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: 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

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. :)

Reaper of Souls Gameplay Teaser

Malthael, the fallen Archangel of Wisdom, returns as the Angel of Death in Diablo III's first expansion set: Reaper of Souls.

Having seized the Black Soulstone and slain most of the guards protecting it, it now falls to players to track down Malthael and stop him before he unleashes irreversible havoc on the world. Fortunately, a new hero is ready to join the cause and bring Malthael to justice - the Crusader, a fierce melee warrior whose command of the battlefield is matched only by his unwavering conviction and uncompromising dedication to the Light.

Check out the gameplay teaser below:

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

"The lords of hell rage within the Black Soulstone, their souls screaming for vengeance and release. Before the artifact can be sealed away forever, Malthael - Angel of Death - manifests in the mortal realms with a deadly new purpose: to steal the Black Soulstone and bend its infernal power to his will.

So begins the end of all things..."

Reaper of Souls is the expansion for Diablo III coming in 2014 according to the official website.

It features a new bad-ass character class: The Crusader packing "impenetrable armor, gleaming weapons, and heavy damage" which really sounds like the Barbarian to me only with more armor.

He's described by Blizzard as a "natural walking tank."

If it means more ass-kicking however, who am I to complain?

There's also a new act (Act V) featuring the sprawling streets of Westmarch and the ancient walls of the Pandemonium Fortress where you will battle with a host of deadly new enemies.

Reaper of Souls increases Diablo III's level cap to 70 (thank goodness), plus new spells and abilities for existing Barbarian, Witch Doctor, Demon Hunter, Wizard, and Monk characters.

But wait...there's more!

There's two new game modes: Loot Runs and Nephalem Trials, which are "designed to provide players with a highly replayable (and highly rewarding) end-game experience."

Check out the cinematic for Reaper of Souls below:

Diablo III on your...iPad!?

Apparently, one can play Diablo III on an iPad if you wanted to (thanks to Jean Paul Castillo for the tip).

According to Time's Techland, all you need to play Diablo III on your iPad is Splashtop’s Remote Desktop app (currently on sale for US$ 5.00, it usually costs US$ 20.00) and the companion Splashtop Streamer desktop software.

After that you're all set to go (though it sounds kinda limiting playing the game on an iPad screen but I reserve judgement until I actually have had the opportunity to try it out).

"Splashtop mirrors the display of any Windows PC or Mac, and it’s one of the fastest remote desktops I’ve used. That makes it perfect for Diablo III, which only requires basic mouse controls to play."

There is a downside, however.

"Framerates in Diablo III aren’t as good on the iPad as they are on a fast PC, but the app has no problem keeping up with the action."

You can read the rest of the article at Time's Techland. Click here.

Come get your dose of EVIL!

IP E-Games, an official Blizzard Entertainment games distributor in Southeast Asia, announces pre-order availability of Diablo III in the Philippines.

Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game in development by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise.

The popular game, which retails at Php 3,145.00 will be available at select IP E-Games Philippine retail partners such as iTech, Datablitz, Brochiere, PCHub, PCQuest, and Digital Hub on May 15, 2012 Friday.

For the latest news from Blizzard regarding Diablo III, click here.