Blizzard Shows Off the Followers of Diablo III

Blizzard might not yet be sure when Diablo III, its highly expected hack and slash game, is launched, but the company is eager to deliver more information on the experience and show potential players the new features of the title.

A new trailer, which you can go ahead and download from Softpedia, shows off what Blizzard calls Followers, three (up to now) characters that a gamer can recruit in order to get some help while dealing with the challenges of the Diablo III universe.

One of the shown types of Followers, the Templar, is oriented towards melee and will be invaluable to those players who are interested in playing mages and ranged fighters, providing them with some much-needed protection.

Another two characters, the Scoundrel and the Enchantress, have ranged abilities and a magic focus.

The Followers that are shown in the official Blizzard trailer are pretty capable, having reached level 20 and it seems that they will significantly be more capable once they level up more, with the images shown suggesting that their cap might be at 25.

They will have equipment slots similar to those of the player controlled character, allowing them to equip weapons, shields, two rings and amulets.

All the Followers also have a number of skills that can also be leveled up, allowing for some customization in the long run.

It's not clear exactly how much control gamers will have over the Followers, but the video seems to suggest that there are some moves that they can do in conjunction with the main character in order to draw in some enemies and make them more vulnerable.

In a recent conference call, Blizzard has said that it aims to launch a beta stage for Diablo III during the third quarter of the year and that the full game might also arrive before the end of 2010.