Dying in Diablo is something of a tradition. I vividly remember my Diablo I corpse runs and my memory is forever etched with images of Duriel trumping over my dead Ice Sorceress in Diablo II.
So what’s cooking in Blizzard’s lair when it comes to the death mechanic in Diablo 3? Listen to this:
Before I get in to what we are doing let me go over some things we want to avoid with a death mechanic. We want to separate being in town and being out on a quest/adventure/dungeon as much as possible. Leaving the safety of a town should not be a decision you take lightly. We don’t want to remove the sense of suspense and danger by making town something you’re always going back to pretty much whenever you like.
The intent is to create a greater separation from being in town, and not, and to make your time away from town a lot more tense.