There?s no denying that the original version of Diablo III had its fair share of problems. Casting aesthetic concerns aside, the always online approach presented a multitude of problems after launch that frustrated many initial buyers. The Auction House mechanic had its uses, but also seemed like a way to circumvent the lack of quality loot drops, making many players feel as if they needed to ?play the Auction House? instead of playing the actual game. Legendary items, the golden egg of the Diablo universe, were downright awful yet still incredibly hard to come by. And Inferno difficulty, the end game of Diablo III, featured such a massive difficulty spike / gear check that this was the point where many players quit.
But, to Blizzard?s credit, they?ve made a number of improvements to the game since then. The loot system has gone through a couple of overhauls, the most significant of which came during the last major patch a week or so prior to Reaper of Souls. Difficulty had been adjusted and brought down across the board, and then Monster Power scaling was brought in, and now it?s been ultimately replaced with the Torment system that?s more in line with the console versions of the game. Classes have seen a number of tweaks and adjustments, and legendary items now feel as if they match their designation. Drop rates have been improved along with the overall quality of loot, making this is a far better Diablo III than what we had two years ago.
I played through the new story bit, Act V, with my main Monk character. Act V has a fantastic pace to it, bringing it more in line with Act 1 and Act 2 in overall length when compared to the main game. The layout of the maps featured here are drastically improved compared to any previous chapter, with a fair amount of random side quests to engage in, and challenging bosses to fight. I went in to Act V at Torment 1 difficulty, and found myself dialing it way back by the time I hit the final boss.
Adventure Mode allows you to play solo or with others, completing small missions called bounties or cashing in keystones to open rifts. There are five bounties per Act, and you can move from one location to the next just by bringing up your world map. Bounties will vary, but most see you hunting down a unique rare enemy, killing a certain number of enemies in an area, cleansing a cursed shrine or chest, or defeating an act boss. Completed bounties earn you gold, experience and blood shards. The latter of which can be cashed in for random quality loot, with the chance to earn a legendary item.
Another new component featured in Reaper of Souls is the Mystic, a new crafter that allows you to re-roll item stats and change item appearances. The Mystic is a key component here, allowing you to take average loot and make it downright amazing with a single adjustment. The results can be random, but there are always a set number of skills that something can change into, and you?re able to see what those options are keeping guesswork to a minimum.
As you?ve probably guessed by now, I really enjoy the changes and additions brought to the table by the Reaper of Souls expansion. A lot of the positive changes were brought on by patch 2.0.1 prior to the expansion launching, but Reaper of Souls continues to build on that with its new content. I?m absolutely itching to play more, and will likely devote a lot more time to the game in coming months. If you took a break from Diablo III after its initial launch, now is the perfect time jump back in.
Atari takes on Mattel's Intellivision in the next drop of content heading to this unique…
Get an extended, flat look at the Metro 2033 prequel before it launches next week.
There's a lot to unpack and configure in the latest entry in the MechWarrior series.
Want some heavy machinery with your video game?
Voidwrought is an exceptional Metroidvania style adventure in a year that's been filled with great…
So is Mila Jovovich the new Agent G?
This website uses cookies.