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Path of Exile comic books hint at upcoming expansion
We all know that you haven't made it as a video game unless you're immortalized in a comic book. Path of Exile has joined that very select club as it announced today that it will be the focus of an official comic book mini-series. The four upcoming Path of Exile graphic novels will be based on the lore of the game and penned by Dynamite Entertainment. The comics are slated for some time this summer and will be 22 pages apiece, with a compilation release in early 2015. So other than the cool factor, why should players care? Well, not only will the comics feature a lead-in to the game's unannounced expansion, but each issue will have codes for in-game goodies such as cosmetics.
Rob Pardo leaves Blizzard
In a rather surprising move, Blizzard's Executive Producer Rob Pardo announced today that he is leaving the company. At this time he has announced no immediate career plans or subsequent goals, although he mentions a desire to spend the summer with his family and consider his next move. Pardo's forum announcement thanks the design teams for all of their hard work and notes that he has immensely enjoyed his time with the company; he expresses great satisfaction at the growth of the company and all of the changes that have come about during his tenure there. Pardo mentions that he began working with the studio during development of the original StarCraft, having since worked on titles including Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and Heroes of the Storm. He has promised fans that he will attempt to be communicative about his next move via Twitter. [Thanks to Dystopiq for the tip!]
Diablo III is closing the auction house for good next week
Diablo III's auction house is on its last leg, giving up its ghost, and seeing a hellish light at the end of the tunnel. As of June 24th, all traces of the controversial feature will be removed from the game for good. Blizzard sent out a reminder today about the auction house, stating that while its economic functions were disabled in March, the studio left it up for a few months past that to allow players to retrieve items and gold. Any items and gold left unattended will be sucked into the abyss on next Tuesday, so beware!
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls' first update bringing seasonal play
Diablo III has begun testing its first big update for Reaper of Souls, which will add an updated version of Diablo II's ladder system and more. Patch 2.1.0 will also add "seasons" to the game. These are a new type of play that requires players to start a fresh character to level up. Why would someone want to do something so obviously crazy? Why, for the exclusive rewards and the chance to climb the leaderboards! There will also be season-only achievements called conquests that will be awarded to the first 1,000 players to get each one. Once a season is over, the exclusive legendaries will be added to the rest of the game. Patch 2.1.0 will also impliment cesspool levels, combat balance changes, and greater rifts. The latter will have players racing against the clock to kill monsters and try to beat the end boss before time runs out.
Diablo 3 legendary drop rate increase now permanent
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.
Perfect World's Arc expanding to include Path of Exile and APB
Perfect World is making a strong play to establish Arc as a vital digital platform for gamers. The company announced today that Arc will be expanding to include several titles outside of the PWE brotherhood, including Path of Exile and APB: Reloaded. The announcement of Arc's embrace of third-party developers comes with the platform's transition to "fully live" status. PWE CEO Alan Chen hopes that this will make Arc a one-stop gaming experience: "Our goal is to make Arc the premiere destination for the best free-to-play online games for both our players and partners, and to achieve this by growing the platform with new games, a constant stream of content, and features specifically designed for the PC gaming audience."
Enjoy in-game buffs and a history lesson for Diablo 3's anniversary
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.
WoW Insider's guide to Blizzard resources updated
Looking for more blogs, podcasts, and resources devoted to Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft, and Warcraft? Then you'll want to check out our newly updated guide to all things Blizzard. In it, we've gathered all of our favorite resources on Blizzard games for your browsing enjoyment. So why not take the rest of the day off to catch up on your reading? And we're always on the lookout for new Blizzard blogs, so if you have a favorite site that we've missed, please contact us to let us know. We're happy to add any resources that are regularly updated, don't advocate breaking Blizzard's terms of service, and don't have any R-rated content.
Breakfast Topic: The features you want from other games
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?
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls soundtrack available on iTunes
Sure, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls has the perfect soundtrack when you're playing Diablo III. But what can you do when you're not playing the game but you're just out reaping souls on your own time? You can't hum the songs; you'll just look like an idiot. Well, don't despair, because you can now purchase the expansion's soundtrack on iTunes and forever have access to the perfect reaping music in your day-to-day life. The full soundtrack can be purchased for $9.99 and contains 22 tracks with a total running time of just over an hour. Clips are available on the official page in case you just want a couple of tunes and aren't quite sure what they're called; at 22 tracks, though, it's almost more economical to just buy the whole thing.
Heroes of the Storm shows off Tyrael
You remember Tyrael, right? Tall guy? He was in your class in high school? Glowing wings coming out of his back, divine embodiment of justice, enjoyed smiting evil? He was in Diablo III, remember? Anyway, he's got a new gig; he's showing up in Heroes of the Storm now. Yeah, still doing what he loves, slicing up demons. You do what you're good at, right? The trailer showing off Tyrael doesn't offer a picture of how he'll play but does serve as a nifty little glimpse into how the game will both look and feel. You can check the trailer out just past the cut if you haven't gotten enough Diablo III action already with the expansion release.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launch day roundup
Did you stay up late last night to watch the official kick-off stream for Diablo III's Reaper of Souls expansion? Did you wait in long lines at a brick-and-mortar store to buy your copy of the game? No, of course not. You already had it digitally pre-loaded and were playing while those other suckers were out in the cold. Yes, as of 12:00 a.m. EDT this morning, the Reaper of Souls expansion, complete with its new locations and bosses and class and loot, was officially live. Enjoy our roundup of coverage leading up to the launch, and let us know what you think about the upgrade!
New costume galleries highlight Blizzard cosplay
Three new galleries have been added to the official website, this time to feature Blizzard costumes. The galleries highlight recently-featured cosplayers in addition to contest winners and honorable mentions for costume contests from the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises. Although the galleries are a little small for now, more costume photos will apparently be added over time. Each of the galleries show winners all the way back to the first BlizzCon in 2005, so they're well worth the look. It's kind of cool to see how costumes and cosplay in general have progressed over time in terms of materials, construction, and detail. Hopefully we'll see other contestants past added soon as well -- costumes are always one of the coolest parts of BlizzCon, so it's nice to see them finally recognized with galleries of their own.
Having trouble pre-ordering Reaper of Souls? You're not alone
If you're trying to pick up your own copy of Diablo 3's soon-to-be-released Reaper of Souls expansion from Blizzard, you may have run head-first into a "500: Internal Server Error" message. The big downside to this error -- beyond your inability to buy the expansion -- is that though you don't get anything, you may still see the charge pending on your credit card. According to Blizzard support, because the charge didn't successfully go through, it should vanish within a few days. However, it doesn't leave us inclined to, as the error suggests, try again later. Fortunately, Blizzard is on the case: We're experiencing difficulties with pre-orders for Reaper of Souls. These issues will be resolved ASAP. Thanks very much for your patience! - BlizzardCS (@BlizzardCS) March 21, 2014 Hopefully we'll see a resolution sooner rather than later -- with Reaper of Souls due out on the 25th, there's not much time left to buy for release-day gameplay. In the meantime, we're holding off on clicking "buy" until @BlizzardCS gives us the all clear.
Diablo III shows off expansion gameplay as the auction house closes
Are you ready to continue the adventures of John Diablo as he fights the nefarious forces of Reaper McSoul? Probably not, as that's not even close to the plot of the Diablo III expansion Reaper of Souls. A new gameplay trailer for the expansion has just been released and is available past the break, showing off the new regions, new abilities, and the new class. The expansion launches next week, so you don't have to wait long to try all of this out for yourself. The game's real-money auction house has also finally breathed its last today, with the service currently shut down in the Americas. This goes hand-in-hand with the features of Reaper of Souls that are designed to keep loot drops more relevant and interesting for players. If the trailer is any indication, there are still plenty of demons to be slain -- you just won't be dropping real money to do any of that.
Blizzard is going on a PAX East road trip
Blizzard is refueling the company RV and making a mix tape of John Denver and Megadeth for its upcoming cross-country trip to PAX East. The studio announced today that it will have a presence at the convention to show off Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor. Blizzard will be at booth #848 from April 11th through the 13th. Hearthstone will be available to play not only on demo stations but on the iPad as well. Fans can also check out a hands-on demos of Warlords of Draenor, Diablo III for PS4, and Heroes of the Storm with new heroes. The studio won't just be confined to its booth for the duration of the weekend, as it's planning a presentation on April 11th at 10:30 a.m. EDT about Heroes of the Storm. This presentation will be livestreamed for those who can't make it.
Warcraft as the anything-goes fantasy
I was playing Diablo III last night after playing WoW, because I hate it when days happen and I see the sun, when it occurred to me that the two settings are very different in a variety of ways, and one of the big ones is this - you could (and have) basically fit the entire thematic kit of the Diablo setting inside WoW, but you couldn't do the same in reverse. There's not enough room, for lack of a better word, for all of Warcraft inside Sanctuary. What do I mean by that? Well, Diablo as a setting has specific themes - the war between Heaven and Hell, Sanctuary created by dissidents from both sides, the creation of humanity by said defectors, and Diablo's plans to enlist or subvert humans to fight in said war between these polar opposites. Warcraft has a host of demons that seek to destroy all reality that can easily stand-in for the hosts of Hell from Diablo, and the risen dead we see in places like Tristram is if anything small potatoes compared to the plague of undeath we see in the Plaguelands. But WoW contains multitudes that have little to nothing to do with them - the Old Gods are a completely different kind of menace and one that there's no place for in Diablo. Similarly, the many races of the Warcraft setting have no place in the cosmology of the Diablo setting. Part of the reason for this is the origin of each game - while both have Dungeons and Dragons in their DNA, Diablo has always been a more straightforward dungeon crawl while Warcraft was originally an RTS with deep roots in the orc vs. human gameplay element. As an RTS, and one with two competing factions, new units helped create diversity and gameplay, and as a result having these new units be of different races gave flavor to the setting. Diablo has always been about you, alone in a vast dunegon complex or infested region, destroying waves of foes by yourself or with a small group - the variety came in terms of different kinds of foes to destroy and the ways you did so.
Upcoming Hearthstone and Diablo 3 Q&As
Blizzard is holding two upcoming Q&As for Hearthstone and Diablo III: Reaper of Souls: Hearthstone Q&A on Google+ this Friday between 1:00 pm and 1:30 p.m. CDT Diablo III Q&A on Twitch.tv on Monday, March 24 starting at 11:00 p.m. CDT To get your questioned answered for the Hearthstone Q&A tweet them using the hash tag #HearthstoneDay. For Diablo III, use #D3QA when tweeting to @Diablo. There isn't any information on who to tweet at about Hearthstone, but including @PlayHearthstone in your question couldn't hurt. Hearthstone recently came out of beta and launched a mount practically everyone wants, and Diablo III's first expansion is about to release. Lots of exciting things for Blizzard games right now, and it's clear that they realize the community has lots of questions about the future of things. There isn't any news on a WoW Q&A, however things are pretty quiet right now over all. Almost as if there is a calm before a storm...
Watch the fury of Diablo III's Crusader in action
With all of the fun that players seem to be having with the recent Diablo III pre-expansion patch, it might be easy to forget that there's still more to come with Reaper of Souls -- including a new class, the Crusader. Blizzard hasn't forgotten, of course, and the studio posted a new video today to spotlight the class' mechanics, lore, and visual flair. On paper the Crusader sounds like a near-invincible melee class, but how does it look in action? Check out the video after the break and you tell us.
Diablo III welcomes you to the Blood Marsh
Blood Marsh: That doesn't sound too inviting, does it? But it does sound like something that would fit right in with Diablo III's cheery locales. It probably crushed the interview when it applied to be a zone in the game. Diablo III has a fetid and murky blog post today spotlighting the Blood Marsh region from the upcoming Reaper of Souls expansion. According to Blizzard, the Blood Marsh is "a massive, swampy stretch of land, split by rivers and tributaries often utilized for passage and trade." The theme of "blood," both the red substance and lineage, is integral to the zone's story. Adventurers in the region will discover signs of an ancient civilization, battle creatures like the bogans and blood golems, and unlock the mysteries of the Ruins of Corvus.
