Diablo 3 getting Global Play, auction house explained

Diablo 3 players will be able to fight the legions of Hell worldwide, Blizzard has announced. When the game launches later this month, it will include Global Play, which will allow players from all regions to play with one another. Servers are divided into three regions, the Americas, Europe and Asia. Each player will be assigned a home region based on location, but will also have the option of playing on another server if desired.

All characters, items and friends lists will be exclusive to a single region. In other words, players will have a different set of each depending on which region they choose to join. The same rule applies to the in-game auction houses.

The Diablo 3 website has also been updated with a new guide to the auction house feature. Said guide explains the process of buying or selling items step-by-step. It also answers some questions regarding the transaction fees associated with auctions. All in-game gold auctions include a 15 percent transaction fee, while real-money auctions vary somewhat.

In North America, a $1.00 fee applies to all equipment auctions (weapons, armor, etc.), while a 15 percent fee applies to commodities auctions (gems, etc.). According to the auction house FAQ, the reasoning behind the percentage-based fee on commodities is that, unlike equipment, such items can be listed in bulk quantities.

The proceeds of real-money auctions can be transferred to a player's Battle.net Balance or to an approved third-party service such as PayPal. For everyone out there with dreams of Scrooge McDuck-level riches, be warned that transfers to third-party services are also subject to a 15 percent transfer fee. If you're still confused, check out the FAQ for yourself.

Show full PR text

Diablo III Auction House and Global Play Updates

Two exciting new updates for Diablo III fans! Check out the information below for updates about Diablo III's auction house as well as new information about Diablo III's Global Play feature.


Diablo® III Auction House Update

Want to know more about Diablo III's new auction house feature? We've just updated the Diablo III web site with a comprehensive Auction House guide that walks you through the ins and outs of Diablo III's in-game item marketplace, including details on buying and selling, a breakdown of how the real-money auction house works (in regions where available), and more. You'll also find some important information on Battle.net account-security requirements that players interested in using the real-money auction house will need to know about.

The gold-based auction house opens its doors worldwide on May 15 with the launch of Diablo III, and we plan to bring the real-money auction house online approximately one week after that. This is a new service that includes lots of complex elements, so we are going to take a little extra time to ensure the game gets off to a good start before we flip the switch and open the real-money auction house for business.

For more information, head to the freshly minted Diablo III Auction House website, or check out the updated Auction House FAQ.


Introducing Global Play for Diablo® III

Want to take on the hordes of the Burning Hells with a friend from halfway around the world? In Diablo® III, you'll be able to play on game servers in regions outside your own, with a few restrictions, using Battle.net®'s new Global Play functionality. Here's how it works....

Diablo III's global game servers are grouped into three distinct game regions:

The Americas - For players in the US, Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.
Europe - For players in the European Union, Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa, and Middle Eastern countries such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Asia - For players in South Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

In general, players will create characters and play in their "home" region, which is determined by where they live (specifically, the country of residence registered to their Battle.net account). Global Play gives players the ability to switch to any of the other game regions via the in-game options menu, either before or after they log in to the game.

Note that characters, items, and friends lists do not transfer across regions. Playing on a different region's servers means you'll be creating characters and friends lists specifically for that region, and you'll be accessing the gold-based auction house for that region.

In addition, players will only have access to the real-money auction house (where applicable) when playing in their "home" game region. That means that, for characters outside of your home region, items cannot be bought or sold in any real-money auction house. The focus of Global Play is simply to give you the ability to play Diablo III together with your friends in any region.

For more information on Global Play in Diablo III, see the FAQ.