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The updates would just be what they are currently doing. Telling us how a new thing works. So they did the stuff that really affects us pre-expansion with the Paragon 2.0 and Clans. They might(?) release a Loot 2.0 one before the patch is live or the day off. So my guess would be that the updates would show what the new stuff brings. So the finalized features that with come with RoS. Like Adventure Mode.

With the introduction to the new expansion, we all know that Maltheal is alive. Now, I doubt he has retained his role of Wisdom but looks to have potentially gained some new powers. If they are new, we don't know. For his way of combat have not been recorded for us to confirm. However, it is rampant speculation that Maltheal has taken up the mantle of Death. I do not believe this is true.

Why don't I find this true? Well the first part is the name of the Expansion, Reaper of Souls. While Death does reap souls, he is not the only one. Death has given the power of reaping to his minions so that he doesn't always has to do the job. And I feel Maltheal is in that position. He is not Death, but in fact a lieutenant or general of the real Death. Absurd, I know. An Archangel becoming a minion of someone else? Wont happen! But I feel it did.

Even if you don't agree, hear me out. So why would Wisdom fall and instead becoming a minion? And who would be able to take up the role of Death if not Maltheal? Well, the later I will start first and it will lead to why I believe Wisdom fell. But who could be Death if not Maltheal? I'm glad you asked. I believe it is Tathamet.

WHAT? HOW? WHY? I know, I know. Also seems absurd. However, I will point back to the prophecy of the End of Days.

And, at the End of Days, Wisdom shall be lost
as Justice falls upon the world of men.
Valor shall turn to Wrath
and all Hope will be swallowed by Despair.
Death, at last, shall spread its wings over all
as Fate lies shattered forever.

I feel the prophecy has actually not been fulfilled yet. I will argue that Valor has not turned to Wrath, but instead was consumed by Pride when he ignored help and denounced Tyreal. And Fate, is currently not shattered. Sure he can't see the future of the Nephalem, and I doubt he could see Maltheal falling, but what is the one thing that could cause Fate to be shattered forever? The rise of Tathamet. Which is where my second point lies. In the Book of Cain, it is said,

the Dragon, Tathament was his name - and he breathed unending death and darkness from his seven devouring heads.

Sure, the term is ambiguous, but it fits. A dragon, based on most of our own lore, has wings. But it also explains why Maltheal took the Black Soulstone. Because Tathamet needs it. Because Tathamet is actually not dead.

Tathamet not dieing would mean that there is a being more powerful than any in the plane of Creation. But he was not, because the Lords of Hell were his power. So he was weakened, so even Wisdom should have been able to kill him. However, I feel Maltheal was also weakened. It was said that his mood was darkening before he left. I think he found something. Something that proved that Tathamet was alive. And Anu was in fact, dead. The savior of the Angels, Anu. Learning that his greatest feat had in fact never happened would seem to be a crushin blow to Wisdom. Someone who is supposed to know many things would start to question if one thing was false, how many other things are false as well. So we went to search for Tathamet after the destruction of the Worldstone and had in fact found him. Just the confirmation of him being alive shattered Maltheal, allowing Tathamet to corrupt him and use him.

Why would he need Maltheal? Well, Tathamet probably wants to still act in the shadows. Plus with using a corrupted Archangel, it would be hard press for another angel to even defeat him, as we saw in the cinematic. And Maltheal would be able to locate the location for the Black Soulstone and take it. As I have said, Tathamet it weaked. And while theory would say that Tathamet should of been born right when all Lords of Hell entered the stone, he was not. Tathamet wasn't just a name for all of the power combined, it was also a name for the controling personality. The one creature that was only given the name of Dragon. The one creature that no one knows nothing about and could easily be described as Death.

Edit
As someone pointed out, how could Maltheal find the Black Soulstone, especially so fast? I believe that Tathamet was the one that told him. Not that Tathamet knew the location before Tyreal and the Horadrim decided on it but that Tathamet can sense the power from it like someone knows where their arm is. That power, the Lords of Hell, are a part of Tathamet so the ability to find where it is does not seem unbelievable. And so I think Tathamet knew that it was going to be placed in Sactuary, probably general location due to the travel to the location was going to be long, so he had Maltheal follow the Stone to where we see in the Cinematic and then we get what we saw.

Thanks you for reading my speculation. If you have any opinions or maybe want to add further, please do so. I look forward to the Reaper of Souls and learning more about what is to come in the Future of Sanctuary.

I have to disagree. I felt the plot was sound and enjoyable. And if you payed attention to the lore from the prequels and what not, the Nephalem were basically gods. If you read about Uldyssian, you will find out that he was stronger than even the combined hosts of the High Heavens and the Burning Hells. And that was also after years of flourishing. Though I do admit, how can we gain so much power in just twenty years? It is also never stated how long Uldyssian was flourishing so it could be close to the same time.

On the topic of the overall stories, Diablo was the introduction to the series. Aidan thought he could contain Diablo but was wrong, that was Diablo's plan. Diablo 2 is where we try to fix his mess but also trying to prevent the Lords of Hell wrecking havoc. Though we did ultimately succeed, it was at the price of loosing the Worldstone. And that actually unlocked the Nephalem powers in those that had it. But it is also stated that Diablo 3 is the end of this storyline. Excluding the incoming expansions. In the first we were on the defensive. In the second we were kinda on an offensive defense. But in the third, we are on the offense. We aren't sitting idly, waiting for the demon lords to come to us. We are going after them to finish this. "But what about a Plan B?" If you ever paid attention to the Lords of Hell, they were all arrogant fools. They believed themselves to be the strongest and that nothing can stop them. Diablo was probably the only one that wasn't all arrogant. But he believed that if he became the Prime Evil, that nothing could stop him. Hell, he broke the fucking Diamond Gates, that have been attacked countless times by the Burning Hells, with a single scream. That was just proof that he had more power than the High Heavens. So with his master plan fully realized, what need did he have for a Plan B?

Finally, on the topic of the ending. Yes, it seemed like evil was banished forever. But did you see the Black Soulstone destroyed? I know I didn't. I just saw it falling, and I bet that it can survive that fall. But as I've already stated, excluding expansions, Diablo 3 is the end of this storyline. How else are they suppose to end it? Make the bad guys win and have us wanting another Diablo just for them to milk it? I know that the original Diablo 2 ended with us killing Diablo but then finding out that Baal just got his Soulstone. But as I've already stated, if you paid enough attention, you can clearly see the plot hasn't been wrapped up, allowing for more story, but the characters believe that they finally won.

Quote from Highlander

We've all waited years for this game. What's a couple more days? Nothing. Find something to distract yourself.

I'm watching Dragon Ball from start to finish right now. I'd suggest finding a show you have interest in and watching it from Pilot to finish/current.

Because they said it will take months for Inferno to be beat. Many of us hardcore gamers were like,
Plus the story will still be there on our next play through.

I want to try it!!!

One day, I was bored during school so I decided to look at the items in D3. Mostly the Legendaries. After paying attention to just the names, I noticed some WoW references. Looking further, I found some names even referencing popular media. These are just a few of the Legendaries, and the ones that I got the reference to.


WoW-related Legendaries

Did someone say Thunderfury? http://us.battle.net...tem/thunderfury
So one of the legendary swords in named Thunderfury. And it is no coincidence that it is WoW related when the description of the item is

The son of Al'Akir wielded this mighty weapon during his ill fated battle with the Lord of Fire.

Cataclysm http://us.battle.net.../item/cataclysm
This weapon, I believe, is more of a reference at the latest WoW Expansion. There is nothing really special about it at this moment but its description is

A weapon of myth and legend. Some say that to use it is folly—that it will rip the land asunder and boil the oceans.

The Murlocket http://us.battle.net...m/the-murlocket
Blizzard trend of all things Murlock continues into their newest game. Even the picture of the Murlocket is the face of a murlock.
This amulets description is

Dredged from the murky shores of Lake Chu, this disturbing amulet emits strange sounds when held to one's ear.

Warmonger http://us.battle.net.../item/warmonger
This sword, is almost an exact replica of another weapon from WoW. Both blades share the same name and looks so this is clearly a WoW reference.
This swords description though, isn't a reference to WoW.

Brandished by the demon Draorm at the Fifth Battle of the Diamond Gates.

Thanks to Compher for finding this.'

Gehennas http://us.battle.net/d3/en/artisan/blacksmith/recipe/gehennas
These pants share a common name with a boss from the old raid, Molten Core. If you guessed Gehennas, then you are correct. But so far, that is the only connection I can find.
The description on these pants is

These pants are the result of an unfortunate bargain struck between the demon Skelon and an unwitting human.

Blizzard Legacy Games

Blackthorne's Sword http://us.battle.net...ckthornes-sword
This is a reference to one of Blizzard's ealier games, Blackthorne. In the game, you play as Kyle Blackthorne but he usually uses a shotgun. This being Diablo, a shotgun would be out of place. So instead, he gets a sword.
There is currently no description for this weapon.
Thanks to Compher for finding this.

Outside References

THIS! IS! SPARTA! http://us.battle.net...the-300th-spear
This spear is both a reference to history and a movie. Both are based upon the Battle of Thermopylae and the 300 Spartans, among about a thousand warriors, who defended the one way into Greek Territory for seven days against the vast Persian Army.
This spears description is

They fought against incredible odds, down to the last warrior.

The Hot Gate http://us.battle.net...em/the-hot-gate
Little known fact, Thermopylae means Hot Gate. It derives its name from the hot sulphur springs that reside there.
There is currently no description for this item.
Thanks to zerObit for finding this.

Bezoar Stone http://us.battle.net...em/bezoar-stone
This name became popular in the sixth Harry Potter book when Ron was poisened by some mead and Harry shoved a Bezoar Stone down Ron's throat. But a Bezoar is actually a ball of anything and everything that gets stuck in the stomach.
The description of this strange Spirit Stone is

This stone has passed through much to attain its magical properties.

Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin http://us.battle.net...he-sporting-hat
The name of this hat is most likely a little twist of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter Books/Movies. But that is all to go on as there is no current description for this item. I'm just hoping that it is gray, covers my eyes, and talks.

Batman! http://us.battle.net...-the-dark-night
This is obviously a reference to the Dark Knight, AKA Batman. The previous owner was a man named Bayne. As a commenter on the page has stated, Bruce + Wayne = Bayne. And all of us who have played WoW know how Blizzard is with names. /cough Harrison Jones /cough
The description of this cape is

"Those who seek to do evil are a cowardly and superstitious lot." —Demon hunter Bayne

Utility Belt? http://us.battle.net.../vigilante-belt
Nothing really points to this being a reference to Batman's Utility Belt but just the name, Vigilante Belt, has gotta reference it. The picture of it even looks a bit like the utility belt of Batman.
The description for this low level belt is

He stalked his prey by dark of night, separating the evil ones from their lives .

Kill http://us.battle.net/d3/en/item/kill
Nothing really appears special about this dagger. It's purple, looks to have spikes on it, but that is it in terms of the dagger. Until you look at the description. It is a quote that was made by the Joker in the Dark Knight. So with that in mind, the dagger being purple fits.
The dagger's description is

"In their last moments, people show you who they really are..." —Unknown

Thanks to zerObit for finding this.

Can't Touch This! http://us.battle.net.../hammer-jammers
Hammer time! These little pants are obviously a reference to the famous pants worn by MC Hammer in the song, You Can't Touch This. The picture of the item looks pretty close to the actual pants and I'm expecting them to be very baggy when worn in game.
These shiny pants have the description

These large pants cannot be touched.

Phalanx Lock http://us.battle.net...em/phalanx-lock
Little known fact, the Greeks created a formation of heavily armed infantry that had them all squished very close to each other. And isn't Diablo all about creating the most heavily armed warrior? This shield does not have a current description

Beckon Sail http://us.battle.net...tem/beckon-sail
Reference to the Actress Kate Beckonsale whom is the star of the Underworld movies. While a vampire seems more of a target of the demon hunters, she prefers using ranged weapons, guns, and it fits that a cloak is named after her.
The description of the cloak is

Favored by those who do their fighting in the underworld.

Thanks to Doomscream for finding this.

Lamentation http://us.battle.net...tem/lamentation
What is Best in Life? Barbarians of course. This belt is a reference to Conan the Barbarian. Conan was asked by a Mongol General, "What is best in life?" Conan responded with, "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women." And this Might Belts description is almost exactly the same.

Ideal for crushing your enemies and driving them before you.

Thanks to Doomscream for finding this.

Etrayu http://us.battle.net/d3/en/item/etrayu
A tale that never ends. That is what the warrior, whom last used this bow, felt. The name might also be a reference to the Neverending Story. In the book, there is a boy warrior by the name of Atreyu. So anyone can easily see the reference there.
The description for this bow is

The warrior surveyed the dead and dying arrayed about him. There would be more—many more. He felt as if he were trapped in a tale that would never end.

Thanks to Compher for finding this.

Logan's Claw http://us.battle.net...tem/logans-claw
This fist weapon is a reference to the X-Men character, Wolverine. But he also goes by the name, Logan. If you don't know, Wolverine has three claws on each hand. Which is exactly like the picture on this weapon. The description also hints at releasing the beast.

Bearing this weapon can release the feral beast within.

Thanks to Compher for finding this.

Kymbo's Gold http://us.battle.net...tem/kymbos-gold
This amulet is most likely a reference to boxer, Kimbo Slice. He wears a necklace that is a closed fist. This amulet's picture appears to have two hands on it that could reference the necklace.
The description for the amulet is

This heavy amulet was originally crafted for the fiercest of all fighters. Only the strongest can claim the right to wear it.

Tanks to Compher for finding this.

Mempo of Twilight http://us.battle.net...mpo-of-twilight
This is a helmet with the picture of a samurai mask. A mempo is also a mask that samurais use so the connection fits. While I could not find evidence of a media reference, the description talks about how it was used by the last of honor-bound warriors.

The helmet of the last of the honor-bound warriors. He roamed the far east long ago and lived and died by his code of honor.

Undending War http://us.battle.net...pe/sanitys-edge
This sword has nothing really special involved with its name. But it's description is what is used as a reference. It is a quote by George Santayana who is a plilosopher.

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

Also, this weapon could be new or subject to change due the name, Sanitys Edge, in the link.
Thanks to zerObit for finding this.

Nutcracker! http://us.battle.net...item/nutcracker
Before you say, "This is Diablo! Why is there a play reference?" I would like to say this is not a reference to the play. But it is a very painful weapon as described by its description.

Each strike lands with enough force to crush a boulder.

Thanks to zerObit for finding this.

Fenrir's Tooth http://us.battle.net...m/fenrirs-tooth
This axe has two possible references. Both involve a wolf. One of those two is a reference to Harry Potter and the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. The other one, is a reference to Norse Mythology, whom Fenrir was a monstrous wolf.
There is currently no description for this axe.
Thanks to zerObit for finding this and thanks to sunturion for the Norse reference.

Barter Town Pads http://us.battle.net...arter-town-pads
This is a reference to the movie, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. In the movie, Max finds a place called Bartertown and has an arena in it called the Thunderdome. The description references a town that has an arena in it.

Used in the arena in the center of the city of Kalden, the famed "Barter Town."

Thanks to monolith38 for finding this.

Pride of Cassius http://us.battle.net...ride-of-cassius
This is Might Belt is a reference to famous boxer, Muhammad Ali. If you did not know, Muhammad Ali was born as Cassius Clay but then changed it when he joined the Nation of Islam, a Islamic group of African-Americans. This Mighty Belt even describes Muhammad Ali in its description.

He moved swiftly and he struck hard. Truly the greatest warrior to have walked the land.

Thanks to monolith38 for finding this.

Blind Faith http://us.battle.net...tem/blind-faith
This helmet appears to be referencing the first Star Wars movie, Episode IV: A New Hope. In the movie Ben Kenobi gives Luke Skywalker a helmet that doesn't allow him to see. Ben tells Luke, "Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them. Stretch out with your feelings!" And the description for this helmet is almost like that quote.

Do not trust your eyes; they can deceive you.

Thanks to monolith38 for finding this item and thanks to Keiser for the reference.

The Grin Reaper http://us.battle.net...the-grin-reaper
This one is a bit obvious but still. This Voodoo Mask is a reference to the infamous, Grim Reaper. Now then, is there a Grin's Scythe for my Witch Doctor?
This Masks description is

Death wears many faces.

Quetzecoatl http://us.battle.net...tem/quetzecoatl
This Voodoo Mask is a reference to an Aztec Deity, who is the "feathered serpent" or Quetzacoatl. My guess is that ingame, the mask will resemble the face of a feathered serpent, much like the Aztec God.
This Mask currently has no description.

Odyn Son http://us.battle.net...n/item/odyn-son
This is most likely a reference to Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. Thor was the son of the god Odin, ruler of Asgard. Thor also weilded a one handed hammer called Mjölnir. While the names don't fit, the description of this hammer helps drive the point home.

This hammer rumbles with the sound of distant thunder.

Thanks to Tenhi for finding this.

Justice Lantern http://us.battle.net...justice-lantern
How cool would it be if you could play D3 as the Green Lantern? Well we wont find out anytime soon. But this ring should substitue that feeling with the ability to pretend being the Green Lantern.
This rings description is

Once worn by the self-appointed guardians of Sanctuary, who were said to feel no fear.

Thanks to Tenhi for finding this.

PVP References

String of Ears http://us.battle.net/d3/en/item/string-of-ears

This is most likely a reference to the PvP system in D2. If you did not know, when you killed someone in D2, their ear would drop. And this belt is just MADE of ears. And the description helps reinforce the theory.

A proud fighter displays the ears of those he has slain in battle.

That is all of the interesting Legendary names that I noticed. Did I miss any? Most likely. And that's where I am asking ya'll to find more that I didn't really notice or didn't get a reference to. I intentionally left out the references to past Diablo games because it is expected that items will reference the past games.

Note - All items are not finalized and are subjected to change at anytime that Blizzard so chooses. None of the items have finalized stats yet and probably wont until close to or on release.

Just read that on the Blue tracker and I am happy. And it also tells people that it hasn't been delayed since they pushed it back to this year.

Looking foward to the next few weeks. Luckily school starts in a few days so that will help the time fly right by. I don't care now if a release date wont come this week. But if Blizz says there will be fun, I sure can't wait for that. Maybe a Diablo themed bounce castle?

OP, one question, would you rather have Blizzard announce a release date when they announce the game and then release a poor quality game like almost every other gaming studio? Or would you rather sit and wait for a game that Blizzard is working tooth and nail to complete to the best of their abilities?

Personally, I would choose the later cause then I know I am buying a quality product and not some piece of shit, half-baked, game.