DiabloFans

With BlizzCon just around the corner, it’s time to share the adorably lethal secret that waits inside this year’s Goody Bag. . . .

As a memento for joining us at the heart of the storm, BlizzCon attendees will receive a BlizzCon 2013 Cute But Deadly Souvenir Set featuring the delightfully menacing likenesses of Arthas, Kerrigan, and Diablo. The result of a universe-crossing collaboration, this trio kicks off an exciting new line of figures—and there are even more cute but deadly surprises to come. This limited-edition set is an exclusive gift for BlizzCon attendees, and will never be reproduced for commercial sale. Now isn’t that special?!

Check out the Cute But Deadly lineup below:

Why can Tyreal still wield El'Druin if he is no longer an angel?
Tyrael's mortality has no bearing on his ability to wield El'druin. After all, it's his sword. =) This is also not the first time a mortal being has wielded El'druin. Jacob Staalek once used the sword to great effect protecting his home. This event was covered in the comic books and referenced in the Book of Tyrael.

I still can't fathom why Malthael wouldn't try to simply kill Tyrael on the spot, though...
Malthael is extremely in tune with souls.When he inspected Tyrael's soul, he found no evidence of demonic taint. Ergo, he did not consider Tyrael his enemy. It really is that simple, as Death tends to see things in black and white.

I'm wondering why El'druin brought back his power though, unless it's as simple as just him forgetting who he is so he has a hidden power and El'druin helps him remember, releasing the power.
El'druin is a unique item in that it isn't simply an angelic weapon, but a part of Tyrael. In order for Tyrael to be whole again after he cast himself from the High Heavens, El'druin needed to be restored. It's inexorably tied to his being, regardless of what state Tyrael is in. Hypothetically speaking, if Tyrael were to somehow become an actual human, El'druin would remain equally integral to his being. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

I took a crack at this in another thread. Here's what I originally suggested (keeping note that this is a personal opinion):

Monk: Lawful Good
Barbarian, Demon Hunter: Chaotic Neutral
Wizard, Witch Doctor: True Neutral
Crusader (for bonus points!): Neutral Good

Mind you, I think these choices might vary depending on the gender of each character you play. They all react a bit differently to certain conversations and events. For reference, my Nephalem are Female for the Monk, Demon Hunter, Witch Doctor, and Barbarian, and Male for the Wizard. In addition, remember that alignment is an extremely subjective mechanic, primarily because it can be interpreted very differently from person to person. Some consider it rules that you must absolutely adhere to, while others may see it more as a generalization.

It's a system that I don't think lends itself too well to the Diablo universe. I wouldn't say there's a one "true" answer to this question, but it's definitely interesting to hear others' thoughts on why they think a character adheres to a particular alignment. As an avid tabletop nerd, I'd love to hear your reasoning. =)

I have no idea what chaotic good or neutral good is... Is it supposed to make sense?
So, what I'm referring to is a two-axis alignment system, commonly found in table-top pen and paper RPGs (or their video game counterparts).

The first axis measures a character's capacity for Law or Chaos. The three denominations are Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic. Lawful characters are generally predictable and adhere to a code of some kind, either literally (like a town's laws or a code of chivalry), or personally. Chaotic characters are generally unpredictable, and tend to take the path of least resistance for just about every situation.

The second axis measures a character's capacity for Good or Evil. That's pretty straightforward, but it also has three denominations: Good, Neutral, or Evil. So in all, there are nine alignments.

That's a very rudimentary explanation (there's certainly much more depth to be explored), but I hope it gets the basic point across. =)

Personally I would have guessed Chaotic Good for the Crusader as they are pretty zealous.
Crusaders are extremely devoted to their cause, and their methods are occasionally a bit more unconventional than others. However, that isn't to say they are vehemently against what they are told to do - their entire quest occurred because they were issued an order, and they stick to that order no matter the cost. That's what leads me to believe they fall in between law and chaos, rather than one side of the spectrum.

Again, that's a personal interpretation. But that's the inherent nature of the alignment system, it's all a matter of interpretation, as the alignments are "guidelines" rather than rules to adhere to (kind of like the Pirate Code).

I thought it'd be really funny to take this a step further with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality system, but after some research I decided that would just be way too freakin hard.
It would be difficult, but definitely interesting! These kind of psychological studies have always been intriguing to me. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Over the last two months, artists from around the globe have put pen to parchment to create over 300 t-shirt designs worthy of the heroes of Sanctuary.

Today, the winners of Blizzard Entertainment and Design By Humans' Diablo III t-shirt contest have been announced! And best yet? You can get in on the action by purchasing a t-shirt or phone case emblazoned with art from one of the top 26 winning entriesas well!

Check out the five Grand Prize winners below.







Head over to Design by Humans' blog for all the details and make sure to check out all the incredible contest submissions!

Thanks to you, hero, the Prime Evil has been vanquished and the Lords of Hell locked away within the Black Soulstone. You've saved countless lives on your adventures through the High Heavens and back, but your journey isn’t over. A terrible evil rises to threaten Sanctuary again—thankfully, another skilled Artisan has emerged to aid you.

(Re)Introducing, The Mystic:
In Reaper of Souls, you'll have the opportunity to join forces with a new and powerful ally: Myriam Jahzia, the Mystic.


Myriam Jahzia is a wise woman who will offer you sage advice during the turbulent times ahead. She and her clan are nomads known as the Vecin—a spiritual people, blessed with magical visions. They hail from a matrilineal society who worship a powerful deity known as the Allmother. The Vecin believe that the Allmother is the source of their visions, and that it is because of her that all Vecin possess a sixth sense they call the Sight. While the Sight always manifests more strongly in Vecin women, it's especiallystrong in Myriam.

Although she is quite a resourceful individual, Myriam proves no match for Malthael's forces and is trapped by their relentless advance. You will have the chance to save Myriam while adventuring in the city of Westmarch, and shortly after encountering her, she will offer her Artisan services to you, regardless of your level.


Like your companions Haedrig Eamon the Blacksmith and Covetous Shen the Jeweler, Myriam the Mystic is a skilled Artisan, capable of altering the very nature of even the most elaborate armor and weapons. Over the years, Myriam has learned to harness her craft, and as thanks for rescuing her from Malthael’s vicious constructs, she offers two unique services to aid you on your mission: one that strengthens and enhances your items (Enchanting), and one that allows you to further customize your appearance (Transmogrification).

Enchanting:

Have you ever looted an item whose stats were almost perfect, but one property just wasn't quite what you had hoped for? Or perhaps you found an item you love, but are starting to outgrow its power? With Enchanting, you will be able to reroll one property on a Rare or Legendary item simply by speaking to Myriam, opening up her Enchant menu, and then paying a material cost. It's that easy!
While not all properties can be rerolled, most can, and you'll be able to reroll a single property over and over again, as many times as you like. This allows Enchanting to feel meaningful, while still allowing lots of room for you to hunt for even better base items (which, of course, you can then Enchant into even more powerful items, and so on).

How Enchanting Works:
Enchanting an item is simple:

1.) Talk to Myriam and select her "Enchant" Menu.


2.) From there, place an item onto the Enchanting window. A list of properties will appear under your item. You can choose to reroll any one of these properties, and you can find out what resulting properties you have the possibility to obtain by clicking on the question mark to the right of each property.


3.) Once you've decided what property you want to reroll, simply gather the required crafting materials and the necessary gold, select the property you wish to reroll, and then hit "Replace Property" to lock in your choice.


4.) Select your replacement property from the list of available choices. You can view the possible replacement properties to the right on the advanced Enchanting window.


5.) After you've Enchanted an item, you will have the option of replacing its previously Enchanted property with a new property for an additional gold and crafting material cost.


Further Enchanting Details:
Since the resulting property you receive during Enchanting will be random, it's possible that the new properties you're provided may end up being less desirable to you than the one you are replacing. But fear not! In order to mitigate this type of buyer's remorse, Myriam will also offer the previous property in the list of options when using Enchanting. So if you don't like the new property that Enchanting offered you, you can always choose to keep the old one.
Keep in mind that when choosing which property you wish to reroll, you will only be able to reroll that one property from then on out. After a single property has been changed via Enchanting, all other properties will become "locked in" and cannot be rerolled. Also, once you Enchant an item, it will become bound to your account and can no longer be traded to other players.

Transmogrification:

As you travel through Sanctuary on your quest to vanquish Malthael and his minions, you're sure to encounter a wide array of new and familiar armor and fearsome weapons. While you will still want to carefully check and compare stats on these items to make sure your hero is as powerful as can be, thanks to Myriam, you will also be able to access a new feature in Reaper of Souls called Transmogrification, which will allow you to change and customize the appearance of your hero’s items without having to sacrifice any of their power!

How Transmogrification Works:
All items with a visual appearance are currently planned to be eligible for Transmogrification, including Legendary and Set items. In order to use a specific visual appearance, you’ll first need to unlock it; once unlocked, however, that appearance will be available to all heroes on your account. Common, Magic, and Rare item appearances will unlock as you level up the Mystic, while Legendary and Set item appearances will unlock only after you’ve identified them.
Transmogrifying an item is easy:

1.) Talk to Myriam and select her "Transmogrify" Menu.


2.) From there, place an item onto the Transmogrification window.


3.) A list of new visual options will appear under your item. You can select any of these appearance options and check out their look on your character in the Preview panel on the right.


4.) Once you've decided what item look you like, simply gather the necessary gold, select the new item look you crave, and then hit "Transmogrify" to lock in your choice.


5.) Adventure on, in style!


Additional Details:
There are a few restrictions to keep in mind whenever Transmogrifying an item:

• Item appearances you collect in Normal mode will be separate from the unique item appearances you collect in Hardcore mode.
• While all items with a visual appearance are eligible for Transmogrification, the item appearance you want to use has to have the same underlying animation set as the item you want to Transmogrify. (For example: You could replace the appearance of one two-handed sword with another two-handed sword, or a one-handed sword with a one-handed axe or one-handed mace.)
• As you acquire new items you're eager to Transmogrify, you'll need to return to the Mystic again in order to have her work her magic on your armor and weapons. This is because Transmogrification affects an individual item, not the item slot.
• You can dye Transmogrified items; however, if you Transmogrify an equipped item that’s dyed, that dye will be overridden with the current color of the item appearance you’ve selected.
• Legacy items (items that drop before [the expansion/pre-expansion patch] goes live) will not unlock unique item appearance, but they can be Transmogrified.
• As with Enchanting, Transmogrifying an item will also bind it to your account, so it pays to plan ahead.

Rolling the Cart Forward:

Myriam the Mystic will be a powerful ally on your journey through Westmarch and beyond. Whether you’re looking to improve a property on an existing item or eager to show off a unique outfit you’ve created, her Artisan services will help you get some extra mileage out of your arsenal and exotic wardrobe.

While there is sure to be a plethora of new weapons, exquisite armor, and other trinkets to discover in Reaper of Souls, what item looks are you eager to collect for Transmogrification purposes after Reaper of Souls launches? Do you have any current items you're looking forward to Enchanting? Let us know in the comments below!

The first step in designing any Legendary is to figure out what kind of item you want to create. Do you want a weapon? An off-hand? A ring or amulet? A piece of armor?

For this particular project, we'd like to focus on a Legendary weapon, more specifically a melee weapon. We decided to do this for a few reasons.


The first reason is that Legendary weapons typically have a very strong visual identity. Unlike other item types—like a ring or a belt, for example—you can see the weapon you're wielding, often very prominently. This is important because, in addition to discussing the mechanical design of Legendary items (its stats and powers), we also want to talk about their visual design, and that's much easier to do when you've got something that's bigger and has a lot of visible components.

The second reason is that Legendary weapons are iconic, and there's a much stronger fantasy behind them than, let's say, a helm or pair of pants. As a result, players tend to identify with weapons more than any other item type. That doesn't mean the other types are any less important, but Legendary weapons are certainly more recognizable and carry more street cred (so to speak).

As for why a melee weapon instead of a ranged weapon (or both)? Pretty simple. Of the weapon types available to all classes, melee weapons are used more often.

Okay, so we're designing a Legendary melee weapon. Done. But what class of weapon should we create? Well that's up to you! We've selected 10 different classes of melee weapons for you to choose from and have set up a poll to help collect your feedback. Pick your favorite by using the voting options below, and be sure to spread the word. Whichever weapon class 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, October 30.

So, wait -- what's being debated? (Sorry, I'm not totally sure why we're arguing.)

For players who are interested in learning more about item design in Diablo III (and/or contributing to it), then this will hopefully be a fun little activity. For players who aren't interested in either item design or the structure of the activity itself, then it may not be. If you don't find it interesting or worth your time, that's fine. Skip it! No biggie. (Seriously.) You shouldn't feel obligated to participate in something lighthearted like this, especially since it's completely voluntary.

I mean, let's use your PoE example. I don't imagine that all Path of Exile beta players opted to create a custom unique, right? Similarly, I don't imagine that all current players would necessarily choose to participate today given the chance -- because, hey, not everyone likes the same thing. That doesn't mean that particular service wasn't worth doing or keeping, though. Just look at how much you enjoyed it! I think that's awesome, and I'm glad you had the opportunity to get involved with something you found fun and engaging. In that same vein, we hope that D3 players will find the Design a Legendary project fun and engaging too (albeit for different reasons), but we certainly don't expect it to appeal to everyone.

Right, so I explained my point. PoE did it first, are still doing it, and doing it better.
Keep in mind that the goals of this activity and Path of Exile's custom unique service aren't in competition with one another (nor are they even really the same), so directly comparing them is a bit short-sighted. At the end of the day, if the Design a Legendary project can help interested players get a better idea of how Legendary items are made in Diablo III and make them feel like they had a hand in shaping something in the game, then we'll consider that a success. And who knows? Maybe it'll lead to other bigger, even funner projects in the future.

With Blizzcon only about 2 1/2 weeks away is this something that will be explained further in detail or that will be show cased? It seems like Blizzcon would be a great plat form to go over this.
Hm. While hopefully a fun/insightful activity, the Design a Legendary project isn't something that's core to our development process or Reaper of Souls, so it's not going to be a topic covered at BlizzCon. I imagine the development team will likely discuss Loot 2.0 (and Legendary items) in greater detail, though!

I'm not interested in anything other than seeing why it takes several months to create a single legendary item.
Of, pft. It doesn't actually take months to create a single Legendary item. That time frame is tied directly to the fact that we want to get the community involved. Specifically, we want to make sure that interested players have time to participate.

If we create a poll, for example, we'll want to give that at least a week -- enough time for people to find out about it and then vote. Then we need another week to tabulate the global results, inform the community, implement whatever you all chose, and then prep for the next stage. Similarly, if we hold a contest, that's going to need a few weeks as well. Podcasts also require time to set up, promote, and then recap. (Logistics, man. Always a party!)

Now, before anyone starts to panic: this isn't going to impact development for ROS. While we may take things a bit slower for this one single Legendary item, the developers will continue to design, iterate, and implement as usual for everything else at their previously-scheduled pace.

Let that sink in.
Shall I do so with a bang or a whimper.

Goblin Death Penalty
That's an interesting idea! If I'm understanding this correctly, you're suggesting that a Treasure Goblin should spawn whenever you die that will grab any of the local gold and items that you were unable to gather prior to your death. This way you would never lose any of the stuff you've already got, but risk losing uncollected rewards if you die in the middle of a fight.

How many of you would like it if this was put into the game? Would you change the way it works, and why?

Great thread, Zyron! (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Preparing for the Expansion
There's nothing wrong with trying to maneuver yourself into a more advantageous position for Reaper of Souls, but I feel like I should point out that it's not necessary to enjoy it. However, I like the conservative approach when it comes to preparing for the expansion, and feel like it's a relaxing way to get ready.

I'd like to hear more about how other people are getting ready for RoS. Are you preparing for the expansion? How are you gathering your resources? Do you feel like your method is working well for you?

Thanks for posting this thread, papadanko! (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

I wouldn't say our approach has really changed fundamentally with Reaper of Souls, but it’s certainly been adapted. We're still very proud of the environments and level design of Diablo III and feel that the overall look and feel of the original game was very appropriate for that particular narrative. In Reaper of Souls, though, the narrative has changed—it's darker, more moody, and deals with the concept of death very directly—so the environments and storyline have also evolved to reflect that new direction.

Philosophically speaking (both in terms of Diablo III and our art style as a whole), we always want to try to provide players with a variety of settings whenever possible, so that you aren't constantly having to play through the same landscapes (or type of landscapes) over and over. We also love that Diablo III—and even each Act within the game—has a very clear, very distinct visual identity. While this means that some areas may be more colorful or vibrant than in the past, it was something new (a nice contrast) and made sense within the context of the story. The same applies for our direction with Reaper of Souls.

Even so, we've definitely paid attention to the feedback shared by the community since launch and have made some decisions in terms of the visual design for the expansion which we hope everyone will enjoy.

Now, since the "proof is in the pudding" (as some say), I'm just going to leave you with these two screenshots from the first zone in Act V:

- Cathedral entrance in Westmarch

- Alley way leading to a central courtyard, also in Westmarch (which we lovingly refer to as "the corpse blanket")

More screenshots are available here, and you can check out more of Westmarch in this gameplay teaser:


Hey Lylirra, I wonder if adding an enemy affix that does "Horror" would make the game feel a bit more "Gothic". In short, it drastically reduces your vision (much like Light Radius in Diablo 2 when you were in a dark cave). You wouldn't know what's coming at you. It would be a nice touch.
Interesting thought! Happy to pass it on.

Nothing revolutionary. It's Tristram Cathedral with shades of Blue, Gray, Black. With more ghostly aspects and skeletons.
It's still the world of Sanctuary (and the same game engine, too), which means things aren't going to change dramatically. We may not be able to achieve "revolutionary" given those contextual and technical limitations, but one of the goals of Reaper of Souls is definitely to harken back to Diablo's darker, more gothic roots. Not copy it exactly, mind you, since this is a different game with its own identity, but we've certainly made an effort to draw upon notable themes from those earlier chapters.

Hey Lylirra!
So have you guys made some changes in the previous acts art style/story tellin wise?
Hm. We've completely integrated the Crusader's storyline into Acts I-IV, but no other significant changes have been made to those zones as of current design (at least in terms of lore or visual design).

Edit: typo

So what if a Paladin and Crusader runs into each other?
Hm, a curious question. I think it would be a rather one-sided encounter in terms of interest. The Crusaders are a relatively secret sect, and not much is known about them. I think a Paladin would show less interest in a Crusader, viewing him only as a fellow devout worshiper of the Zakarum. The Crusader might have a more distrustful perspective, viewing any Paladin as "tainted" given that their quest is to purge all darkness from the Zakarum.

They've also been fairly disassociated from current events in the church since the era of Rakkis over two hundred years ago, when they were formed.

We'll see how they will interact but it can be assumed that probably the leader of Paladins is the boss of Crusaders aswell.
Remember that Crusaders are loosely organized, and they follow a calling rather than a commander. Crusaders were quite deliberately formed as a separate entity from Paladins, for fear of carrying over corruption into their new sacred duty, so what they share does not stretch much further than their faith.

Here's a post where I speak of the various incarnations and existing factions of holy warriors (note, the monks aren't included for the moment).
http://us.battle.net...pic/10262657166
This is a very insightful thread! You hit on a few key points I think are being overlooked. I definitely recommend this to anyone who may be confused on the historical order of these events.

Now they're trying to suggest that all paladins are corrupt and that crusaders would have little to nothing to do with them.
I can see where you may have interpreted this from my statement, but I did not mean all paladins being corrupt as a fact. Rather, I meant that it may be what a Crusader erroneously believes when encountering a Paladin. Just as little is known about the Crusaders, their focus on their task at hand hasn't lent itself well to keeping up on current events in the rest of the world, and they may be unaware of the splintering of the church that's occurred since they originally set out.

Many Paladins were corrupted (The Hand of Zakarum). Shortly after the Zakarum Inquistion, a small group broke off and traveled to Westmarch (The Order of Paladins). They were later absorbed into the Knights of Westmarch (which is where the D2 Paladin was from). This all happened separately from the Crusaders traveling East, which happened much earlier, when Rakkis first set out to conquer the West.

Banning Bots
As always, we're staunchly against the use of botting programs, and we regularly issue account bans to those players found to be using bots while playing Diablo III.

These account bans are issued on a weekly and sometimes daily basis, and it's important to keep in mind that while we don't make announcements every time we action players for cheating, our teams are always hard at work to ensure that your online experience is as free of cheats, hacks, bots, and other exploitative activities as possible.

To learn more about our exploitation policy for Diablo III, please visit our official support site. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Game Cursor and Color Blindness
This isn't currently planned, but we may look into something like this in the future. If we were to add this kind of customization, what support would you like to see? We'd love to hear more from players who are color-blind, especially if you are experiencing challenges with particular UI aspects. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)