Is Diablo 3 faster-paced than previous editions?

One reason why Diablo 3 is wowing fans across the planet is that it offers a completely new strategic challenge but maintains the traditional legacy of the Sanctuary versus Armies of Hell storyline. Plenty of expansion has taken place since the last edition of the game. The locales are bigger, brighter, and more dangerous. A lot of gamers who thought they could dominate Diablo 3 by trying all the old tricks have fallen flat in the dirt! Diablo 3 is way more fast-paced and difficult than the previous editions.

The speed comes mainly from fresh character development. Gamers can no longer manually allocate attribute points. Earlier editions of the Diablo series games had much emphasis on character builds. Gamers had to choose the attributes very carefully depending upon levels and skill choices. Diablo 3 has changed all that. The emphasis is more on the gear the hero is going to use. The skill and attribute systems have changes too. Players will have to master skill management before they can think about dominating Diablo 3.

Resource generation has changed in Diablo 3 also. In the previous editions of the game, Mana was the main resource if the hero wanted to generate special abilities. Diablo 3 has special resources for each class. The resources work differently and can be generated differently.

Here is a summary of the resources and how they are generated:

• The Barbarian has fury. Fury can be regenerated according to the intensity of the damage caused and incurred.
• The Wizards have arcane power to their disposal. Arcane power regenerates faster than Mana but can be got only in fixed amounts. 
• Demon Hunters have hatred and discipline
• The Monks have spirit. Spirit grows slowly.
• Witch Doctors still have Mana but it recharges much slowly than the other resources.

Diablo 3 is less about skill. It is certainly more about strategy. Potion-quaffing has also been replaced. The killstreaks give more XP bonuses. Another new feature that adds to the fast pace of Diablo 3 are the health globes.

Gamers say health globes are one of the best additions to Diablo 3. Monsters and bosses drop these health globes which are the hero's main source of strength. These health globes bring back health to both the hero and any members of the hero's team which happen to be nearby.

One difficult twist to Diablo 3 is that the hero cannot out-run an enemy and get back to town through the Town Portals. The Town Portals have been replaced by the Stone of Recall. The Stone of Recall works in Diablo 3 like it does in World of Warcraft. It takes the hero back to town but the Stone of Recall has to be won first in the earlier quests. The whole idea is that there is indefinite stamina available in Diablo 3. So, the hero can run as much as he wants but not out-run an enemy and escape through the Town Portal.