How easy is Diablo 3?

Hey everyone.

I am thinking about surprising my dad with Diablo 3 for the Xbox 360, but I have some questions about it first that will help me decide if it's the right game for him.

He's a pretty slow gamer, he doesn't have good reflexes at all and isn't really good with over the top complexity. He's not great with a controller, so fast button combos or continuous button mashing is out of the question.

He has played a bunch of RPGs, quite thoroughly. The list of games he's played and enjoyed are:

Morrowind
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Risen (although he didn't get as far as he could have because he ran into some tough fights and probably didn't spell his skill upgrades as wisely as one should)
Two Worlds
Two Worlds 2

and so on.

He likes to be a barbarian-type character and just smack his opponents silly.

So, would he be able to play Diablo 3? How hard of a game is it? Are there multiple difficulties and if there is, how easy is Easy mode? Can one get by without much thinking or problem solving and just hacking away at hordes of enemies on Easy mode?

Advice welcome. Thanks for your time.

Also, is there a lot of reading in the game, or is it mostly voice-acted?

There's no "easy" mode in D3, but the common perception is that normal is pretty easy.

That said, a game like Diablo is very different from the examples you listed of games he enjoys. It's almost entirely about combat and loot, and there's very little else.

It shouldn't be a problem really, D3 doesn't get hard until Inferno which is more of a gear check than anything. My dad can handle D3 and he lacks any kind of ability to do semi complex stuff like not standing in the bad stuff while fighting. He didn't start dying a noticeable amount until Hard.

Edit: Everything is voiced if memory serves.

JDR13 said:

There's no "easy" mode in D3, but the common perception is that normal is pretty easy.

That said, a game like Diablo is very different from the examples you listed of games he enjoys. It's almost entirely about combat and loot, and there's very little else.

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Oh, he loves loot games. We co-op played the first Diablo game on PS1, Sacred 2, D&D: Daggerdale and a bunch of other hack n' slash loot-fests. I have no doubt he'll like D3, if it's not too hard, that is.

greywolf00 said:

It shouldn't be a problem really, D3 doesn't get hard until Inferno which is more of a gear check than anything. My dad can handle D3 and he lacks any kind of ability to do semi complex stuff like not standing in the bad stuff while fighting. He didn't start dying a noticeable amount until Hard.

Edit: Everything is voiced if memory serves.

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Thanks! I think I'll give it a shot then and buy it for him.

Edit - Looks like the Ultimate Evil Edition is coming out on August 19th.

Fluent said:

Oh, he loves loot games. We co-op played the first Diablo game on PS1, Sacred 2, D&D: Daggerdale and a bunch of other hack n' slash loot-fests. I have no doubt he'll like D3, if it's not too hard, that is.

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Not sure why you didn't just mention that to begin with.

A bit of misinformation in this thread.

First of all, yes, you want to get the "Ultimate Evil" version and nothing else - as it includes the expansion and a ton of good changes, which will otherwise not be available on consoles, AFAIK.

Secondly, there's no such thing as Inferno anymore.

You simply pick a difficulty and the game can stay on that indefinitely, so your dad would be in complete control of the challenge - and the easiest (Normal) is very easy. The hardest difficulties are very hard - but it's really just a matter of gear and experience. But, as I said, you can get everything out of the game on Normal EXCEPT a few select Legendary items exclusive to Torment difficulty. I'd say the first Torment difficulty is doable for anyone with sufficient gear, so your dad will eventually get there, if he likes the game.

As for the game being about nothing but loot, that's not entirely true - and certainly not for casual gamers playing it for the first time. Yes, loot is definitely the primary aspect of the game - but there's quite a bit of story and NPC interaction in it as well. Sure, it's very linear and straightforward - but it's there and it does help the experience quite a bit.

I have a few friends who played Diablo (the first one) as a traditional RPG - and they stopped after one time through Normal - and they played it for the story and atmosphere.

D3 has a lot more story and quest content, so it's definitely not just a loot game for a casual gamer like your dad.

D3 also has companions that you can customize and gear out, which adds a nice little bit of strategy on top of it.

Then we have crafting and PvP - stuff like that, if you're into such things.

So, I think it would be a great present for your dad

My wife finished D3 in normal mode. I don't think she died once and even bother to spec her character. This woman's previous gaming experience was solitaire!

Yeah Diablo 3 is easy… until endgame content and playing on higher torment levels for the challenge. I actually agree with Dart on this one.

Is there anyway to buy a package with reaper of souls and Diablo 3 for PC ?

Both in one package?

Yes, I mean like what is coming for the consoles, ussually there is some such an offer so that you can get the game and the exspansion in a bundle cheaper, preferably as a digital download.

GothicGothicness said:

Yes, I mean like what is coming for the consoles, ussually there is some such an offer so that you can get the game and the exspansion in a bundle cheaper, preferably as a digital download.

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Not sure, sorry. But the console version looks awesome for only $40.

We're going to have some fun with this game .

I think console owners are getting a much better deal and features not available to PC players. The base game was practically free on PC during the promotional period b4 RoS, so I don't feel gypped. I'd wait for another sale on PC.

How do you know when blizzard has sales anyway ?

Can't remember how I found out first. It was probably advertised as a promotion, within the battle.net app, when I played the free trial. But if you go to battle.net you can see the current promotions in a browser.

Yeah, that's the problem with Blizzard games. Since they don't go through 3rd-party sellers, the only way to know about a sale is to constantly check their site.

Personally, I don't have much interest in their games anymore.

I didn't know Diablo 3 is available on consoles

Your dad wouldn't have any problem if he played the original previously. IMO D3 is so much easier than D1. It's fun too!