Posts with tag reaper-of-souls

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!

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.

CarBot Animation has done some fun and adorable Blizzard parodies in the past, and today their up to their usual tricks with a new parody of the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls trailer. Diablo isn't generally an IP we see a lot of blatant funny stuff about, considering the source material is easily the darkest of Blizzard's franchises.

This adorable animation hits all the right comedic notes, from Tyrael casually eating a sandwich while the Horadrim handle the Black Soulstone to Malthael's owl-like head twist before he sends the guards to their humiliating end. The ending is easily the best bit, but I won't spoil that for you, you'll have to watch it for yourself!

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In anticipation of Diablo III's release next Tuesday, Blizzard has posted an in-depth look at the final level of the first expansion for the game. Pandemonium was once the center of the Eternal Conflict between angels and demons, home to the Worldstone before it was stolen away by Inarius and Lilith, who then created the world known as Sanctuary. After the Worldstone was removed, the battles that raged across Pandemonium slowly came to a halt.

Although the Pandemonium Fortress appeared as the base of operations back in Diablo II, players never really got to experience the depths of what Pandemonium had to offer. Now home to Malthael, the main villain of Reaper of Souls, players will be able to experience the zone like never before. Check out the official site for more lore surrounding the final level of Reaper of Souls, as well as a glimpse into the design behind it. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls arrives next Tuesday, March 25.

This weekend, all bets are off in Diablo III. In anticipation of the launch of Reaper of Souls next week, Blizzard is offering a 100% XP bonus to all players this weekend only. The XP bonus ends at 12:01am Pacific Time Monday, March 24 -- so you might want to cancel your weekend plans and get in those last few Paragon Levels before the new expansion goes live March 25. This buff is already live on all servers, meaning you've got another option for tonight's activities as well.

As with the 50% bonus XP offer, you do not need to have pre-ordered Reaper of Souls to benefit from the experience boost -- all active Diablo III accounts have access to the bonus experience, as well as all new systems introduced in patch 2.0.1. With the new Paragon Leveling system, all characters share and contribute to a single, account-wide Paragon level -- so why not take advantage and get in some extra levels while you can?

Are you planning on picking up Diablo III: Reaper of Souls on March 25? While you're waiting, you may want to check out Hearthstone, Blizzard's latest game release. Players that have pre-ordered Reaper of Souls will find a treat waiting for them -- Expert Card Packs waiting to be opened and played. Both the Digital and Retail Standard editions will get you one free Expert Card Pack, while Digital Deluxe and Retail Collector's Editions offer three Expert Card Packs.

If you have yet to pre-order Reaper of Souls, the offer will be available to those who purchase the game after its launch as well. The card packs require a Battle.net account to be redeemed, and there is a limit of five Expert Card Packs per Battle.net account. Players who have pre-ordered either the Digital or Digital Deluxe editions of the game should have their cards available immediately -- if you are waiting for the retail version, you'll find codes in the box to redeem in exchange for your cards.

Check out the official post for more information about the offer, the rewards, and how to get started with Hearthstone, if you haven't already tried it out for yourself.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, the first expansion for the series launches on March 25, and Blizzard has just unleashed a limited time boost to get players ready for tackling all that new content. Starting today, players of Diablo III will receive a 50% bonus XP boost to all characters on their account -- perfect for getting a leg up on patch 2.0.1's new Paragon Leveling System. With the new system, all characters share and contribute to a single, account-wide Paragon level.

In addition to Paragon Leveling, patch 2.0.1 also includes the new Loot 2.0 system, a newly revamped Difficulty system, Clans and Communities, and skill updates to all five hero classes. You do not need to have pre-ordered Reaper of Souls to benefit from the experience boost -- all active Diablo III accounts have access to the bonus experience and all the new systems introduced in patch 2.0.1. But if you want to take advantage of the bonus XP, better hurry -- the offer ends on March 24.

With all the talk of Warlords of Draenor and Hearthstone around here, you might have forgotten about Blizzard's other expansion release next month. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls makes it debut on March 25, and the contents of the physical Collector's Edition were finally revealed earlier this week for all to see. Purchasers of the Collector's Edition will receive several digital items, including the Treasure Goblin Pet for World of Warcraft, StarCraft II character portraits and Malthael Decals, and a Spectral Hound minion with a set of aesthetic artifacts -- helms and weapons -- to be used with Diablo III's new transmogrification feature.

Of course, this is all available with the Digital Deluxe version of the game as well, so why would you want a physical Collector's Edition? In addition to the digital goodies found in the Digital Deluxe edition, those purchasing the Collector's Edition will get a Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-Ray two-disc set featuring interviews, round-table discussions and behind-the-scenes commentary on the game's development, the official Reaper of Souls soundtrack, The Art of Reaper of Souls -- a gorgeous hardcover book featuring early sketches, artwork, and 3D renders from the game, as well as a Malthael mouse pad.

The Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition is available for pre-order on Amazon for $79.99, as well as at a variety of other retailers. As with all Collector's Editions, supplies are limited -- if you want the physical version and all the bonuses it has to offer, you may want to pre-order your copy sooner rather than later.