You go to the client Diablo 3 now and see optimistic numbers: friends were not in the game on average 160 days. Six months ago, at the official forum, almost all the time it was possible to observe ridiculous movements and not quite a successful Damage Control project manager Jay Wilson (now he has left the post and is engaged in other Blizzard games). His ambiguous decisions about the balance in Diablo 3 picked up players. Fans waited not at all what expected. Attempts to rectify the situation, of course, were-a series of patches gradually changed the game-but for some reason each update was perceived for hostility: crazy prices for repair, processing of loot, support for auction ..
The new leader, Josh Moskraira, was already engaged in the console version. It was this person who decided to abolish the auction, change the direction of the project. Now he is working with might and main, but it seems that no power in the universe will be able to prove to some people that the game has become good. And it's sad.
One leg here, the other there
We have already learned how much everything has changed, played Beto Reaper of Souls (and we will continue to do this – you can study the game for a long time, the passage should not be limited only to a new character). In fact, we have a full version of the game, unless there is not enough final, fifth assembly boss. Many details have not yet been approved; characteristics of skills, prices, effects from runes and everything else can change at any time. We will talk about key things. What happened to objects? How to earn experience now? Why you can no longer arrange the hell day?
[[Bullet]] Crusader in the ears is chained into armor and is ready to conquer the underworld!
This material is written from the impressions of the game for the crusader in the new adventure mode. In addition, it turned out to be imported into beta version of the old character, a sorceress of the 60th level, and start traveling with her along Westmarsh. It would be nice to hear a sad story about the black stone of the soul with a locked one inside and how the archangel Maltiel stole this stone, but the fifth act will wait, and Diablo is no longer about the story of the game, but about slightly different matters. The time has come for real adventures!
[[Bullet]] Westmarsh – gloomy and extremely unfriendly place. Opponents do not allow to take a break, and the streets are full of corpses.
The new Adventure mode is an almost complete rejection of the plot, we just run around the locations in search of a dungeon or boss, we carry out minor instructions like helping a necromancer from the second act. Yeah, found a place, staged a clearance, received a well -deserved award. Sometimes you need to deal not only with a particularly strong monster, but also kill at least 50 other creatures – a normal system of arbitrary quests, as in any MMO. It turns out to complete the tasks quickly, it takes one for ten to fifteen minutes. Locations change at high speed, and you can move in new mode around the world. Tired of the deserts? We return to the first act, from it immediately to the fourth. Even a place within one act can be visited in any order.
[[Bullet]] Sorcadies have new passive abilities. Our beloved – Dominance, allows you to hold a shield if we successfully kill monsters.
If anything, the levels of monsters are adjusted to your character, so it is quite possible to create a new hero and after twenty minutes to destroy Diablo, but a heap of objects for such a feat will not be allowed. In Reaper of Souls, the player encouraging the player's promotion system. For the successful passage of an arbitrary quest, we get experience, gold and a separate, new currency called Blood Shards (Blood Shards). Moreover, we are guaranteed to earn Horadric Cache – a bag with different objects and consumables. This is a kind of pinata, only instead of sweets we get some kind of armor or sharply sharpened ax. In addition, new NPCs stand in the cities and exchange bloody fragments to arbitrary objects – almost like a guide from the second part.
[[Bullet]] things often fall beneficial. If it were not for an expensive ruby in the hammer, the crusader grabbed the blade for a long time.
For the passage of the line of tasks, we are awarded with a pinch larger. The principle of distribution of gifts, to be honest, is no different, just from a large Horadric Cache, a completely indecent number of objects fall. In each case there is a good chance to get an artifact. We definitely did not count, but somewhere in one of twenty bags an extremely rare object falls. In the original Diablo 3, this turned out to be found on the forty hour of the game, here a little faster. Two hours-and our character went to the miracle stations, from whom it was disgusting, so much so that the demons themselves from the underworld suffocated in hellish torment. An important trifle about artifacts: they are attached to the account, and they will not even be able to transfer them to another player! There are exceptions, the subject can be given within two hours only to the person who was on the network at the time of the appearance of the artifact.
On the other side of the portal
In addition to ordinary instructions, there is an option to go to the unknown through a special portal. It just doesn’t open – the hero must definitely find Rift Keystone. It comes across just from those same bags with prizes. For every visit to the portal goes through the stone. The difference from ordinary adventures can be described as follows: side tasks throw us into familiar places, Alcarne will remain alcarne, where the cultists have fun and the witch Magda is hidden. Journey in the break – a clean, unwilling action. We move along an endless chain of different locations with a changed color palette and completely unpredictable set of opponents. What will come next? What situation will the player get into? Unknown. It is impossible to avoid enemies – on the contrary, we must destroy a certain amount. After that, a boss, the guardian of the fault appears from nowhere. Again, for the victory over the monster, we are guaranteed to receive a reward – no more sad races in an attempt to collect more “yellow” objects.
[[Bullet]] ply spilles from monsters like from a horny abundance. Only have time to collect and melt in something useful.
Everything related to arbitrary tasks and travel to the portal sharply changes the attitude to Diablo 3. You can skeptically say that the game has remained the same – know yourself, walk in the spaces of the sanctuaries and crumbs of skeletons in a petty dust, even a little different in order – but here you can easily miss the fact that Blizzard moved away from the narrative mechanics and left Pure gameplay. Now Diablo is more close to the Roguelike genre. First of all, the addition will be interesting for fans of the "heroic", hardcore regime. Lovers to tickle nerves can probably quote the replicas of all NPCs, time after time pass the same plot quests. They have to engage in such terrible things most often. Now each game session will be unpredictable, and the game for hardcore (and all the others) has acquired a new meaning.
Light knight
We mastered and tested the adventure regime on a new character, the crusader. Roughly speaking, this is a hero who in every possible way tries to minimize incoming damage and control the crowd. He has abilities and runes for restoration of health, improving protection and increasing resistance. Something he looks like a paladin from Diablo 2 , but not so actively relies on the auras. Instead, the crusader has the so -called "laws", although the principle of action has almost not changed. The law acts constantly and slightly increases the characteristics of the hero and his comrades, although at a certain moment the action of the law can be strengthened temporarily, then the ability will begin to work several times more efficiently.
[Bullet]] to enchant the item is easier, just choose the objectionable characteristic, and then lower half the gold reserves to discharge it.
Iconic skills partially remained, hammers can spin around the crusader, the hero cuts with frantic zeal and crushes enemies. Basic and secondary abilities work well in close combat, the crusader actively relies on their shield – some skills are very tied on it.
The Knight controls the crowd is simply excellent: there is a holy shine from the shield, like a “blinding flash” by a monk, and a provocation, and a more radical method – the crusader simply forbids the monsters to move within a certain radius, and they cost as integrated as many as seven seconds. A little closer to the late levels to stay near any devils becomes uncomfortable, so the manipulation of the crowd and remote, especially powerful attacks remains the main tactics.
[Bullet]] Even in the first act you need to be on the alert. Elite monsters do not know mercy and can unite even such a tin can as a crusader.
Here the crusader is already beginning to envy sorcerers and sorcerers. The character is strong, hides behind a dozen layers of armor, holds a two -handed massive hammer in one hand, and in the other a thick, unbearable shield. At the same time, he calls from heaven the light, which is easiest to characterize as “ion gun from Command & Conquer ". She searches for enemies herself, she burns them herself. Crusader does not even fly to the shining armor of the crusader and blood drops of monsters, the ability works so efficiently. If this is not enough, then a tightly knocked -down templete himself soars into heaven easily, causes a thunderstorm and crushes all the creatures in the epicenter with one mighty blow of the sword.
If the matter is very bad, then the hero calls for the aid of a horse, on which he easily moves through the crowd of devils. The trick, if anything, works no worse than the sorceress teleport, but looks ten times cooler. Despite all the nobleness of the Crusader, he is not shy about moving even on a fiery horse. In a word, the new hero is so universal that playing for him is a pleasure.
[[Bullet]] no sunlight, rainbow and beautiful nature. From the fifth act blows hopelessness. Not so cruel, however, as in Path of Exile.
It makes sense to study old heroes. Firstly, the maximum level bar rose from 60 to 70, and the Paragon steps are not at all limited. Secondly, each hero appeared according to a new active ability, some runes were radically redone, and passive skills sometimes change the perception of the game for a particular character. The sorceress, for example, can not bother with the shield – all the absorption of damage now works through the passive Galvanizing Ward and another skill that, when killing opponents for a short time, gives an increase in the absorbed damage.
[[Bullet]] And this is a map of the world, a list of quests and a reward for their implementation is indicated below.
The system of "non -factory valor" is completely abolished, now it makes no sense for a long time to stay with the same set of active abilities, moreover, the player is pushing for experimentation on builds, and combinations of abilities that work well against the crowd may be completely useless in the battle one on one and vice versa. Paragon-levels do not give an automatic increase in characteristics, this time we choose the bonuses ourselves-a small compromise to the complaint about the fact that the characters in Diablo 3 are pumped too equally and have no individuality.
The only and unique
Diversity await us not only internal, but also external. The new artisan enlarges objects and changes their shape. There is no practical application of the latest ability, but if you remember, at the end of the game, the heroes turn into dubious characters from Korean MMOs: meter horns on helmets, hundreds of rivets, immense sulfates, a dozen skulls on a bib … Now the armor can not only be repainted, but also modifying To your taste. The same applies to weapons – an ugly ax can be turned into an elegant blade, and a cracked skull in the hands of the sorceress in a brand new, sparkling shield. Aesthes, of course, will be happy.
[Bullet]] Magic hammers, which were popular among Hammerdins in Diablo 2, are not so effective here.
For pragmatists, the enforcement agent has a more interesting opportunity. We give a woman a rare object or artifact to the woman, select from the proposed list a characteristic that is objectionable to us and for a fee can change it to something arbitrary from the list. Replace, for example, a bonus to dexterity with a bonus for strength or even create a separate nest for precious stone.
By the way, not only new levels for stones, but also diamonds appeared in Reaper of Souls. If you are inserted into the weapon, then it will apply additional damage against elite monsters. Inlating the jewelry of the helmet will reduce the “reloading” of different abilities, and in the armor the diamond will simply increase resistance to all elements. The jeweler can not even combine stones, all jewelry, even high -level, now constantly fall from monsters. This makes an imbalance. The stones have no level restrictions, so it is enough to dial low -level equipment with nests, inlaid it as it should and send an inexperienced character to a high level of complexity to earn a lot of experience.
Why kill evil four times?
The complexity system has also been processed, now there are only five levels, nothing can be twisted in the options. Moreover, the player now does not have to wipe through a few circles of hell, the hard division into Normal-Nightmare-Hell-Inferno was abolished, the game does not need to be held four times. For reference, the crusader of the 35th level at the third level of difficulty is afraid of monsters from the first act. For sorceresses of the 60th level, problems with elite monsters can occur already on the second.
[[Bullet]] In design, new locations win the sterile Korean mother-of-pearl paradise.
Particularly strong monsters have new modifiers and abilities. Of separately dangerous nasty things, Poison Prefix can be noted. The monster scatters several poisonous puddles that spread in the form of crosses. Something the effect resembles puddles from the “desecrators”, it only turns out that almost the entire screen floods with poison. Some enemies learned to not only attract a “whirlwind”, but simply teleport the hero to an arbitrary place. Often it is not so dangerous and can even help. Groups of elite monsters began to act much more efficiently, the minions added to health and, it seems, began to pursue the hero much more aggressive . Giant Wins Casino.
Previously, the difference in the strength of the hero and monsters was leveled by auction, but the studio will refuse this system to the Reaper of Souls exit. The lack of auction also changes the whole game – holders of versions on consoles about this and so know. Before, after all, there was a familiar situation: you play without auction, sometimes blades and armor fall out, but nothing curious and powerful. You are gradually encountering problems, then you are cheaply gaining rare objects, running and finishing everyone like a god tortoise, again purchase … All weapons and armor, which could be found in the field, could not compare with luxurious auction outfit.
[[Bullet]] In a new act, monsters, as a rule, work in a team and complement each other. The onslaught of monsters is even stronger than before the battle with Diablo!
Now everything, the times of the gold fever and the ability to accumulate on the yacht the sale of objects have gone. The bought clothes will be depreciated over time, since the level of the level of objects will also rise to 70. Items and their drop in Reaper of Souls remoded a little. There is always a big chance that a rare object will fall out with suitable characteristics. When playing for the sorceress, an armor with an intelligence bonus or a rod falls out with an increase in active ability – for example, improving damage from frosty beam by as much as fifteen percent! In addition, the bonuses correspond to the subject: there will never be characteristics on the crossbow, useful for Varvara, and the ax is unlikely to make the sorcerer will grow wiser.
Everything that happens with the game in the addition of Reaper of Souls is a rare case when the developers have a vision of the project. The game still may not like fans of the Games "Old Formation" (like Path of Exile ), at least because there is no Ladder in Diablo 3, the attacks are counted differently, and in general the main problem of the game is for some reason not Diablo 2. The audience seems to play in its design, idealized in the head, requires strange things when you should come for a long time and understand that Reaper of Souls is already working as it should be. In addition to Blizzard, they try to redraw the project with all their might, make it comfortable for the game Roguelike, and they finally succeed.
We will wait?
Not at all the Diablo 3, which we saw at the time of the release. There are no more dubious mechanics, but there is such a content that we always dreamed about.
Percent of readiness: 80%