Balancing Act: The Diablo 3 Demon Hunter

Diablo is amazing. Video games are (mostly) amazing. Diablo is an amazing video game.

In Diablo 3, players get to choose from five different classes: barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, and demon hunter. Players are also allowed to have a total of ten characters at once. Because of that, it might seem that the class you choose first is not that important, but to me it is. My first class of choice (if my computer can actually run the game) is . . . the demon hunter.

I am not choosing the demon hunter because they are totally badass, because they have grenades, which is just plain cool, or because it is easier (at times) to play as a ranged class; I am choosing the demon hunter because I can relate to them (sort of).

Each character has something called a "resource system." This system is what allows them to use their spells and abilities. The demon hunter's resource system is actually a combination of hatred and discipline.  Hatred is used for offensive skills while discipline is needed for defensive ones. In the lore of Diablo demon hunters need to maintain a balance between hatred and discipline, so that they do not lose control while in pursuit of demons. To me, in life we or at least I, have to live in a similar balance.

On a daily basis I need to maintain balance in different phases of life. I know that when I wander off the beaten path things usually do not go terribly well. One of the best part of playing video games is being able to connect to the character that you are playing (which is why everyone hates when their character dies *cough *cough Mass Effect *cough Bioware, you screwed up). Maybe I am going to play as a demon hunter because they look ridiculously cool, but I'd at least like to believe that I'm not that shallow (all the time).

Decide for yourself which class to choose.