Diablo III may still be a ways away from being released but it looks like its developer Blizzard still has some gameplay surprises up its sleeve in regards to the action-RPG sequel. A leaked video making the YouTube rounds reveals that the game will let players pick an AI "follower" that will help them slay the game"s many creatures.
The video shows that players will be able to pick at least three different kinds of "followers" in the game. One is called The Enchantress and seems to be more magic based with long range attacks. Another follower shown in the video is the Scoundrel and he also seems to be a long ranged character with the video showing him firing a three arrow crossbow. Finally there"s the Templar who definitely likes to get up close and personal with his foes and fights with short ranged melee weapons. The video shows that players will be able to change the appearance of their follower and equip them with their weapons, items and magic spells. So far Blizzard has yet to officially reveal this new gameplay feature in Diablo III.
This week Blizzard said that the company is aiming to launch the closed beta for Diablo III sometime during the third quarter (July-September) of 2011. However, as is always the case with Blizzard, that could change. Diablo III, first announced nearly three years ago, still doesn"t have a firm release date and while Blizzard likely won"t set one up until the beta period is well underway, the developer has said it it working to finally release the game sometime before the end of 2011.