You might confuse this cartoon dog with the video game series

In one of many tales of panicking billionaires surfacing this morning, Blizzard Entertainment is seeking to block FOX Media from its registration of the term "Diablo" as it pertains to tie-in merchandise related to upcoming animated series HouseBroken.

The new cartoon features a dog that shares a name with B??lizzard's hellish video game franchise, and as such the latter is concerned that FOX's trademarking of the name will cause confusion among audiences. FOX' recent application for "Diablo" specifically concerns the usage of the character's name on crockery, beverage holders, pet treats, doggie bowls, and other merch?andise — which has gotten Blizzard execs reaching for the 'phone.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Blizzard argues that FOX's registration of "Diablo" in regards to HouseBroken merchandise comes into conflict with Blizzard's own Diablo trademark, which the developer/publisher has held since it launched the hugely ?successful RPG series way back in 1996. Blizzard has requested that FOX' request, therefore, be rejected by the United States? Patent Office.

"Members of the public will erroneously believe that [FOX's] goods offered under the 'Diablo' mark originate with, or are in some manner connected or associated with, or sponsored by, [Blizzard Entertainment], all to the harm of [Blizzard's] goodwill and reputation." reads part of Blizzard's notice of opposition, which was filed on April 25.

Blizzard is currently working on three new titles in the Diablo franchise: remaster Diablo II Resurrected, free-to-play mobile release Diablo Immortal, and highly anticipated mainline sequel Diablo IV. Meanwhile, HouseBroken will premiere on the FOX Network May 31.

Disclaimer: HouseBroken is not a Diablo spin-off.

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Lookin' like a Baaler

It may not be the gif??t you were hoping for, but you know what they say: Never look a gift Beelzebub in the mouth.

Today is the 20th anniversary of Diablo II, one of the most influential and beloved PC games of all time. It seems like a good day for Blizzard to reveal the long-rumored and longer-pined-for Diablo II remaster. That didn't happen.

Instead, Blizzard gave us a pair of gruesome spindly wings in Diablo III. Just log into Diablo III&??nbsp;sometime soon and you'll unlock the Prime Evil Wings. Her?e's what they look like:

(Here are more pictures of the Prime Evil Wings, courtesy of _javik_ on reddit.)

Blizzard notes that Baal did not have wings in Diablo II, but rather that this cosmetic is an homage to Baal's Festering Appendages which are the tentacles that protrude from all over his body. His legacy is "Lord of Destruction" and "Just one really gro??ss-look??ing son of a bitch."

As for that remaster, it's not dead in the water yet. Blizzard has shown a propensity for remastering its catalog. It's a bit of a "Careful what you wish for" kind of situation, though. It could end up like StarCraft Remastered or it could end up like Warcraft III: Reforged.

Commemorate 20 Years of ?Diablo II with Carbot, MrLlamaSC, and New In-??Game Wings![Diablo]

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Right on time with Imperius' addition to Heroes of the Storm

While people might not have gotten a five second title card for Diablo IV at BlizzCon, which is assuredly in development, Diablo&nb?sp;is?? getting a few other celebrations this month.

In addition to Imperius' appearance in Heroes of the Storm, who is now playable in the PTR realm, that Diablo anniversary event that went live back in 2016 is back again. As promised Blizzard is bringing the festivities to Diablo III during the month of January annually, and you can access the "Darkening of Tristram," classic Diablo content and "RetroVisio?n" aesthetics and all, until January 31 at 4PM PT.

In case you haven't done it before, here is a handy guide on how to access it! If you've already finished it and hit up all the achievements you probably don't need to do it again as it's the same event. The Wirt's Leg bug from last year is still present, but as of this afternoon Blizzard is investigating it.

Darkening of Tristram Returns [Battle.net]

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Check out this screen

[Update: Welp, this tweet confirms the Treasure Goblin for a December 2018 release: check out the full tweet below. Disappointingly Blizzard publishing director Josh Kerwin states that in the US it will be a GameStop exclusive. Plus, the model seems to just be a rework of the existing Treasure Goblin mold, down to the lack of skin/body details.

As always, here's a full up-to-date list of a??ll conf??irmed amiibo, complete with dates!]

The Diablo III embargo has expired and we can finally talk about what the Switch version entails. While that writeup is already available, one thing did concern me in particular: the promise of unique Diablo amiibo.

Amid rumors that there are actually three Diablo amiibo on the way, we can confirm that the amiibo menu shows at least one&nbs??p;unique figu?re in the retail version of the game: the Treasure Goblin. When using an amiibo for the very first time on a Switch profile a tutorial pops up showing off the above (or so below) amiibo.

Blizzard isn't likely going to comment on the in-game visual until Friday, where they could potentially announce the ??whole lot. For now, I guess we can consider it a strong hint in cute graphic form.

Where there are goblins, there is treasure to be found! Summon your own portal to untold riches with the exclusive #DiabloSwitch Loot Goblin amiibo – available Dec 2018! pic.twitter.com/jLe4vMmkcH

— Diablo (@Diablo) November 1, 2018

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Local play is great

Watching Diablo III morph before my very eyes has been a wild ride. Al??though I maxed out every class within a month of its release, I quickly noticed that my frie??nds list was dwindling.

Folks were completely turned off by the lack of an engaging endga?me and the Real Money Auction House (RMAH) first and foremost, not to mention the slow-going pace compared to other aRPGs (action RPGs) at the time. That all changed with the Reaper of Souls ex??pansion, which heralded Loot 2.0 into the fray (more/better loot) and removed the sleazy auction house entirely.

It's been four years since then and the only other major content update was the Necromancer class. Any effort of a console port probably isn't enough to entice someone who's already played Diablo III inside and out, but if you're looking in??to it for the first time the Switch isn't a bad p?lace to start.

As I geared up for this assessment I found myself playing the entire first act again without thinking. It's just that streamlined, which, I know, is why some old guard folks feel that it's so polarizing. Here's the thing about Diablo III at this point in time: it's really good. Sure you aren't going to get that Path of Exile minutiae-oriented perfect build feel from Diablo III as skills can be changed at any point. Some argue that i??t cheapens the concept of sticking to a build, but as someone who has played plenty of hardcore aRPGs for decades I say "bring it on."

Diablo III is pretty much a perfect game to pick up with anyone and just play. There's no lengthy hour-long player-to-player tutorial to espouse, no provisos about "bad skills you're not supposed to pick," they can just select a class and go. The Switch makes that even easier with local play on the go. Of the benefits from the Switch edition of DIII (Ganondorf costume, amiibo supp??ort for small rewards), local play (with multiple Switch uni??ts) is probably the most obvious plus.

Regardless of whether or not you're into having your own personal screen it's fun to be able to play on a TV, swap to portable mode if friends go home for the night and swap yet again to a tabletop configuration with a significant other. That's just a general Sw??itch feature, sure, but it feels particularly right for a big-time hack and slash that you can play for hours on end or for just a few minutes as you att?empt another Greater Rift (challenge rooms).

Switch players also net the following cosmetics: Echoes of the Mask, Mercy's Gaze, Wings of the Crypt Guardian, Cucco, Half-formed Chicken, Dominion's Revenge, a class pennant, and class/Triforce player frames. A Ganondorf transmog is in the form of an item that unlocks it and the amiibo port is also a reusable item (both are waiting in your stash roughly five minutes in). The former three are found in other platforms, the Zelda stuff is Switch exclusive.

Now for the fundamentals, as I'm sure a lot of you 1000+ hour players are going to want to know the nuts and bolts basics. As of this review the Switch build launches with patch 2.6.0, and all four core modes are playable (normal, hardcore, seasonal, seasonal hardcore). The Switch begins on Season 15 and adventure mode is unlocked from the start. Unsurprisingly Diablo III, a game with 2012 (with a 2014 expansion under its be??lt), is stable on Switch. It's 60FPS in both docked and handheld mode, with 960p visuals in the former state an??d 720p in the latter.

It's not going to look as good as a high-end PC, no, but it gets the job done especially when you're playing it on the go (just know that while all my tests were incredibly smooth there is a noticeable lack of detail in portable mode). The only major missing feature is the inability to grab save files off of a Battle.net profile, or any real Battle.net connection for that matter. Unlocking Zelda content for the PC edition (something Blizzard can easily do as they do?n't need to worry about IP or platform holder conflicts) would have been a cool extra if the two parties involved could have figured it out.

Regardless of a few small hangups, this is likely the start of a long and prosperous partnership between Blizzard and Nintendo. Blizzard has come a long way since Starcraft 64 and has built up a support network of teams that can actually manage to port things to? non-PC platforms with ?aplomb.

_{[This assessment is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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GameStop exclusive bundle for Blizzard port

Nintendo and Blizzard are partnering with GameStop to release Nintendo Switch bundle for the upcoming launch of wicked dungeon-crawler Diablo III, which launches on the hybrid console? next month.

The Diablo III Eternal Collection Switch bundle will retail for around $360 and includes a black and grey Diablo-branded edition of the console. Also included are a hellish looking carry-case and a digital copy of Diablo III, complete with the exclusive Ganondorf Tra?nsmog ar??mor set.

The bundle is exclusive to GameStop in North America but will also be available in stores in Europe. Diablo III launches on Nintendo Switch November 2.

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Force Sony to do it, Blizzard

[Update: A Blizzard representative directly reached out to D?estructoid with the following comment: “While we love the idea of bringing our players together across platforms, we do not have any plans to?? implement cross-platform gameplay for Diablo at this time.”]

We're not entering an awkward era where Sony, the dad of the console wars, says that you can only play with certain friends. But we were all kids once, challenging author??ity at some point in our lives, and Sony isn't our real dad: we want to play with anyone we damn well please.

Let's clarify that metaphor a bit. Sony has been the holdout for cross-platform console play this generation by a mile. Microsoft was to blame in the past -- but it's exactly that, in the past -- as they opened up their floodgates several years ago and even partnered directly with Nintendo, Apple and Google to allow cross-platform Minecraft. The same Minecraft&nbs?p;th??at boasts tens of millions of users monthly.

This past month Sony relented, but only just so. Their compromise? They're going to do a "beta test" of just Fortnite cross-platform play for now. All other studios seem to be left in the lurch as they ca??n't really do anything until Sony allows it.

Now we're back in the news article!

Blizzard isn't having any of this nonsense. Speaking to Business Insider, a rep responded that "it's a question of when, not if," the feature makes it onto consoles. In other words if they're this confident they've either already convinced Sony to allow cross-play or are working overtime to get it implemented. Will it happen before the launch of Diablo III on Switch??? We have? no idea, but it would be a great perk for sure.

The next time Sony tells you that you can??'t have cross-play just let hi??m have it.

Diablo 3 [Business Insider]

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Just missing Halloween

Diablo III's Switch port (complete with Ganondorf in tow) will be releasing on November 2, 2018. Blizzard announced this via the official Diablo Twitter account and I couldn't be more excited. I haven't played any of the previous releases of this once maligned game, but getting some Zelda content is enough to push me over the edge.

Diablo [Twitter]

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An all too frequent occurence

Grabbing a fresh? new cart from any given retailer and rushing home to play it is a euphoric feeling that many people get from buying physical media. But this generation hasn't been too kind to those folks, with the PS4 and Xbox One installing data from the disc on the console taking up space, and of course, massive?? Switch downloads.

A number of Switch games have historically required huge downloads on top of the physical cart, but according to PC Mag, Diablo III wont? be one of th??em. Once you get the cart you can just play the game without having to crowd your SD card with space.

Crazy how this is something we need to p??oint out right? But with it becoming commonplace Switch owners generally have to do their research before picking a game up on their platform of choice. Due diligence isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the fact that ??the Switch tax and these occasional download provisos exist is another matter entirely.

Watch Diablo III P??layed on Switch's 6.2-Inch Display [PC Mag]

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Click the chicken

Chickens are great, and man have they been showing up a lot lately in games. We have Bomb Chicken on the Nintendo Switch first up, then Guacamelee 2, which features expanded chicken mechanics (you can play nearly the ent??ire game as one): it's been a good month for th?em.

Now they're taking over the Diablo III website in the form of their classic Zelda freakout session. As you may have heard Blizzard and Nintendo have joined forces to bring the game to the Switch, and it'll arrive with a Ganondorf outfit transmog, Majora's Mask wings, and a Cucco (chicken) pet.

Head on over to the game's official website and give that clucker a few clicks an??d enjoy the videos below.

Diablo III [Blizzard]

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Switch it all on

If you gave up Diablo III years ago because of the Real Money Auction House and a lack of endgame content?, it's probabl?y a good time to get back into it: or not, just wait on the Switch version.

Yep, Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo III is coming to Switch in the form of the "Eternal Collection," which, as a recap, involves the big Reaper of Souls expansion and the Rise of the Necromancer mini-character add-on "in one single cartridge." Blizzard says that "all content will be unlocked from the jump," and that local and online play is in. It'll be 60 bucks and 60FPS with a "fall 2018" deadline -- in Blizzard Time (tm) that might mean winter. A Ganondorf armor transmog, Majora’s Mask wings, and a cucco pet are also confirmed. Remember that "switch" tease? Well it was real.

Now that Blizzard is finally on board with the Switch this could open up a door for Hearthstone and more Blizzard sequels in the future. I'm pretty sure there's an install base number that Nintendo can hit to ensure that the secret "unleash Overwatch on Switch with Ni?ntendo costumes" button i?s pressed.

Diablo III is also currently available on P??C, P?S4, and Xbox One.

Plane, train, bus, waiting rooms, laundry… Make the mundane more arcane with #DiabloSwitch this fall!

Learn more: //t.co/WbpeEEvITc pic.twitter.com/gUxfy8v7RL

— Diablo (@Diablo) August 16, 2018

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Stay awhile and read

Blizzard's legendary dark adventure series, Diablo, is to be immortalised in comic-book form, courtesy of publishers Tita??n Comics. The four-issue miniseries will hit the printed page later this year.

Written by Marv Wolfman of Crisis on Infinite Earths and The New Teen Titans fame, Diablo will be illustrated by Piotr Kowalski, whose art recently featured in similar video game comic tie-ins such as Bloodborne and Wolfenstein.

There is little info in the way of plot, but the story will recount the grim adventure of a group of "zealou??s scholars and crusaders as they discover the true origins of human??ity." You can check out two cool teaser images by Kowalski in the gallery below.

Diablo III, t?he best game in the series (boom) is available now on PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

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DON'T TEASE ME THIS WAY!

If there's one story that won't to go away, it's the nagging rumous that Blizzard's dungeon-crawling sequel Diablo III is headed to the Nintendo Switch. Today, more wood was thrown onto that particular fire via a listing on U.K. online retailer Cool Shop.

Of course, this could be nothing more than a mistake, or an over-eager website, but it is the latest in a line of stories and misdirection, from various sources, that point to the 2012 magnum opus potentially making its way to Nintendo's hybrid-console. A concept that many of you, of our commu??nity, reacted to with glee and hope.

This could turn out to be yet another monument to nothingness, or just one more piece of admittedly flimsy evidence that points to us demon-hunting with Joy-Con at some ??point in the future. For now, at least, the fragile dream is still real.

Diablo III Nintendo Switch listing [Cool Shop]

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Reaching reference sends fans into a tizzy

[Update: Well, I guess I should of stuck with my initial impressions, as Blizzard have since stated that the tweet is NOT meant to tease a Sw??itch game of any kind. A spokesperson humbly offered that "We can assure you we’re not that clever. [It was] meant to be a fun community engagement piece."]

Blizzard Entertainment have posted a tweet featuring a terrifying Diablo night-light being flicked on?? and off, along with the accompanying message "Sweet Dreams".

Fans and websites everywhere have taken this as early confirmation that epic dungeon-crawler Diablo III is skulking its way to Nintendo's hybrid-console, giving that the night-light is "switche??d" on?? and off.

To be honest, I'd say that's pretty damn tenuous, were it not for the fact that, last week, "industry insider" Marcus Sellars straight-up tweeted that the 2012 adventure title was indeed in development for the Nintendo console, and that we should expect to see it hit the shelves ??early 2019.

Diablo III is an amazing game. Fight me. One which took literally thousands of hours away from me on multiple formats. The idea of it becoming a readily available portable title is the stuff dreams (nightmares) are made of. Whatever the re?al deal actually is, here's hoping Blizzard comes through with an official announcement soon.

Sweet dreams. pic.twitter.com/tZvCnjjzWb

— Blizzard Entertainment (@Blizzard_Ent) February 28, 2018

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As opposed to Tristram's usual Californian atmosphere?

Blizzard have announced that The Darkening of Tristram event, held this time last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Diablo, is set to return to Diablo III in January.

The Darkening of Tristram was a nostalgic event that allowed players to once again explore the grim dungeon from the original Diablo, complete with tweaks th??at pixelated the graphics, reduced lighting quality and cut animation frames to give the game a more authentic 1996 aesthetic.

Adventurers re-explored the hellish catacombs, encountering classic bosses such as The Butcher, before facing off with Big Red himself. I'll admit it wasn't quite what I was expecting, (I was hoping they'd go full-on and include the original HUD, map graphics, a??nd the like), but it was still a very fun and quirky?? event.

There has, unfortunately, been no announcement forthcoming on any new content being ad??ded but, at the very least, p?layers who failed to bag all the achievements and rewards last time around will have a second shot.

The Darkening of Tristram returns to Diablo III on January 1, 2018 and will?? remain live unti?l January 30.

Diablo III's Darkening of Tristram returns [PC Gamer]

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Level up that new Necromancer

You'll be able to score double XP this weekend in Diablo III. So if you're looking for a chance to level t?hat new Necromancer, here you go!

Blizzard announced the double XP we??ekend as an apology for a problem with rolling out some hotfixes last week. 

The hotfixes mentioned above most??ly pertained to set bonuses with certain items and are live now. The double XP weekend begins Friday, July 14 at 5:00pm Pacific, and will run until 10:00am Pacific on Monday. 

Pick up double XP this weekend in Diablo 3 [Blizzard Watch]

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Swinging the dead

While initial fan reception to Diablo III wasn't exactly glowing, people seem to have come around to the game after the release of its expansion, Reaper of Souls. Much to my surprise, the Necromancer class wasn't added to the game for that expansion. How do you leave out such a pivotal player from Diablo? That just feels wrong.

Thankfully next week, on June 27, players will finally be able to raise the dead with Diablo's prematurely greying corpse re-animator. The Necromancer will be priced at $14.99/14.99 € and will require the Reaper of Souls expansion on PC to play (PS4 and Xbox One players don't need to worry about that bit). The pack will also grant acce?ss to additional character slots, some new stash tabs on PC, a portrait, ban??ner, sigil, accent and pennant, a brand new pet and some cosmetic stuff for your pets.

If you don't already own Diablo III on consoles and are looking to upgrade (or want to finally jump from Xbox 360 and PS3), Blizzard will be releasing a new digital version for purchase. Dubbed the Eternal Collection, it will include everything to get you jumped started on bringing?? the deceased back into this mortal coil (along with playing the game, I suppose).

Finally, next week will see the? release of Patch 2.6.0 for the game. This will bring two new zones (The Shrouded Moors and the Temple of the Fi?rstborn), the Realms of Fate (which mashes up pre-existing zones into new combinations) and Challenge Rifts (which are weekly challenges based on current Greater Rifts). As per the official FAQ you do not need the Necro pack to play all that.

Diablo 3's Necromancer DLC out next week [Battle.net]

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Just visit your profile page

We aren't getting Diablo IV&n??bsp;at the moment, but Blizzard is keen on still keeping the game relevant with more bite-sized content drops.

That includes the upcoming Necromancer character (which comes with its own host of minor changes), a premium add-on that's nebulously coming out this year. Before it does though you'll get a chance to try it out, with the always Blizzard-like timeline of "soon" (tm). To get in just head to your beta profile settings page (link here), check Diablo, and you're g?ood. You're not guaranteed access but you'll get an email if you are selected.

I was pretty impressed with the level of detail that went into the animations for the Necro at BlizzCon last year, but how he actually plays (and if he retains my att?ention long enough to warrant another full set of runs) remains to be seen.

Necromancer [Battle.net]

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GIFs do the trick

With blood and? bone and a trusty scythe, the Necromancer gets shit done. The best way ?to prove that to you is with a GIF like this:

Just straight-up exploding dudes from afa?r. That's the good stuff.

The Necromancer has more tricks up its sleeve, though. Many more. Blizzard detailed a bunch of new ones ove?r on battl??e.net. Head over there to get descriptions of everything that's happening. ??We're content to use more GIFs to show them off.

Grim Scythe:

Blood Nova:

Cannibalize:

Blood Golum (which?? has a particularly good animation):

Leech:

Also, Blizzard showed off the character model for the femal??e Necromancer. (Unlike the Necromancer, we have?? exactly one trick up our sleeve. Back to the GIFs.)

What does all this mean relative to how soon we'll get to play as the new class? Well, we don't know. Blizzard says that it's still aiming for release in the second half of the year. It'll hit the Public Test Realm sometime befo??re release, but in a way that's different from other PTR launches -- whatever that means. We also don't know how much the Necromancer will cost. Lot of mystery surrounding the character who can summon the dead.

Necromancer Update: The Meleemancer [Battle.net]

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Oh no, not Vista...

Windows ??XP was the defacto operating system for a very long time. I remember immediately upgrading in 2001 and not really thinking about changing until I eventually tried out Windows 7 in 2010. The removal of MS-DOS was pretty big, but the legacy support and general stability made up for some missing features. Surprisingly, a lot of people are still running XP, despite Microsoft ending support for the operating system eight ye?ars ago!

It looks like Blizzard is now following suit as they have announced that their newer games will be dropping support for Windows XP and Vista sometime this year. The games affected will be World of Warcraft, Diablo III, Starcraft 2, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm. To be clear, anything not mentioned in this list will still function normally on any O??S.

Blizzard issued a statement over the weekend that explains their decision ?behind this:

“Microsoft ceased mainstream support for these versions of Windows in 2009 and 2012, respectively, but since a decent portion of our audience was still using them at the time, we continued supporting them. However, there have been three major Windows releases since Vista, ??and at this point, the vast majority of our audience has upgraded to one of the newer versions.

“After these older operating systems are no longer supported, the games will not run on them, so we encourage any players who are still using one of the older OSes to upgrade to a newer version. We’ll be rolling out this change ?on a staggered sched??ule, and will post further notices as we get closer to making the change for each game.”

I'm guessing the reason all of these games are even being affected is due to requiring a login to Blizzard's launcher. Keeping support for an older OS whil??e simultaneously trying to update a game with newer content may eventually end up with said content being held back by the limitations of older versions of Windows.

Ah well, everything must ??eventually come to an end. If you're still rocking Windows XP from an initial purchase, yo??u at least got your money's worth over these past 15 years.

Blizzard phasing out Windows XP & Vista this ye??ar [Rock Paper Shotgun]

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4K support

So the Diablo III anniversary patch hit all platforms yesterday, including consoles, and it brought the limited time Diablo I event into the fold. Yes you heard that right -- it's a limited time thing, and will happen every January from now on until Blizzard decides to stop supporting the game. Which, based on their track record, might be a very long time.

But about that console update -- it actually did a little something extra on PS4. If you go update now you'll find that 4K support was added for the PS4 Pro, though some folks have noticed that it smoothed out the resolution for everyone, including those with 1080p sets. If only upscaling was the limit of what developers could provide for Pro owners.

PS4 Pro enhancements [NeoGAF]

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Patch 2.4.3

[Update: It's out!]

Diablo just turned 20, and although we didn't really get a whole lot of fanfare out of Bli??zzCon outside of an event and a new class, the former is co??ming very soon as a result of the upcoming 2.4.3 patch.

As previously discussed the entire first game, including every boss, has been re-created in Diablo III, complete with t?inny sound effects and an old school retro aesthetic. I had to chance to briefly give it a try, a?nd I have to say, from the UI to the way your character walks, they nailed it.

If you're wondering how to access it, here's a quick rundown. Basically, you kill cultists, grab an item, then go to Old Tristram and enter the portal. Boom, you're done. A lot of people are angry that this is only a "one month" ??event, but it will happen "every January" going forward, if it's any consolation.

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Limited time events start next week

It's hard to believe, but the original Diablo came out 20 years ago on December 31. I remember thinking it was strange that such a huge game was coming out after Christmas, even then. My first time playing was at a friend's dorm room as I visited during winter break, and I was hooked immediately. Those big, beautiful health and mana orbs on the heads-up display were what really drew me in, ?I think. I just never wanted them to be less than full, so I played very cautiously at first.

Anyway, Diablo's turning 20, and to celebrate, Blizzard is letting Big Red cross over with all of their other properties. Everything from Hearthstone to Overwatch is getting in on the action with limited time events and items. Blizzard has said that there may be more th??an what's listed here, ??so you may want to log in to every game for yourself, just to check.

DIABLO III

As you might expect, Diablo III is where the biggest tribute to the original Diablo takes place. The Darkening of Tristram event lets players revisit the original game, and will run every January as long as Diablo III stays active. You can read our earlier article for the details on how to access the original cathedral, which will contain some throwback items as w?ell. 

HEROES OF THE STORM

HotS already has several Diablo themed stages and characters, but there's a new Brawl map themed around the battle for the High Heavens, as seen in Diablo III. Players will be able to claim a new Diablo themed portrait.

HEARTHSTONE

Hearthstone added a new Tavern Brawl, a weekly event match that has slightly diffe?rent rules. The player will face a hooded stranger in the tavern. We're not sure what the reward for defeating them will be, as this one won't go live until next Wednesday. 

OVERWATCH

Not much here, but Diablo themed sprays representing the different classes from Diablo III will be unlockable. It remains to be seen whether they'll be made availab??le in Loot Boxes or will need to be earned, like the snowman sprays you can get from Mei's Snowball fight. There will also be a new player icon available.

STARCRAFT II

Even less here, but? you can replace y?our worker's portrait with Diablo.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT

This one sounds intriguing. The most recent expansion, Legion, already returned demons to the forefront of Blizzard's MMO. The Diablo event looks like it'll bring even more demons to Azeroth, but this ti??me, they'll be from the world of Sanctuary.

BLIZZARD CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF DIABLO [Battle.net Forums]

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You'll need Reaper of Souls to buy and play the new pack

The pre-BlizzCon leak spoiled the surprise, but heck, there's no raining on this parade. Folks have demanded the Necromancer class for Diablo III and that's exactly what we're getting next year. He (and she!) will make it into the game in the "Rise of the Necromancer" pack, which will require owning both Diablo III and Reaper of Souls to access on PC, and the Ultimate Evil Edition on Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

Blizzard isn't talking p??ricing yet, but the pack will also include "an in-game pet, two additional character slots, two additional stash ta??bs (on PC), a portrait frame, pennant, banner, and banner sigil."

This Necromancer is a "reimagining" of the beloved Diablo II class, and the designers say they've created some distance between it and the existing Witch Doctor class in terms of "theme and play style."

I'm in!

Restoring the Balance—Necromancer Overview [Blizzard]

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Part of the anniversary patch

Diablo is one of Blizzard's oldest and most important properties. With Diablo III still going strong, the develope??r wants to pay proper tribute to where it all began in honor of the franchise's 20th anniversary.

During the BlizzCon 2016 keynote, chief development officer Frank Pearce revealed that Blizzard is putting the original Diablo in Diablo III. Players have the opportunity to travel b??ack to that d?amned cathedral and work their way downward through untold horrors. It's 16 levels deep and features the original's four main bosses.

It sounds like a version that stays true to its roots, too. Pearce mentioned that there's a special graphics filter to "make everything pixelated and grainy." Character movement is also properly?? restricted to eight directions. As Pearce emphati??cally stated, "We didn't have 360 degrees of movement; we had 8 degrees and we liked it!"

Players won't have to wait long to get their old-school Diablo on. The anniversary patch hits the Public Test Realm next week. Existi??ng characters can be used but, as Pearce said, it's best experienced with a brand new build. Whatever you do, travel 20 years back in time and slay t??hat mean bastard for the first time all over again.

The post Blizzard’s recreating the original Diablo in Diablo III appeared first on Destructoid.

'10 of the best years of my life'

UPDATE: Jay Wilson's been in touch to clarify that the tweets about a "failed experiment" taken to refer to Diablo 3 are specifically about Diablo 3's Auction ??House. Apologies for the misu??nderstanding. 

Original story is as follows.

---

Jay Wilson, the director of Diablo 3, ??is leaving Blizzard after ten years with the studio.

Wilson has been develo??ping games since 1999 when he joined Cavedog Entertainment, after which he moved to Monolith, EA, and Relic. He announced his de?cision to leave on Twitter. 

"Sad to ??say after 10 of the best years of my life t?his will be my last week at Blizzard, and in the games industry,” he said.

Sad to sa??y after 10 of the best years of my life this will be my last week at B??lizzard, and in the games industry.

— Jay Wilson (@Angryrobotics) June 6, 2016

When asked? to share his next steps, Wilson stated he plans to move back to the Pacific Northwest to “pursue writing, see if I’m any good at it”, &ld?quo;probably something in the sci-fi fantasy, urban fantasy range. We’ll see&r??dquo;.

When a fan a?dded he’d enjoyed the “original direction of D[iablo]3, Wilson added that while he was “glad you liked it”, he “was full??y in support of losing it, though. It was a failed experiment. Happens sometimes”. 

We wish Jay all th??e very best with his next steps!

Diablo 3 director reti??res from games industry after 17 years [Eurogamer]

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Not for consoles of course

Blizzard did a damn fine job of porting Diablo III to consoles, but sadly, the "Season" system, arguably the best part of the game's long-term appeal, was not included. For those of you who do s?till play the PC version, you can enjoy Season 6 as of this week.

New rewards include an armor set, portrait frame, and pennant, as well as the typical leaderboard spoils it entails. I might not play Diablo as often as I used to near its launch and Loot 2.??0 update, but I still go back when a new Season hits just to partake in the festivities with a few friends.

It's nice, and that content update a few months ago was a nice shot ??in the arm, but we're due for another expansion.

The post Diablo III’s Season 6 kicks off this week appeared first on Destructoid.

Get your level 70 by Friday

Many Diablo III players are getting an extended bit of fun out of the seasonal character system, which is currently running with Season 5 at the moment. For reference, ??this is a challenge of sorts where people level and power up characters for a limited time, at which point they are reverted back to "normal" mode, and the season starts all over again. If you max out character at level 70 for each season, you get a reward.

Simple enough? Good, because you have until Friday, April 15 at 5PM PT to finish out this current period, and Season 6 now has a start date of April 29. Note that once your Season 5 character has transitioned out, that you'll have 30 days to claim them. I generally level at least one character for this, and sometimes the rewards cross over to other games, so it's worth it.

Season 5 Ending Soon [Battle.net] Thanks Nick!

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Patch 2.4

I still can't believe that Blizzard is updating Diablo III as often as they are, nearly four years later. I always enjoyed the game quite a bit, but it wasn't until they eliminated their Auction House and added Loot 2.0 that it got to a truly masterful level. Since then, the Reaper of Souls&nb??sp;expansion added on top of all of that greatness.

Patch 2.4 is the latest of the bunch, and it's a doozy.

The biggest addition is definitely Greyhollow Island, a brand new map that can only be accessed directly from adventure mode, by way of the top right-hand corner of Act V. It's one of the most robust add-ons in some time for Diablo III, sporting expanded enemy types (including my personal favorite, the Naga-like Abyssal Protectors) as well as quests, and its own lore, partially told through diary voiceovers. After a few scant minutes it's clear that Blizzard didn't half ass this update, and it reminds me of some of the best parts of Diablo II's Act III.

In addition, two existing areas have been expanded. This includes the Eternal Woods (located ??in the Ruins of Sescheron in Act III), and the Royal Quarters in Leoric's Manner in Act I. The latter is a bit disappointing as it essentially boils down to a small, familiar map filled with skeletons, but Eternal Woods is a pretty massive addition, filled with fun enemies and quests. It's such a small thing, to be able to go through these extensions, but each subsequent playthrough will reap the benefits.

A ton of other updates have arrived along with patch 2.4, including enhanced class armor sets, "set dungeons" (trials of sorts that are accessible after earning sets), a complet??e overhaul of the Season system (as well as the ability to bring over characters to new Seasons), more stash space, and a lot more. It's a perfect time to dive back into the game.

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Expect it to drop before January 15

Still playing Diablo III? Yay! Brace yourself for a huge patch and? an influx of brand new conten??t.

Patch 2.4 - which brings a new zone, Greyhollow Island, with entirely new enemies, as well as new dungeons, challenges, and an assload of new items and powers - will arrive on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One before the new “season” commences on Januar??y 15.

"The January 15 date is the start of the new season," said Brandy “Nevalistis” Camel?? in the comments on the update. "We plan to rele?ase the patch prior to the start of [the new season].”

"While we typically patch o??n Tuesdays, dates can always shift if we run into technical issues during deployment preparations. This is why we do not provide hard release dates for any patch."

For the full notes (and there are A LOT - take food and warm clothing before you start reading), head on over to Battle.net.

Are you still enjoying Diablo III? Let us know what you think of the new patch in?? the comments!

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