IGN's Vault Network is offering up
a preview of Diablo III with several bits of commentary from lead designer Jay Wilson.
Jay says, ”With the first release of Diablo III, we really want the classes to stand on their own as being uniquely Diablo III. We don’t want it to be a rehash of the old Diablo games. We want it to be a totally new experience.”
Having said that, he hastens to explain that this does not necessarily mean that the Necromancer or any other favorite class will never again appear in future expansions. “If there is a really big outcry for a particular class, then we are certainly willing to listen to the fanbase and we’ll go ahead and give them that,” he added.
So how different IS the Witch Doctor?
The Witch Doctor is more of a “direct attack” character than the Necromancer. Although he can call “pet” creatures, he doesn’t rely on them as much to keep his enemies at bay because he has other spells in his arsenal, like Mind Control for example. In fact, the class can actually be played as a pure caster class rather than a pet class. This difference is the foundation for creating all the new classes being introduced in Diablo III. They want to make them unique enough that it doesn’t close the door to bringing back the original classes.
Diablo III Preview 
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