yes, people have completed the game in 8-10 hours already, but those are the ones robbing themselves of the experience that really is Diablo III. And that experience includes picking up tomes and journals for the back story, talking to the villagers and main characters to get their experiences and drinking in the evil setting that Blizzard has so meticulously created. So at this writing, I am at level 19, 13 hours into the game and about an hour in to Act II. I have helped a mysterious stranger regain his memory and killed the huge boss at the end of Act I. I won't offer a spoiler, but that boss is a tribute to one from Diablo II, and trust me when I say that this version will have you running more than a turkey around Thanksgiving. Finishing Act I left me pretty confident. I was getting comfortable with my skill rotations and my hot keys. I was dispatching elite non-boss mobs with relative ease. Blizzard's random monster encounters will occasionally throw in a yellow rare mob that is tougher than the minions that come with it. There are also elite mobs that rush you in groups of three. Since a monk relies on kills to replenish health, the latter group can be a bit formidable without proper tactics or quick use of a healing potion hotkey. So entering Act II, I thought I was prepared. I'm sure hitting hour 13 in my play time was just a coincidence with my bad luck (OK, poor play). One particular mob hit me so hard that any normal man would be a red streak in the sand. Luckily, Darkartiste is no normal man. It was the second hit that killed me. Then I'll be damned if that mob didn't camp my spawn point. The bastard. Three deaths later, I finally got the stun, hit and run tactics down enough to kill it, but I was no longer cocky and I realized I seriously had to adjust my style of play. While keeping the game easy in the beginning seems logical to keep players from getting frustrated, it can also lull said players into a sense of invulnerability. The game tried me and convicted me of arrogance and I swear it won't happen again. The sad part is that all of this happened on a non-boss fight. Some of the game mobs and the crush of mass monsters are, at times, more formidable than the key enemies I am supposed to kill. The demon witch Maghda? I dispatched her with barely a scratch. Maybe it was the beating I took earlier that prepared me, but needless to say I must be learning.

Getting familiar with the Auction House

I decided to stop playing for a short while to give the new auction house a try. Bad move. I tried putting up several of the rare items I had gotten from the boss fights, but every time I created the auction, the process timed out and the attempt failed. I must have tried five or six times. There are already hundreds of items on the auction house, so Blizzard's server issues were cropping up again. Turns out three of my auctions were created despite the time out. A player can only have 10 auctions up at any one time, which keeps players from flooding the market with particular items. Things seem incredibly overpriced at the moment, but the market is still getting established. I like how the system is set up, with the gold items sold from your auctions able to se sent directly to your character's stash. Act II is on the agenda for today. Hopefully I can finish it before my next installment tomorrow.

John Keefer

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May 17, 2012 8:15 AM

John Keefer posted a new article, Diablo 3 dairy: The 'unlucky 13 hours in' edition.

At level 19, my monk Darkartiste has been punishing evil in Diablo III for 13 hours now. It's at that unlucky hour mark that all his training flies out the window during Act II.
- David Craddock
  
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  May 17, 2012 8:24 AM
  
  FYI, act 1's boss is a tribute to a Diablo 1 character, not one from D2. :)
  - Keefinator
    
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    May 17, 2012 8:27 AM
    
    BAH, you are correct. Fixed
  - Zek
    
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    May 17, 2012 8:45 AM
    
    spoiler
    - Zek
      
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      May 17, 2012 9:02 AM
      
      (not kidding btw, how many noteworthy bosses do you think there are in D1? You can only be talking about the Butcher.)
      - Keefinator
        
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        May 17, 2012 9:07 AM
        
        The whole game was memorable for me, so I didn't think of it as a spoiler.
      - David Craddock
        
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        May 17, 2012 9:16 AM
        
        Sure... or, I could have meant Leoric, or Lachdanan, or Lazarus, or Griswold, or Adria, or Leoric, all of whom are mentioned frequently throughout act one.
      - 0mar
        
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        May 17, 2012 9:17 AM
        
        There's another Act 1 boss that was a throwback too.
  - Entity
    
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    May 17, 2012 8:57 AM
    
    I liked the fact that there was a visible strategy to that boss. I'm still recalling the old days where you basically just stood in front of it and gobbled health potions while whacking away at it. Notable cues for certain attacks and stuff and using mobility and well-timed stuns was a great change from the Diablo bosses of old.
    - Keefinator
      
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      May 17, 2012 9:02 AM
      
      Watching what he did reminded me of some of the World of Warcraft boss battles. You know, like whack the boss when he's stunned, don't stand in the fire, etc.
      - daVinci1980
        
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        May 17, 2012 9:24 AM
        
        You mean like the (act 1 spoilers): Spider Queen, who is pretty much the exact same boss encounter--but reskinned--as Anub'Arak from WoW's Azjol-Nerub instance?
        
        Keefinator
        
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        May 17, 2012 10:09 AM
        
        Exactly. The Butcher fight reminded me of the one in WoW where Icehowl in Trial of the Crusader would charge and stun himself against the wall and you'd get extra time to beat on him for extra damage.
        
        daVinci1980
        
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        May 17, 2012 10:18 AM
        
        Oh man, I forgot about that one. Now I'm gonna be looking for this in all of the fights. :(
        
        Keefinator
        
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        May 17, 2012 10:27 AM
        
        Same here. I may make that a topic in the next diary. And don't stand in the fire.
        
        dfay
        
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        May 17, 2012 4:45 PM
        
        And MOAR DOTS!!!
- Jobos
  
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  May 17, 2012 9:01 AM
  
  That inventory screen - THAT'S how Skyrim's should look.
- [deleted] 1926747890
  
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  May 17, 2012 9:02 AM
  
  [deleted]
  - Keefinator
    
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    May 17, 2012 9:06 AM
    
    NO! Good grief
- Eskimo Keith
  
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  May 17, 2012 9:16 AM
  
  "Yes, people have completed the game in 8-10 hours already, but those are the ones robbing themselves of the experience that really is Diablo III" - I'm so glad somebody wrote this, I was starting to feel like I was doing something wrong by exploring. Everyone else I know has finished the game once already, I have a job dammit, I can't keep up!!
  - Keefinator
    
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    May 17, 2012 9:21 AM
    
    I'm anal. I try to collect everything that drops, portal back when my packs are full and sell it. I overturn every corpse, explore every inch of map and try to kill ALL the mobs before going to another level. The ones rushing (I'm assuming) are the ones that want to get to the Inferno level as quickly as possible.
    - Ambient80
      
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      May 17, 2012 10:03 AM
      
      Yeah, this is how I am as well. Every nook and cranny MUST be explored!
      - Cruciform
        
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        May 17, 2012 3:46 PM
        
        That's how Tom Arnold must have felt.
  - mwasher
    
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    May 17, 2012 9:27 AM
    
    this is my wizard after finishing act 2 last night. I don't get how anyone is finishing it anywhere near that fast if they are honestly uncovering and exploring everything.
    
    http://chattypics.com/files/CapturePNG_icv8mh0gqm.png
    - mwasher
      
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      May 17, 2012 9:28 AM
      
      (don't mind the hat. :[ )
      - Entity
        
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        May 17, 2012 10:37 AM
        
        I see you put on your wizard hat...
    - Eskimo Keith
      
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      May 17, 2012 9:34 AM
      
      Nice, I haven't even had 15 hours on the game, but I have had to restart twice now due to migrating server and then starting two different characters to play with friends and keep the levels balanced somewhat. One of these days I may even get to finish Act 1.
      - mwasher
        
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        May 17, 2012 9:44 AM
        
        I have another character already done with act 1 as well. i've been playing a lot.
        
        Keefinator
        
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        May 17, 2012 9:48 AM
        
        Shacker Jeff Mattas and I will be playing some co-op this weekend for a story on Monday. Should be fun with another buddy.
      - thecray
        
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        May 17, 2012 5:40 PM
        
        this is precisely why I've told my friends to fuck off until I've finished the game. I don't want to have to either chase after them as they rush through shit, or babysit them while they dick around doing god knows what. My first playthough is mine and mine alone. >:(
    - Eskimo Keith
      
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      May 17, 2012 10:24 AM
      
      Here's my character list with the Barbarian 'Folkshome' as my main, I started with the Demon Hunter on multiplayer but then wanted to try the others.
      - Eskimo Keith
        
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        May 17, 2012 10:25 AM
        
        Sorry about the double post, here is the link.
        
        http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv93/EskimoKeith/Characters.jpg
        
        How do you edit your posts?
        
        Entity
        
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        May 17, 2012 10:38 AM
        
        You scream at haiku and then realize you're yelling at the wind.
        
        There is no editing on Shack chatty.
    - Cruciform
      
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      May 17, 2012 3:50 PM
      
      I can never get used to seeing magic users armed with weapons other than a dagger or staff. Too much D&D as a kid. The battle mages in the Elder Scrolls series have chipped away at that indoctrination slowly. Your character looks cool :)
    - mwasher
      
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      May 17, 2012 5:09 PM
      
      after act 3 : http://chattypics.com/files/CapturePNG_p2115jma9y.png
      
      21 hours.
      
      I have no idea how people are beating it as fast as they are. I guess I suck.
  - Zek
    
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    May 17, 2012 9:57 AM
    
    I rushed through the beta content and after that played normally, doing optional dungeons/quests as I encounter them but not going out of my way to find them. I just beat Act 2 with about 10 hours put in so far. That's singleplayer though, multiplayer goes a lot faster.
  - Herman Toothrot
    
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    May 17, 2012 11:07 AM
    
    If the achievements aren't lying, the game should be beatable within 4 hours.
    
    But yeah, I can't imagine how much I'd have to ignore everything in the game to do that.
  - Lakipo
    
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    May 17, 2012 4:10 PM
    
    I just finished Act 1 at 5 hours 30 minutes.
    - Tchest
      
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      May 17, 2012 7:30 PM
      
      That was my time as well. I specifically quit playing as soon as I hit act 2 so that I could look at that profile page where it shows your time played.
      I explored everything (if it turns out I found the correct way first, I always double back and clear the rest of the map even if it means 5 minutes running to a 10 meter long dead end corridor), I killed everything, sold everything, did the conversations etc.
      I did not die and I did not rerun any areas. When I quit I quit at a point that won't make me redo stuff. So that helps, but still I gotta say 12 hours for act 1 is extremely long.
      - [deleted] 1016213306
        
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        May 17, 2012 8:28 PM
        
        [deleted]
        
        thecray
        
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        May 17, 2012 11:30 PM
        
        you've obviously replayed a lot of the first act if you are level 20 at the beginning of Act 2. Most of my friends (and myself included) were around level 15 when we began Act 2.
        
        [deleted] 1016213306
        
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        May 17, 2012 11:34 PM
        
        [deleted]
  - TPSReport
    
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    May 17, 2012 4:17 PM
    
    i'm just super anal. Before leaving an area, I open the fullscreen map view, and make sure every last single pixel on that map is explored... even if it's some corner where I know there's nothing there I just go, even if it's on the other side. I don' tknow why i do this.
    - dfay
      
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      May 17, 2012 4:47 PM
      
      I like playing it this way. I figure I'll rush through content sometimes in later runs, especially multiplayer. Might as well savor the first run-through, right?
  - [deleted] 1016213306
    
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    May 17, 2012 5:48 PM
    
    [deleted]
    - [deleted] 1016213306
      
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      May 17, 2012 6:58 PM
      
      [deleted]
- [deleted] 1016213306
  
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  May 17, 2012 5:46 PM
  
  [deleted]
  - [deleted] 1016213306
    
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    May 17, 2012 5:50 PM
    
    [deleted]
    - TPSReport
      
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      May 17, 2012 5:54 PM
      
      pro tip is that early on you shouldn't waste money on stash. Create mules/alts to store your shit(stash is shared)
  - thecray
    
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    May 17, 2012 5:59 PM
    
    I think rare just means that it has lots of properties, not that it has no level associated with it. So yeah, you'll probably end up getting better magic items at higher levels, and at the same level there will sometimes be magic items where those 2-3 properties will be better than the 4-5 properties on the rare just out of sheer randomness.
  - MacemanInTW
    
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    May 17, 2012 6:16 PM
    
    Rare stuff just seems to have a bunch more modifiers on it. I'm rocking mostly rare armor, but blue weapons.
    
    I fully upgraded my first bit of the stash. I figured blowing 100k to get the next bag was a little overkill.
  - walker270
    
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    May 17, 2012 7:05 PM
    
    I can't even get any rares to drop in Nightmare. :(
- AltZero
  
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  May 17, 2012 6:38 PM
  
  Just saw this on the Auction House - The Horadric Hamburger
  
  http://chattypics.com/files/HamburgerJPG_wvb9s7e3y6.jpg
  - jonin
    
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    May 17, 2012 6:50 PM
    
    lol I thought that was photoshopped until I just checked the AH and see about 10 of them listed.
  - walker270
    
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    May 17, 2012 7:06 PM
    
    If I got that, it would be permanently equipped in my monk's offhand.
    
    .... if I had a monk.
- wunderbred
  
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  May 17, 2012 7:25 PM
  
  I just beat Act I and it took me just shy of 9 hours. I play this game at mongoloid speed.
  - AltZero
    
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    May 17, 2012 7:31 PM
    
    I'm at 12+ hours and still haven't finished Act 1. Although a lot of that is from sitting in game while I'm on the phone or something and helping low level friends which nets me very little xp and 0 progress. Just dinged lvl 16.
- walker270
  
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  May 17, 2012 7:28 PM
  
  And this is why Diablo 3 is the best game ever.
  
  http://youtu.be/IvRTJXA35GA?t=59s
- g3dHorse
  
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  May 17, 2012 7:45 PM
  
  Oh man, got lost in the caverns of spiders - Act 1 and the server had to restart for a patch.
  
  What do I do down here? It's pretty freaky
- walker270
  
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  May 17, 2012 7:58 PM
  
  Damn. Made it up to Rakanoth in Act 4 nightmare completely solo (no optional companions).
  
  Boss was soo much easier with the templar, it wasn't even funny.
  - walker270
    
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    May 17, 2012 8:19 PM
    
    This is so easy now it feels like cheating. :(