Blizzard has recently announced that PvP will be introduced in Patch 1.0.7! Although we won’t see any sort of team-based arena system, dueling will be arriving in this next major content patch.
Diablo 3 Dueling System
Here’s a breakdown of how this new dueling system will work…
The dueling area is a separate map that players will be ported to by an NPC. Players interested in dueling others will speak to Nek the Brawler.
During the Patch 1.0.7 PTR, Nek could be found inside the inn at New Tristram, but he’s moved around since then. He’s not too difficult to find, but here are his 3 locations in the town hubs in case you were curious…
Where is Nek the Brawler?
ACT I: New Tristram
ACT II: Hidden Camp
ACT III & ACT IV – Bastion’s Keep Stronghold
Clicking on Nek will give you the option to “Enter the Training Grounds”, which is the port into the Scorched Chapel.
Of course, you will need to be a multiplayer game in order to brawl. You can port to the area just to check it out, but it’ll be pretty quiet when you get there. 😉
The Scorched Chapel
The Scorched Chapel is basically a graveyard surrounding a chapel ruins. There’s a lot of destroyable environment in this zone, plenty of obstacles to make things interesting and a few ruined walls which you can use for LoS. Players enter the zone on the left, then cross a bridge into the main dueling area. There’s also a portal in there which will take you back to your act hub.
The Scorched Chapel is a separate zone from the rest of the game world – existing for the sole purpose of PvP dueling. There is no way a player can “wander into” this area without intentionally porting themselves by way of Nek the Brawler. Blizzard has stated repeatedly that they want PvP to be something that the willing participants engage in, rather than allowing it to become the free-for-all gankfest that tended to happen in a lot of public Diablo 2 games.
How many players are allowed in the dueling area?
Up to 4 players will be allowed in the Scorched Chapel zone at one time. All players will be flagged as hostile, so it’s more or less a free for all. I’m sure 2 players could spectate while the other 2 duke it out, but the Scorched Chapel is not an area slated for “team-based play”. It’s more of a “last man standing” kind of place.
Will there be any achievements, objectives or other special rewards or incentives associated with dueling?
Nope. Dueling in Diablo 3 is strictly “for fun” (and bragging rights). The Scorched Chapel exists for the sole purpose of allowing PvP’ers a chance to prove their worth, test their skill and simply put…kick some ass. Dueling in Diablo 3 is designed to be both fun and casual; however, I’m sure there will be those that will take it seriously. I’m willing to bet there will be some scheduled “unofficial matches” and so forth, with some sort of ranking system that will happen in the forums.
Are there any penalties for losing duels?
None whatsoever – even for HardCore characters. Dying in the dueling zone does not count as a death in the real game world, so HC players can duel their butts off without fear of losing all of their hard work forever. There will be no item durability loss after a defeat either.
Players will resurrect at the Scorched Chapel after dying.
Will my character have a win-loss record?
At this time, the answer seems to be no. What happens in the Scorched Chapel stays in the Scorched Chapel. 😉 There will be no official tally on wins or losses.
How do I leave the dueling area once I’ve had enough?
There will be a portal you can take back to New Tristram, or you can just activate your own Town Portal ability.
Can I bring a Follower in there with me?
Nope. Followers stay behind.
Sounds like fun!
Alright, so there it is…the long awaited arrival of some form of PvP in Diablo 3 will be hitting live servers in Patch 1.0.7.
Giving the classes that DO NOT get the 30% armor boost BECAUSE THEY HAVE RANGE while in PVP is the biggest crock of JUNK I have read yet. Are you FREAKING kidding me? Make it more unfair. THEY HAVE RANGE HELLLOOOOOO. THEY HAVE RANGE. GIVE THE BARB AND MONK RANGED ATTACKS THEN IDIOTS.