How many hours have you already put into Diablo III: Reaper of Souls? One or ten? A hundred? A MILLION?! It’s possible. We know what you’re like, but most importantly we know how addictive Diablo III can be. And though many were hooked on DiabloIII during the original release period, we suspect Reaper of Souls will herald in a new age of dungeon crawling addiction.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is the first major expansion pack for Diablo III, drawing similarities to age old expansion packs like Lord of Destruction for Diablo II. However, while something like Lords of Destruction aimed to expand upon the core Diablo II formula, Reaper of Souls goes one step further: revising and improving what was established in Diablo III.
At the heart of these changes is the revision of the loot drop system, now called “Loot 2.0”, which decreases frequency of drops with the benefit of increased quality. This shapes the drop system to something a little more closely resembling the older Diablo games, where players don’t have to grind through a ton of drops just to gamble at maybe getting something of value, but instead can play comfortably knowing plenty of magical and useful items will be dropped. Additionally, loot will sometimes “smart drop”, meaning an item may drop from a fallen foe with stats appropriate for your player character’s class and build.
Numerous other changes are present in build, including a revamped paragon levelling/difficulty system, but the best part is that all Diablo III players can try it right now. Yep, you don’t even need Reaper of Soul. Boot up Diablo III to try out the changes, as a taster for what Reaper of Souls offers.
But the real meat of content is in Reaper of Souls. Diablo connoisseurs can look forward to an entirely new act that in true Diablo tradition continues the story arc established in Diablo III. Players will travel through a new location, the old kingdom of Westmarch, hunting down Malthael, a fallen Archangel of Wisdom now baring the moniker “Angel of Death”. Playing as classes from Diablo III, players will be invited to explore the increased level cap and unlock new powers and abilities for their chosen class.
Alternatively, players can re-roll as an entirely new class: the Crusader. Inspired by the classic Paladin class from past Diablo titles, the Crusader aims to combine warrior-like melee abilities with holy powers, powers benefiting use of a sword or flail alongside a towering shield. Much like the Paladin of old, the Crusader is most beneficial as part of a cohesive team, using buffs to strengthen the overall group and debuffs to lower enemy defences.
For Blizzard, the combination of the new patch and Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is a bit of a one-two-punch. While every Diablo III owner has the opportunity to try out a number of core changes courtesy of the latest patch, it’s the patch in combination with the Reaper of Souls expansion pack that pushes Diablo III into a new era.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is available now for PC and Mac, and will be coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the not-too-distant future.
