Ever since it was announced, eager fans have gone through every piece of information regarding the game, trying to see how the new release in the very popular Blizzard mechanic is shaping up. A storm in a tea pot developed when fans started a petition regarding the color palette in the game and the fact that it looked too bright. And there's sure to be a backlash when hardcore fans of the series hear about how Diablo 3 is set to handle death.

In the previous Diablo titles, death was punishing. You lost your armor and weapons and you started back in the town which served as a hub of your adventure, having to go back to the place you died so that you could continue your adventure. There was also a hefty money penalty imposed for dying. So, players were careful with the way they approached the tougher bosses, with stockpiling of health potions and other useful items as a very common tactic.

A Blizzard representative going by the username Bashiok said that in Diablo 3, the death of your character won't be punished that hard. He said that the development team is thinking of introducing checkpoints which would be scattered throughout the game, with most of them set just before the end of a dungeon. When you die, you basically re-spawn at the checkpoint, with only a minimal amount of health left. Bashiok added that “It's just too early to put a ton of thought into what penalties there should be, if any, added on top of it”.

It seems that this approach is designed to cater more to the needs of the modern gamer who is more concerned about completing a game than about a suitable punishment for death. Hardcore gamers will not appreciate this move coming from Blizzard.