WoW Insider

BlizzCon 2014: Diablo 3 adds Ruins of Sescheron, new items

Elizabeth Harper — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:00:00 EST

Diablo 3 fans may not have as much excitement from BlizzCon this year as Hearthstone fans or StarCraft 2 fans, but there are a few changes coming as Blizzard continues to refine the Diablo experience to maximize fun and minimize the frustrating grind that characterized the game at launch. Though this year's panels spent the majority of their time talking about the development process that brought Diablo 3 to the place it is now, there were some hints at the future, new monsters, new items, and an early demo of a new area, the Ruins of Sescheron (which you may remember from its brief appearance in Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction).

As to a new Diablo expansion, the devs refused to give a yes or no answer, but we live can live in hope, right? In the meanwhile, check out our galleries for a look at what's coming, or keep reading for a rundown of upcoming changes.

Continue reading BlizzCon 2014: Diablo 3 adds Ruins of Sescheron, new items

BlizzCon 2014: Diablo 3 adds Ruins of Sescheron, new items originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Do we need bigger friend lists?

Matthew Rossi — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone Insider

This is a problem I hear about, but don't actually have, because I'm not a terribly friendly person. Try not to be shocked. But I do have some friends, and a lot of those friends are very friendly people (they'd kind of have to be to be my friends, I suppose) and they often complain that they're full up on friends. I'm not sure how one can possibly manage that many friends, but nevertheless there are folks who have completely used up all one hundred potential friends and want/need more. However, it seems they may have to wait a while. Bashiok had this to say on twitter:

@BulletCatcher02 It's something I hear tale of our http://t.co/OzS6N5CG1E team actively working toward, but it's actually a complex issue.
- Bashiok (@Bashiok) October 8, 2014

This is one of those issues that makes me wonder. For one thing, the battle.net friends list actually extends past World of Warcraft - it has to be coded to work with Diablo III, Starcraft II, Hearthstone and soon Heroes of the Storm. That's a lot of different games with different code, and WoW is certainly the oldest of them. I can imagine the limits of the oldest game holding back the development. Still, for the friendly souls among us, I hope it gets solved soon.

Do we need bigger friend lists? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III and Reaper of Souls 50% off this week

Alex Ziebart — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Diablo 3

If you find there's a lack of demon-smashing in your life, never fear: Diablo III and its expansion Reaper of Souls are on sale for 50% off on the Blizzard store. Note: This sale only applies to the PC and Mac versions. Sorry, console players!

Considering jumping on this deal? Jump quickly. The sale ends Monday, October 6 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Diablo III and Reaper of Souls 50% off this week originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 02 Oct 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo Season 1 launches Friday, August 29

Sarah Pine — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

The first Diablo III Season is scheduled to launch this coming Friday, August 29. If you're not familiar with the concept of Diablo III Seasons, it's a system designed to encourage rolling new characters and tackling specific types of challenges in the game. Season challenges include Conquests, accomplishments similar to Achievements but often more difficult in nature and only able to be completed by a Seasonal hero. There are also a new set of leaderboards documenting Seasonal heroes' accomplishments throughout the Season, as well as special gear and transmog rewards for participants. You can learn more about the first Diablo III Season in Blizzard's Patch 2.1.0 previews. Good luck to all the participating players!

Diablo Season 1 launches Friday, August 29 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 28 Aug 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Three new Heroes of the Storm

Matthew Rossi — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, News items, Diablo 3, Heroes of the Storm

Well, gamescom is tomorrow, and we're already seeing news from it (like for instance this gigantic and frankly somewhat terrifying statue of Grommash Hellscream) but one piece of news that might have gone out a little early is this trailer. It reveals three new heroes for Heroes of the Storm -- the cunning Anub'arak, the loathsome Azmodan, and the inebriate Chen Stormstout.

Blizzard's MOBA entry is as dependent as any game on the quality of its roster of heroes, so it's not surprising that they'd beef it up, but I'll admit to being surprised on who they've chosen here. With Diablo in the game already, does Azmodan bring anything? We'll find out soon. Still, count me in among players who might have appreciated a Jaina or a Sylvanas.

Three new Heroes of the Storm originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 13 Aug 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III Reminder: Auction house closes June 24

Sarah Pine — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

Last year, Blizzard announced their intention to close the Diablo III real-money auction house. On March 18th of this year, Blizzard mostly completed that task and removed players' ability to bid, buyout, and list items on that auction house. However, since then, players have still been able to claim gold and receive items from the "Completed" auction house tab. They will remain able to do so until next week, in order to allow adequate time for players to retrieve anything they may have won or sold.

On June 24th, the shutdown of the Diablo III real-money auction house will be complete, and the real-money auction house will be gone in its entirety. Any items or gold that may be yours will be lost forever, so if you have any of these things lingering in what remains of the Diablo III auction house, now is the time to claim them.

Diablo III Reminder: Auction house closes June 24 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 18 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo 3 legendary drop rate increase now permanent

Anne Stickney — Thu, 22 May 2014 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Diablo 3

Diablo III recently celebrated the second anniversary of the game's release. As part of the celebration, players were given double Rift Fragments, as well as a 100% boost to the chance to find Legendary items in game, in the form of a buff applied from May 15 through May 22. Birthday celebrations are all well and good, but the Diablo III team has decided to go above and beyond with the anniversary rewards.

If you enjoyed playing with increased drop rate buff over the week-long anniversary, there's some good news on the way. Blizzard has just made the drop rate increase permanent. While the double Rift Fragments have now been removed, the increased drop chance for Legendary items is staying put. The anniversary buff was overwhelmingly popular, warranting the decision to let the increase stick around. The anniversary buff has been disabled as of this morning, but Legendary items should be dropping at the bonus increased rate by default now -- keeping Sanctuary's defenders both happy, and a little more geared in the process.

Diablo 3 legendary drop rate increase now permanent originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 22 May 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Enjoy in-game buffs and a history lesson for Diablo 3's anniversary

Elizabeth Harper — Fri, 16 May 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

Diablo 3 is celebrating its second anniversary this week with plenty of buffs for players, which makes it a great time to game. Anyone playing between now and May 22nd will receive double rift fragments and double legendary drops as they smash their way through Sanctuary.

For gamers who are still trying to catch up on this Diablo thing, there's also a new entry in the game guide telling the story of Diablo. For anyone who hasn't played Diablo or Diablo 2 -- or hasn't played recently -- this will bring you up to date on the story up to the Reaper of Souls expansion. Of course, there's some retconning that has to happen to make the original Diablo fit in with the rest of the series, but it's still a good summary of events to date.

But if you don't want to be burdened by story, never fear -- Diablo 3 is still good fun without knowing any of the history. And for this week, it's double the fun with double the legendaries.

Enjoy in-game buffs and a history lesson for Diablo 3's anniversary originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 16 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III's Crusader at 70: Post-patch impressions

Scott Andrews — Thu, 15 May 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Diablo 3

The Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion changed the game from top to bottom. With the extra 10 levels came an almost complete reimagining of how Diablo 3 would play: from the relentlessly on-rails story mode to the free-form adventure mode, from wheeling and dealing on the auction house for the items you wanted to hoping for those items to pop out of a freshly slain enemy.

In the wake of the game's sweeping changes, the new Crusader class has been something of an afterthought for many. However, Blizzard hasn't been shy to make adjustments to the newest member of their demon-slaying team. A patch just two weeks after the expansion's launch brought major buffs to the Crusader. This week, another patch featured a long list of changes that revamped the class from top to bottom.

If you're wondering whether you should invest the time to level a Crusader, join me past the break for my impressions. The class has come a long way in just seven weeks, and this latest patch has been a gamechanger.

Continue reading Diablo III's Crusader at 70: Post-patch impressions

Diablo III's Crusader at 70: Post-patch impressions originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 15 May 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls comes to consoles in August

Anne Stickney — Mon, 12 May 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Diablo 3

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will be making its way to consoles in just a few short months, on August 19. The console edition of the popular expansion allows you to play with up to four players on one TV screen. The console release, called the Ultimate Evil Edition, includes all content in the Reaper of Souls expansion set as well as Acts I through IV of the original release. In addition, players that pre-order the Ultimate Evil Edition will receive a pair of Infernal Pauldrons, wearable at level 1 and providing some pretty cool bonuses as well as just looking sharp.

The Ultimate Evil Edition will be available for PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles, with a suggested retail price of $59.99 USD for the PS4/Xbox One editions, and $39.99 for the PS3/Xbox 360 editions. Keep an eye out at your local retailers for more pre-order information, and get ready to storm Westmarch with your friends, from the comfort of your living room couch.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls comes to consoles in August originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 12 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Fix for Diablo 3 lag coming in future patch

Adam Holisky — Thu, 08 May 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls launch has been going much more smoothly than the first couple months of the original game. That said, there are still some annoying lag issues which persist. Personally speaking, I've seen both these happen, although they seem to happen intermittently for me at worst. There have been times where I've played and not seen them at all -- but nonetheless my ears perked up when I heard Blizzard has a fix incoming for them.

As Omrakos explains, the two lag issues being fixed in particular are...

Omrakos

"Any time a Battle.net friend signs on or when I open my inventory the game halts for a second or two completely. In multiplayer games it's even worse. Other events cause this too. Sometimes it's several seconds before it's back."

"Also, loot drops and it's not displayed for several seconds"

source

There isn't a timeframe for the patch, so I wouldn't hold your breath. But one has to imagine it's soon.

Fix for Diablo 3 lag coming in future patch originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 08 May 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Blizzard debuts Diablo 3's Theorycraft Thursdays

Sarah Pine — Thu, 01 May 2014 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

Theorycraft Thursdays is a new feature over on the Diablo 3 official website that highlights interesting player-submitted builds in the game. Today's inaugural post features an "Unholy" monk build from Diablo player ZiPS#1834, a fun attempt to turn the monk class on its head. ZiPS explains that the inspiration for the build came from "the idea to stack many 'Chance on Hit' effects with Life on Hit and a fair bit of Attack Speed," as well as a way to make the most of the Legendary effect from Andariel's Visage.

The article details the list of active and passive abilities, plus items required to fit the build, and explains which abilities synergize well with each other and with different armor pieces. There are also a list of build variations, which offer suggestions on how to focus on different aspects of the build such as crowd control, high damage, or greed.

If you're a Diablo 3 player who's interested in some outside-the-box builds for your monk, this would be a great place to start. I think it's fascinating that Theorycraft Thursdays has opened with such a unique idea, and I'm looking forward to seeing what its next installment brings.

Blizzard debuts Diablo 3's Theorycraft Thursdays originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 01 May 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Breakfast Topic: The features you want from other games

Elizabeth Harper — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Diablo 3

I've been playing a lot of Diablo 3 lately, which means that when I hop back into World of Warcraft I really miss how awesome my D3 character always looks. The art style of the two games is very different, and some players will like one more than the other -- but mostly I miss the ability to customize my look to be exactly what I want it to be. D3 has dyes -- including a vanishing dye that makes armor pieces invisible -- that lets you control the color of every piece of armor you wear. And as if that isn't enough, you can also transmogrify the look of armor or weapon into any other armor or weapon that you have ever had. I weep just thinking of the bag space that would be saved if I didn't have to hold on to every piece of armor with an interesting look or color.

But for those who care less about transmog that's probably not a compelling feature set -- so tell us, readers, what features from other games (Blizzard or otherwise) do you wish World of Warcraft would adopt?

Breakfast Topic: The features you want from other games originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 29 Apr 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls soundtrack now available online

Alex Ziebart — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

If you're a fan of Blizzard's music, you can now acquire the Reaper of Souls soundtrack through iTunes. You can purchase the album for $9.99 or individual tracks for $1.29 each. The Reaper of Souls music page on Blizzard's website includes 30 second samples of each track as well as composers' notes.

If you find yourself interested in multiple tracks, we suggest just going in for the album -- there are 22 total tracks, adding up to a significant cost difference. $9.99 or $28.38? The choice is yours!

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls soundtrack now available online originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 23 Apr 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III - Hardcore Crusaders absolutely should not use Shattering Throw or they will die

Matthew Rossi — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bugs, Blizzard, Diablo 3

This isn't me being all hyperbolic.

This is actually what will happen to you if you use the combination Blessed Shield and Shattering Throw. Your character will die, and for hardcore players, that means your character will be dead forever.

Grimiku - PSA: Avoid Blessed Shield - Shattering Throw

Hello, Crusaders

I wanted to help spread the word that there is currently a very ugly bug with Blessed Shield - Shattering Throw that will result in your Crusader instantly dying if you use this skill.

Hardcore players should avoid using this skill for now!

We're working on a hotfix for this issue and we'll update the Patch 2.0.4 Hotfix thread once that happens. Thank you all for your patience and understanding while we work on fixing this as soon as possible!

source

As my Crusader has both of these and likely would have blown himself up (a mere annoyance for me, but the end of that character if you play on Hardcore) I thought you all should know.

Diablo III - Hardcore Crusaders absolutely should not use Shattering Throw or they will die originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 08 Apr 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Earn 50% bonus XP in Diablo 3 this weekend

Adam Holisky — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Diablo 3

The fires of hell have opened up (unless you live in Minnesota, where you just got slammed with another Blizzard) and Diablo 3 is offering another weekend of increased XP gain for all characters.

Personally I'm having a blast in Diablo right now. Reaper of Souls' adventure mode is holding my attnetion like nothing else has in a very long time. Plowing through packs of enemies on Torment 1 or 2 and getting gear that actually matters is an amazing experience. Plus, the legendary gear has interesting bonuses on it that make the gameplay that much more fun.

If you haven't picked RoS up yet, do so now. You won't regret it.

Lylirra

Over 1.5 million players around the world have stopped Death since Reaper of Souls[TM] launched last Tuesday, March 25. To celebrate this achievement and help support your ongoing crusade against the forces of evil, all nephalem who log into Diablo III this weekend will receive a +50% bonus to XP! This bonus XP period begins in the European region tonight, April 4 at 17:00 p.m. CEST and ends on Monday, April 7 at 5:00 a.m. CEST. Thank you so much for being a hero of Sanctuary. We hope you have fun this weekend, and we'll see you in Westmarch!

source

Earn 50% bonus XP in Diablo 3 this weekend originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 04 Apr 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The best Diablo III article you will read all week

Matthew Rossi — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blizzard, News items, Diablo 3

Seriously, there's a lot of press out there about Diablo III. We've even done some here. But no one is going to top this piece over at Games.on.net, I promise you that. It simply cannot be done. How amazing is this piece, ostensibly about Reaper of Souls, that brought together interviewer Tim Colwill, senior character designer Paul Warzecha, and some pencils and paper to absolutely rethink some classic Diablo characters (and also a clown)? It's this amazing.

Paul: You know what - let's go ahead and... I don't think he needs a shirt. Does he need a shirt?

GON: Whenever I picture a clown, I always take their shirt off.

Paul: Yeah?

GON: We've all been there.

Paul: Well we're going there today, anyway. And I like these pants but I would... he needs some mobility. I would go full-on hammer pants. Remember in the 80's when they used to wear potato-sack pants? Remember those? With the things?

I don't see how I could add anything that would better encapsulate the brilliance of this article. Never before have I laughed quite this much at the notion of screaming decapitated heads being hurled at enemies by an evil clown with a lacrosse net, and I doubt I'll ever laugh that much at it again. This is, simply put, the best press you're going to see for Reaper of Souls or any Blizzard game this year, and I take the hat I don't have (probably made of snakes) off to you, Tim Colwill.

I now desperately want to see this happen for the Warcraft setting. I wonder what the clowns of Azeroth would look like. They'd probably have much bigger shoulders.

The best Diablo III article you will read all week originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 27 Mar 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls book and Blizzard's Augmented Reality app

Olivia Grace — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

Blizzard makes amazing art books, and the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition book is no exception. But, it comes with a little something extra, too. If you head to the Android Play Store, running Android 4.0 or higher, you can download the Blizzard AR Viewer. It's on the iOS App Store too, requiring iOS 6.0 or later, still called the Blizzard AR Viewer.

Once you have that, you'll need to search through the book, and maybe even images of the book pages, for the little mask symbol shown to the right. Then use the viewer to scan the page. No need to push buttons, on Android at least, it recognizes the pages automatically. And then enjoy as the beautifully drawn images are converted to animated 3D models with sound in front of your eyes! Amaze your friends with your desk full of monsters! Poke them with your finger... carefully. I was wide-eyed with childish wonder at this, and maybe I'm behind the times, but this is a very cool feature. I hope to see it for many more art books in future!

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls book and Blizzard's Augmented Reality app originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launch party

Olivia Grace — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

Central LA venue Vibiana, a converted chapel, played host to the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launch event on Monday night, and I was lucky enough to be invited along. The venue was incredibly well-done, eerie red lighting shifting in color through the evening, and key quotes from the game's opening monologue projected onto the vaulted ceiling, along with the circular motifs you see above.

The evening began with activities, guests were issued with Bounty cards, where they could collect Blood Shards -- a new Reaper of Souls currency -- from visiting the art gallery, having their photo taken, getting a caricature or a temporary tattoo. All the activities were completely free, and handing in Blood Shards rewarded a poster, t-shirt or backpack.

Along with the activities were cos-players, specially re-named versions of classic drinks, and at 9pm a toast with Game Director Josh Mosqueira, which then turned into a live stream as Day 9 took to the stage. Those of us who were attending as Influencers were then offered a free Collector's Edition, which could be signed by the developers from the team. Hit the break for more images.

Continue reading Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launch party

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launch party originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Diablo 3 coming to Xbox One... eventually

Elizabeth Harper — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Diablo 3

Diablo 3's streamlined gameplay makes it a natural fit for consoles -- which would be why you can already pick up the game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. However, with the last generation of consoles looking a bit dusty, Blizzard has planned an "Ultimate Evil Edition" for PlayStation 4 -- and now we know that it's headed to the Xbox One, as well. The only thing we don't know about this next-gen console version is when, so if you're holding out for some Diablo-style action on your new console, we can't recommend holding your breath.

In the meanwhile, PC gamers can enjoy Diablo 3's first expansion, Reaper of Souls, launching tonight.

Diablo 3 coming to Xbox One... eventually originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments