Ladders til Diablo 3 og Reaper of Souls åbenlyst på vej

Udviklerholdet kigger på stiger - og vi får givetvis snart en officiel annoncering af ladders i Diablo 3 og Reaper of Souls.

De fleste der har fulgt med på denne side de sidste par måneder, vil nok vide, at jeg har skreget en del på, at der skulle indføres ladders i Diablo 3 og Reaper of Souls - grænsende til det maniske.

Det ser nu ud til, at der endelig er noget på vej. Game Director Josh Mosqueira lægger i hvert fald ikke mange fingre imellem i sine små teases på Twitter. Først tweetede han halvkryptisk, men med klar reference til ladders;

@redditdiablo @Diablo We only speak of it in hushed tones... we didn't just build walls out of bones, but also ladders to climb over them...

— ReaperOfPatches (@joshmosq) March 13, 2014

Så småt begyndte rygterne og teorierne at køre, og de blev ikke færre af, at Mosqueira i nat tweetede dette billede:

#D3RoS Systems designers researching ladders... yup, fun to climb! pic.twitter.com/6cilq4hH3k

— ReaperOfPatches (@joshmosq) March 15, 2014

Så, værsgo. To tweets der ikke overlader -alt- for meget til fantasien. Hvis ikke dette er klare tegn på, at et ladder-koncept er undervejs, så ved jeg ikke, hvad det er. I hvert fald ville det være højst upassende at tweete på den måde i så fald.

Men hvorfor denne hush-hush om ladders? Hvorfor ikke bare melde det ud? Først og fremmest ved vi selvfølgelig, at Blizzard er mestre i at hype deres spil, og lidt ekstra vand på møllen med virale budskaber som disse, passer fint ind i deres strategi med at promovere Reaper of Souls.

I næste uge lukker Auction House ned - og jeg tror ikke, vi får en officiel udmelding om ladders, før dette er sket. Man kunne mistænke Blizzard for lige at ville malke de sidste penge ud af RMAH (de får procenter for hvert salg), som der virkelig er gang i i disse dage op til lukningen. Havde Blizzard annonceret ladders som værende en del af Reaper of Souls fra udgivelsen, ville RMAH derimod sikkert være meget meget mindre aktivt - og Blizzard ville gå glip af de sidste slanter.

Måske er det slet ikke så gennemtænkt det hele, men det er kun naturligt af et selskab, der lever af deres spil, at ville tjene så meget som muligt på en feature som muligt, inden den går i døden.

Men... LADDERS! Hvad synes I?

Trailer & Artikel: Kend din Crusader

Ny trailer og en gennemgang af The Crusader's baggrundshistorie.

Crusaderen, som er den nye spilbare klasse i Reaper of Souls, får her en lore-mæssig gennemgang i en officiel artikel fra Blizzard - og så er det også blevet til en video med Crusader-gameplay og grafiske lækkerier. Herunder videoen og et kort uddrag fra artiklen.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - The Crusader Arrives

Faithful of Akkhan. Bastions of the Light. Stalwart redeemers of the Zakarum. All of these names could very well describe the newest hero class available in Reaper of Souls™.

Unlike other orders of the Zakarum, the Crusaders bring a distinctly grittier version of a traditional holy warrior to the world of Sanctuary. But where did they come from? What is their role in the Zakarum faith? How will they tackle the looming threat of Malthael on the horizon?

The answers to these questions and many more lay below, so let's kick off our week-long inside look at the Crusader class with some delectable servings of lore!

Patch 2.0.1 er live - official notes

Se samtlige ændringer, som patch 2.0.1 medfører - hvis du kan holde overblikket.

Patch 2.0.1 patch notes er nu tilgængelige, og der er ikke så lidt endda at læse op på. Så medmindre du har indgående kendskab til det netop overståede PTR, så ved du, hvad du kan bruge tiden på indtil patch 2.0.1 er tilgængelig på Europe servers.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/12671560/

Reaper of Souls Pre-Order: Goodies Revealed

Se, hvad du får med, hvis du køber Reaper of Souls i god tid.

Som det har været skrevet her på siden, har Blizzard endelig kastet lys over, hvad man får ud af at pre-order Reaper of Souls - og faktisk helt frem til 31. marts 2014. Reglerne for at få nedenstående goodies er, at man enten skal pre-order en digital kopi via Battle.Net eller aktivere en retail key før d. 31. marts er overstået. Man får et sæt Imperius' Wings med og derudover en character til den kommende titel, Heroes of the Storm.

Behold! Two epic new bonus items have just been spotted in the mortal realms, both of which will be granted in the future to anyone who pre-purchases the Reaper of Souls™ expansion digitally on Battle.net, or anyone who redeems a Reaper of Souls retail game key on or before March 31, 2014.

Check them out below:

Wings of Valor: Summon the radiant wings of the Archangel of Valor for your characters in Diablo III.

Valla the Demon Hunter: Unlock Valla the Demon Hunter in Heroes of the Storm—our upcoming free-to-play online team brawler featuring iconic Blizzard characters, fast-paced combat, and epic battlegrounds.

If you've already digitally pre-purchased the Reaper of Souls expansion, either as the standard edition or the Digital Deluxe Edition, then you're all set! These bonus items will be granted to your Battle.net account as follows:

- The Wings of Valor will be automatically sent to your existing and any newly created Diablo III characters via an in-game notification starting March 20, 2014.

- Valla the Demon Hunter will be available once Heroes of the Storm has been officially released. Note that Heroes of the Storm is still deep in development and does not have an announced release date, but you can stay tuned to the official game site for future updates. Note also that pre-purchasing Reaper of Souls does not guarantee a spot in the eventual Heroes of the Storm alpha or beta tests.

If you pre-order Reaper of Souls at a retail store—either a physical standard edition or physical Collector's Edition—be sure to redeem your Reaper of Souls game key via your Battle.net account on or before 11:59 PM PST on March 31, 2014. If you redeem your game key after that date, your pre-order loot will be consumed by the fires of the Burning Hells and lost forever. While you have six days from the time the expansion launches on March 25 to the time you must enter your code, to be safe, you should secure your preorder today and be ready to input your game key on launch day.

For more information on the upcoming March 25 launch of Reaper of Souls, be sure to check out the official expansion website, and keep your demon-weary eyes glued to www.diablo3.com for the latest news on the game.

Until then, slay well, Nephalem.

- The Diablo III Team

First Look på Clans og Communities i Reaper of Souls

Den danske community manager, Vaneras, har lagt en artikel online med et officielt first look på Clans og Communities i Reaper of Souls. Se hele artiklen her.

Til den nysgerrige bruger, kan det afsløres, at Diablo3x.dk allerede har reserveret navne til clan og community, når Reaper of Souls udkommer.

The demonic hordes of the Burning Hells and cold hatred of the Angel of Death are no match against the collective might of the nephalem. So, to help the heroes of Sanctuary rally their allies, we're adding two new social features to Diablo III in patch 2.0.1: Clans and Communities.

With Clans and Communities, we're providing players with easy and practical tools for finding and communicating with like-minded individuals who share a passion for demon slaying, loot hunting, experience farming, as well as other interests.

Both Clans and Communities are still in development and currently available for testing on the Patch 2.0.1 PTR and Reaper of Souls Closed Beta. For those of who haven't yet given them a test drive yet, here's a first look.

First Look: Clans

Clans are designed to provide players who share similar interests, gameplay schedules, or goals the ability to band together and form tight-knit groups. They're a great way to communicate with numerous friends at once, organize your play, and generally just keep in touch with those you game with the most.

With a member limit of 120 players, clans are intended to be smaller and invitation only. This means that while you can send a request to join a clan, you will not technically become a member unless you are invited or your request to join the clan is accepted. Also, while anyone can create or join a clan, you can only be a member of one clan at any given time.

How Clans Work:

The Clan window can be opened by clicking the "Communities" button located in the lower right-hand corner of the character selection screen, or by using the customizable hotkey (default Shift + O).

Creating a Clan:
To create a Clan, you will need to provide a Clan Tag (note: this tag will display next to each member's name in-game), a full name for the Clan, and then select a language.

You can also indicate whether or not you are looking for members. Note that if you are not looking for members, your Clan will not be displayed in "Find Clan" search results.

Finding and Joining a Clan:
To find and join a Clan, simply open the Communities tab and click "Find" at the top of the window. This option will only appear if you are not currently part of a Clan.

When looking for a Clan to join, you will be able to narrow your search by language and word filters. Selecting a language will limit the search to display only Clans in that language. Similarly, if you add a word or series of words to the filter, only clans with that word in the tag or name will display.

First Look: Communities

Communities are designed to be a place where players can come together for any number of reasons, including playing the same class, frequenting the same fan sites, or living in the same geographical area. They're all about fostering relationships between like-minded people, with a keen focus on socialization.

Unlike Clans, Communities are intended to be much larger and more casual. They can be public or private, for example, and support a nearly unlimited number of members. In addition, while you can only join a single Clan, you can be a member of multiple different Communities at the same time.

How Communities Work:

Similar to Clans, the Community window can be accessed by clicking the "Communities" button located in the lower right-hand corner of the character selection screen, or by using the customizable hotkey (default Shift + O).

Creating a Community:
When creating a Community, you will be prompted to pick a language and a category for the Community that best describes it.

Categories include (but aren't limited to):

Online Communities
Class Specific
Streamers/Personalities
Internet Cafes
Regional
Schools
Companies
Hardcore   

You will also need to decide if the Community should be public or invite only.

Finding and Joining a Community:
Searching for a Community works much the same way as searching for a Clan; however, since you can be a member of multiple Communities at once, this option will always be available. To browse for Communities, open the Communities tab and click 'Find" at the bottom of the window.

You can narrow your search by selecting a language, or by adding a word filter so that only Communities with that word in the name will be displayed in your search results.

You can also limit your search to only display Communities based on a specific category, and you have the option to also only show public Communities.

The Clan & Community Window 

Once you've joined or created a Clan or Community, you will be able to open and browse its respective social window. The Clan and Community window is divided into three tabs: the News, Roster, and Settings.

The News Tab:
The News tab is the first tab you land on. Here you can find the latest information about your Clan or Community, as well as catch up on the recent activity of other members.

You can filter the news you receive in the News tab to include several different types of information.

For Clans and Communities:

- Message of the Day: Notifies you of changes to the MOTD
- Clan/Community Information: Notifies you of changes to the Clan Information entry
- New Leader: Be among the first to know when Clan or Community Leadership changes hands

For Clans Only:

- Items: Notifies you when a clan member finds a Legendary item and allows you to check out its stats
- Achievements: Notifies you every time a clan member completes an Achievement
- Member Joined:  Notifies you when a new member joins the clan
- Member Left: Notifies you when a member leaves the clan
- Member Promoted: Allows you to track promotions within your clan

From the News tab (depending on your rank and permission level), you can also edit Clan or Community information, create news posts, and set the Message of the Day that Clan or Community members will see when logging into the game.

The Roster Tab:

In the Roster tab, you will find a list of all Clan or Community members. The roster will show what heroes each member plays, their location in game, rank, and Achievement points. From here, you can also easily inspect member profiles.

The Settings Tab:

The Settings tab is mostly for Clan or Community leaders and officers. From this tab, you can alter the various permissions for each Clan or Community rank, such as the ability to add news, invite members, create the Message of the Day, and join chat channels. You will also be able to change the language of your Clan or Community, whether your Clan is looking for members, or if your Community is public or private.

In addition to the News, Roster, and Settings tab, players who join a Clan or Community will gain access to a dedicated chat channel for the Clan and each Community. If you are the leader or an officer of a Clan or a Community, you will also gain access to an Officers Chat specific to that Clan or Community.

We hope that the Clans and Communities make it easier for players to have fun with friends—and make new friends!—while playing Diablo III. We look forward to collecting feedback from the brave souls participating in the Reaper of Souls Beta as well as those playing on the PTR for Patch 2.0.1.

See you in game!

Tillykke tillykke med Valentinsdag fødselsdagen Ja, egentlig også til hattemager, men han er vist ikke aktiv herinde. Men tillykke til begge. Loot list required!

Blizzard giver oversigt over Torment-only legendaries

I Reaper of Souls vil der være en række legendaries og set items, der kun kan findes, hvis man spiller på sværhedsgraden 'Torment', som er den sidste sværhedsgrad, der yderligere kan deles op i Torment 1-6.

Mens de ikke har gjort sig den umage at vise os de forskellige items' egenskaber, kan vi i stedet se navnene og skabe os et overblik på denne måde.

The legendary items we selected for Torment-only difficulties are intended to provide additional rewards and incentives to players who have advanced to higher difficulties. The vast majority of Legendaries, though, both new and old, can drop in every difficulty.

Here is the (current) list of Torment-only Legendaries:

Class Restricted Item Sets
The Legacy of Raekor (Barbarian Set)
Firebird's Finery (Wizard Set)
Embodiment of the Marauder (Demon Hunter Set)
Raiment of a Thousand Storms (Monk Set)
Armor of Akkhan (Crusader Set)
Helltooth Harness (Witch Doctor Set)

Theme Sets (Non class-restrictive)
Monkey King's Garb
Vyr's Amazing Arcana
Thorns of the Invoker
The Shadow's Mantle
Might of the Earth
Raiment of the Jade Harvester
Bastions of Will
Istavan's Paired Blades

Follower Items
Smoking Thurible (Enchantress)
Hand of the Prophet (Enchantress)
Skeleton Key (Scoundrel)
Ribald Etchings (Scoundrel)
Enchanting Favor (Templar)
Relic of Akarat (Templar)

Legendary Potions
Bottomless Potion of the Tower
Bottomless Potion of the Diamond
Bottomless Potion of Regeneration
Bottomless Potion of the Leech
Bottomless Potion of Mutation
Bottomless Potion of Kulle-Aid

A couple things to note in regards to this list:

- You might not recognize some of the names. That's because names on the current Beta build (and in much of the available datamined information) haven't been finalized. Most, if not all, should be updated in the next Beta patch.
- None of the listed Legendaries include Legacy items or their remakes.
- If you are wondering why a Legendary you feel is particularly strong isn't on this list, it's quite likely that we instead lowered the drop rate on that item. It's still available in all difficulties, but more rare than other drops.
- As always, things are subject to change.

Som nævnt ovenfor er det svært at se, hvad det betyder, da vi ikke har indblik i de forskellige egenskaber for de nævnte items. Ikke desto mindre får en idé om mængden af items, der vil være 'top-tier items'.

Er det for mange? For få? Lige tilpas?