Analysis on SSOTW 37

Analysis on SSOTW #37

One of the best Screenshots of the Week thus far, SSOTW #37 shows for the first time what the guildhall is shaping up to be. Of course, this is only a preliminary shot, and most likely won´t be represenative of the final product. Also note that the icons for Player Trade, Player Messages, and the Party System are missing, meaning that this is in a Single Player game. Strange enough, as the single player game won´t have a need for a guildhall, which pretty much makes a playtest shot.

The first thing we noted was the chest in the upper-right of the shot, which is the guild chest for the guild´s sole occupant, the Barbarian. The guild chest can hold a good amount of treasure, anything from swords to axes to gold. Much like a town´s treasure chest in a game, but this one can store more treasure than that, and its contents will be displayed somewhat like a salesperson NPC´s goods in a window. For each person occupying the guild there will be a represenative chest, each one containing that guild member´s stash.

Blizzard has stated that the guildhall will be about four screens in size, which is a pretty large structure for eight players to explore. We also noted that this guildhall in entrenched in the look and feel of Act I, leading us to believe that their might be tilesets for each guildhall based on the Acts. Makes one wonder what an Act IV tileset guildhall might look like? The guildhalls are probably designed randomly like all of Diablo II´s levels and Acts, meaning that you will be hard-pressed to find a guildhall exactly like your own.

One of the stranger things we noticed was the white, horned structure in the room directly below the Barbarian. This structure appears to be magical in nature (due to its odd form and the fact that it appears to be glowing and emitting some strange fog), but what it actually is up for grabs. It might be a sort of healing monument, that is if the guildhall isn´t contained within an ongoing game. The opinion carried by many other sites is that this is a waypoint of some kind, meaning that the guildhall may be accessible from other waypoint locations with a game, like a complete other Act unto itself.

This would make a lot of sense, as it would be a place to cool your feet and chat with your friends in realtime, or to make plans for combat in the next Act. Then once everything´s settle and treasure has been stored, you could all tag the Waypoint and make for the next Act´s challenge. This also wouldn´t be easy to abuse, as you would have to be at Waypoint location to change to the guildhall, and I don´t think Waypoint spots will be in the thick of battle most of the time.

Fireplace for heat, possibly Waypoint including, and storage for all your friends; the guildhall has the amenities. But what does a fine establishment like this cost? Well, Blizzard assures us a great deal, more than one character could make in the normal run of adventuring and carry all of it. Since they want guildhalls to be a group´s domain, they´ve given them a group´s price, which means you´ll have to pool resources with your friends to purchase one. In the end, though, having a place to turn in the bleak lands of Diablo II may well be worth it.

Skill of the Week

Iron Maiden
Harkening back to an inquisitional torture, the Iron Maiden curse causes all damage an enemy does to you to be returned to that enemy as well. Part of the Necromancer´s Curses, it is a powerful addition to his arsenal.

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