With the upcoming release of the Diablo III PvP patch, people are beginning to wonder what Blizzard will do to balance certain aspects of the game. As it is now, DPS potentials are through the roof, CC abilities are very long-lasting, and survivability is lacking. So what will Blizzard do to fix this problem?

Originally, I think Blizzard’s answer to this question was to not balance anything for PvP and to let people play PvP with the game as is. Jay Wilson even confirmed this at Blizzcon 2011. He specifically said that they were balancing all the skills and stats around the PvE experience, and that people will just have to accept that PvP will not be balanced. Also, if you search for the answer to this question on the Internet, you will not find official information on the subject. Hence, as of now, we can only speculate.

My speculation is that Blizzard will have to incorporate some mechanics into PvP to make people live longer. If PvP is implemented in the game without any increase in game mechanics, it will just be a huge zerg party and it will be extremely frustrating. Now, we all know what happens when Blizzard customers get frustrated and complain, don’t we? Yes, that is correct. Nerf beats comes out. I think Blizzard will anticipate this and incorporate some kind of mechanics to prematurely deal with the QQ of people constantly getting beat up in PvP. What will that nerf (or balance) mechanic be? Here are 5 different ideas that can be implemented to balance Diablo III PvP.

1. General damage reduction – Blizzard will implement an overall percentage damage reduction to all damage dealt. This will apply to all sources of damage so that elemental / magic abilities or physical damage do not become more powerful than the others. Therefore, by reducing the damage done, people will live longer and less QQ.

two. Increased general health – Blizzard will implement an overall percentage increase for everyone’s health. It’s easy to see how this will allow everyone to live longer.

3. Major review and skill balance. – I really don’t see, nor want, this to happen, but with the amount of time Blizzard is taking to launch PvP, you have to wonder what the hell they are doing. All abilities would be considered from a PvP perspective and rebalanced in terms of CC duration and damage output. These new balance changes would only apply in PvP and would make the game seem more fair and balanced.

Four. Separate set of items that can only be used in PvP – You will not be allowed to use any of your PvE items in PvP. You will have to acquire (or receive?) Items to use in PvP. These items will have decreased stats, so the DPS potential is severely limited in PvP. This is how PvP was played at Blizzcon. I think this could be a fun idea. Blizzard would start off by giving everyone a basic set of armor that is tailored to the character’s class. Then, as a reward for winning PvP matches, you will be awarded some kind of PvP points with which you can improve your equipment. However, this will decrease RMAH earnings, so it will probably never happen.

5. A combination of any of the ideas mentioned above. – More than one solution may be required to successfully balance Diablo III PvP. A combination like a general health boost, as well as items that can only be used in PvP, could be a possibility.

It will take some sort of balance and mechanic changes for Diablo III PvP to be a success. Any of the above ideas are all possibilities that Blizzard will consider when deciding how to make PvP viable.