Legendary Drop Rates Doubled on Beta

Travis Day came to the forums today with some good news.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Official Forums)

Hey folks I'm back with some clarifications and some news that should please everyone.

First the clarification, the timer system that works behind the scenes is meant to be exactly that, behind the scenes. No you can't afk the system, there are a lot of moving pieces to it and we talked about it extensively before we implemented it to guarantee its not exploitable. At it's heart Diablo is a game about slaughtering demons and getting random cool rewards. The system that is in place should never be experienced by 99% of the population, it's there for the 1% who just get really bad random rolls for an excessively long period of time. If we want you to get a legendary every 2 hours, the system basically says "ok it's been like double/triple that period of time, just help the guy out!"

Second and more importantly. I'm in the process of working up another hotfix for the beta that will do 2 things. 

1. Reduce the chance for Kadala to give legendary items. We have a lot of solutions to the split farming problem but they are going to take a little time to be put in place and in the mean time we don't want peoples feedback to be completely skewed based on her rewards. This reduction will be revisited once we fix all the split farming issues. 

2. Double the legendary drop rate. Your feedback hasn't been falling on deaf ears, and much discussion and deliberation has gone into it. We know that drop rates aren't exactly where we want them right now and it's very important to us to get as much feedback as possible during our beta. We are going to adjust the legendary drop rates via hotfix so that you guys have as much time as possible to test and give us feedback on how the changes feel, also more time for us to compile data and get RoS to be the best it can be.

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Design a Legendary, Part 5: Choose Your Name Vote

Time to choose a name for the community Legendary!

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

The Design a Legendary project is well underway. So far, we've selected the weapon type, weapon theme, and the vote for the item's Legendary power is nearly complete. The concepting phase has also concluded for the item's visual appearance, and we'll be able to share with you 3D models and low-rez screenshots of item in-game early next week!

But there's still one big thing left to decide: the item's name. 

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When we originally started the Design a Legendary project, our goal was to host an official naming contest near the end of the design process. We even had super fancy legal Terms of Use all drawn up and ready for digital print. 

Unfortunately, even the best laid plans of mice and CMs can go awry and, due to development deadlines, a full contest isn't in the cards at this point -- especially since we want to make sure that this Legendary is available with the release of Reaper of Souls (rather than needing to be patched in later). But have no fear! It's still very important to us that the name of this Mephisto-themed, one-handed sword to be chosen by you, our players, so we've come up with *cue trumpet flare* other plans.

Over the past week, we've scoured forum posts, blog comments, tweets, and more wherein players have suggested some amazing names for this particular Legendary. Of those names, our designers have chosen five which fit the tone and theme of the weapon. Those five player-submitted names are:

• Spine of the Father
• Rancor
• Shard of Hate
• Malevolence
• Sankekur's Sorrow

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So, pick your favorite by using the voting options below, and be sure to spread the word. As with previous votes, whichever name gets the most votes globally wins!

After the poll has closed, we'll tabulate player votes from all our different Diablo III communities around the world to determine the winner and share the results next week. Don't delay, though—this poll will closeWednesday, January 29.

Travis Day on Legendary Drop Rates

Two updates so far have been posted, check them out below.

Update: a fourth post has been added to the bottom.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Official Forums)

Hello folks, 

This has been a topic of much discussion within the community so I wanted to take the time to sit down and talk to everyone about drop rates. I'll start out by saying when F&F went out we set the rates far higher than we knew was appropriate because we wanted to get as much feedback and testing on the new and revised legendary and set items as possible. Over the course of F&F the unanimous feedback both internally and from the community was that the drop rates were too high. We knew this ahead of time but we wanted testers to get their hands on as many cool things as possible while also helping us debug and, ya know, test things. 

Going into our subsequent beta waves we said we wanted to start narrowing in on what the appropriate drop rates were for legendaries. We had set forth some goals and stated internally what our design intent was so we adjusted these values to reflect a more practical farming environment. As a general rule people won't speak up if you being too rewarding, usually only a handful of people in a crowd will vocalize that "things may be a bit too high" in terms of drop rate. So when the entirety of our player base and internal team were swarming us with this feedback we knew the drop rates were actually FAR too high. Based on that feedback and also the detailed drop rate data that we track and review on a daily basis, we lowered the drop rates to something more reasonable and closed to what we wanted for release of RoS. For the record, I literally told people internally that I actively wanted to hear the feedback that drop rates were too low. We decisively found where too high was, we needed to find the lower bounds of reasonable so that we could narrow in on a place that would be best for the game. 

Now with that said, the data that we have has shown us that drop rates are in the right ball park but that's not to say they are final. A big piece of the pie that was missing was that we always intended for Kadala to be able to generate legendary items. More specifically she was intended to help give players more direct control over their ability to find specific items they were after. Not to the tune of "I want X item so I buy it" but we wanted players to have a degree of control by saying "Man I really want X helm, so I'll spend all my Blood Shards buying helms and try to get the one I'm after eventually". The environment that you have all been playing in has been missing this key piece of the puzzle for quite some time. When we are talking about the overall income of legendary items and finding a good pace for them Kadala has always been intended to factor into this. We are very actively tracking data and adjustments will be made to narrow in more as we proceed. However since obviously you all haven't had the insight into these conversations I'm here to say that you've only been seeing a piece of the pie and with the latest patch should now be seeing the full picture. 

A couple of other related notes, Rifts have always been intended to feel highly rewarding and we don't think they are there yet. We want the obvious answer when someone asks "Whats the most rewarding thing I can kill with the time I have?" to be Rifts, this is part of why access to them is restricted by keys, they are meant to be AWESOME!. We have a plan changed that I'll be hotfixing in hopefully today or tomorrow to add a reasonably large number of Blood Shards to the loot run boss but more importantly to give him a chance to drop Forgotten Souls. One of the problems that has been expressed here is how legendary and rares compare, barring the obviously build changing ones. A large part of the reason that players sometimes have a hard time replacing a rare with a legendary that should be an upgrade is because, generally, you are comparing rares that have been enchanted many times over to a stock legendary. We want the act of enchanting legendaries to have some degree of investment but what you are seeing in the beta is too much. In addition to being able to use the, soon to be acquired, crafting mats to enchant your legendary items it will also allow everyone a reasonable amount more access to the crafting legendaries. 

Lastly on the topic of split farming, this is very clearly not how we want players to play the game. We know of the problems it causes as well as the reasons its occurring and are actively discussing ways to address the problem. While we love coop and we want players to enjoy playing the game together, the right answer should obviously not be "Lets play coop and all go solo in the game!". I'm walking into a meeting as soon as I post this to discuss the issue and possible solutions. 

Hopefully this helps clear the air some and I'll touch back in later to answer more questions.

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Me again to clarify a couple things.

First off, Kadala is not meant to be the primary source of legendary items, she is meant as a self targeted supplement to the items you find from killing monsters. Diablo is an ARPG and killing monsters should always be the most rewarding thing to do. If Kadala is representing too large a portion of the incoming legendary items than I will address that. She's meant to be a bonus, not the primary loot acquiring mechanism.

Second, the drop rates being "in the ballpark" means they aren't off by a factor of 10. The F&F drop rates were at least 5 times higher than what we were aiming for, and the current drop rates are probably likely within the 50-100% range. Again Kadala is meant to cover some of this ground and if she ends up covering more than we want her to we will reduce her chance to generate legendary items and shift the difference into the monsters. It's a big ballpark but from a top down look, it's not TOO far from where we want it to be.

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its far from where WE want it to be

Let me ask you this. What amount of time do you personally think it should take to get a legendary?

After you answer that I'll give you guys some insight into the numbers we have for contrast.

I'll say outright that when it comes to rewards what players want and what designers want are generally not going to sync up. We have a game trying to meet the demands of a huge spectrum of players. It's important to us that everyone have a good experience regardless of how little they play, this is a huge part of why first kill legendary drops were added to bosses. It's also important to us that people who enjoy playing the game for hundreds of hours to be able to do so without completely exhausting the rewards in a week.

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Honestly the numbers you guys are throwing out are all reasonable, they are also pretty close to the drop rates that our data is showing. I said I'd show and tell a little so I will. 

The drop rates in F&F alpha were as long as 40 minutes per legendary and in the case of MP6 Crushing Blow farming as short as 20 minutes per legendary. 

The data that we currently have shows legendary drop rates at roughly 2 hours per, and that's before Kadala was changed to be able to give legendary items. 

The fact that some people claim to go for 10+ hours without finding a legendary is not only not our intent, but should in fact be impossible. We added a system in the expansion that tracks the amount of time you spend fighting creatures without finding a legendary and after a certain period of time will slowly start increasing the legendary drop rate. Once a legendary drops for you, actual item not crafting recipe or material, we reset that timer. This is meant to be a safety net so that the random can never be too extreme to the negative end. If players are legitimately going 18+ hours and not seeing a legendary it's possible that there are some bugs floating around that need to be identified. 

And before anyone responds saying TWO HOURS IS TOO LONG! let me say that we know as time goes on and we patch content or players get better gear and find better specs that will not be the reality. Higher difficulties do in fact increase your chance to find legendary items, coupled with people playing in coop also increasing the rate that everyone overall finds items, etc. Our final target is roughly in the 90 minute range for advanced players. This doesn't factor in crafting items, trading with friends in coop or any of the other means that we already know players can use to accelerate their legendary acquisition rate. 

Betas are incredibly important to the development process, once upon a time we stated we wanted 4 hours per legendary. At the time that we stated that we were living in a land where people on the team had literally never seen a legendary drop so even one every 4 hours sounded like insanity. As the development of RoS has continued and as we have played and tested the game ourselves and also due to the feedback of the community we have moved to a more and more generous environment. We genuinely want D3 RoS to be everything it can be and everything you want, and every change we make when tuning the game is with that goal in mind.

Diablo III Launcher Upgrade Incoming

Diablo III is permanently moving to the new Battle.net app.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

In preparation for death's imminent descent, your Diablo III game launcher will soon be upgraded to our new desktop app for Battle.net. You'll receive the update automatically with Patch 2.0.1, arriving in the weeks leading up to the March 25 release of Reaper of Souls. If you want to upgrade your launcher in advance and save yourself a little time on patch day, just download Battle.net now!

Download the Battle.net App

Battle.net features single sign-on functionality that allows players to log in once to access Diablo III, World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and the upcoming Heroes of the Storm, and lets you stay logged in for up to 30 days. Players can also install games directly through the app and keep them up-to-date automatically, as well as stay on top of the latest Blizzard news. For more information, check out the Battle.net web page.

Once Patch 2.0.1 goes live, the upgrade process will begin automatically the next time you start up the current launcher for Diablo III—or click here to download the app now and get ahead of the game.

Read the FAQ
Read the new Battle.net EULA

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More on the Legendary Drop Rates

Feedback on drop rates is still highly valued on the official forums. Go and give your opinions!

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

How come thats the fact when almost everybody including blues agreed the droprates where to low, and now they are even lower?

The overall drop rate of Legendaries has not been changed, and is thus the same as before. Granted, the drop rates on some specific Legendaries with really powerful abilities were lowered though, which was done because said Legendaries are now accessible through the Blood Shard vendor.

The drop rates that we currently have is probably not final and will most likely be changed until release so just relax and don't complain about things like this when we're still in beta

Complaints do not help much indeed, but constructive feedback does. The line betweeen complaints and constructive feedback is not always easy to identify though, but that is okay as long as the feedback is objective :-)

We are still testing and tuning the drop rates and the reward structure, so we are looking for feedback on this. To those of you who are concerned about the drop rates, could you tell us a little more about why you think the drop rates are not what they should be? Also, what would be a decent drop rate in your opinion?

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The Boulder Barb Beta Build

Forum user TheWaldemar has put together a very well working build for the Barbarian, where the primary tool for destruction is the Ancient Spear/Boulder Toss. He has given a good explanation of the build in his topic and has also put out a nice video of it. So far the feedback from our Barb forums has been great!

The Purpose of BoA

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Main goals:

- Make it so that playing the game is the best way to get the best items. In this scenario, "playing the game" refers to the core mechanic, which is killing monsters. The designers really dig that kill monsters > get loot > kill more monsters > get more loot reward loop, and felt it was being compromised by the ease of trading, particularly for Legendary and Set items. We want those top-tier items to be earned through gameplay. 
- In light of the AH shutting down, still try to limit the negative impact the third-party market has on the game as much as possible. (This goes back to goal #1 and is one of the reasons why the current rules are set up the way they are.)

Greatest hopes? That the new loot model for the majority of players feels rewarding and satisfying -- and natural, too -- and that there's an actual sense of personal progression as you advance from finding Rares to finding Legendaries. An item being BoA ideally won't be a dealbreaker because the loot hunt itself is in a good place (this is where the rewarding/satisfying/natural part comes in). 

Greatest fears? As with anything game design related, the greatest fear is that -- despite your research, your testing, your experience, and your gut -- what you've designed isn't fun for most players and winds up hindering the game more than helping it. We don't believe that will be the case with BoA (and feel it will actually be the opposite), but no one here is infallible.

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The Recent Changes to Witch Doctors

A bit of light was given to the recent changes to Witch Doctors in Beta/PTR.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

mostly the wd nerfs

Thanks for the follow up! Though it never feels great to see numbers go down, we felt (as well as other players who tested out the WD on Beta and PTR) that the class was a little overturned in the previous PTR/Beta build. This was especially evident in group play. So, we're toning a lot of skills down and will see how that plays out in the next PTR/Beta build. If you're willing to hop on the PTR once the new patch is live and provide us your thoughts, that would definitely be appreciated. 

On that note actually, it's really important to keep in mind that PTR and Beta patches are in no way final and that we're still tuning, tweaking, and adjusting a lot of skill values. We expect that we'll need to make some more changes once this next patch is out and you all get the opportunity to test and share feedback.

for the record there is a few of us that are die hard witch doctor players, we have put together numerous topics with idea and disccsions vs the new changes.

I can actually provide a little more insight on these particular changes.

As we transitioned from the Friends & Family to Closed Beta, all abilities from each class were highly overtuned. Over time, we whittled away at the numbers, and these passes were made by class. This is pretty par for the course in how we approach tuning. The Witch Doctor was the last one we addressed, and that happened to land at a time when we could provide the most detailed patch notes (i.e., these ones).

So no, we don't hate Witch Doctors! They were just next up for a tuning pass and the timing wasn't great in terms of communicating these changes.

Definitely going to go dig through those feedback posts though. Nom nom nom, feedback!

What about the demon hunter posts? Could you at least say yes or no so we at least know we aren't getting ignored, because it definitely seems that way.

Between all of us, we go through all the class forums (and other forums too) for feedback, paying particular attention to threads that are well-formatted and constructive. I try to tackle as much as I can myself, but sometimes I do miss things. That's why we work as a team. =) Grimiku, Vaeflare, and Lylirra all help me catch things I might not have seen otherwise.

No class is being ignored or unheard. Not every change that's asked for will be implemented, of course, but we are here to listen, report, and discuss your feedback with development. Think of us as your liaisons - we pass on as much of your thoughts as we can and make sure your voice is being represented and recognized.

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MannerCookie's HeisenBarb Beta Build

MannerCookie has been one of the Barbarian players that has always tried to push new and interesting builds for his chosen class and continues doing so on the Beta servers. Recently he has been teasing a new build. That new build is called HeisenBarb and represents a charge-Barb play that seems to be incredibly efficient and useful on higher difficulties. Check out the video for some awesome gameplay and a thorough explanation of the build.

 

Balance on Legendary Drops

Lylirra cleared a bit of confusion on the nerfs of some Legendary drop rates and also gambling.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Let me clear this up a bit, because I think this is interpreting too much from an individual patch note.

The drop rate on specific Legendaries, ones with exceptionally powerful abilities, were lowered. The overall drop rate of Legendaries has stayed the same.

The reason for this is that Legendaries are now accessible through the Blood Shard vendor (purchases have a chance to give you a Legendary item). This is a pretty significant change, and we'd like to see how this interacts with drop rates and acquisition before we tweak numbers elsewhere.

Is it not also the case that the blood shard vendor cannot drop higher tier legendary items, such as the more powerful ones you guys lowered the drop rates on further? Or can the vendor drop every legendary in the game?

While Kadala cannot produce Torment level Legendaries, don't interpret "more powerful" as specifically meaning Torment level. While I see that jump in conclusion, it's not an accurate statement. By "more powerful," we're referring to items that have particularly strong effects. That's not exclusive to Torment level Legendaries.

It also further reinforces "bag farming" in normal as an easy way to get blood shards to gamble with and bags for legendary drops.

We're definitely watching for feedback on reward structure, and making sure that higher difficulties feel more rewarding. Not all the changes we have in mind to enforce this were able to make it into this patch, but it's a concern and we're keeping an eye on it.

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Zakarum, Paladins, Templars and Crusaders

Nevalistis shared a lot of interesting lore information on the Light and its followers.

Originally Posted by Blizzard

Zakarum lore? Did someone call me by name? ;P

do they worship the light or some god in particular?

The Paladin, Templar, and Crusader are all from different branches of the Zakarum faith. The Zakarum itself is a series of teachings from Akarat, the founder of this religion. Very little is known of Akarat himself, as after he spread his teachings in Kehjistan, he ventured into the east and was never seen again. The worship comes from embodying a series of ideals rather than the belief in a centralized deity.

The Paladins serve as the militaristic branch of the Zakarum faith. It's important to note that this is an overarching group, and includes but is different from The Order of Paladins, where the Diablo 2 Paladin had his origins. This order broke away during the Zakarum Inquisition and later merged with the Knights of Westmarch. There are several orders of Paladins, so think of them as a very large organization, many with different goals or motivations, though all devoted to the Zakarum.

The Crusaders, at the time of General Rakkis' journey that ended in founding Westmarch, were created in secret and sent to the East, by a Zakarum cleric named Akkhan. He was growing concerned that there was a darkness creeping into his faith. The Crusaders still continue this mission, seeking a way to purge the evil that has tainted their faith.

The Templar are a different branch of the Zakarum founded in Westmarch, well after the city itself was founded. Very little is known about their ultimate goals or internal operations. If this is something you're interested in, I definitely recommend talking to Kormac.  His story will be explored a bit more in Reaper of Souls, as will the stories for the other followers and artisans.

Could you verify this Nevalistis? Is Zakarum dedicated to the worship of Light and Angels?

The original writings of the Zakarum are detailed in The Book of Cain, and it is described that Akarat received a revelation upon seeing a being he referred to as Yaerius, or "son of light" in his native language. There's contention on whether Yaerius was truly an archangel, or whether it was an echo of Uldyssian's sacrifice during the Sin War.

This spurred the thought that humans were powerful beings of Light, and Akarat set out to spread the word that this Light existed within each human. 

It's not so much that Zakarum is the worship of angels and the Light specifically, so much as it is the ideal that this Light exists within each human and humans should seek to acknowledge their "inner light" in order to live good lives. The sight of what was interpreted as an angel spurred this belief, and the acknowledgement of Light as a concept is certainly important, but neither are really a central focal point for worship.

The Zakarum do, generally, look at angels as "the good guys," but that's more of a jump in logic than part of their beliefs. Demons are bad, angels fight demons, so therefore angels must be good.

Malthael, on the other hand, appears to be spending much of his time in Reaper of Souls involved in an extensive PR campaign to clear up some of this confusion about the relationship between man and angels, so we may see this change. 

- The souls of sinners are punished in Hell, while the souls of the faithful are rewarded in Heaven.

This is more that this is a belief some denizens of Sanctuary have, and is not actually part of the Zakarum faith. Remember that the Burning Hells and High Heavens are literally physical locations in Sanctuary's universe. I'm note sure where this crept in as part of the tenants, short of being a misinterpretation from details in The Book of Cain or from taking the goal of the Sin War (to claim the hearts and souls of humankind) too literally. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Hnng. Nope. Can't resist the pull of lore!

Also, what are the Origins of the Light? What is the "Light" from the High Heavens, and where does it come from?

I covered a little bit about the Light and the tenants of the Zakarum faith a bit earlier today, but I'll rephrase so it more applies to your questions.

The following is covered in The Book of Cain. When Sanctuary's universe was first created, there was but one being: The One or Anu. Anu warred with himself, and eventually cast out his darkness, forming the beast Tathamet. These two aspects battled for centuries, and when they finally both perished, their remains formed what we know of as the High Heavens and the Burning Hells.

The remains of Anu leaked forth the Light which formed into Angels and the High Heavens. This Light currently emanates from the Crystal Arch (which is said to be the backbone of Anu, as someone mentioned above). 

The Light that the Zakarum refers to, however, refers to the Light that exists within each human. This could be referencing as far back as the origin of Sanctuary, in which case the Light could be the remnants of the angelic bloodlines that helped create the original nephalem. It's a bit open to interpretation at this point, as is common with most faiths, fictitious or otherwise. =) (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

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Are Numbers Too Large in RoS

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Quite a lot of good feedback in this thread so far, thanks for that guys :-)

The concern about large numbers in RoS, both in regards to damage as well as health pools, is one that has been brought up before and this is also a topic we are looking for more feedback on.

To those of you who are concerned about large damage numbers, could you tell us a little more about what kind of damage values you would like to see in game? Also, what would you consider a decent progression of your character's damage output?

To those of you who are concerned about large health pools (especially on the higher difficulties), could you tell us more about the kind of health pools you would expect to see in said difficulties? And how do you think those health pools should correlate with your charaters damage output?

Lastly, what is your opinion on torment difficulty in regards to damage and health pool numbers in general? Besides increased health pools/damage of monsters, what do you think should set the higher difficulties apart from the lower ones?

Focused Feedback - New Infernal Machine Encounters

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

As the Closed Beta for Reaper of Souls presses onward, our development team would like to express their extreme gratitude for the multitudes of valuable feedback that has been provided by the community. From this feedback, it has become evident that certain areas of the expansion require more scrutiny than others, and to this end we come to you today to request a call to arms!

Bear in mind that while we would like players to sometimes focus on providing the feedback on specific topics, all feedback is still quite welcome either via the e-mail provided in your Beta invitation or here on the forums. 

We are currently looking for detailed feedback regarding:

• New level 70 Infernal Machine bosses. This can include but is not limited to: overall difficulty, fight mechanics, and/or event rewards.
• While all feedback is appreciated, we would especially like to hear from players in Torment difficulty.
• Note that in the current beta build, drop rates for level 70 keys and organs for the Infernal Machine event have been temporarily set to 100%.

As we move forward with testing, we may require additional testing needs. Keep an eye out for similar threads in the future as these needs arise. We do ask that feedback provided in this thread stays on topic – unrelated feedback will be appropriately moderated.

Thank you for your participation!

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Background Download Now Available

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

As of this week, you may notice that the Diablo III game launcher and Battle.net desktop app will begin downloading data for a "future patch." This download is in preparation for the March 25 launch of Reaper of Souls, as well as a pre-expansion patch that will be released in the coming months.

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How it Works:

The download will be around 6GB in size and include things like models, textures, art files, and other upcoming content in patch 2.0.1 and Reaper of Souls that is already complete. By making this data available early, you'll have leass to download once the pre-expansion patch and expansion are released. The background download data is encrypted and won't make any changes to the live game or Battle.net service until patch 2.0.1 and Reaper of Souls launch. In the meantime, you will be able play Diablo III as normal, and your in-game experience should remain unaffected by the download itself. In order for the background download to begin, Diablo III must be installed on your computer and patched up to the latest build.  Please note that you will be eligible for the background download even if you have not prepurchased Reaper of Souls.

 If you're using the Battle.net desktop app:

If you're using the Battle.net desktop app, the background download will continue as long as the application is running. The download can be paused at any time by clicking the Pause button located to the right of the circular background download icon. To resume the download, click the Resume button (which will appear in the same location as thePause button) or click the Installation & Updates Options button and select Resume Updates. The Battle.net desktop app also let's you customize your background download settings, so you can pause updates whenever a game is launched as well as set your preferred download speeds. To adjust your preferences, click the Installation & Updates Options button located to the left of the background download icon and select Settings.

 If you're using the standard Diablo III launcher:

If you're using the standard Diablo III game launcher, the background download will continue to pick up data so long as the game launcher is running. You can always check the progress of your download by clicking the Info button at the top of the launcher, then selecting Connection Information from the drop-down menu. If you wish to complete the update at a later time, simply click the Play button at any point to pause the background download and run Diablo III, or simply close the launcher.

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That’s all there is to it. Stay tuned to diablo3.com for all the latest Reaper of Souls news, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We'll see you in Sanctuary!

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New Barbarian Armor Set

Blizzard shared an awesome image of one of Barbarian's new armor sets. It's still just a teaser - they're not mentioning the name of the set or any information about the other classes' sets.

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RoS Hellfire Ring and Uber Diablo Boss Fight Videos

Reddit user Anuiran shared two very interesting videos he made in RoS Beta:

"Chance to cast a fire ring for 200% weapon damage when attacking" I actually didn't notice but it has 45% Bonus Experience now. Don't know why I missed that!", Anuiran writes under his Hellfire ring video.

"I did this fight on a easy difficulty just to show how the new fight works. It gets really hard on higher difficulties!"

2.0.1 PTR and Closed Beta Patch Notes

The official patch notes are here. We datamined tons of info prior to the patch notes being posted, have a look if you still haven't:

• Class Changes, Difficulty Changes, New Gear Graphics
• New Set Item Bonuses, New Passive Effects

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Patch notes are listed below for the next phase of our PTR and Closed Beta for Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. Please note that changes that apply to the PTR environment also apply to the Closed Beta.

 Diablo III PTR Patch 2.0.1 - v.2.0.0.21390

Below you will find the most current PTR patch notes for 2.0.1. Please note that this is not the final version of the 2.0.1 patch notes and that many changes may not have been documented or described in full detail. To provide feedback on these changes or report new bugs, please visit the appropriate PTR forum:

• General Feedback
• Feature Feedback
• Class Feedback

To report any issues you may experience while playing, please visit the PTR Bug Report forum.

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GENERAL

• Master difficulty now unlocks upon completion of Act IV, and Torment difficulty (I-VI) unlocks at level 60
  • Note: Heroes who do not have access to Reaper of Souls will only be eligible for certain Torment bonuses. 
• Bug Fixes

• Clans can now be disbanded
• Players can no longer revive at corpse in boss encounters
• Certain crafted items that are copied over to the PTR no longer have a level requirement of 61 or higher (PTR only)
• Follower items no longer drop with a level requirement of 61 or higher (PTR only)
• Fixed an issue that was causing environmental traps (crumbling walls, chandeliers, etc) to not correctly stun or do damage to monsters
• Fixed an issue that was causing the second exit portal to not spawn within the Hell Rift found in the Gardens of Hope, Tier 1
• Fixed several issues that could cause client crashes

CLASSES

• Barbarian
  • Active Skills
    • Ancient Spear
      • Increased base damage from 300% to 350% weapon damage
      • Skill Rune - Jagged Edge
        • Increased damage from 405% to 435% weapon damage
    • Frenzy
      • Increased base Fury generation from 3 to 4
    • Ground Stomp
      • Increased base radius from 12 to 14 yards
      • Skill Rune - Deafening Crash
        • Changed from Physical to Cold element type
      • Skill Rune - Trembling Stomp
        • Changed from Physical to Fire element type
    • Hammer of the Ancients
      • Skill Rune – Birthright
      • No longer has a chance to drop treasure
    • Weapon Throw
      • Increased base Fury generation from 5 to 6
      • Increased base damage from 115% to 135% weapon damage
      • Skill Rune - Mighty Throw
        • Increased damage from 175% to 200% weapon damage
      • Skill Rune - Balanced Weapon
        • Increased Fury generation from 8 to 9
        • Changed damage type from Physical to Fire
    • Whirlwind
      • Increased base move speed while Whirlwinding from 66% to 75%
      • Skill Rune - Hurricane
        • Reduced max range of pulling in enemies from 45 yards to 35 yards
        • Reduced the rate of pulling in enemies from every 0.5 secs to every 1.0 secs
        • Enemies pulled in will now be immune to Hurricane's pull-in effect for 5 secs
        • Champions and Elites are now correctly immune to the pull-in effect
  • Passive Skills
    • Bloodthirst
      • Reduced Life per Fury spent by 30% (578 @ Level 70)
• Demon Hunter
  • Active Skills
    • Bola Shot
      • Skill Rune - Imminent Doom
        • Changed damage type from Arcane to Fire
    • Caltrops
      • Skill Rune - Carved Stakes
        • Reduced the Discipline cost from 4 to 3
    • Chakram
      • Skill Rune - Serpentine
        • Doubled the travel speed of the projectile
    • Companion
      • Significantly increased the health of Boar, Spider, and Wolf companions (the other companions are immune to damage)
      • Skill Rune - Boar Companion
        • Increased bonus to all resistances from 15% to 20%
        • Reduced the boar's damage from 120% to 50% weapon damage
      • Skill Rune - Ferret Companion
        • Now also increases your movement speed by 10%, up to movement speed cap
        • Reduced the ferrets’ damage from 100% to 50% weapon damage each
    • Elemental Arrow
      • Increased base radius from 1.25 to 2
      • Skill Rune - Screaming Skull
        • Increased radius from 1.25 to 2
      • Skill Rune - Lightning Bolts
        • Increased radius from 1.25 to 2
    • Entangling Shot
      • Increased proc scalar for unruned and all runes except Shock Collar to 1.0
      • Skill Rune - Shock Collar
        • Increased proc scalar from 0.2 to 0.4
    • Hungering Arrow
      • Skill Rune - Shatter Shot
        • Increased proc scalar from 0.216 to 0.59
    • Multishot
      • Skill Rune - Burst Fire
        • Changed damage type from Arcane to Poison
        • Increased damage from 160% to 200% weapon damage
    • Preparation
      • Skill Rune – Punishment
        • Reduced Hatred gained from 125 to 100
    • Smoke Screen
      • Skill Rune - Choking Gas
        • Changed damage type from Physical to Poison
  • Passive Skills
    • Archery
      • Changed the bonus for having a 2nd Hand Crossbow from +1 Hatred per generator shot to +1 Hatred per Second
• Monk
  • General
    • All Mantras have been converted to Active/Passive skills and different rune effects from multiple Monks should now stack
  • Active Skills
    • Blinding Flash
      • Skill Rune - Replenishing Light
        • Reduced Spirit granted per enemy hit to 7
      • Skill Rune - Faith in the Light
        • Reduced damage bonus to 29%, to bring in line with other similar skill budgets
        • Reworked skill to grant a damage bonus for 3 seconds
    • Seven-Sided Strike
      • Increased base ability damage to 5677%
      • Skill Rune - Sudden Assault
        • Increased damage to 6477%
      • Skill Rune - Pandemonium
        • Increased Stun chance to 100%
      • Skill Rune - Fulminating Onslaught
        • Increased damage to 977%
  • Passive Skills
    • Chant of Resonance
      • Redesigned: The Spirit cost of Mantra activation effects are reduced by 50% and you gain 2 Spirit every second when you have a Mantra learned
    • Seize the Initiative
      • Reduced armor contribution from Dexterity to 30%
    • Transcendence
      • Reduced Life per Spirit Spent by 70% (now 248 @ Level 70)
      • Reduced Life per Spirit Spent increase from 1% to 0.4% of your Health Globe Healing Bonus
• Witch Doctor
  • Active Skills
    • Corpse Spiders
      • Skill Rune - Spider Queen
        • Damage reduced to 1575%
    • Firebomb
      • Skill Rune - Pyrogeist
        • Damage reduced to 520%
    • Grasp of the Dead
      • Base damage reduced to 560%
      • Skill Rune - Rain of Corpses
        • Damage reduced to 420%
    • Haunt
      • Base damage reduced to 1465%
    • Hex
      • Skill Rune - Angry Chicken
        • Damage reduced to 1350%
    • Locust Swarm
      • Base damage reduced to 1040% weapon damage
      • Skill Rune - Searing Locusts
        • Damage reduced to 1480%
      • Skill Rune - Cloud of Insects
        • Damage reduced to 2080%
    • Sacrifice
      • Damage per dog reduced to 185%
    • Soul Harvest
      • Skill Rune - Vengeful Spirit
        • Damage reduced to 630%
    • Spirit Barrage
      • All runes have had their damage type changed to Cold
      • Skill Rune - Manitou
        • Damage reduced to 2900%
      • Skill Rune - Phantasm
        • Damage reduced to 675%
    • Spirit Walk
      • Skill Rune - Umbral Shock
        • Damage reduced to 750%
    • Wall of Zombies
      • Damage reduced to 200%
• Wizard
  • Active Skills
    • Arcane Orb
      • Skill Rune - Frozen Orb
        • Reduced range to 30 yards, in order to make aiming explosions a little easier
    • Electrocute
      • Skill Rune - Surge of Power
        • Changed damage back to Lightning
    • Hydra
      • Hydras now despawn when their owner dies
    • Mirror Image
      • Mirror Image AI improved to be more in line with other pets and followers
  • Passive Skills
    • Arcane Dynamo
      • Reduced damage bonus to 60%
    • Blur
      • Reduced damage reduction amount to 17%
    • Dominance
      • Reduced base duration to 3 seconds
      • Reduced shield amount to (12,379 @ L70) per stack
    • Prodigy
      • Increased Arcane Power granted to 5
  • Bug Fixes
    • Arcane Orb
      • Skill Rune - Frozen Orb
        • Fixed an issue where this rune was doing less damage than intended
      • Skill Rune - Scorch
        • Fixed an issue where this rune was doing less damage than intended
    • Ray of Frost
      • Should no longer be blocked by followers, hirelings, or friendly pets

CRAFTING

• Gorell the Quartermaster in Bastion’s Keep no longer sells the plans for Nightmarish, Hellish and Infernal Staffs of Herding
  • The plans for the base "Staff of Herding" still drop from Izual
  • If players have already crafted a Staff of Herding, or purchased these plans, they will not be removed
  • Any of the existing Staff of Herding items can be used in the game to unlock Whimsyshire, which will be rolled using Dynamic Difficulty rules
• Blacksmith crafting costs have received a tuning pass
  • The ratios of blue to yellow crafting material costs now more correctly match live drop data
  • Gold costs of crafting have been reduced
• Bug Fixes
  • Crafting recipes no longer display duplicate crafting materials in their Required Materials lists
  • Fixed an issue that was causing crafting materials for certain Blacksmithing recipes to be consumed without an item being crafted

EVENTS

• Cursed Chests
  • Horde Type Cursed Chests
    • No longer have a shrine
    • Now only require 100 monsters to achieve bonus, down from 150
    • Completing the event awards 1 chest
    • Completing the bonus awards a second chest
  • Wave Type Cursed Chests
    • The standard chest has been removed as a reward
    • Completing without hitting five waves now only awards a Shrine
    • Completing the fifth wave will now give the chest as a bonus
    • Once the fifth wave is completed, the events now end and the bonus chest is granted immediately
    • Every completed wave now also grants bonus experience and gold
• Infernal Machine
  • The items required for the level 60 Hellfire Ring now only drop if the game is level 60

ITEMS

• Health Potion drop rate has been reduced from all sources
• Armor racks now give less generous loot
• Added new item affix: "+X% damage to Physical damage type skills" to go along with similar Elemental damage type skills affixes
  • This new affix rolls in the same slots and ranges as the other +X% damage to each of the Elemental damage type skills affixes
• Maximum amount of Resource cost reduction you can roll on items has been reduced from 12% to 10% on weapons and 10% to 8% on non-weapon slots
• Vendor-bought items are now flagged as such, and cannot be salvaged
• Set Items
  • Many set items have received updates to their set bonuses:
    • Blackthorne's Armor
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +250 Vitality
        • +10% Damage against Elites
      • 3-piece Set Bonus:
        • +25% Gold Find
        • -10% Damage Taken from Elites
      • 4-piece Set Bonus:
        • You are immune to Desecrator, Molten, and Plagued monster types
    • Bul-Kathos’ Glory
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +250 Strength
        • +10 Max Fury
        • You occasionally Whirlwind furiously, dealing 250-300% weapon damage to all enemies around you for 6 seconds
    • Chantodo's Return
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +250 Intelligence
        • Reduce damage from elites by 10%
        • Your shields heal for 25% of their remaining amount when they expire
    • Endless Path
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +250 Vitality
        • +50% Critical Hit Damage
    • Immortal King’s Legend
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +100 All Resistance
        • +10 Max Fury
      • 3-piece Set Bonus:
        • +289 Life per Fury Spent
        • +2 passive Fury regeneration
      • 4-piece Set Bonus:
        • Call of the Ancients last until they die
    • Inna's Grandeur
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
      • Reduced Life per Spirit Spent from 274 to 124
    • Manajuma's Ornaments
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +250 Intelligence
        • +30 Mana per Kill
        • You are surrounded by a deadly poison cloud, dealing 150% weapon damage per second to enemies within 10 yards
    • Natalya's Solace
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +250 Dexterity
        • +10 Max Discipline
      • 3-piece Set Bonus:
        • +7% Critical Hit Chance
        • +10 Max Discipline
      • 4-piece Set Bonus:
        • The cooldown of Rain of Vengeance is reduced by 1 second for every enemy you kill
    • Shenlong's Noble Path
      • 2-piece Set Bonus:
        • +250 Dexterity
        • +1 Spirit Regen per Sec
        • Chance to hurl a ball of pure energy when attacking, dealing 300% weapon damage as Fire
    • Tal Rasha's Sacrifice
      • Increased Arcane Power Regeneration on the 3-piece bonus to 2
• Legendary Items
  • The unique affixes for many Legendaries now roll with variable bonuses instead of static numbers
    • Example: Wizard Spike may now roll between 20%-25% chance to cast a Frozen Orb
  • All legendary quivers now roll 15-20% attack speed
  • Legendary items with more powerful effects are now more rare
  • Many Legendary items have received updates to their stats and bonuses:
    • Andariel's Visage
      • Reduced the Increased Fire Damage Taken roll to 5-10%
      • Reduced internal cooldown
      • Increased Poison Nova radius to 10 yards
      • Now rolls with Attack Speed and Elemental Damage Bonus
    • Anessazi Edge
      • Increased Stun duration from 1.0 to 1.5 seconds
    • Azurewrath
      • Increased minimum roll for Freeze chance to 20%
      • Now rolls Attack Speed
    • Buriza-Do Kyanon
      • Now causes your projectiles to pierce 1-2 additional times
      • Lowered pierce internal cooldown to 0.5 seconds
      • Now always rolls Cold damage, Dexterity and Attack Speed
    • Calamity
      • Now applies only unruned Marked for Death in order to reduce visual and process clutter
    • Cindercoat
      • Increased minimum cost reduction for Fire skills roll to 23%
    • Dark Mage’s Shade
      • Reduced maximum cooldown roll to 20
    • Doombringer
      • Now rolls Primary Stat, Life %, Life per Hit, and 30-40% increased damage for Physical skills
    • Eye of Etlich
      • Increased Ranged Damage Reduction roll to 30%-35%
      • Now rolls Elemental Damage Bonus
    • Frostburn Gauntlets
      • Increased minimum Cold Damage roll to 23%
      • Increased minimum Freeze roll to 34%
    • Gazing Demise
      • Legendary power has been removed and is now on Homunculus
    • Gyana Na Kashu
      • Increased minimum Piercing Fireball damage roll to 360%
    • Homunculus
      • Legendary power has been redesigned
        • A Zombie Dog is automatically summoned to your side every 4-6 seconds
      • Now rolls Intelligence, Maximum Mana, All Resist, and Reduced Damage from Elites
    • Magefist
      • Increased minimum Fire Damage roll to 30%
    • Moon Slayer
      • Grasp of the Dead will now display a cooldown swipe when cast if Moon Slayer is equipped
        • This Legendary power is under review and may be revised in the future
    • Moonlight Ward
      • Now rolls 40%-50% increased damage for Arcane Skills
      • Removed internal cooldown
    • Pox Faulds
      • Legendary Power has been redesigned
        • When 3 or more enemies are within 12 yards, you release a vile stench that deals 240%-320% weapon damage as Poison every second for 10 seconds to enemies within 15 yards
    • Skycutter
      • Now rolls 30%-40% increased damage for Holy Skills
    • String of Ears
      • Increased Melee Damage Reduction roll to 25%-30%
    • Stone of Jordan
      • Increased minimum roll of Bonus Damage to Elites to 25%
      • Now rolls Primary stat, Elemental Damage Bonus and Maximum Resource affix families
    • Strongarm Bracers
      • Changed from +25% damage for 3 seconds to +20-30% damage for 5 seconds
    • The Swami
      • Reduced chance to proc Frost Nova on killing an enemy from 20-25% to 15-20%
    • Swamp Land Waders
      • Increased bonus Poison Skill damage roll to 30-40%
    • Tasker and Theo
      • Changed from +100% pet attack speed to +40-50% pet attack speed
    • Wizardspike
      • Now only drops for Wizards
      • Legendary Power now actually casts the Frozen Orb rune
      • Reduced Frozen Orb proc chance to 20%-25%
      • Now has an internal cooldown based on attack speed to normalize Frozen Orb proc rate during channeled spells
      • Now rolls with 75-100 All Resistance
      • Can now roll with any damage type, not just Arcane
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed a bug where Act III bounty bags dropped a Legendary crafting plan 100% of the time

MONSTERS

• Chance of minions dropping health globes has been reduced to 50%
• Affixes
  • Desecrator
    • Maximum damage has been reduced
    • Increased amount of time before maximum damage is reached
  • Molten
    • Reduced trail target area size to 2.75 yards
    • Reduced explosion target area size to 12.5 yards
  • Plagued
    • Damage has been reduced
    • Increased amount of time before maximum damage is reached
    • Reduced target area size to 7 yards
  • Poison Enchanted
    • Now does reduced damage to pets
  • Frozen
    • Reduced explosion and build up target area size to 12.5 yards
  • Mortar
    • Reduced outer target area size to 11.5 yards
  • Frozen Pulse
    • Reduced pulse target area size to 11.5 yards
  • Thunderstorm
    • Reworked targeting logic on subsequent bolts to keep them within a small area of the first bolt
    • Thunderstorm bolts no longer “chase” targets
    • Increased Thunderstorm's splash damage slightly (0.5 - 0.75) to account for the above change
• Bug Fixes
  • First kill Legendary has been removed from Rakanoth
  • Monsters in the Rockworm family will no longer become stuck in an invulnerable state when killed while burrowed
  • Monsters with the Reflects Damage affix are no longer becoming stuck in an endlessly looping animation

USER INTERFACE

• Skill tooltips now show the damage type if you have Advanced Tooltips enabled
• Bug Fixes
  • Attributes are now properly displaying values when viewed in Heroes Profile tab

 Reaper of Souls Closed Beta - v.2.0.0.21390

Below you will find the most current Closed Beta patch notes for Reaper of Souls.  To provide feedback on these changes or report new bugs, please visit the appropriate Closed Beta forum:

• General Feedback
• Feature Feedback
• Class Feedback

To report any issues you experience while playing, please visit the Reaper of Souls Bug Report forum.
ATTENTION:  Please note that the Closed Beta also includes all changes from the PTR.

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GENERAL

• The amount of experience needed per level from 64 onward has been increased
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed an issue where Covetous Shen's unique side quest could not be completed
  • Fixed an issue where the Soul Crucibles in Gideon's Row and Nobles Rest could not be damaged by certain abilities during the quest "Orbs of Death"
  • Fixed an issue where the entrance to the Musty Cellar was floating in mid-air in front of Haedrig's cart in the Survivor's Enclave

ADVENTURE MODE

• Kadala, the Blood Shard vendor, now has a chance to randomly produce Legendaries when purchasing randomized items
• Lorath Nahr is now no longer a vendor
• Bounties:
  • In Adventure Mode, each Act now rolls a random boss kill, dungeon clear, unique kill, event complete, and random non-boss bounty
• Nephalem Rifts:
  • The Greater Horadric Cache has been removed
    • The loot that previously came from these bags will now drop from Rift Guardians
  • Several changes have been made to Nephalem Rift maps
• Bug Fixes
  • Kadala's inventory has been updated to include bows and crossbows
  • "Bounty: Kill Lurk" can now be completed
  • The shy female Lacuni who were refusing to jump down from their perches in the Caverns of Frost have been removed from Adventure Mode
  • Fixed an issue where some lower level bounties were providing level 70 rewards

CLASSES

• Barbarian
  • Active Skills
    • Avalanche
      • Fixed a bug that was causing Avalanche to deal ~20% more damage than listed
      • Skill Rune - Snow-Capped Mountain
        • Increased the damage area width from 30 to 40 yards
        • Reduced the damage from 2000% to 1600% weapon damage
      • Skill Rune - Volcano
        • Increased damage from 2400% to 3000% weapon damage
        • Increased the randomness of the volcano damage targeting
• Crusader
  • Active Skills
    • Akarat's Champion
      • Skill Rune - Fire Starter
        • Has been redesigned. Whenever the player spends 20 Wrath, they will explode with fire, dealing weapon damage to nearby enemies
    • Laws of Hope
      • Cooldown increased to 45 seconds
      • The active effect of the base skill and all runes no longer heals players and allies. Instead, it now puts a shield on all players for 3 seconds.
    • Laws of Justice
      • Cooldown increased to 45 seconds
      • Skill Rune – Faith’s Armor
        • Now has a 3 second expiration timer on the shield
    • Laws of Valor
      • Cooldown increased to 45 seconds
  • Passive Skills
    • Fantacism
      • Has been renamed Righteousness
  • Bug Fixes
    • Heaven's Fury
      • Skill Rune - Split Fury
        • An enemy can now only be targeted by a single beam
    • Laws of Hope
      • Skill Rune - Wings of Angels
        • Crusaders with this skill rune activated will no longer be able to pass through sand doors in the Storm Halls and Unknown Depths

• Demon Hunter
  • Active Skills
    • Vengeance
      • Vault will now trigger Side Cannons and Homing Rockets while Vengeance is active
      • Skill Rune - Dark Heart
        • Increased damage from 300% to 325% weapon damage per sec
      • Skill Rune - Personal Mortar
        • No longer fires homing rockets
        • Changed damage type from Physical to Fire
      • Skill Rune - Stimulants
        • This rune has been replaced with Side Cannons
        • Replaces the side guns with cannons that deal 150% weapon damage and heal you for 1.5% of maximum life per enemy hit
• Witch Doctor
  • Bug Fixes
    • Piranhas
      • Grave Injustice now correctly affects the cooldown of this skill
• Wizard
  • Active Skills
    • Black Hole
      • Skill Rune - Absolute Zero
        • Reduced Cold damage bonus per enemy hit to 3%
  • Passive Skills
    • Audacity
      • Reduced damage bonus to 15%

CRAFTING

• All Legendary crafting recipes now require a unique material
• Unique crafting materials for Legendaries now only drop at level 70
• Unique Legendary crafting materials now display as Rare quality (instead of Legendary quality)
• The chance for a crafting plan to drop from Horadric Caches has been reduced

EVENTS

• Cursed Chests
  • All Acts can now spawn Cursed Chests in many zones that may summon a handful of monsters, Champions, Rares, or even Bosses (these chests are different from "Wave" and "Horde" chest types)
    • These chests only appear in Adventure Mode
    • These chest events can be failed
    • These chest events cannot be Bounties
    • Chest rewards for these kinds of chests are currently being tuned
• Infernal Machine
  • The Keywardens now spawn in both Campaign and Adventure Mode from level 60-70
  • Level 70 Keywardens now also have a small chance to drop a random key from other Acts
  • The following keys now drop at level 70 from Keywardens (these keys are used to craft the level 70 Infernal Machine device):
    • Key of Bones
    • Key of Gluttony
    • Key of War
    • Key of Evil
  • The Blacksmith can now craft the following level 70 devices:
    • The Infernal Machine of Bones
    • The Infernal Machine of Gluttony
    • The Infernal Machine of War
    • The Infernal Machine of Evil
  • The new Infernal Machine recipes now drop off any Keywardens at level 70
  • Level 70 Infernal Machine bosses now drop the following components (these items are used to craft the level 70 Hellfire Ring):
    • Leoric's Regret
    • Vial of Putridness
    • Idol of Terror
    • Heart of Evil
  • The Jeweler can now craft a level 70 version of the Hellfire Ring:
    • There is only one version of the new Hellfire Ring; when crafting, it will roll using the Smart Loot system for the character that crafted it
    • This crafting plan can be purchased from Squirt in Act II
  • The drop rates for level 70 keys and organs for the Infernal Machine event have temporarily been set to 100%
    • This is to encourage testing in the next phase

ITEMS

• A new item affix has been added: +% damage to Piranhas
• Death's Breath now drops more frequently from Champion and Elite packs
• Piro Marella (Crusader shield) is now a crafted item
• Golden Scourge (Crusader flail) is now a crafted item
• Legendary Items:
  • Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander
    • Reduced chance on killing a demon to gain a Shrine buff from 2% to 0.5%
  • Alabaster Gloves
    • Now heals allies for 50% of health potion amount
  • Band of the Rue Chambers
    • Increased minimum Spirit Generation bonus from Spirit Generators to 60%
  • Cord of the Sherma
    • Increased internal cooldown to 10 seconds
    • Increased radius to 27.5 yards to match the visual effect
  • Eye of Peshkov
    • Increased minimum cooldown on Breath of Heaven roll to 38%
  • Falcon Wing
    • Now works on dodges
  • Fulminator
    • Increased minimum Lightning Rod weapon damage per second to 167%
  • The Furnace
    • Increased internal cooldown to 1 second
  • Golden Gorget of Leoric
    • Reduced Skeleton duration to 10 seconds
  • Hexing Pants of Mr. Yan
    • While stationary, the resource regeneration and damage is now reduced by 20-25%
  • The Laws of Seph
    • Increased Spirit gain on casting Blinding Flash from 45-60 to 75-100
  • The Magistrate
    • Increased coolup before Frost Nova to 4.5 seconds
    • Reduced cooldown between Frost Novas to 4.5 seconds
    • Reduced Freeze duration to 2 seconds
  • Mask of Lies
    • Now always rolls with +Maximum Arcane Power
  • Salvation
    • Reduced party-wide healing amount on block from 100% to 20%-30% of the amount blocked
  • Schaefer’s Hammer
    • Increased the Lightning Damage roll to 30%-40%
    • Removed internal cooldown
  • Thunderfury
    • Increased movement and attack speed slow to 30%
    • Increased proc chance to 60%
    • Fixed a bug where the proc chance wasn’t rolling against the triggering power’s proc scalar
    • Changed internal cooldown to 1 / Attacks Per Second
    • Increased maximum targets to 5
  • Thundergod's Vigor
    • No longer a Barbarian Belt and can roll for any class
    • Now rolls 150-200 Lightning Resist
    • Now rolls 10%-15% more damage with Lightning Skills
  • Trag’oul Coils
    • Will now also reduce all cooldowns by 45-60 seconds when you use a healing well, in addition to its previous effect of replenishing all resources
  • New Legendary - Halcyon's Ascent (may also be listed as "Strobe")
    • Rolls Primary stat, Cooldown Reduction, Increased Damage Against Elites 10%-15% and Reduced Damage From Elites 10%-15%
    • Legendary Power:
      • Barbarian – When you use Wrath of the Berserker, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for 6-8 seconds
      • Crusader – When you use Akarat’s Champion, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for 6-8 seconds
      • Demon Hunter – When you use Vengeance, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for 6-8 seconds
      • Monk – When you use Epiphany, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for 6-8 seconds
      • Witch Doctor – When you use Big Bad Voodoo, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for 6-8 seconds
      • Wizard – When you use Archon, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for 6-8 seconds

USER INTERFACE

• Torment difficulties III-VI now have difficulty descriptions
• The Waypoint UI now displays the appropriate gold/experience values for Bounty turn-in rewards

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RoS Beta Known Issues

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Reaper of Souls Beta! Below you will find the Known Issues list for the current wave of our Closed Beta test. (Patch Notes are available here). Please do not report bugs that you see on this list, as we already know about them, and help out other players reporting bugs by referring them to this list. 

As a reminder, this is a beta and changes will be implemented rapidly. This list will not contain every bug that is active in the Reaper of Souls beta content, and this list will be updated at a very rapid pace as the beta progresses. 

What it is listed here are a select few issues -- chosen due to severity/impact -- that are active and confirmed as bugs by Quality Assurance with verifiable steps and an expected fix. We have hundreds of bugs in our database, so it would be impossible to list all known issues. Just because a bug is not on this list does not mean we don't know about it! In addition, potential exploits and the like will never be listed here.

Please note that documented bugs may not always be fixed in the order in which they were reported. In some cases, we may not have a timeline for a when a bug will be fixed and some bugs may not be able to be fixed at all. If we are able to verify that a documented bug cannot be fixed, it will be removed from this list. 

Thank you for your continued reports, and enjoy the Reaper of Souls Beta!!!

Adventure Mode

• The zoom buttons on the map do not currently function. 
  Workaround: To change acts in adventure mode, right-click on the map to zoom out. You will be able to select and travel to other acts from the World Map.

• The Spirit Prison event may not appear in the world during “Bounty: Out of Time”, preventing the bounty from being able to be completed

Quests

• It is possible to enter the City of Caldeum and prematurely kill quest-related monsters during “The Scouring of Caldeum”, which can block quest progression

• The “Treason’s Final Reward” event in the Paths of the Drowned cannot currently be completed.

• The Enchantress side quest “A Sister’s Voice” cannot be completed.

Game Settings

• Changing a character’s quest in the Game Settings menu can alter the saved quest state of other characters on the account.

• The icon for the “Any Quest” option in Game Settings can sometimes disappear.

• Quest information isn’t updating on the home screen when you select the “Any Quest” option.

• Gold and XP bonuses are displaying at 0.00% for all difficulties on the Game Difficulty screen.

• Leaving a game after reaching AFK status will cause a player’s selected quest to reset to the first quest in the act.

Social

• The number of members displayed on the Total Members, Roster, and Finder areas of the community/clan interface can be incorrect.

• Some Clan Member’s achievement point totals are displaying as “0” in the Clan Roster

• The Clan or Group Roster may list characters as being level 0.

Combat

• Crusader: “Law” buffs will appear on the buff bar twice if there are two crusaders with the same law spell active in a party together.

• Crusader – Steed Charge: Collector’s Edition wings (Blade Wings and Angelic Wings) are not properly attached to the Crusader when using Steed Charge.

• Dying multiple times in the Scorched chapel can cause your character to revive with an incorrect appearance.

• Monk – Epiphany (Desert Shroud): Pink “temporary” art will appear if Epiphany expires while the monk is in the middle of certain animations.

• The Skills UI can become unresponsive or revert to previous settings if nearby party members engage in combat while you are manipulating skills.

• Barbarian – Ancient Spear: The projectile for the Ancient Spear can path in random directions when using the “Rage Flip” and “Harpoon” rune variants

Environments

• Act V – Path of War: The Pandemonium Siege Towers can become invulnerable in the monsters in the towers destroy the chains attached to the tower.

Items

• The unique legendary effect on the hand crossbow K'mar Tenclip is currently not functional.

• The Mystic is currently displaying an incomplete list of possible properties in the Enchanting interface.

• Several legendary Crusader Shields are still using placeholder art.

• Mystery offhand and amulet items cannot be purchased by characters below level 8.

• The Gibbering Gemstone cannot currently be obtained.

Monsters

• Death Maidens can spawn in Nephalem Rifts in large numbers, potentially leading to performance degradation.

• If two Hound Pack Leaders use their special ability on a player simultaneously, the player can become de-synced or disconnected from the game.

Paragon

• The Cooldown Reduction and Resource Reduction available from the Offense category of paragon bonuses do not convey any benefit to the player when selected.

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PTR-Only Bug: Level 60 Heroes Unable to Access Torment

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

We're currently investigating an issue where some level 60 characters are currently unable to access Torment difficulty on the PTR. 

Please note that this issue is only affecting PTR characters that were level 60 at the time that the most recent PTR patch (2.0.0.21930) went live. Sub-max level characters that hit level 60 after the patch will not be affected. Similarly, level 60 characters that are copied (or re-copied) over to the PTR after the patch will not be affected. 

Since this is a PTR-only bug, it’s not an issue that will ever affect the live client. Even so, this is something we believe we can address for PTR players via hotfix rather than a full patch, and are working on doing so right now. We do not have an ETA at this time for when that hotfix will be ready, but we'll be sure to update in this thread as more information becomes available.

I dont understand, it says PTR 2.0.1 is up but the version we have its 2.0.0.21930, is that fine?

Totally fine.  The build number for the patch that actually goes live will be 2.0.1; these test patches, as a result, are numbered lowered.
Hey all, 

As an update, this issue should now be fixed. In order for the fix to take effect on your characters, however, you’ll need to complete a few simple steps. 

Step 1

: Login with an account that has a level 60 character, but does not have Torment unlocked.

Step 2

: Enter any game with that level 60 character.

Step 3:

 Leave that game.

Step 4:

 Open up the difficulty selection screen. Torment should now be available.

If you continue to experience issues after completing these steps, please let us know.

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Design a Legendary, Part 3: Choose Your Power Vote

If you'd like to cast your vote, go to the official post and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Official Forums)

Over the past month, we've encouraged players to submit ideas for what kind of Legendary power our upcoming Mephisto-themed sword should wield. We've read through over 400 comments, emails, forum posts, and tweets sent to us from around the world, each boasting a unique suggestion for our Design a Legendary project. 

From this amazing, though massive pool of creativity, community managers from our regional offices pared down the list of player suggestions to approximately 50, bearing in mind the design philosophies, goals, and limitations defined by Travis and John in our Design a Legendary livestream. From those suggestions, our designers have selected five possible Legendary powers for you to vote on, listed below!

Please note that these powers are not final and, if selected, would still be subject to a full tuning pass. For many of the powers, values like damage %, radius size (for area of effect abilities), and effect durations have not yet been implemented and would be determined after balance testing has taken place. 

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 Legendary Power #1:

You radiate an aura of Hatred. All monsters near you deal and receive additional damage. 

 Legendary Power #2:

Attacks have a chance on hit to cause your current target to be hated by all nearby enemies, taunting them to attack that target for the duration of the effect. 

 Legendary Power #3:

When you are near death, your hatred for your enemies grows, significantly reducing your resource costs and cooldowns. 

 Legendary Power #4:

Elemental attacks have a chance to trigger one of powerful abilities inspired by the Lord of Hatred himself: Charged Bolt, Poison Nova, and Freezing Skull. Lightning damage has a chance to trigger a Charged Bolt. Poison damage has a chance to trigger Poison Nova. Cold damage has a chance to trigger Freezing Skull. 

 Legendary Power #5:

Summons an Evil Force to fight alongside the player for a period of time. This force would take the form of a non-attackable melee pet, and it would be possible to potentially have more than one Evil Force active at once. 

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An item's power (or proc) is perhaps the most important part of any Legendary, and which power we choose for our Mephisto-themed, one-handed is now completely up to you. Pick your favorite by using the voting options below, and be sure to spread the word. As with previous votes, whichever theme gets the most votes globally wins!

After the poll has closed, we'll tabulate player votes from all our different Diablo III communities around the world to determine the winner and share the results next week. Don't delay, though—this poll will close Wednesday, January 22.

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New Set Item Bonuses

A good number of Set bonuses have been updated. One has been added but it seems it currently has some placeholder values.

Bul-Kathos's Glory

• 2 Pieces: +250 Strength (up from 130), +10 Max Fury (up from 5)

Chantodo's Return

• 2 Pieces: +250 Intelligence (up from 130), Reduces Damage from Elites by 10% (up from 7%)

Shenlong's Noble Path

• 2 Pieces: +250 Dexterity (up from 130), Increases Spirit Regeneration by 1 per Second (up from 0.3333333)

Manajuma's Ornaments

• 2 Pieces: +250 Intelligence (up from 130), Grants 30 Mana per Kill (up from 5)

Natalya's Solace

• 2 Pieces: +250 Dexterity (up from 130, moved from 3 Pieces), +10 Maximum Discipline (split between 2 and 3 Pieces)
• 3 Pieces: Critical Hit Chance Increased by 7% (moved from 2 Pieces), +10 Maximum Discipline
  
• 4 Pieces: The Cooldown of Rain of Vengeance is Reduced by 1 Second for every enemy you kill (moved from 5 Pieces)

Immortal King's Legend

• 2 Pieces: +100 All Resist (up from 60), +10 Maximum Fury (new)
• 3 Pieces: Increases Fury Generation by 2 (replaces Reduced Damage by 0.04%), Gain 289 Life per Fury spent (new)

Tal Rasha's Sacrifice

• 2 Pieces: Arcane skills deal 5% more damage, Cold skills deal 5% more damage, Fire skills deal 5% more damage, Lightning skills deal 5% more damage (All elemental damage increases have been put into 2 Pieces)
• 3 Pieces: +100 All Resist (new), Increases Arcane Power regeneration by 2 per second (new)

Inna's Grandeur

• 2 Pieces: +250 Dexterity (up from 130), Gain 124 Life per Spirit spent (new)
• 3 Pieces: Increases Spirit regeneration by 2 per second (up from 0.3333333), Reduces Resource Cost of Sweeping Wind by 70 (new)

Zunimassa's Whispers

• 2 Pieces: +250 Intelligence (up from 130), Grants 30 Mana per Kill (new)
• 3 Pieces: +75 All Resist (up from 55), Increases Mana regeneration by 7.5 per second (new)
  

Endless Path

• 2 Pieces: +250 Vitality (up from 100)

Blackthorne's Armor

• 2 Pieces: +250 Vitality (up from 100), Increases Damage versus Elits by 10% (moved from 3 Pieces)
• 3 Pieces: Reduces Damage from Elites by 10% (moved from 4 Pieces), 25% Extra Gold from Monsters (moved from 4 Pieces)

Raiment of a Thousand Storm (previously Monk_Lightning_Set_1)

• 6 Pieces: Whenever you teleport to an enemy, release lightning at all nearby enemies for 100% weapon damage (previously gave Crusader ability buff)

Witch_Doctor_Set_X1 (New)

• 2 Pieces: +200 Intelligence
• 3 Pieces: +200 Intelligence
• 4 Pieces: +200 Intelligence 

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New Passive Effects

We couldn't get all new Passive Effect changes and additions, but here's what we have.

New

• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_738_x1 - Removes the cooldown of Summon Zombie Dogs.
• ItemPassive_SetBonus_Chantodo - Your shields heal for 25% of their remaining amount when they expire.
• ItemPassive_Unique_Polearm_001_x1 - Getting hit has a chance to automatically cast Inner Sanctuary.
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_017_x1 - Taking damage has up to a [{VALUE1}*100]% chance to reset the cooldown on Teleport.
• ItemPassive_Unique_Orb_001_x1 - Taking damage has up to a [{VALUE1}*100]% chance to reset the cooldown on Teleport.
• ItemPassive_Unique_XBow_011_x1 - Your projectiles pierce {VALUE1} additional |4time:times;.
• ItemPassive_Unique_Sword_1H_012_x1 - Undead enemies within 25 yards take [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Holy every second and are sometimes knocked back.
• ItemPassive_x1_Amulet_norm_unique_25_Barbarian - When you use Wrath of the Berserker, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for {VALUE1} seconds.
• ItemPassive_x1_Amulet_norm_unique_25_Crusader - When you use Akarat's Champion, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for {VALUE1} seconds.
• ItemPassive_x1_Amulet_norm_unique_25_DemonHunter - When you use Vengeance, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for {VALUE1} seconds.
• ItemPassive_x1_Amulet_norm_unique_25_Monk - When you use Epiphany, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for {VALUE1} seconds.
• ItemPassive_x1_Amulet_norm_unique_25_WitchDoctor - When you use Big Bad Voodoo, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for {VALUE1} seconds.
• ItemPassive_x1_Amulet_norm_unique_25_Wizard - When you use Archon, you mesmerize nearby enemies with your skill, causing them to jump uncontrollably for {VALUE1} seconds.
• ItemPassive_Unique_Mojo_003_x1 - A Zombie Dog is automatically summoned to your side every {VALUE1} seconds.

 Changed

• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_537_x1 - Tempest Rush gains the effect of the Tailwind rune. (Previously removed Resource Cost of Tempest Rush)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_549_x1 - Zombie Dogs stuns enemies around them for 1.5 seconds when summoned. (up from 1 second)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_633_x1 - 50% of Health Potion effects are also applied to allies. (Previously didn't specify %)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_645_x1 - Gain an aura of death that deals 1000% of your Life per Second to enemies within 16 yards. You no longer regenerate Life. (Down from 20 yards)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_672_x1 - Chance on killing a demon to gain a random Shrine effect. (Previously specified 2% chance)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Pants_007_x1 - When 3 or more enemies are within 12 yards, you release a vile stench that deals [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Poison every second for 10 seconds to enemies within 15 yards. (Previously only said "These pants occasionally make you stink.")
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_500_x1 - Picking up a Health Globe releases an explosion that deals [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Fire to enemies within 20 yards. (Previously the damage wasn't Fire and was "100% weapon damage" without a value that multiplies by 100%)
  
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_505_x1 - Your Chill effects have up to a [{VALUE1} * 100]% chance to Freeze instead of Slow. (Changed from a 50% chance)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_508_x1 - After killing 10 enemies, you release a Poison Nova that deals [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Poison to enemies within 30 yards. (Changed from 500%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_514_x1 - Reduces the cooldown of Slow Time by [{VALUE1} * 100]%. (Changed from 5 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_526_x1 - Pets deal [{VALUE}*100]% more damage. (Changed from 100%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_527_x1 - Your melee attacks throw a piercing axe at a nearby enemy, dealing [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Physical. (Damage changed from 100% and not specified as Physical)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_528_x1 - Reduces the Fury cost of Seismic Slam by [{VALUE1} * 100]%. (Previously reduced the cost to 15 Fury)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_530_x1 - Increases the duration of Ignore Pain by {VALUE1} seconds. (Changed from 5 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_534_x1 - Lashing Tail Kick releases a piercing fireball that deals [{VALUE1} * 100]% weapon damage as Fire to enemies within 10 yards on impact. (Damage changed from 300% and range wasn't previously specified)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_536_x1 - Using Blinding Flash restores {VALUE1} Spirit. (previously generated 50 spirit)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_538_x1 - Reduces the cooldown of Breath of Heaven by [{VALUE1} * 100]%. (Changed from 50%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_539_x1 - When Dashing Strike hits an enemy more than {VALUE1} yards away, its Charge cost is refunded. (changed from 25 yards)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_540_x1 - Exploding Palm's on death explosion is increased to [{VALUE1}*100]% of the enemy's maximum Life. (Changed from 100%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_541_x1 - Your Spirit Generators generate [{VALUE1} * 100]% more Spirit. (Changed from 50%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_550_x1 - [{VALUE1}*100]% of the damage you take is redirected to your Zombie Dogs. (Changed from 30%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_554_x1 - Increase attack speed of your pets by [{VALUE1}*100]%. (Changed from 100%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_555_x1 - Corpse Spiders releases a web on impact that Slows enemies by [{VALUE1}*100]%. (Changed from 50% for 3 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_557_x1 - Magic Missile fires {VALUE1} extra missiles (changed from 2 missiles)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_560_x1 - Chance on hit to create a chaos field that Blinds and Slows enemies inside for {VALUE1} seconds (Changed from 2 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_561_x1 - While your Arcane Power is below 30%, you emit a Lightning Nova that deals [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Lightning every second. (Changed from "below 20%" and damage dealt changed from 150%; damage was also not specified as Lightning)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_567_x1 - Chance on you or your pets being hit to Confuse the enemy for {VALUE1} seconds. (changed from 2 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_569_x1 - Damaging enemies has a chance to grant you an effect that removes the Spirit cost of your abilities for {VALUE1} seconds. (changed from 3 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_571_x1 - Dealing damage has a chance to deal [{VALUE1}*100]% of the enemy's current health as Fire damage. (Changed from 8%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_577_x1 - Chance on hit to pull in enemies toward your target and Slow them by [{VALUE1}*100]% (Didn't previously specify a percentage)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_581_x1 -  Chance on hit to blast your enemy with Lightning, dealing [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Lightning and then jumping to additional nearby enemies. Each enemy hit has their attack speed and movement speed reduced by 30% for 3 seconds. Jumps up to 5 targets. (Changed from "Chance on hit to blast your enemy with Lightning and slow its attack speed and movement speed. This effect jumps to additional enemies.")
• ItemPassive_Unique_Amulet_105_x1 - After earning a massacre bonus, {VALUE1} Skeletons are summoned to fight by your side for 10 seconds. (Changed from 5-10 skeletons and 45 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Helm_003_x1 - Chance on hit to release a Poison Nova that deals [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Poison to enemies within 10 yards. (Didn't have any values specified previously)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_597_x1 - While below [{VALUE1}*100]% Life, all attacks are guaranteed Critical Hits. (Changed from 30%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_590_x1 - Enemies hit by knockbacks suffer [{VALUE1}*100]% more damage for 5 seconds when they land. (Changed from 25% additional damage for 3 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_588_x1 - Each stunned enemy within 25 yards reduces your damage taken by [{VALUE1}*100]%. (Changed from 25% less damage)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_594_x1 - Wave of Light will refund its Spirit cost if it kills {VALUE1} or more enemies. (Changed from "4 or more enemies")
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_606_x1 - Automatically cast Diamond Skin when you fall below 35% Life. This effect may occur once every {VALUE1} seconds. (Changed from "25% Life" and "30 seconds")
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_608_x1 - Reduces the resource cost of Fire skills by [{VALUE1}*100]%. (Changed from 30%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_611_x1 - Enemies killed by Cold damage have a [{VALUE1}*100]% chance to release a Frost Nova. (Changed from 25% chance)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_612_x1 - Lightning damage has a chance to turn enemies into lightning rods, causing them to pulse [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Lightning every second to nearby enemies for 6 seconds. (Didn't previously specify the amount of damage dealt and the duration)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_613_x1 - Enemies damaged by Black Hole are also slowed by [{VALUE1}*100]% for 3 seconds. (Changed from 80%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_618_x1 - Locust Swarm also Slows enemies by [{VALUE1}*100]%. (Changed from 60%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_619_x1 - Your Town Portal is no longer interrupted by taking damage. While casting Town Portal you gain a protective bubble that reduces damage taken by [{VALUE1}*100]%. (Changed from 50%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_623_x1 - Hungering Arrow has [{VALUE}*100]% additional chance to pierce. (Changed from 20%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_633_x1 - 50% of Health Potion effects are also applied to allies. (Changed from 100%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_634_x1 - Blocking an attack has a chance to Freeze the attacker for [{VALUE1}|1|] seconds. (Changed from 3 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_635_x1 - Your resource generation and damage is increased by 25% while moving and decreased by [{VALUE1}*100]% while standing still. (Changed from damage reduced to 25% while still)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_636_x1 - Health globes restore [{VALUE1}*100]% of your primary resource. (Changed from 20%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_639_x1 - Using War Cry increases the movement speed for you and all allies affected by [{VALUE1}*100]% for 10 seconds. (Changed from 40%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_642_x1 - Inner Sanctuary increases Spirit Regeneration per second by {VALUE1}. (Changed from 10 Spirit)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_645_x1 - Gain an aura of death that deals 1000% of your Life per Second to enemies within 16 yards. You no longer regenerate Life. (Changed from 20 yards)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_646_x1 - [{VALUE1}*100]% chance on hit to summon a Spike Trap, Caltrops or Sentry. (Changed from 5% chance)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_647_x1 - Blocked attacks heal you and your allies for [{VALUE1}*100]% of the amount blocked. (Values weren't previously specified)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_649_x1 - Reduces the cooldown of Seven-Sided Strike by [{VALUE1} * 100]%. (Didn't have a value specified previously)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_658_x1 - Reduces the cooldown of Heaven's Fury by [{VALUE1} * 100]%. (Changed from 50%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_664_x1 - When there are 5 or more enemies within 12 yards, you gain an absorb shield equal to [{VALUE1}*100]% of your maximum Life for 6 seconds. This effect may occur once every 30 seconds. (Range changed from 8 yards; damage absorbed is changed from 30%; Duration changed from 5 seconds)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_665_x1 - Increase your Life per Second by up to [{VALUE1}*100]% based on your missing Life. (Changed from 100%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_670_x1 - Lightning damage has a [{VALUE1}*100]% chance to Stun for 1.5 seconds. (Changed from 15% chance)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_671_x1 - Increases duration of Stun effects by [{VALUE1}*100]%. (Changed from 50%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_672_x1 - Chance on killing a demon to gain a random Shrine effect. (Chance was previously specified to be 2%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_675_x1 - [{VALUE1}*100]% chance to spawn a Nephalem Glory globe when you Blind an enemy. (Changed from 50% chance)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_681_x1 - Gain up to [{VALUE}*100]% increased run speed based on amount of Life missing. (Changed from 30%)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_686_x1 - Dodging or getting hit by a ranged attack automatically shoots a homing rocket back at the attacker for [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Physical. (damage changed from 500% and was not previously specified as Physical)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_687_x1 - Blessed Shield ricochets to {VALUE1} additional enemies. (Changed from 3 additional enemies)
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_689_x1 - Reduces the Wrath cost of Shield Bash by [{VALUE1} * 100]%. (Changed from "Reduce the cost of Shield Bash to 15 Wrath.")
• ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_705_x1 - Sweep Attack restores {VALUE1} Wrath for each enemy hit. (Changed from "Sweep Attack grants 4 additional Wrath per enemy hit.")
• ItemPassive_Unique_Amulet_003_x1 - Hitting an enemy within 15 yards has a chance to ward you with shards of Arcane energy that explode when enemies get close, dealing [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Arcane to enemies within 15 yards. (Changed from "[{VALUE1} * 100]% chance to be surrounded by balls of Arcane Power when attacking.")
• ItemPassive_Unique_Mace_2H_009_x1 - Getting hit has a chance to charge you with Lightning, causing you to deal [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage as Lightning every second for 5 seconds to nearby enemies. (Chance was previously specified as "[{VALUE1} * 100]%"; Damage dealt wasn't previously specified; Didn't have a duration previously)

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A Look At Halcyon's Ascent

A new amulet icon has made its way into the Beta. Remind you of someone?

New Beta Patch - Class Changes, Difficulty Changes, New Gear Graphics

A new Beta patch has hit the servers. Standard warnings commence now:

This is datamined information and as such should be taken with a spoon of salt.

Also so far we only have the class changes. We'll be updating this post immediately as we get to the sweet, sweet... other parts of the game as well. Keep that F5 warm!

Update 4: New Gear Graphics and some backgrounds are added at the bottom.
Update 3: Under UIToolTips you can see what looks like the new survival bonus!
Update 2: Quickly added some item set names that were previously placeholders.
Update: We've piled up a nice amount of strings! Currently working on Passive Effects.

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New Strings - Difficulties, Callouts

Looks like Normal now grants bonus gold and XP as well!

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 Class Changes

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New Gear Graphics

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New Night Backgrounds

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Name World Map Zoom Plates

Significant Difficulty Changes Coming With Next Beta/PTR Patch

In the next PTR patch is for Torment to unlock once you reach level 60, the requirements for Master are going to shift and the difficulty will now unlock after you complete Act IV. Those and more upcoming changes were shared on the Official Forums today. Have a look at them and let us know if you think they're positive changes or not.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

We've heard some pretty significant feedback regarding the current difficulties available to players on the PTR. As a result, the intent next PTR patch is for Torment to unlock once you reach level 60, which will provide access to players both on the PTR and Closed Beta.

As a result, the intent next PTR patch is for Torment to unlock once you reach level 60, which will provide access to players both on the PTR and Closed Beta.

To compensate for Torment unlocking at level 60, in the next PTR/Beta patch the requirements for Master are going to shift and the difficulty will now unlock after you complete Act IV. \o/

Is this to only test torment in the PTR or is this how it will run live?

While we do want to test the change itself on the PTR, it's not a PTR-only change (if that makes sense). Once 2.0.1 goes live, the goal is for players to be able to unlock Master difficulty after completing Act IV on one of their characters, and then unlock Torment difficulty after they reach 60 on one of their characters. 

This change will available for testing in the next PTR patch. (For clarity, the change will also affect the Beta, not just the PTR.)

I read that as "We (players) will need to complete all of act IV in Master before we can test torment difficulty". Is that correct?

Negative. As noted above, the way it'll work in the next PTR/Beta patch is that Master difficulty will unlock for your account after you've completed Act IV on one of your characters, and Torment difficulty will unlock after you've reached level 60 on one of your characters. 

Don't think so. It's more like completing Act IV unlocks Master, level 60 unlocks Torment but it's very confusing. Master difficulty is currently open from the beginning so.... @Nevalistis?

Note that the "unlock" is account-wide, not character specific. So, once a difficulty is unlocked, it's available to every character on your account, even brand new ones. 

Master is probably open for you because you've already met the criteria for it on at least once of your heroes (right now Master unlocks at level 60). The only difficulties that don't have an unlock component are Normal, Hard, and Expert, which are available right from the start.

Edited to add: Sorry for the confusion! I'll amend my previous post to make things a little more clear. 

So to clarify, does this mean it's possible to have Torment unlocked without having Master unlocked if we don't have the expansion/Beta?

You're talking about an outlier scenario where someone who hasn't already killed Diablo at least once by the time that patch 2.0.1 goes live decides that he/she wants to grind up to level 60 without ever completing Act IV? (Just clarifying exactly what you're asking here.)

Note: Using your account as an example, when patch 2.0.1 goes live, Master difficulty would be unlocked for you because you've already killed Diablo at least once (and thus completed Act IV). Similarly, Torment difficulty would be unlocked for you because have a level 60 on your account. 

Right now on the PTR and in Beta, Master unlocks at level 60 and Torment at level 70. In the next PTR/Beta patch, we're planning to change this so that Master unlocks once you complete Act IV (i.e. kill Diablo) and Torment unlocks once you hit level 60*. This would be regardless of whether or not you purchase the expansion**. 

*You only need to meet the corresponding criteria on one of your characters to unlock the difficulty for your entire account. 

**Still clarifying what levels of Torment will available for non-RoS players. Will get back to you on that.

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No Account Wipe With The Next PTR/Beta Update

Some presumptions that there is going to be a Beta/PTR wipe today made Nevalistis pop in and clarify that not only there won't be wipes today, but there won't be any in the coming patch at all. Also, there is still no date for said patch.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Ros Beta Wipe today

Nope! We don't currently have a date to share for the next Closed Beta/PTR update, though it is currently being worked on quite extensively!

However, I can share that we are planning to not have a wipe with the next update. So if you are participating in the PTR or Closed Beta, the progress you currently have will carry over into the next patch for testing. =)

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HC and the 'Lower Difficulty' Feature

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

If you are playing by yourself and the fight is not going well you can pause the game and lower the difficulty from say Torment to Normal. I understand that in softcore if a person keeps dieing you don't want them to have to restart a new server to progress. But in Hardcore it makes a mockery of the game if we can lower to normal to get to safety. The next thing we will do is leave the game and remake a new game back at Torment difficulty. 

The difference is in Hardcore we won't be lowering the difficulty to progress we will lower the difficulty to get to safety. Once safe we will start a new server back at the higher difficulty.

You should not be able to lower the difficulty during a fight to save your character from death.

I've been keeping my eye on this thread, but was waiting for confirmation before I jumped in with some info about the Lower Difficulty feature. Our intention is for the button to work in Hardcore and Normal, but for the effect to not happen immediately.

I just wanted to let you all know what our current goals are the Lower Difficulty feature, since it's very relevant to the Hardcore community.

*Edited for clarity*

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Affixes and Crowd Control Discussion

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

I appreciate the feedback in this thread. We've certainly gotten a lot on monster affixes in general, but the discussion occurring in here is much more focused and very helpful. I've been taking notes for sure! =)

Those CC affixes trigger from the unavoidable damage from things like vortex, wormhole, jailer, and thunderstorm (but especially thunderstorm).

I know this doesn't completely address what's being discussed here, but I thought it a good opportunity to share some of the upcoming changes for the Closed Beta and PTR, specifically on the Thunderstorm affix. The bolts generated by Thunderstorm will no longer "chase" targets, and subsequent bolts after the first will stay within the same general area. This should lend to making the affix a bit more avoidable, but be careful - the splash damage has been slightly increased to account for this change.

Many other affixes, such as Molten, Plagued, Frozen, and Frozen Pulse, have also had their target areas reduced, which again should allow players to more easily avoid some of these effects.

- Poison. Far, far too much damage in close quarters, and it should not instakill minions.

Poison Enchanted will also be doing reduced damage to pets, so you should see this result much less often.

This could be Blizz's way to make you stack CC reduction on gear. 

The intention isn't to make you stack a particular stat - CC reduction is meant to be one of many choices in how you can handle an encounter. Is it really the only option, or do you feel like you can address the issue by using different abilities or different defensive stats? How do you currently handle these extremely difficult encounters when you experience them?

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Various Item Concerns And Ideas

Originally Posted by Blizzard 

Set Item Stats Quality

I know I've said this before, but I'd like to reiterate that Set Items have been going through iteration behind the scenes. Not all of these changes have made it onto the PTR/Closed Beta just yet, but there's a bundle more of them coming in the next patch. =) As we approach the release of Reaper of Souls and more items are reviewed, you'll see them pop up for testing.

My point is: players are essentially giving up 3-5 slots for a particular set, which could have been equipped by other legendaries of exciting orange affixes. AND these makes set items lacking in comparison.

Travis mentioned this during the Design a Legendary episode hosted by Twizzcast, but generally speaking the "crazier" Legendary bonuses are usually reserved for completing Set Bonuses. If something sounds really cool, but is a bit too much of a must-have for a single gear slot, then it's a better candidate for a Set Bonus. In the same right, we also need to be sure that the cool things you get for completing a Set are worth not being able to equip other Legendaries in some of those slots. 

In short, what you're asking for is already being kept in mind. As we go into the next patch, I definitely encourage you to give us feedback on Set Item bonuses, because if something feels like it needs improvement, we definitely want to know!

For the Tal Rasha set, might I recommend that the (5% more to skill) is changed to added fire damage/added cold etc to all attacks. This way all 3 of the bonuses will work and it becomes useful if you use the passive elemental exposure?

I don't believe we've shared the full details on the revised Tal Rasha's set bonuses yet, so just to make sure we're talking about the same item, here's what the upcoming bonuses on this particular set will look like:

(2) Set:

• Cold skills deal 5% more damage.
• Fire skills deal 5% more damage.
• Lightning skills deal 5% more damage.
• Arcane skills deal 5% more damage.

(3) Set:

• +100 Resistance to All Elements
• Increases Arcane Power Regeneration by 2.00 per second.

(4) Set:

• Damaging enemies with Arcane, Cold, Fire, or Lightning will cause a Meteor of the same damage type to fall from the sky. There is an 8 second cooldown for each damage type.

The 4 Set bonus will work quite nicely with an Elemental Exposure build where you use varying elemental types across different abilities, as the cooldown for each type of Meteor is independent of the others. To really maximize this set's potential, you're encouraged to switch up your damage type, and the 2 Set bonus also encourages this style of play. 

This is a pretty good example of an ability that, on a single item, would be far too powerful and a bit of a no-brainer, but as a reward for a 4-piece, feels like an awesome perk to work toward and build around.

which feedback do you want on set item bonuses? if they are too weak or how we would set them and so on?

If there are sets you think could use improvement or don't feel line up with the powers of other sets, please let us know! Suggestions are always welcome, but it's helpful to know if a particular item is widely being regarded as less desirable.
Edit for typo. (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)
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Purchasing Cosmetic Items (Suggestion)

for "cosmetic" I mean transmogrification skins, mini-pets, decals, avatar portraits, banner skins, wings, dyes and everything that does not inpact in the game mechanics, so no actual equippable items or buffs (like the pre-order only legendaries for the console version of Diablo 3).

"cosmetic" is very relative indeed, and I think this is an interesting discussion that a lot of people have shared quite varied opinions on so far, both for an against. I am blue tagging this it in hopes that this will encourage more people to share their views in here :-)

If you are not sure of the best way to share your views on this topic, then perhaps you can try to answer any or all of the following questions instead:
What do you think about the idea of having an option to purchase cosmetic items, be it for transmogrification or other things along the line mentioned by Nightshade above?Do you think cosmetic items should be reserved for things like rewards and rare drops, or should there be more ways to obtain such items?How much do cosmetic items matter to you, and how essential do you feel it is that more such items be added to the game in the future? (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)
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Hellfire Ring and Staff of Herding Changes On The Way
We are looking into the Hellfire Ring and also the Staff of Herding in the next Reaper of Souls beta patch, so keep an eye out for more information on that soon :-) (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

RoS Among 2014's Most Anticipated Games

Diablo 3's expansion Reaper of Souls was listed among the most anticipated games of 2014 by Gaming Trend. The site's reviewer is looking forward to the PS4 version, but he is finding the game pretty promising as it is anyway. Here is the excerpt regarding D3: RoS:

I declared Diablo III the couch co-op king, and we have the first expansion for that universe coming up very soon. While there hasn't been an announcement of dates for the PlayStation 4 version of the game, it's rumored that it'll be day and date or shortly thereafter with the PC version. This expansion also delivers a new loot system, the welcome death of the auction house, and many more improvements. Blizzard is pulling out all the stops, and Reaper of Souls looks ready to deliver.

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Blue Posts

Originally Posted by Blizzard

Vanilla Legendaries Don't Unlock RoS Transmog Visuals

I understand that in order to transmogrify an item into a legendary visual, you must first identify the legendary item. So my question is: If i find a legendary item in vanilla, and wait for ROS to come out to identify it, will I get the transmog for it? If anyone can shed some light or if a mod knows I would appreciate the feedback.

That's a good question, and something that has been asked a few times. However, you should not wait to identify a Legendary for that purpose. None of the items you find prior to Reaper of Souls will unlock their visual customization for Transmogrification, even if you wait till after the expansion launches to identify them. (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Vaneras On Constructive And Destructive Feedback

ok and what about the failure of Demon hunter? no 1 streamer is giving feedback about this class because nobody wants to play a weak and a fail class. Please can you make a real DEMON HUNTER and not a chicken hunter?

This is a great example of how not to post feedback, as there is nothing I can say to this that will lead to a fruitful discussion. If you want us to take your concerns seriously, please try to post them in a constructive manner instead of making sweeping statements. For an example, if you think Demon Hunters are underperforming in the Reaper of Souls beta, try to post some examples that help illustrate why you think that way. If you have already reached the conclusion that Demon Hunters are lacklustre, then try to post some data that supports your reasoning.

Posts with such examples and data often lead to really great feedback and questions that we can forward to the developers for them to look at. 

@Vaneras please answer about the actual demon hunter state.

Rest assured that I will post answers and feedback whenever I am able, but please keep in mind that any new information I get on Demon Hunters will likely be posted as a reply to more objective posts.

Thanks Vaneras for commenting on my video, I will be out of country for a week and when I come back I will find some more time to make a more detail post and maybe a better video.

No worries. Look forward to seeing your future feedback when you return. :-)

I don't know much about DH so I won't be able to say much about this class, but as far as I could tell from the game play of my friends and people on streams, DH is by all means not weak in RoS. A lot of skills have been buffed and with the right legendary, it's hard to imagine they will be weak in RoS. If any of you are DH playing RoS, please comments on this.

I second this request :-) (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

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MannerCookie's RoS Itemization Introduction

MannerCookie put together the first of his 2 parts of RoS Itemization thoughts. He talks about what kind of 60 level legendary items have value in RoS using a valuation system he made to simplify things for people who have yet to play the beta.

A Brief Look At Transmogrification

Our good friend and fellow DiabloFans member Jaetch made a very informative video about how transmogrification looks and works in the Reaper of Souls Beta. It's very entertaining to watch and the feature itself is very fun to experiment with, so check the video out.

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Suggestions for Fixing Current RoS Beta Issues

Despite how promising Reaper of Souls currently looks, there are still some major issues to be solved. Official Forums member Nubtro addresses them in a pretty detailed topic that grabbed Grimiku's attention. Have a look at them and let us know if you'd add anything or if you feel any of those are not issues, but things that are working as intended. 

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Here´s a list of solutions to the majority of issues present in the current RoS beta:

1. Increase trash monster density outside of Rifts to be at least close to 1.0.8 levels or implement a density slider.
2. Increase the experience gain in RoS because it´s a fraction of patch 1.0.8.
3. Remove all skill and gear effects that deal damage based on monster health or which outright skip it. Only then you can rescale monster health.
4. Remove Scrolls of Mysteries. Reasoning and discussion here
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/11206140658
5. Fix the display of Enchanting reroll possibilities.
6. Each bounty requires unique or trash monster kills and not waiting for x seconds or running towards point y (so that players don´t reset T6 games for those easier bounties).
7. To gain a bounty reward, you have to be in the area of the clear (no more leeching from town).
8. Implement a tiering system to guaranteed rewards like Rift Keys so that playing the lowest difficulty isn´t the most rewarding way to play the game. 
9. Allow lower level tiers of Rift Keys to be combined into a higher level Rift Key.
10. Give elite packs and goblins a small chance to drop Rift Keys that scales with difficulty level.
11. Require more monster kills to spawn a Rift Guardian or add a second boss that spawns much later.
12. Improve rewards for clearing Rifts.
13. Add a display for crafting roll possibilities.
14. Make mats combineable/salvageable into other mats (Parts<->Dust<->Crystal<->Breath<->Soul) so that each player can manage their own resources based on their needs and preferred play style. If Breaths and Souls are out of the question, Parts/Dust/Crystals would suffice.
15. Create a separate inventory space for mats, gems and potions and increase mats stacking to 10,000 and potions to 1000.
16. Seriously do something with the annoying 500 Shard cap and make their numbers as rewards scale with difficulty level. Getting the same number for clearing Expert level and Torment VI makes no sense.
17. Introduce a way to salvage out of town or access our stash so that we don´t have to port to town every few minutes to salvage/vendor items. If it has to make logical sense, let us pay Haedrig an hourly fee to accompany us.
18. More stash space to store the game-changing legendaries and set items to test their combinations.
19. A window to access the inventories of all our characters and maybe even move items between them (try to use the old AH interface). 
20. Drop mats in stacks to lower the number of clicks we have to perform.
21. Add a key binding option to directly open the Paragon distribution window.
22. Substract points button or input paragon point values.
23. Clicking "Accept" doesn´t close the paragon window.
24. Fix the cooldown reduction paragon stat so that it actually works.
25. Rename "Area Damage" to "Splash Damage".
26. Add 5 more stats to the paragon system:
Utility -> Resource generation bonus Defense -> Crowd Control reduction Core -> class specific affix (Fury heal, Spirit heal, APoC, Max Discipline/Hatred Regen, Mana regen/Mana on kills, Wrath heal)Offense -> Elite damage bonuschange Gold Find into Health Globe healing bonus in Utility27. Revise the decision of the round-robin distribution system and allow free stat allocation.
28. Increase the stats on 2H weapons to be more competitive with 1H weapons. Change Heavenly Strength instead of gimping 2H weapons.
29. Solve the issue with Sockets being an absolutely mandatory affix on weapons, helms, chest and pants by making them a 7th extra affix that you can add for materials (Shards). Sockets in rares would cost less than sockets in legendaries.
30. Move all healing affixes to Secondary stats.
31. Melee and Ranged damage reduction should be listed under Secondary stats because they are Secondary stats.
32. Sockets should be listed under Primary stats if you keep them as Primary.
33. Allow All Resistance and single resistance to roll on the same item. Change One with Everything instead.
34. Allow Life on Hit and Life after each Kill to roll on the same item.
35. Smart drops should solely depend on your own character and not take into account what classes you run with in a party.

If you can come up with more solutions, please post them. There is not much more time for an complete overhaul until the release date, although there are still a lot of issues that need to be addressed.

EDIT: Added a link to the Scroll of Mysteries removal reasoning and discussion.

Thanks for putting this list together! I've seen some of these suggestions in other threads, and have been taking notes to pass along to the developers. I have a question, though.

Fix the display of Enchanting reroll possibilities.

What's the current problem that you're encountering with the possible affixes in the Enchanting window?
------------------
Thanks for clarifying, everyone. I made sure this bug was in the Reaper of Souls Bug Report forum. Thanks again!

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Eat Game Live: Reaper of Soles

Kierpanda is back with another great Diablo-themed dish. This time she was inspired by what she's seen in RoS' beta and dedicated her newest dish to said experience.

reaper of soles [black sesame crusted sole over stir fry]

Hello and happy new year!

We’re kicking off the new year with a recipe from the upcoming Diablo III expansion: Reaper of Souls. I was fortunate enough to receive a beta key from Blizzard and I immediately wasted no time in doing very important things during the beta test! For example, I’ve only spent 15 minutes talking to Soulstone Sliver in Westmarch.

[check out the rest of this "chapter" here]

Unit Composition

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4. 2 teaspoons of olive oil
5. 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
6. juice from 1/2 of a lime
7. 4 tablespoons of black sesame seeds
8. 1/2 of an onion, julienned (thin strips)
9. 1 red bell pepper, julienned
10. 1/4 lb of mushrooms, sliced
11. 1/4 lb of rice noodles (I used these brown rice noodles)
12. ~1/2 lb of dover sole (a fillet should be about ~1/4 lb)
13. OPTIONAL: 2 sprigs of green onion, chopped

Build Order

This dish takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and about 15 minutes to cook. This dish makes 2 servings.

Calories per serving: ~400 calories

Opening

1. Place your sesame seeds in a shallow dish.
2. Season your sole with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the sesame seeds. Once the fish is fully coated, remove and set aside.
3. While you are dredging the fish, set a pot of water to boil for the rice noodles. You will want the noodles to cook while you’re cooking the fish.

Mid Game

1. Heat a large skillet on high heat and add in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. When the olive oil reaches a water-like viscosity, add in your garlic, red bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms.
2. Saute your vegetables until browned (about 4 minutes). Immediately remove vegetables and set aside.

Late Game

1. Add your remaining teaspoon of olive oil into the skillet. When the skillet comes up to temperature, add in your fish.
2. Allow fish to cook for about 4-5 minutes per side on medium-high heat.
3. While your fish is cooking, add your rice noodles to your boiling water. The rice noodles should take about 5 minutes to cook and should finish by the time your fish is done. Stir the noodles occasionally while they’re cooking in order to prevent them from sticking together.
4. When the noodles have finished cooking, immediately strain them and return them to the pot. Stir in your vegetables, lime juice, and soy sauce.
5. Plate your dish by placing your sesame-crusted fish over the noodle stir-fry.
6. (Optional) Garnish your dish with green onions.
7. Eat!

And ta-da, here’s the finished dish:

GG WP, Nephalem!

I hope this dish will inspire you create your own healthy and delicious meals in the comfort of your own kitchen. Hopefully, your kitchen isn’t located in Westmarch because I hear the property value in that place is decreasing due to reapers.

THESE DARN MAIDENS OF FLAME AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT TROUBLE.

Vendor Items No Longer Salvageable

Another interesting change was announced by Grimiku today: items, bought from vendors, won't be salvageable from the next beta patch on.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

Are you going to allow us to buy white items from a vendor as a level 1 & salvage them for debris?
Because right now it's the best way to get debris by far, only 50g per white item as well

I've seen this brought up a few times and want to give you all a heads up that it's going to be changed. Items bought from a vendor will no longer be salvageable in a future beta patch. 

Also, thank you all for taking the time to test things out, and sharing your thoughts. It means a lot to us and has been very helpful. I've been keeping an eye on your feedback about crafting in this thread, and will be passing it along.

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Work On Patches Still Going

The lack of patches in the previous month is not at all due to lack of hard work on Blizzard's side. The D3 team is working hard on the next PTR and Beta updates.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

So the ptr has been up for a month. There is tons of feeback on the forums, would be nice to see some updates from the devs.
I would love to be told whats gonna change whats gonna stay ect. Any chance of some feedback on the feedback devs?

I know communication and updates might seem slow right now, but the patch is definitely being worked on. It's also probably worth mentioning that we did just come back from the holidays, so that's a factor. We don't have anything to announce right at the moment, but we'll be sure to let you know as soon as something is on the way!

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Curse Weekly Roundup

In this week's Curse Roundup Jess talks about PlayStation Now, the possibility of Skyrim release for next-gen consoles, game consoles not allowed in China and more!

The War On Spam Continues

Despite the fact in-game spam will probably never be fully prevented, Vaeflare reminds us it is of great value to keep reporting spammers.

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

When we log in to play Diablo III, we experience much of the same frustrations you’re describing here, and indeed: in-game spam sucks.

The short version is that this is actually quite a complex issue, as Blaten13 noted. We’ve had some successes and some failures, and it’s possible we may never be able to get rid of in-game spam completely. It’s not really something you can fix once and never have to pay attention to again (since spammers continually evolve their arsenal of clever tricks in order to promote their wares and services). Regardless, we know that receiving in-game spam is annoying and we’re committed to keep trying new solutions, understanding that they may not always be 100% effective. In the end, our goal is to curb as much bad behavior as possible, while still ensuring that legitimate players can freely connect and chat with their friends.

In the meantime, please do report spam friend requests to us so that these reports can be reviewed ASAP by the appropriate teams, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on any and all news we have regarding this subject.

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Kamui's Crusader Helm

Cosplayer Kamui presented her progress on a D3 Crusader armor she's working on at the moment. The helm is ready and looks fabulous. You can check more of the progress in her Facebook album!

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ChromeOnRust's CM Wizard Gear Guide

ChromeOnRust made an interesting guide including the state of the Auction House 3 months before its closing. He demonstrates how you can gear up your CM wizard to be viable for MP10 farming and gives a look at the skills and the build in general.

Announcing Callback Support

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

On Thursday, January 9, Blizzard is launching a new callback-based system for players who need phone support. This is a big change from our traditional phone support, so we wanted to provide some details about this service.

How will the callback system work?
Instead of calling a number (and potentially waiting on hold) for support, you’ll use the support site on Battle.net to set up a callback. Just enter information about your issue, along with your phone number, and a Game Master will give you a call back!

How will the callback system benefit me as a player?
You won’t have to navigate a phone menu or spend time on hold. Since the support site collects critical details in advance (like the answer to your security question), you’ll jump directly into problem solving.

What will happen to Blizzard Customer Support’s existing phone numbers after this change?
Our phone lines will no longer present their current menu system, and will instead play a brief message directing users to the support site.

We hope you enjoy using the new service to get help when you need it!

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Diablo III: Storm of Light Excerpt

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

"Of late, my dreams as haunted by one thing: the Black Soulstone. I see the crystal reflected in all things, at all times. It has become my obsession, my purpose in life."

A few months ago we announced the upcoming Diablo III: Storm of Light, and today we're thrilled to offer you an exclusive preview of this epic new chapter of Sanctuary's continuing story, which is set to be released on February 4, 2014.

Written by Nate Kenyon, author of The Order, Storm of Light is a bridge between the events of Diablo III and the story that is to come in its first expansion, Reaper of Souls. This new novel is now available for pre-order at Simon and Schuster and features Jacob and Shanar from the Sword of Justice comic series, as well as other characters from the Diablo universe that players have previously met.

In Storm of Light, the Angiris Council has recovered Diablo's Black Soulstone and they now stand vigil over the cursed artifact deep within the glimmering Silver City, unwittingly condemning the High Heavens to its dark corruption. Imperius and the other archangels vehemently oppose moving or destroying the crystal, leading Tyrael to put Heaven's fate in the hands of mortals. Drawing powerful humans to his side from the far ends of Sanctuary, Tyrael reforges the ancient Horadrim and charges the order with an impossible task: to steal the soulstone from the heart of Heaven.

Read on for an exclusive excerpt from Chapter 4 of Storm of Light!

"Then tell us what insights you have gained from Chalad'ar, Wisdom," Imperius said, his voice mocking once again. "Tell us what to do with the stone. The Council has been divided on this for too long. Or are the rumors among the angels correct, and you have yet to consult the chalice?"

Itherael and Auriel turned to Tyrael, waiting for him to offer a solution. He looked at the soulstone on its perch, imagined he saw a beat of blood-red light at its core. The darkness pervades this holy place, he thought. It creeps in unbidden and corrupts everything it touches.

Tyrael had come to his own decision. But he was unsure about how his advice would be taken by the others and hesitated for a moment too long.

Imperius turned away. "Malthael would have never been without an answer, yet this one is silent once again. I shall speak for him, then. We break the stone at the Hellforge."

A murmur from Auriel brought a fast response. "We should not risk destroying it," Itherael said. "It was forged by human magic; its destiny is a mystery to me. Even the Scroll of Fate cannot tell us what might result from such an attempt--"

"It must be hidden!" Tyrael said.

His words rang out, stronger than he might have intended. The others stopped, their attention returning to him. He cleared his throat again, hating how weak it made him sound. A throat made of flesh and blood was not a trustworthy vessel for such a speech. He tried again. "Itherael is right," he said. "The Black Soulstone's power is unknown to us. The Horadric mage Kulle forged it using magic the nephalem alone possess. We cannot risk trying to destroy a thing like this; it may even release the Prime Evil upon us once again."

"Hide it where?" Auriel's tone had grown cautious, as if she knew what he might say. "We have already discussed shrouding it but could not come to an agreement. It cannot stay in the Council chambers forever."

Tyrael looked at his fellow archangels, sadness washing over him. He imagined that they viewed him with suspicion, perhaps thinly veiled hostility. Even Auriel's aura had changed, her wings pulsing softly with a light that mirrored the taint he had seen in the gardens among the trees.

He was not Justice, nor Wisdom, nor was he a man; he was a mortal angel, and this did not fit with the world they knew, or with any other. His vision of peace with the land of men and a new life ending in eternal sleep was swiftly fading.

He had never meant for it to come to this.

"In Sanctuary," he said finally. "We must hide the stone in a place where neither angel nor demon can reach."

So prepare for the return of Tyrael and the new Horadrim, and make sure to pre-order your copy of Storm of Light at Simon and Schuster today so that you can be among the first to find out what happens to our heroes in their next great adventure!

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Blue Posts

Originally Posted by Blizzard

Crafting Mats Drop Rate Concerns
I've noticed that there have been several threads concerning crafting costs and resource acquisition, so I'll chime in on the subject. I guess the first thing I should mention is that it's something we're keeping an eye on, and we're still doing tuning passes on it. Acquiring crafting materials is closely tied to drop rates, so it needs to be tuned every time drop rates are adjusted. 

We'll be keeping an eye out for additional crafting feedback once things have been a little more fine tuned, so please be sure to keep letting us know what you think. Thanks! (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

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Legendary Crafting Clarifications

The item stats rolls/lvl depends on the character level

The item's stats are rolled based on the character that's crafting it, using the Smart Drop system in Loot 2.0, but the level is static to the recipe used to craft the item. This means if you know how to craft a level 61 Belt, for instance, it will always produce a level 61 belt. However, a Wizard crafting that belt will receive one with stats on it that benefit him most, such as Intelligence or bonus damage to one of their skills, while a Demon Hunter will receive Dexterity or an appropriate bonus damage affix. (There are other combinations possible when crafting, I'm just using these as possible examples!)

Crafting recipes for legendary/set items can drop on any level and thus you can craft one piece on lets say lvl30, or craft it on lvl60.

I don't believe that Legendary patterns will have a chance to drop at every level, but I'm doing some double checking to be sure. What I can share in the mean time is that the old patterns, such as the Cain's Fate set, will continue to craft level 25 versions of the gear. In addition, new level 70 versions for many legacy Legendary patterns will also be available to acquire. 

Normal Legendary drops, such as Magefist , however, will have a chance to drop starting at it's original level (in this case, 19) and any level thereafter. That might be where some of the confusion is arising. =)

No changes to the crafting there are just new legendary recipes, that drop on RoS.

Crafting's getting a pretty extensive overhaul. There's a small peek at what's coming in the Patch 2.0.1 PTR/Closed Betanotes, but in summary: new recipes, upgraded versions of existing recipes, consolidated crafting materials, and smart drops applying to crafting are all upcoming changes. Bear in mind that recipes for levels 61+ will be exclusive to those with the Reaper of Souls expansion, but the other changes will come in the pre-expansion patch for all players. (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)

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Difficulty/Item Quality Relation

Also one last question, the Legendaries that can be acquired by gambling... are they restricted by difficulty? Or can gambling not even produce a torment level Legendary?

Okay, bit more info: Torment restricted Legendaries will not be able to be generated by the Blood Shard vendor. Difficulty setting will have no impact on the items generated from the vendor, which should help prevent situations where players start a new, higher difficulty game before spending their shards.

Thanks for the feedback and reports, everyone! This kind of stuff is incredibly useful, and if you continue to experience similar oddities (especially after the next Beta patch), please don't hesitate to let us know! I'll be here to listen and read it all. =) (Blue Tracker/ Official Forums)