Battle Tips: Is there "Monster Power" in console version of Diablo III?

I got alot of questions about this by people who played the PC version of Diablo III. And so let me get straight to the point.

Short answer: YES THERE IS.

Long answer: It's not called "Monster Power" and it works a little differently for the console version. It's called "Difficulty". And the previous "Difficulty" mode in Diablo III (Normal / Nightmare / Hell / Inferno) is now called "Modes". Sounds a little confusing? Here's a quick video I made about it:

I've discussed about "Difficulty" modes in brief in my previous post, but for the sake of the PC gamers, here's a detailed comparison between "Monster Power":

• Easy Difficulty = no bonuses
• Medium Difficulty = no bonuses
• Hard Difficulty = no bonuses
• Master I Difficulty = Monster Power 6
• Master II Difficulty = Monster Power 7
• Master III Difficulty = Monster Power 8
• Master IV Difficulty = Monster Power 9
• Master V Difficulty = Monster Power 10

Here's a breakdown of how bonuses stack up per Master Difficulty level:

• Master I = +60% Magic Find, +60% Gold Find, +120% XP Bonus
• Master II = +70% Magic Find, +70% Gold Find, +140% XP Bonus
• Master III = +80% Magic Find, +80% Gold Find, +160% XP Bonus
• Master IV = +90% Magic Find, +90% Gold Find, +180% XP Bonus
• Master V = +100% Magic Find, +100% Gold Find, +200% XP Bonus

I've taken some screenshots with my stats in-game, showing how the bonuses affect players when they change the difficulty level.

Now does this translate in gameplay? Monsters are definitely far more stronger, and more deadlier in Master Difficulties. I've recorded some gameplay footage showing you just how harder Master difficulties can get. Take a look:

So what do you guys think? Sound off your comments below!

Going to need an Upgrade SOON!

I'm currently on Act 2 Inferno Difficulty, Monster Power 2 with my Barbarian on Paragon Level 34.

I'm still managing to hold my own but the demons and monsters are getting tougher and tougher to beat. Aside from the higher vitality of these infernal creatures (not to mention the bigger DPS), the darn things are traveling in bigger packs.

With the odds stacked against me, I am forced to fight smarter AND harder.

Even that's not going to be enough after a while though. I can feel it in my bones. I'm currently merging my gems together (I've got quite a few socketed items). The improved jewels will hopefully bolster my stats so I can progress further to earn a bit of gold (merging gems are expensive) and chance upon better gear.

The last resort is the Auction House of course but things are so frikkin' expensive.

Battle Tips: Mobility

Sun Tzu, the author of the world renowned The Art of War, has always favored speed and mobility over sheer brute strength.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise which has remained as the most important military treatise in Asia for the last two thousand years, so much so that even the common people knew it by name. Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Baron Antoine-Henri Jomini, General Douglas MacArthur and leaders of Imperial Japan have drawn inspiration from the work.

Sun Tzu certainly knew his stuff so, taking a leaf from his book, I developed several tactics when playing as my Barbarian character in Diablo III.

For reference, below are my character stats:

Slash and Move
Also known as Hit and Run, this is one of the classic tactics in gaming. As the name suggests, you damage your enemy then proceed move to a different position to avoid or reduce incoming damage directed at you via your former location. A very useful tactic, a true classic favored by Sun Tzu.

Avoid being Surrounded
This is easier said than done and, at times, sometimes downright impossible. High DPS, vitality, and armor (plus life regeneration) allow me to survive most in-game life and death scenarios but, as any gamer will tell you, sheer number will eventually overwhelm, wear you down, and kill you.

Know your Surroundings
The type of place you fight offer its fair share of advantages and disadvantages and knowing these can be the difference between life or death for your character. So, whenever possible, get to know where you're fighting (daunting, because some maps change randomly) and know where the exit is.

Always have an Escape Option
After clearing out a dungeon, I make a mental note of its location because I may need to use it as a handy escape hatch if I find that I've bit on more than I can chew, like when you're running away from one group of monsters and run into another horde. That cleared out dungeon is a life-saver.

Do you also feel the need for speed when battling demons and monsters? Let us know your technique in the comments below.

Patch 1.0.4

I've been playing Diablo on and off for the past few weeks just waiting for Patch 1.0.4. I've written quite a lot about the things I didn't like about the game but was hopeful that they could be fixed. Original Diablo creator David Brevik went online to express the same dissatisfaction with the game. Diablo 3 lead designer Jay Wilson responded with "fuck that loser" which I found insulting, not only to David Brevik, but to everyone playing the game who felt changes were needed...including me.

Yes, I too felt personally insulted by it and I swore on Twitter that I've finally had it and I would give up this game for good. It didn't matter that Patch 1.0.4 sounded awesome.

So, even when the patch went live, I didn't play it. And almost as miraculous as a truly legendary item dropping with truly legendary stats, Jay Wilson gave a public apology days later, not only to David Brevik, but to the players as well.

Great! I revved up Diablo 3 once again and here I am playing the game post patch. Inferno is still difficult, but not ridiculously so. The "Paragon Levels" certainly gives that added incentive to continue playing. It gives the players something to play for, especially when they get drops that are disappointing.

I have noticed a change in drops that I've gotten most noticeably with the 2 hander weapons. In the few hours I've played, at least two Level 63 2-hander weapons with more than 1K DPS stat have dropped. I thought wow...but I couldn't use them as my Barbarian is a one hander.

One Legendary item has dropped for me so far...a Bracer but it had crap stats very much like a pre-1.0.4 Legendary. I put it up on the auction house and what the hell...someone bought it for 120K gold. Amazing.

Right now I'm actually on ACT 3, currently lighting fires at Bastion's Keep.

What's my gear like? What skills am I using? You can take a look at my Barbarian's profile here:
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/Komikero-6931/hero/5717457

What about you? What's your player profile?

Not So Legendary

I've been playing the game since May 16, 2012, and in the last 2 months I think only two Legendary items have dropped for me while playing.

Legendary items in Diablo III is a curious thing in that they're not that Legendary. I think they developers have explained why these items can be such crap, compared to the more common Rare items, but their reasons, to be honest, are just idiotic.

Legendary items are supposed to be LEGENDARY. Meaning, when you get them, you freak out, gurgle a bit, convulse for a minute or so, then run round and round the room like a crazy person, just like winning the lottery.

Legendary items that are crap=NOT fun.
Legendary items that are awesome=FUN.

I think that's the only bottom line for any game of this sort. It's a game. You're supposed to have FUN. Never mind all the other reasons and statistics and probabilities and all that crap. Always always the bottom line: IT SHOULD BE FUN.

At any rate, the developers have said that they will be upgrading Legendary drops in a future patch. I certainly hope so! Because imagine my thrill upon seeing this Legendary item drop, only to find out that I couldn't use it because it was just too weak.

And look at that...I'm at Level 33, and this is a Level 26 item. I mean come on! The weapon I have at this time already has something like 70+DPS. And you give me this...41.8 DPS?

Madness.

I tried selling this thing at the Gold Auction house for cheap and nobody's buying. Figures! Who'd want this crap?