DiabloFans

Popular Decks of the Week, Deck Spotlight: Holy 4000
Heroes of the Storm Beta Key Giveaway
Armory Stats - Missions, Fishing Changes, Blue Posts, CRZ, Blue Tweets, GW2 Expansion

Maintenance Reminder

As a reminder, tomorrow the NA servers will have the usual weekly maintenance, starting at 5:00 AM PST and expected to end at 8:00 AM PST. If you don't know when that is, you can check your timezone here.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

We will be performing maintenance beginning on Tuesday, January 27, at 5:00 AM PST and we expect it to be complete at approximately 8:00 AM PST. During this time the game and many web services will be unavailable.

Thank you for your patience.

Updated Legendaries

Every now and then complaints about some Legendaries not having a "unique" powerful affix resurfaces. Tyvalir made a post to remind players that the developers have been using these blank slate legendaries to introduce new items, and pointed some that are coming with Season 2.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Please Blizz, make all useless Legendaries have a useful stat....afterall, they are legendary.

We've actually been adding special powers to Legendary items that previously didn't have one, but since we've done it gradually, it's not always immediately obvious. 

For instance, Depth Diggers, Leoric's Crown and Sash of Knives all had new Legendary powers added to them in patch 2.1.0. The same will happen for Wyrmwood and The Band of Untold Secrets (renamed Halo of Arlyse) starting in Season 2.

I's been a while since it was last brought up, so I can see how it's nice to have a reminder now and then. Great discussion, PowerCosmic!

Error 395002

A Blizzard support representative has made a post about this error, informing players that they are checking for issues on their end. For those still having this error, be aware that it could be something on Blizzard's end. Bear in mind a more recent post by Tyvalir, on connection issues, pointing how reports on these have considerably decreased as well.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Hey folks, 

This issue is still being looked into from our end. We'll post an update as soon as we have something new to share. .

Non-Jade Poison DoT WD

With the upcoming Season 2, and players not having immediate access to their end-game sets, at least for a couple dozen hours, builds that work well without a full set might be your best friend. MeatHeadMikhail has put together a video on a Poison DoT WD that works without the full Jade set - although with some other arguably rare items. Some gameplay is showcased, and he goes over skill, rune and item choices. Check it out!

Heroes Beta Key Giveaway, Deck Talk: FlyingWhaleHS's MechRattle Mage
Heroes of the Storm Beta Key Giveaway
Patch 6.1 PTR Notes

prFly's Pyrolysis Wizard

This week's Play Your Way build has a very interesting concept, and might be a great way for Wizards to start the incoming Season 2, with its somewhat accessible gear requirements. It focuses on dealing damage through Fire, and with the Firebird set, while keeping your enemies at bay with constant Lightning-based crowd control. Check the preview below, or click the banner for the full post.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Post)

Fire and lightning are devastating forces of nature, primeval elements that innately strike fear in the hearts of animal and man alike. The Wizard handles these volatile energies with ease, and prFly’s “Pyrolysis” build melds them beautifully into a medley of breathtaking destruction. 

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About the Build:

Frying your enemies is, as any Wizard will tell you, pretty darn satisfying regardless of whether it's achieved through electricity or fire. Rather than settle for just one method of crisping critters across Sanctuary, prFly#1247 asked “Why not both?” Harnessing the stunning strength of Paralysis with the powerful results of Conflagration has paid off, and the “Pyrolisis” build was born. 
Effective and visually impressive. The definition of the Wizard, really (which they'll gladly confirm).
While popular skills likeHydra (Mammoth Hydra) make an appearance, this isn’t your standard fare Firebird’s Finery build. Supportive skills like Slow Time (Point of No Return) and Black Hole (Supermassive) bring a lot more variety to this build and open it up to earlier accessibility if you haven’t been able to put a full set of gear together just yet.

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The Skills:

The Pyrolysis build features no Signature spell, so it’s important to stack sources of Arcane Power regeneration wherever possible. Plenty of cooldown skills help fill in the blanks when you don’t have enough power to keep Arcane Torrent going.Active Skills:

• Arcane Torrent (Static Charge)
  • Primary damage dealer
  • Procs frequent stuns from Paralysis
• Hydra (Mammoth Hydra)
  • Brings the flame in this fire-and-electricity combo
  • Stacks the critical hit chance buff from Conflagration consistently
  • Provides persistent damage when unable to channel Arcane Torrent
• Black Hole (Supermassive)
  • Offers supreme crowd and map control
  • Procs the stun from Paralysis
• Slow Time (Point of No Return)
  • Additional crowd control keeps you out of danger longer when channeling
  • Provides another method of stunning your enemies
• Magic Weapon (Conduit)
  • Provides much-needed Arcane Power regeneration
  • Direct increase to damage is always welcome
• Energy Armor (Force Armor)
  • Direct increase to defense when you need to stand your ground
  • Massively reduces damage from the spikier, dangerous encounters

Passive Skills:

• Evocation
  • Reduces the many cooldowns at your disposal
• Astral Presence
  • Provides much-needed Arcane Power regeneration
  • Counters the loss of Arcane Power from employing Energy Armor
• Conflagration
  • Offers a party-wide increase to Critical Hit Chance
• Paralysis
  • Copious stuns keep enemies at bay while you channel your heart out

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The Items:

One of the best aspects of this build is its accessibility. A prolific number of items benefit the build, and no single piece is necessary to make it function.  
I love that prFly’s weapon and offhand genuinely represent the theme of this build
Complementary Items:

• Ancient Parthan Defenders
  • Frequent stuns from Paralysis will return sizable defenses with these bracers
• Triumvirate
  • Boosts both Fire and Lightning damage
• Tal Rasha’s Elements (3-piece)
  • 2-piece bonus boosts both elements of the build
  • 3-piece bonus offers even more precious Arcane Power regeneration
  • Recommended pieces include Chest, Amulet, and Source
• Firebird’s Finery (4-piece)
  • 4-piece offers a second-life ability to keep you going should you fall in combat
  • 6-piece, if you can acquire it, will boost your Hydra (Mammoth Hydra) damage through the roof
  • Recommended pieces include Pants, Gloves, Helm, Shoulders, and Boots
• Illusory Boots
  • With no Teleport, these boots will help you move through seas of enemies
• Fulminator
  • Synergizes well with the Lightning damage theme
  • An additional source of area of effect damage is always welcome
• Serpent Sparker
  • Double Hydras, what does it mean? (More damage, of course)
• The Witching Hour
  • Offers strong stats in an unusual slot
  • Great for any build

Recommended Legendary Gems:

• Gem of Efficacious Toxin
  • Adds an additional layer of damage over time from even minor hits
• Taeguk
  • You’ll nearly always be spending primary resource, benefitting from a consistent damage boost
  • Additional Toughness keeps you out of trouble when channeling
• Bane of the Trapped
  • Paralysis will allow you to frequently utilize this gem’s damage boost

Recommended Stats:

• Cooldown reduction keeps Slow Time and Black Hole available for both defensive and offensive purposes
•  +% Bonus to Lightning damage will benefit you slightly more than +% Bonus to Fire, but either is good if it’s available
• Arcane Power on Critical Hit is welcome to keep Arcane Torrent active as long as possible

Deadset Sanctuary Talk

Deadset has uploaded what might be the final episode in his lore series - the Sunday Sanctuary Talk. This episode's focus is on Diablo 2's expansion, with Baal the Lord of Destruction as the antagonist. Who knows, maybe he will find more lore to keep making these, like pre-Diablo 1 material or what's in the Books of Cain and Tyrael. In the meanwhile, definitely check it out this episode!

Deck Spotlight: StrifeCro's Winstreakadin, Weekly Card Design Competition, Noxious: Card Tweaks
Jan 22 Hotfixes, Epic Plays of the Week #14 - Thrall Special
Patch 6.1 PTR Notes

Update on Connection Issues

Another blue post came up today stating that the connection issues we reported over the last couple days should be resolved for now, and that most players should be able to log in. Connection errors like the one mentioned are still being monitored, and as explained in another blue post, they should be forwarded to the proper technical issues forum. Read more below.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Update 8:40 am:
The connection issues are resolved for now, and players are logging back in. Thanks very much for your patience!

We are aware of the connection errors, including 395002, with Diablo III, and we are investigating. We'll provide updates as we get them. Apologies for the frustration and difficulties, and we appreciate your patience.

DH Buzzsaw Build

A Demon Hunter build is becoming quite popular amongst players in 2.1.2 - it's called the Buzzsaw Build. Based around the Chakram active skill, and filling the screen with deadly and razor sharp blades that tear through enemies. Voipstar has uploaded a guide to it on our Builds section, and JHow has made a video guide showcasing his own variation. Check them out!

Deck Spotlight: StrifeCro's Winstreakadin, Weekly Card Design Competition, Noxious: Card Tweaks
Jan 22 Hotfixes, Epic Plays of the Week #14 - Thrall Special
Patch 6.1 PTR - Build 19508, Updated Blood Elf Models, Class Tuning Changes NYI

Stacking Goblin Drops

A hotfix has been applied that increases the stack size of treasure dropped by Goblins. This should make it easier to collect all the loot they drop without having to click a couple hundred times. Read below.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

The following hotfix has been applied:

Monsters:

• Stackable treasure from Treasure Goblins of various types now drops in fewer, but larger piles (1/22)
  
  • This hotfix is intended to reduce the amount of clutter generated and improve game performance and should not result in a reduction of loot

Lag Issues Continue

A few days ago we reported that some players were having lag issues, and how Blizzard was looking for more info to investigate the causes of that. Two days ago they thought the problem was solved, but the reports still kept appearing. So if you are still having lag issues now, make sure to forward your info - it might help them identifying and solving the issue once and for all.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Hey everyone! We believe the latency issues many of you have experienced since the release of patch 2.1.2 should now be resolved. However, if you continue to encounter problems with high ping or in-game lag, please let us know. 

Thanks so much for your helpful posts!

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Thanks for your continued reports on this, everyone. We are currently looking into them, and we’ll post here once we have more information to share.

Reaper of Souls Crossword

For those who liked yesterday's crosswords, this next one by Jaetch should be a much harder challenge. Unprepared and Nephalem should not attempt to solve it, or they might end up trapped forever in its intricate riddles! Enjoy...

Raekors in 2.1.2

Deadset has put together a video talking about all the changes to the Raekor set for Barbarians, bringing up to date those who did not follow the PTR. He talks about all the changes, implications on T6 speed farming and GRs, item and skill variations, all while showcasing recent gameplay of the set. All in all a great source for those looking to start a Barbarian in Season 2. Check it out!

Deck Spotlight: Last Boss Mage, Arena Tier List Update, Fan Creations Forum
Founder's Pack Now Available - Buy Beta Access for $39.99
Patch 6.1 - Iron Horde Scrap Meltdown, Garrison Vendor, Rush Orders, Blue Posts

Tavern Talk on February

Blizzard will be holding a special Tavern Talk stream on February 10th, to celebrate the arrival of Season 2. Major game designers will be present, and it's a great chance for us to hear some of their thoughts on the first Season and where they expect the game to be headed. Who knows, maybe we get a tip of when to expect Patch 2.2? We will have a reminder for you once we get closer to it. Check the details below!

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Tavern Talk is back and this time we’re taking a retrospective look at Season 1. Join us on Twitch February 10 as we share what we’ve learned and where we’re headed for the future of Seasons!

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To celebrate the start of Season 2, we'd like to take some time to discuss our philosophy behind Seasons in Diablo III, cover lessons we learned from Season 1, and share some of our plans for the future with you, our community.  On Tuesday, February 10 at 11:00 a.m. PST, we'll be chilling out in the Blizzard Studio to cover all these topics (and possibly more) as well as answer your questions live! Who can you expect to see on stream?

• Wyatt Cheng, Senior Technical Game Designer
• Travis Day, Game Designer
• Don Vu, Associate Game Designer
• Brandy "Nevalistis" Camel, Community Manager

After we go around the table to discuss Seasons in detail, we'll open up the floor to player questions. Do you have a question for our developers? If so, send it to @Diablo on Twitter using #D3QA right now or leave it in a comment below!
If you’re not able to tune in live, don’t break a sweat—we’ll upload a VOD of the entire chat to our Twitch and YouTube channels shortly after the stream for your leisurely viewing pleasure. We’re stoked to see you there!

Conduit Hotfix Live

The Conduit fix we mentioned a couple days ago went live on January 16th, later in the evening, but the update confirming that was only posted today. Conduits should feel a lot more powerful these last couple days. Read below.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

The following hotfix went live later in the evening, January 16th:

Rifts:

• Dramatically increasing the damage of the Conduit Pylon in both Nephalem and Greater Rifts (1/16)
• These changes should result in Conduit feeling more in line with strong pylons like Power and Channeling without trivializing Rift Guardians

There are no additional upcoming hotfixes at this time.

D3 Crosswords Puzzle

Nazzyc has made a D3 crosswords puzzle, and posted it at Reddit. The difficulty is quite varied, with a few being on game features and systems, and others requiring specific item and enemy names. Those willing to test their D3 knowledge, definitely check it out!