Win Diablo III: Reaper of Souls shirts!!

Are you one of those gamers who bought Diablo III's amazing expansion pack; Reaper of Souls? Want to win some limited edition shirts? Do you live in the Philippines? Then simply answer the survey below to win!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1FLR7D4enSKikgXPSIP9oq1tRdr20_uD-ETE73a5vpHg/viewform

The said survey was done by Asiasoft Online (the Philippine distributor of Blizzard games), and they want to know what gamers think of the latest expansion pack. Here's the details from the survey:

"Get a chance to win a limited edition Diablo III: Reaper of Souls T-shirt! All you have to do is participate in this survey and you may be proud new owner of an exclusive D3 shirt. The quiz will be from May 19 to June 1 2014 and we will announce the 3 winners on June 2, 2014."

So what are you waiting for? Join now! :D

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is COMING TO CONSOLES!

YESSS!! After much speculation (and worrying on my part), Blizzard has finally unveiled that the much awaited expansion pack to Diablo III is coming to the consoles on August 19th 2014!! :D You can read about it more via this link: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/14096399/reaper-of-souls%E2%84%A2-coming-to-console-august-19-5-12-2014

Back then, I've only heard of rumors that the expansion pack will be launching on next-gen consoles (PS4 and Xbox one respectively), but there was no news about the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions. I was worried that Blizzard might skip the previous console gen in favor of the next-gen consoles, which would leave me stuck on the base Diablo III game, with no way for me to experience the expansion pack because:

• I don't plan on buying a PS4 anytime soon, due in part to its high price tag and a very small library of games to get me interested.
• I don't plan on buying the PC version anytime soon, as I've already invested alot of time on the console version, and I don't think I can start a new character again.
• Add the fact that the PC version requires internet to play is another turn off for me.

All is good, however there is a catch to this. Labeled as "Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition", the game will feature both the original Diablo III + Reaper of Souls expansion set, as one game. The caveat to that is those who bought the original Diablo III game, will need to buy the new game to play, thus rendering their old copies of Diablo III virtually useless. Expect tons of for sale threads for Diablo III copies coming as soon as the game is available in the Philippines.

To help sweeten the deal (and lessen the hurt of those who bought the original Diablo III game), those who preorder the game, will receive a bonus item; the Infernal Pauldrons!!

These shoulder plates are wearable at level 1 for all classes, and is primed and ready for transmogrification.

Overall, I'm pretty much happy and excited with the announcement and I can't wait to jump back in with my Barbarian beauty. :D

Where to Reserve your Copy of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls! (UPDATED!)

The good folks at Asiasoft has now shared with us the list of locations where you can pre-order and reserve your copy of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls!! Here's as follows:

• All Datablitz branches (click the link for list of locations and branch information)
• iTech/GameOne branches (click the link for updated list of locations and branch information)
• Asianic branches (click the link for updated list of locations and branch information)
• Gameline branches (click the link for updated list of locations and branch information)

Whew! That's a lot of branches! :D As recently announced by Blizzard, all who pre-ordered the game will get two (2) Epic Bonus Items!! And they are:

• The 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 Hunger in Heroes of the Storm - Blizzards free-to-play online team brawler featuring iconic Blizzard characters, fast paced combat and epic battlegrounds.

Just make sure you redeem your pre-order bonus items on or before March 31st, 2014. So what are you waiting for guys? Pre-order your copy now! :D

Win a trip to SG for the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Launch Event!

Are you a fan of Diablo III from the PHILIPPINES? Do you want to be at the launch event of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls? If so, our friends at AsiaSoft, is giving away a pair of tickets and goodie bags to a lucky winner from each country (one from the Philippines and another from Malaysia) to join them in Singapore for the Reaper of Souls launch on March 25. (HOW COOL IS THAT?!)

Here's how YOU can win:

    Like  this post on Facebook (click this link)
    Comment with which new feature you are looking forward in Reaper of Souls.

 Example: I can't wait for ROS! Looking forward to the new Crusader class!

The comment post with the most number number of LIKES wins so make sure to share your post with as many friends as possible!

Each winner (one from MALAYSIA and one from the PHILIPPINES) will walk away with the following:

• A pair of return airplane tickets to Singapore
• A pair of goodie bags, each bag consisting of:
• One Funko figurine (assorted design)
• One Blizzcon gachapon figurine (assorted design)
• One Reaper of Souls T-Shirt (assorted sizes)

Contest Starts February 25 and will end on March 7, 2014.

Terms and Conditions Apply (click here to view full details)

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls now ready for pre-order!! (UPDATED!)

Happy New Year everyone!! And to start off 2014 right, our good friends at Asiasoft Philippines (Blizzard's exclusive distribution partner for Diablo III in the Philippines) just shared with us the awesome news that starting today, you can now start pre-ordering digitally the much awaited expansion for the PC and Mac version of Diablo III in the Philippines!! :D

Official boxart for the Standard Edition of
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion

For those who isn't aware of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion, here's a quick teaser trailer:


As shown in the teaser trailer, the upcoming expansion pack will feature:

• Act V: A dark and terrifying chapter sending players on a final confrontation with the Angel of Death; Malthael, itself!!
• The Crusader: A brand new class, that is highly reminiscent of the holy Paladin from Diablo II, that brings the might of the heavens upon those who seek its destruction.
• Increased Level cap from 60 to 70!! Also there will be new spells and abilities for all classes to unlock giving returning players more options in dealing punishment towards the denizens of hell.
• Adventure Mode: A new game mode that give players the freedom to go anywhere and slay anything. Perfect for leveling up or grinding in a particular quest/spot. :D
• Bounties: Randomized objectives that reward players in new ways for exploring the world of Sanctuary. Think sidequests... Diablo-style. :D
• Nephalem Rifts: Fully randomized dungeons offering endless replayability and heaps of amazing loot. Perfect for loot-runs and finding that ever so elusive legendary items you're looking for. :D
• The Mystic: A powerful new NPC that appears who will provide heroes with the ability to customize the look of their loot among others. Best suited for those fashion-savvy adventurers of Santuary. :D
• Loot 2.0: Yes its finally coming folks!! The much talked-about Loot 2.0 arrives with the expansion pack and with it the removal of the Real Money Auction Houses (RMAH) for much satisfying loot-runs in Sanctuary!!

And all of this amazing content comes with the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Standard Edition, which players can pre-order at a SRP of Php1,800!! Not too bad if I may say so, and its quite close to our estimates (we predicted it to be roughly around Php1,400) on our post regarding the price of the expansion pack once it hits our shores locally!! I'm pleasantly surprised with this news and good job to our local distributor Asiasoft Philippines in keeping the price relatively affordable. :D

And to make the announcement even more awesome, we also have confirmation that Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition will also be arriving here in the Philippines!! 

Official boxart for the Collector's Edition of
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion

The Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition comes with the following bonuses for the hardcore Diablo III player:

• A full complement Diablo III helms, and weapons that are primed for transmogrification.
• A Ghost Wolf minion players can summon to keep them company on their journey.
• Three additional character slots to accommodate new heroes.
• A World of Warcraft in-game companion pet, the Treasure Goblin, ready to compete in Pet Battles.
• A set of StarCraft II Crusader-themed Battle.net portraits and Malthael-themed decals.
• A full-color hardcover artbook.
• A behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD two-disc set.
• A limited edition Diablo III: Reaper of Souls mouse pad.

UPDATE: It was previously announced that the Collector's Edition will be available for Php3,500 locally. However according to the official distributor of Diablo III here in the Philippines; tax, freight charges and other unforeseen expenses caused the price to bump up significantly, and the revised Philippine SRP will now be Php4,500.

We also now have the Philippine launch date. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will be available nationwide on March 25th, 2014.

As for the console versions of the expansion pack, as well as what game stores will the expansion pack be available, kindly keep posted on our blog for more updates in the future!! :)

So what are you waiting for? Pre-order the expansion pack today!! :D

Diablo III: Book of Cain hands-on!!

Just recently, I got fortunate enough to secure a copy of this wonderful book:

It's the Blizzard-licensed book, Diablo III: Book of Cain!! :D

This wonderfully made book is a must-have for Diablo fans, as this tries to emulate/recapture the look and feel of that tome Deckard Cain carries in-game. Complete with rich lore and history of the entire Diablo trilogy, it gives players an inside look of the world of Sanctuary.

Here's some shots of the book itself:

Front w/ cover label

Back w/ cover label

Front w/o cover label

Back w/o cover label

The book cover itself looks and feels great. It's got a nice matte finish with a slight embossment on the details of the book which feels great. The book itself sports amazing artwork (as expected of Blizzard) to accompany the book's rich lore of the world of Sanctuary. It even has scribbles and notes from Deckard Cain, putting down important notes about certain events, people, places. It tries its best to closely resemble that of the tome that Decark Cain was carrying, as presented in the game. Even the page edges are small "tears" to make it look like an "ancient" book. It's those little attention to detail that makes this book more amazing to behold in person. :D

Just looking at the book coverpage, it reminds me of
those old manuscripts in museums.

It even contains a letter addressed to Deckard Cain's nephew; Leah.
The letter is abit bittersweet and made me a little teary-eyed.
(if you know what will happen to Cain in Diablo III)

The book also details how the world of Sanctuary
was created, with accompanying artwork.

The Archangel of Justice; Tyrael, looking majestic, as his illustration
accompanies his description in this page.

The book also includes description of the many
places in Sanctuary where our heroes hail from;
just like this entry about Ensteig... home to the Demon Hunters.

Aside from the said lore and illustrations, the book also has a special surprise at the back:

It's the map of Sanctuary itself!! To be honest, as a fan of the series, this is the first time I've ever seen the world of Sanctuary detailed as a map, and its simply glorious to behold. Seeing where Lut Gholein is located, or even Tristram is just amazing for a Diablo-fan like myself!! :D

The book is priced locally at Php 1,395 (roughly $31) and is available in Fully Booked. So if you're a fan of the series, this book is definitely an excellent addition to your book collection, as it fully compliments the game and gives fans additional information and lore that fully fleshes out the world of Sanctuary. :) Hopefully I get my hands on it's supplemental book as well; The Book of Tyrael. :D

Diablo III - Reaper of Souls BlizzCon Trailer...Leaked!

Just this morning, a new trailer for the upcoming expansion for Diablo III was leaked via YouTube! The supposed trailer was to be released for BlizzCon, found its way online. The said trailer shows tons of amazing new features you can expect from the expansion pack and more!! Just when I thought I saw everything the expansion has to offer, this trailer showed me a whole lot of content and features for the upcoming expansion.

Here's the video:



What new feature of the expansion pack are you most excited about? Tell us what you think! Write on the comments below!

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls to cost Php 1,400?

Blizzard just recently released a survey to owners of Diablo III, which revealed some interesting information about the upcoming expansion pack.

According to this news article, the upcoming expansion pack of Diablo III will be coming in 2 flavors, just like the original version:

• Standard Edition - includes the Reaper of Souls expansion only. To be priced at $29.99 (around Php1,400) 
• Collector's Edition - includes the Reaper of Souls expansion, exclusive in-game content and other bonus items. To be priced at $49.99 (around Php2,200)

Interestingly the survey also asked participants of the survey to rate the features of the expansion pack in order of importance, as shown in the following screenshot:

Since most of us can't participate in the said survey I've made a little poll of my own, and ask everyone what you think is the most important feature of the upcoming expansion pack.

What is the most important feature of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls are you most interested in?
	Raise maximum character level cap to 70
	Loot Runs
	New Crusader playable character class
	Gear transmogrification
	New Act V
	New Paragon level and point system
	Nephalem Trials
	New Loot 2.0 system
pollcode.com free polls

What do you guys think? Sound off your comments below! :)

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls coming to Consoles!

Console gamers rejoice!! In an interview with console senior level designer Matthew Berger, Blizzard confirmed that they are indeed planning on porting the anticipated Diablo III expansion pack: Reaper of Souls, to the home consoles. Click this link to the said news report.

Here's an excerpt of the interview:

"So, is it going to come to console? Yes. Obviously we wanna bring this expansion to console, we don't exactly know how we're going to do it yet (we haven't announced that), and we're going to treat the expansion in the same way we treated Diablo III when we moved it onto console, which means that we have to make sure that it is adapted to the console eco system in a way that is going to play the best way possible." 

I'm definitely relieved to hear this news, as I was worried they would skip out porting Diablo III onto the home consoles, considering I already invested alot of time playing the game. Speaking of which, Blizzard also confirmed that people will be able to carry their characters over if they plan on upgrading their home console (PS3 to PS4 / Xbox 360 to Xbox One) which is a neat feature.

So to those of you worried if you'll be left out of the expansion if you play on the console, fret not as Blizzard has got you covered. :D

Patch 1.0.2 for Console Version of Diablo III...NOW OUT!!

Just this morning, I'm greeted with the usual update message on my PS3 that tells me that Diablo III has a new update available for download. I readily downloaded the said update and curious as to what it does I headed to the usual forums. Apparently, the latest update addresses some bugs on the console version of Diablo III, where some users apparently lose some of their items in-game, among others.

For a complete list of changes, please refer below:

Diablo III Console Patch 1.0.2

Crash Fixes

• Fixed a crash that could occur when quitting the game during a cutscene.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when interacting with the stash while another player attempts to join your game.
• Fixed a crash that could occur after connection failures caused by NAT/Firewall settings.
• Fixed multiple crashes that could occur as a result of memory corruption.
• Fixed crash when casting Hex with the Painful Transformation rune on a Fetish Shaman in Acts III and IV.
• Removed unnecessary "Clear Skill" option that could appear on the Passive Skill screen and would crash the game when selected.

Gameplay Fixes

• Enabling Elective Mode no longer causes "New Slot" notification stars to appear for the original slot as opposed to the slot the skill is assigned to.
• Hardcore characters in the process of taking fatal damage while exiting the Scorched Chapel will no longer be permanently killed.
• Followers can no longer permanently lose all items after migrating from one game host to another. The following four item sets will no longer repeatedly and permanently add core stat bonuses each time the player logs out of the game: Blackthorne's Armor, Endless Path, Zunimassa's Whispers, and Guardian's Contingency. (This fix will also retroactively correct inflated core stat bonuses on heroes affected by this bug prior to our hotfix going live.)
• Equipping a quiver with a two-handed bow will no longer cause Quick Compare to incorrectly reflect a loss in damage.
• Square gems should now only drop in Hell difficulty, which is also where the required items to combine them drop.
• The Paragon experience bar for Player 2 and Player 4 now displays correctly instead of being visually clipped at the ends.
• Fixed a bug that caused a player's experience bar to not display in multiplayer games if a another character with a Paragon levels had entered the game first.
  Fixed a bug that caused the inventory to not display unidentified Legendary items.
• Fixed a bug that caused the inventory to display equipped items twice if you exited the gem socketing sub-screen with the Select/Back button.
• Fixed a bug that caused the controller to become stuck vibrating indefinitely.
• Made changes to address corruptions of saved game data.

For more info, you can visit this link that will lead you to the official Blizzard forums for the game. Please note guys, that this patch is only for the PS3. Blizzard says that an update for the Xbox 360 should be coming soon.

Offline Alternatives to Diablo III

After reading up this post, I was pretty much bummed out. Because after hearing the news that Blizzard will finally be removing the Real Money Auction House from Diablo III on PC, I was hoping that they would finally include an offline version of the game like in the console version. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. That being said, I scouted online to find suitable offline alternatives to Diablo III for PC (as well as consoles and handhelds), and here's what I got:

PC:

Titan Quest (Windows)
Think Diablo, but using greek mythology as a backdrop, you get Titan Quest. With its dark atmosphere that brings me back to my Diablo II days. :D

Torchlight II (Windows)
From the same team who made Diablo I & II, it plays just like Diablo of old, and works wonderfully. If you are gonna play the game using Steam, may I suggest you get the "Torchlight II Essentials" mod, as it basically adds a new class, and tons of improvement from the vanilla game (respec, tons of new pets, items, etc)

Consoles:

Dungeon Siege III (PS3/Xbox 360)
Developed by the same team who made the PC version of Neverwinter Nights 2, its a decent enough hack-and-slash game for the console space. The fact that finding a brand new copy of this game nowadays is relatively cheap, I'd say why not?

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PS3/Xbox 360)
Do you like to play hack-and-slash games but you don't want to spend too much? You okay with digital downloads? Does $12.99 (roughly Php 600.00) sound good to you? Then get this hack-and-slash gem from Gameloft. It's a pretty barebones hack-and-slash game, but hey at least you got it cheap.

Diablo III (PS3/Xbox 360)
Do I really need to say any further? Critics have been calling it the best version of Diablo III, and rightfully so. Offline play, amazing loot, local co-op, and so much more, its definitely THE version of Diablo III to pick up. If you want to find out why the console version is considered by many to be the better version against the PC version, you might want to read this post I made comparing the 2 versions.

Handhelds:

Heroes of Ruin (Nintendo 3DS)
If you own a Nintendo 3DS, and you are craving for some on-the-go Diablo-style gameplay, then look no further and take Heroes of Ruin for a spin. It's basically a stripped down version of Diablo, but it still nails the simple and addicting hack-and-slash gameplay of Diablo perfectly, which is what's important. It's got local co-op as well as online co-op, with daily quests and other features that makes it a decent enough game for those looking for hack-and-slash gaming on their portable. Now that it just recently got a price drop, its definitely something to consider picking up.

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (Playstation Vita)
Yes, its the same game for the PS3, but unlike its cheaper console counterpart, this one charges a full price for the experience. As much as I don't like recommending this game really for PS Vita owners (coz the price is just extortion), there's little hack-and-slash games out there that I can recommend (considering the once promising Ruin was cancelled) as of this writing so yeah...

So what do you guys think? Do you have any other suggested offline Diablo-like games to share? Sound off on the comments below! :)

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!

Diablo III: PC and Console comparison

After my first post here, some people asked me alot of questions regarding the console version of Diablo III. One of the biggest was, how was it different from the PC version. Well here's a breakdown of the key differences between the 2 versions. WARNING: Long post ahead.

No Real Money/Gold Auction House

One of the most controversial features of the PC version; the Real Money Auction House (RMAH), is not present on the console version of Diablo III. For most old-school Diablo fans (like myself), this brings back the core Diablo experience of finding awesome loot in-game, NOT in auction houses. Another positive thing about the lack of RMAH is...

You can play Completely Offline

Yes you read that right. You can play the game OFFLINE. A side-effect of removing the Auction House, was removal of any need for any online verification to play the game. Thus Blizzard was able to make the most requested feature of alot of Diablo fans a reality. No more logins. No more "Error 37". No more need for Internet connection to be able to play the game... ever! Just pop in the disc, and you can start slaying the denizens of hell to your heart's content.

With yesterday's announcement of Blizzard removing the Auction Houses on the PC version, I'm hopeful that an Offline mode will be the next thing that will be implemented by Blizzard.

Loot Rate is FUN again

Yes, Blizzard fine tuned the loot, and made it awesome again. The picture above just show how amazing loots are now in the console version. It actually reminds me of Diablo II (particularly patch 1.10-onwards) where the loot is so rewarding (and addicting) that it keeps you hooked in finding more evil things to slay. It captures the very core of the Diablo experience. The best news is, loots are now custom tailored to drop a higher percentage of items that are suited to whatever class you're playing as. In my personal experience, I have actually gotten my fair share of awesome Legendary items. Here's some of what my Demon Hunter found in-game, when I was just starting out at Normal Mode.

If this is but a taste of what "Loot 2.0" will be for the PC version, I'm all for it!

Reworked Boss Fights

Some of the Boss fights in the console version of Diablo III, has been retweaked. They are either given new abilities, new attack patterns, new dialogue, and even new view angles (as seen on top with the Belial boss fight, which looks more epic than ever before) which gives the game a fresh new look and feel, even if you've played the game before on your PC.

A completely new way of playing... using a Gamepad

Mouse + keyboard controls are NOT supported on the console version of Diablo III. Instead, the game is controlled using a gamepad. And after spending much time playing it this way, I actually prefer this method than the mouse + keyboard config. Now, before you raise your pitchforks and claim "sacrilege", I suggest you give it a try first. It feels as if you have a much more direct control over your character than using mouse + keyboard. Yes you will lose the precision of directly targeting specific enemies from afar using this setup, BUT with the game's smart auto-targeting system and Target lock, you won't feel too frustrated dishing out punishment to the denizens of hell. Which brings me to...

The new "Evade" Button Mechanic

As I mentioned in my previous post, exclusive to the console version of Diablo III, is the new "Evade" mechanic. It is an indispensible ability that ALL CLASSES have, which can save you from very hectic situations. It has no cooldown, no cost to use, ensures you don't get hit by monsters/incoming projectiles if timed correctly and is totally very useful throughout your adventure. You can see it in action by watching the clip above (being spoofed by Team Coco at the 1:05 mark).

Completely reworked Inventory System

This is how the Inventory system looked on the PC version:

It's got the usual, familiar look as in the previous Diablo games. Item management in your inventory is pretty much a mini-game of its own, where you try to fit in as much loot that you can, using Tetris-like skills to make everything fit. On the console version, it looks like this:

It may be a stark change from the usual, since the console version of the game doesn't support mouse + keyboards. As clunky as this may look, it actually has some benefits:

• All items are now organized by its item-type, making it easier to sort thru items.
• If you noticed below, there's an "Inventory" limit (which says 22/60). This means you can loot as many as 60 items at a time, regardless of its size, as each item is treated as a value of 1. This means lesser trips back to town and time spent making every item fit in your bag.
• It's easier to compare detailed stats between 2 items as they are placed side by side. Here's how it looks like:
  
• There's is now a quick stat guide for those who are not into reading tons of stat effect text. This is great for new players, so that can quickly and easily see whether or not an item is better than the one they are currently holding by just looking at the quick stat guide.
  

Mutliple ways of Playing Multiplayer

First off, there is no cross-platform multiplayer for the console version of Diablo III. What this means is, PC gamers cannot play with PS3/Xbox360 gamers, just as PS3 gamers cannot play with Xbox 360 gamers. That being said, there is alot of different options for console gamers to play multiplayer with friends:

• Offline local co-op - one of the highlights of the console version of Diablo III, is this mode. Playing with friends on a single console in the same room, is an experience that is hard to beat. No internet required (but pizza and chips are recommended).
• LAN Play - if you don't want to share the screen with buddies, then you can hook up 2 PS3 via LAN cable and play multiplayer with your respective screens all to yourself (just like in the PC version).
• Invite Only - if you want to play online, but you don't like random people popping in your game, then you can invite friends over to join in your game.
• Friends Only - similar to "Invite Only", but in this mode, you don't need to invite friends to come play. If you set your game to this mode, you simply put up a game room online where only your friends on your friends list can see and join in at anytime while you're playing.
• Open to Public - similar to "Friends Only", but in this mode you put up a game room online where everyone online can see and join in your game at anytime while you're playing.
• Quick Match - in this mode, you can search for hosted online games and automatically joins you in the said game. You can set the search based its on its Difficulty level, Mode, Quest, etc.

Adjustable Difficulty modes

As I mentioned in my previous post, the console version of Diablo III allows players to adjust the difficulty to suit their tastes. Unlike the Game mode (Normal, Nightmare, Hell, Inferno), Difficulty simply adjusts a monster's health, damage and number of monsters that appear on the screen.

This is perfect for players with varying experiences with the series. If you're just new to the series (or you're a PC player who isn't used to playing using a gamepad), set it to easy. If you're a Diablo vet and you're comfortable playing with a gamepad, then set it to either Medium or Hard. All 3 difficulty modes (Easy, Medium, Hard) has no differences in terms of item drop rate and experience points bonuses, thus you can switch between difficulties with no problems.

However, if you are up to the challenge, you can set the difficulty to Master I or higher. Setting up the difficulty in this level gives bonuses similar to "Monster Power" mechanic found on the PC version, but works differently for the console version. Here's a quick guide:

• 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

Other Notable Differences

Aside from the ones I posted above, here are some notable differences from between the console version & the PC version of Diablo III:

• Paragon Levels are included in the console version. However, what's different is, Paragon Level bonuses are account wide. This means all characters under your account will receive the bonuses unlocked by a SINGLE Paragon leveled character in your account. So even new characters you create will get those bonuses as well.
• Nephalem Glory globes are added in the game. These are similar to Healing globes, but they give characters a boost in stats and skills when picked up.
• Stash space is much more larger than in the PC version when fully upgraded.
• Crafting gems & gear now have different costs, due to the removal of the RMAH. All ingredients can be easily found in-game.
• Players are now given a choice how they should be resurrected (go back to town, revive on your last checkpoint, revive on spot).
• Vendors now actually sell better (useful) gear. Most of which are actually powerful rare items.

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

Diablo III's Auction Houses will finally be no more!

The highly controversial "Auction Houses" will soon be removed from the PC version of Diablo III. In a surprising move by Blizzard, they have announced just now that they will be removing the said feature in order to ensure players that killing monsters in-game will be the most compelling and rewarding way to get better gear. Here's the announcement video:



If you're one of those people who are not fond of the Auction House feature, this may sound as good news. But the kicker? It will be implemented NEXT YEAR, on March 18th, 2014. My guess is that it will be launched along side the expansion pack release.

Despite the said announcement of the Auction House being shut down, there's still no word as to whether or not the PC version will finally have a completely offline mode of play, something that console gamers of Diablo III are currently enjoying.

Blizzard has released an FAQ about the said announcement. You can read up about it here: Diablo III Auction House Update FAQ

So what do you think? Are you alright with the sudden decision by Blizzard to shut down Auction Houses? Or do you think its a mistake? Sound off your comments below. :)

Starting Tips on Playing Diablo III on Consoles

With Diablo III finally coming to the home consoles (PS3 & Xbox360), I decided to put together some tips when starting out on the console version.

NOTE: My apologies in advance for the fussy screenshots, as I took these with my DSLR while I'm playing the game on my PS3.

Customize your Gameplay Setup First

As someone who jumped right in as soon as I got my copy of the game, I realized that I could've had a better time playing the game by customizing the gameplay settings first before jumping right in. You can access this via the Options tab. Here's how to do it:

By default, these options are actually disabled (prolly to match the PC version's look) but enabling some of these options can actually make playing the console version more accessible and more better. Here's some of my suggested options to enable.

Enable Health Bars on Gameplay

Enabling the following under "Gameplay"

• Display Player Health Bars
• Display Monster Health Bars
• Display Player Names

This actually helps out in sorting the chaos that ensues whenever you're being swamped by tons of enemies on screen (this is particularly helpful when playing co-op multiplayer). Here's how it looks like in-game with and without these options enabled:

As you can see, having health bars enabled certainly has lots of benefits when playing for the first time because:

• It's easier to track where your character is in the game (specially when playing local co-op mutliplayer)
• Players can easily keep track of their HP (the green bar) without looking at the bar on the lower left side of the screen. This is specially handy when the situation gets very hectic on-screen.
• Players can easily see where all monsters are lurking.
• Players can easily see how much HP all monsters in the screen have left.

Enable Show Item Icons

By enabling the option "Show Item Icons on Drop", it becomes easier for you to see where your loots are. Here's a comparison of having it enabled and disabled:

NOTE: The icons DO disappear after awhile, as they will only be there as soon as they drop off a monster. The durable is pretty long enough for you to still see the icons and pick the items up after a fight.

Learn to use the "Evade" mechanic

A feature that's exclusive to the console versions is the ability to evade incoming attacks by moving to the opposite direction using your controllers Right Analog stick (for the PS3 version). This mechanic has no cooldown, no cost, and can practically save you from very tight situations. This move is practically indispensable and very useful (specially for melee characters). Dodging attacks at the right moment means you don't get any damage, and you get to be in an advantageous position to unleash havoc upon your enemies.

Change the game's "Difficulty" to suit your taste

Another feature that's exclusive to the console versions of Diablo III, is the introduction of "Difficulty" levels.

Aside from the typical Diablo modes of gameplay (Normal, Nightmare, Hell, Inferno), the console version introduces Difficulty levels. I'll explain more about the differences about the 2 in detail on my next post, but ideally you can switch difficulties on the fly. If you're a first time player to the Diablo series (or you're a PC gamer who is not used to controlling your character via a PS3 controller), you might want to set the difficulty to "Easy" at first and simply enjoy breezing thru the game and get used to the gameplay before switching to a harder, more challenging difficulty.

Well that's it for now! What are your starting tips in playing Diablo III for the console? Let us know by sharing it on the comments below. :)

A New Contributor!

Diablo III Philippines would like to welcome Martin Jimenez to the blog! :D