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Azeroth and beyond: Nine years of World of Warcraft
In 1999, Blizzard Entertainment was well on its way to becoming something of a titan in the PC gaming space. Riding high on hits like Diablo, Warcraft II, and the barely-a-year-old StarCraft, Blizzard had established itself as a purveyor of quirky, well-made, and entertaining games mostly of the RTS variety. However, something else was brewing behind closed doors at Blizzard's Irvine campus. While sequels to Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo were all in development (and hotly anticipated), the company had also quietly started work on a brand-new massively-multiplayer online game set in one of the studio's existing game universes. That game, of course, was World of Warcraft. And nine years ago tomorrow, it completely changed the face of MMO gaming.
Blizzard to launch Diablo III's Reaper of Souls closed beta before the end of the year
Blizzard Entertainment's friends and family beta of Diablo III's Reaper of Souls expansion is officially underway with invites going out to, well, friends and family of Blizzard employees. However, Blizzard is extending the beta pool by about 3,000 players; this time around the company plans to send invites to a few "valued media contacts and key members of the Blizzard community" in addition to the normal employee keys. Invites are already going out, so keep an eye on your inbox if you feel as though you fit the description. If you don't, take solace in the fact that Blizzard has confirmed that closed beta proper will launch before year's end and that while invites will be limited, they will be sent to a wider range of Diablo players. The beta will include all expansion content minus the final boss. None of the betas appears to be protected by NDA, meaning streams, videos, screenshots, and spoilers will soon be available across the web.
Diablo III's lead designer says offline mode was 'wrong', reaffirms online requirement
If you've been holding out hope that Blizzard would cave in and offer an offline mode on the PC for Diablo III with its Reaper of Souls expansion, don't hold your breath. A recent dev interview really put the kibosh on that idea: Lead designer Kevin Martens stated pretty clearly that dividing the community into online and offline groups is not now, nor will it be, in the cards. When asked about the offline mode in Diablo II, he pointed out that the community back then was very unhappy about that division and added: "That was the wrong choice to allow people to play offline, and we still stand by that. And we think Internet access is widespread. If someone has no Internet access, then yeah, Diablo III is not the game for them." In the interview, Martens and Art Director Christian Lichtner also talked about the direction of Diablo's III and the game's economy sans auction house -- notably, that stockpiling items before the change won't give much of an advantage because the post 2.0 patch economy will be full of new items that can be acquired only through play.
Take a look at Diablo III running on the PlayStation 4
Have you enjoyed being able to play Diablo III on a console? Do you want to be able to get even more monster-stomping fun on what amounts to even more console? Are you ready to take to the comments to explain that a next-gen console is not, strictly speaking, more console? Do you just like watching footage of heavily armored knights making monsters explode? If any of the above applies to you, then yes, we've got the video for you past the cut. So what's the video? Diablo III's expansion running on the PlayStation 4 -- specifically, the Crusader class wading through monsters the way one might normally wade through knee-high mud and making various demons explode into bloody body parts. So pretty much exactly what you'd expect, only more so. If you don't fall into any of the categories listed above but still want to see that, well, good news; The break's right down there.
Video previews Wednesday's Path of Exile update 1.0.1
Players interested in Path of Exile's upcoming 1.0.1, which is hitting servers Wednesday, can get the scoop in the devs' latest update preview video. The clip highlights a sequel to the popular race mode Descent, changes in Purity, a new enhance support gem, and more. Also noted is that Season 5 will start this weekend. Additionally, PoE will be releasing seven bi-weekly content updates between now and the expansion in early March, 2014. Descent Champions, like Descent, is a special scenario separate from the storyline filled with challenging monsters. Unlike its predecessor, however, this version sports a choice in forks in the progression and a selection of unique items to pick from at the start the event. Purity has been changed so that it doesn't alter players' maximum resistances; instead players can utilize the new player purity aura gems for fire, ice, and lightning. You can get more details on all these changes (plus a spoiler for one of the five new uniques coming!) in the update video below.
BlizzCon 2013 in photographs
BlizzCon might be over, but pictures last forever, or at least until something happens to our data center. Don't get any ideas. Hey, where are you going with that tornado?! Enjoy our view of the con! Massively's on the ground in Anaheim during the weekend of November 8th, bringing you all the best news from BlizzCon 2013. Whether you're anticipating World of Warcraft's and Diablo III's next expansions or reveals from Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, we aim to have it covered!
BlizzCon 2013: Diablo III's adventure mode, avenger kills detailed
At this year's BlizzCon, eager attendees learned that Blizzard is adding myriad new features to Diablo III's Reaper of Souls expansion; specifically, the PlayStation 4 version of Reaper of Souls will enable legendary item gifting. "Even though you and I are not adventuring together," explained level designer Matthew Berger to Polygon, "I can give you something and still make it feel like we're playing together." Reaper of Souls also features a new mechanic called Avenger Kills. In a nutshell, it allows for monsters who kill one player to teleport into the game of a player on the deceased's friends list. Whenever player two comes online, the NPC will appear via a special event. If the monster kills player two as well, the cycle continues. Whenever a player manages to slay the creature, the victor and the friend who spawned will get a piece of loot. Also at the con, Blizzard released more information about the game's adventure mode, and our sister site WoW Insider has a special look at the Reaper of Souls BlizzCon preview panel, at which the team addressed concerns over the post-Auction House economy, lag spikes, and the possibility of an offline mode. Massively's on the ground in Anaheim during the weekend of November 8th, bringing you all the best news from BlizzCon 2013. Whether you're anticipating World of Warcraft's and Diablo III's next expansions or reveals from Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, we aim to have it covered!
Quickfire roguelike Desktop Dungeons out now on Steam
QCF Design's IGF award-winning roguelike RPG Desktop Dungeons is now available on Steam, capping off an extended development period and years-long beta testing phase. Billing itself as "the perfect coffee-break game," Desktop Dungeons condenses the roguelike genre's complexity into a series of single-screen, randomly generated dungeons. Players can expect to die quickly and frequently, but QCF notes that all of the game's dungeons can be completed in around 10 minutes, making it an ideal fit for genre veterans who no longer have the patience (or free time) for NetHack and the like. Desktop Dungeons is currently available for 10 percent off of its regular asking price on Steam. A Special Edition that includes the game's soundtrack and add-on "Goatperson" DLC is also available for purchase.
Massively's BlizzCon 2013 liveblog: Opening ceremony and WoW presentation
BlizzCon 2013 is now underway, and we're expecting big news from the folks at Blizzard, like more details on the Diablo III Reaper of Souls expansion. There's also the first ever Innkeeper's Invitational for Hearthstone, the white-knuckle gameplay of the StarCraft 2 tournaments, and the Hollywood insanity of the upcoming World of Warcraft movie. Most MMO gamers, however, are anxiously waiting to hear about World of Warcraft's fifth expansion. Is it happening? Whom are we fighting? Where are we going? Are there any new classes and races? If you want to be among the first to know but didn't snag a ticket, real or virtual, then join us in the comments below as we blog about all the juiciest news -- live! And don't forget that the opening ceremonies are being streamed for free!
Diablo III introduces you to the Reaper of Souls monster mob
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to meet your Reaper of Souls loot piñatas -- otherwise known as monsters. Blizzard gave its fans a first look at the creatures that will be giving players what for in Diablo III's upcoming expansion. The 10 creatures in the first look bestiary range from scary to faces only a mother could love. There's the eerie Death Maiden, the Predator-esque Executioner, the chunky Ghastly Seraph, and plenty more creations that crawled out of a few twisted devs' nightmares. These monsters will be inhabiting the expansion's main town of Westmarch, whether or not you decide to turn down any dark alleyways.
Ten things to love and hate about Path of Exile
Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile officially launched last week after a long open beta. Like so many similar titles trailing in Blizzard's wake, it's a dungeon-crawly pseudo-MMO that skirts the boundary between sinking to "just another Diablo clone" and rising above the genre. Some journalists are praising it as Diablo II's rightful heir, while others are putting it aside in favor of their weatherbeaten copies of Titan Quest, which better satisfy their urge to click-click-click. The reality is usually somewhere in the middle of these extremes, but extremes are fun. So let's examine the top 10 things we love and hate about Path of Exile.
Blizzard unveils Diablo III's Reaper of Souls' Westmarch
Westmarch, once spoken of only in whispers, is one of the new settings of Diablo III's upcoming Reaper of Souls expansion. The city was once beautiful and vibrant, but the events of the Diablo series have left it with an unsettling aura and a dwindling population. Blizzard Entertainment today offered an up-close look at Westmarch's design and implementation on the official Diablo III blog, showing off concept maps, points of interest, and some of the city's real-life location inspirations. Westmarch pulls elements from "the fog-laden cobblestone streets of London in the 1800s" and features tightly packed buildings, winding alleyways, and grisly visual cues as to the city's failed attempts at mounting a defense. The Survivor's Enclave is the one bright spot in this dismal world, a place where Westmarch's few living inhabitants can find rest and safety from the evils of the outside world. Reaper of Souls is due in 2014, or as Blizzard likes to call it, SoonTM.
Diablo III dev diary delves into the history of Westmarch
Diablo III's upcoming Reaper of Souls expansion will take players to a number of new locales across the world of Sanctum, such as the kingdom of Westmarch, the subject of Blizzard's latest dev post on the game's official site. Long-time Diablo fans probably know Westmarch best as the home of the Knights of Westmarch, the order from which Diablo II's Paladin hails, but there is much more to the realm's deep lore. Westmarch's history is one -- as is expected in the Diablo universe -- steeped in blood and conquest. The kingdom was founded by the Zakarum zealot Rakkis after a crusade that drove him across the Twin Seas and over the bodies of legions of conquered foes, but there is a second, "secret" history to this place. Near Westmarch is a "sprawl of fetid marshes," littered with the ruins of an ancient Nephalem civilization said to hold the power to ward against angels and demons alike. It was to these ruins that the now-mortal Tyrael took the Black Soulstone, and it was there that the former archangel Malthael, at that point neither angel nor demon, stole the Black Soulstone from its hiding place. And that, of course, is where the tale of Reaper of Souls begins. If you're a lore junkie looking for all the details, check out the full post on Diablo III's official site.
Diablo III dev blog demystifies the Mystic
Diablo III's latest dev blog unveils more tasty information about a new artisan NPC, the Mystic, coming to the game in the Reaper of Souls expansion. As many Diablo III fans are undoubtedly aware, Reaper of Souls will mark the introduction of a set of features, known colloquially as Loot 2.0, which aims to rebalance Diablo III's loot and item systems in an effort to make loot more interesting to players. The Mystic is an integral part of this effort thanks to her unique skills of enchanting and transmogrification. Through Enchantment, the Mystic is capable of rerolling a single property on a piece of equipment, making her the go-to artisan for those items that are almost-but-not-quite perfect. While you can choose only a single property to reroll on each item, that property can be rerolled as many times as you can afford. Don't worry about buyer's remorse, though; if the newly rolled property is worse than the old one, the Mystic can reverse the process. The Mystic is also the number one stylist in Sanctuary thanks to her transmogrification ability which, as World of Warcraft players know, allows players to replace an item's visual appearance with that of a different item. To get all the arcane details on Myriam the Mystic, you can check out the full post on Diablo III's official site.
Path of Exile launch-day roundup
With a patch as big as today's, you have to wonder what Path of Exile has in store for players after launch. And starting now, you can find out. Today the free-to-play action MMO breaks from the bonds of beta and bursts into land of launched titles. But if you think that launch for Path of Exile is just an exercise in switching labels, think again. Two new four-month challenge leagues will offer new and old players alike a fresh start alongside the launch; players can join the Domination league with the new shrine system or the hardcore league Nemesis, where death means converting to a standard character. Whether you've been climbing those league ladders all the while or you're jumping in to experience the game for the first time, there's plenty of content to keep you occupied. If you need something to pass the time until you can log in this launch day or you want to get a leg up on the competition, check out this collection of updates, interviews, and hands-on experiences.
Path of Exile patches in guilds, classes, and balance changes for launch
It's not fair to call Path of Exile's pre-launch patch a kitchen sink patch; this is big enough to include the sink, dishwasher, fridge, and probably a good chunk of the dining room besides. It's a big patch, and when it goes fully live tomorrow, you'll have a chance to play around with the enormous list of features, starting with the addition of an entire system for guilds that didn't exist before. Yes, the patch includes a guild system. And that's not even the biggest part of the patch. It includes a new character class for players who have cleared the game on Normal difficulty, six new world areas, achievements, new skills, new items, and an assortment of balance tweaks and improvements. That's not even touching upon new challenge leagues and the like. The point is that even if you know the game inside and out, you might want to hop in tomorrow and try out the huge array of new options available to you because... really. There's lots of stuff here.
BlizzCon 2013 schedule is now online
One of the major annual nerd pilgrimages is less than a month away because on the 7th and 8th of November, hundreds of Blizzard fans will be flocking to Anaheim, California for BlizzCon 2013. If you're one of those lucky pilgrims and you're looking to plan out your visit to Blizzard mecca, you're in luck because the convention schedule is now online. The opening ceremonies will kick off on Friday at 2:00 p.m. EDT, and throughout the next two days BlizzCon will be host to a slew of panels including the intriguing "World of Warcraft: What's Next," and exciting events such as the StarCraft II World Championship Series semi-finals and grand finals. For all of your scheduling needs, the list of events, locations, and a handy map await you at the BlizzCon site.
Diablo III polls players about expansion prices
Was there ever an innocent survey that didn't harbor dark agendas and terrible secrets? We're inclined to think "no," so a recent email survey of Diablo III players by Blizzard has raised a few eyebrows around these here parts. The studio is polling players to see what they think of potential pricing for different editions of Reaper of Souls as well as how they rank the different features that the expansion will bring. The two price tags mentioned as possibilities for Reaper of Souls are $29.99 for the standard edition and $49.99 for the collector's edition. The expansion is slated for a 2014 release.
Diablo III starts console digital downloads
Who needs boxes when you've got the convenience of digital downloads, am I right? I am always right; you need to learn that lesson right now. Well, console fans of Diablo III are not shackled to the box-and-chain any longer, as digital downloads for the game are available on both the Sony Entertainment Network and Xbox Live. The game is $59.99 on both sites and graciously allows you to purchase a few add-ons, such as an Infernal Helm or a Treasure Goblin.
Path of Exile 1.0, Steam, and sweet, sweet revenge
If you're in need of a healthy dose of monster-bashing, clicky goodness, nothing is better for you than the soon-to-be-Steamed Path of Exile. I'll let that sink in. Yes, I did. Grinding Gear Games is finally taking the game out of open beta on October 23 and simultaneously releasing on the Steam network. Version 1.0 of the free-to-play action RPG will include several new improvements such as a new prestige class (awesome: wields ethereal weapons like boomerangs!), three new areas filled with sub-zones, and new PvP modes. The release also marks the conclusion of the third act in which we face off against Dominus himself. Well, himself and legions of dead, demon-y things. And, that's just the beginning.
