This blog is part of my contribution to the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I write about a wide variety of topics, but have decided to make all of the blogs for this challenge about Diablo III (and the “universe” it exists in). This challenge provided the perfect excuse for me to finally go ahead and start writing about the game (instead of just posting screenshots).
B is for Barbarian. When Diablo III was first released, it offered players a total of 5 classes to choose from: Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, Witch Doctor and Wizard. The Reaper of Souls expansion added a 6th class – Crusader. Each class can be played as either a male or a female character.
If you choose to play a female Demon Hunter, Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard, or Crusader, your character will be a slender, yet curvy, woman. There are differences in hair color, skin tone, and voice between all of the classes. The female Barbarian, however, looks quite different from the rest. She is this large, tall, strong woman who towers above the other classes. I am really happy that Blizzard Entertainment (maker of Diablo III) made that choice!
The Barbarians come from an area of Sanctuary that was once called The Northern Steppes. They don’t call themselves “Barbarians”. That’s a name that was given to them by the people who lived in Westmarch. The nomadic tribes of the Northern Steppes think of themselves as “Children of Bul-Kathos”. If you play a Barbarian in Diablo III, there will be times he or she yells “Bul-Kathos guides my hand!”
Who is Bul-Kathos? He was one of the first generation of nephalem (more about the nephalm in an upcoming blog). His generation has since been referred to as “The Ancients”. Without getting too far off the topic of Barbarians, I will say that Bul-Kathos was known for his immense size and strength and for his bravery and fortitude. He became a King of the Barbarians and organized the many tribes. At some point, Bul-Kathos became immortal. In short, the Barbarians in Diablo III view Bul-Kathos as something like a god.
Way back, around the very beginning of Sanctuary, the Barbarians were tasked with guarding the Worldstone. It was hidden in Mount Arreat. Barbarians have since seen Mount Arreat as a sacred, important, place. It is pretty easy to see why they were so upset when the Worldstone was destroyed. First, it took away the thing that generations of Barbarians had been devoted to guarding and protecting. In the process, the destruction of the Worldstone also took out much of Mount Arreat in a massive explosion. In one move, the primary duty of the Barbarian tribes was … gone. The result was that many of the Barbarians lost their faith and began to wander aimlessly around Sanctuary.
The Barbarian character in Diablo III (whether male or female) is one that has not yet given up all hope. This Barbarian has chosen to take on a new focus – to find the Fallen Star. Anyone (or anything) that stands in their way will be crushed!
Before Mount Arreat was destroyed, and turned into a giant crater, it was a cold, harsh, and snow covered mountain. The land around it was made up of snow covered tundras. In other words, the Barbarians grew up in a very difficult environment.
The Barbarian in Diablo III is much bigger than the other classes. He or she towers over the non-player characters (NPCs) in the game. It makes sense that Children of Bul-Kathos, who was a really big guy, would be very large people. It also stands to reason that only the biggest and strongest would survive in the frozen tundra.
That’s exactly why I am so happy that Blizzard made the female Barbarian a large, strong, woman. It would not make any sense for her to be a slender, waif-like, figure (like the female versions of the other classes are). The Barbarian needs to look strong and formidable. Imagine what the game would look like if the female Barbarian was a skinny, small, woman. Put her in a game with someone who was playing the male Barbarian, and she would look incredibly insufficient. That just would not do!
The Barbarian was not the first character I rolled when Diablo III was first released. However, she was the first character that I got to level 60. I doubt I would have had as much fun if I had to play a puny Barbarian. Here’s my Barbarian, Zeta, shortly after reaching level 60. She is wearing (some parts of) the Immortal King’s armor.
The video below shows a very good comparison between the male and female Barbarian.
The artwork of the Barbarian that appears at the start of this blog came from Battle.net.