Please, no hard counters

We intend to get PvP as balanced as we can, because we want it to be fun and have some meaning to it. But, PvP balance is not an integral goal to releasing the game. We want PvP to be fun, not necessarily balanced to a razors edge. With the huge number of combinations per character compounded by team comps, balance is not going to be something we'd hold the game for. If we did it might never come out. It will be balanced as much as we realistically can expect before releasing the game, and we'll certainly continue to make changes to try to keep it fun and interesting.

Q u o t e:
In any case, they also "said" diablo 1 was going to be turn based, that there wouldn't be a hostile button in Diablo 2, and that Diablo 3 wasn't in development when it was.

http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/tt243/bashiok/photo-2.jpg

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Is it just me or did he just completely side-step the issue?

Hah. I thought I was in the esport thread.

Q u o t e:
Obviously some builds are going to have weaknesses that other builds will learn to exploit,

Mos def.

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BUT the issue being discussed is the RPS scenario where: A > B > C > D > A arises...

I don't think it could happen. The breadth of customization doesn't allow for it. I think there are likely to be some inherent weaknesses in a basic character (low level fighting will likely have obvious counter weaknesses), but at a moderate level each one has so many tools to choose from I just don't see it being a possibility.

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That's kind of like saying that min-maxing won't occur.

Uh. What?

Q u o t e:
It won't take long for people to figure out what is "best" when weighed against class composition for their team. They'll do this by min-maxing.

Hard counters only exist in 1v1. Obviously there will be some group comp that's considered 'best'. That has nothing to do with designing or not designing classes for rock paper scissors.