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!

Killed Diablo on Hardcore, Normal

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I finally killed Diablo on Hardcore Mode, Normal Difficulty.

Because my Barbarian is probably on a very high level for this stage of the game (he's currently Level 32) and bearing some really good gear for that level, it wasn't really that difficult dispatching Diablo.

Diablo barely made a dent in my hitpoints (life level) and at no time in the battle did I feel in danger of dying. I'm pretty sure that will all change when I enter this character into the next level of difficulty, Nightmare.

But for now, I'm just gonna take this in. I just can't believe I was able to actually finish the game without dying once.

I was never able to do it in Diablo 2.

Hardcore Barbarian, Level 30

My Hardcore Barbarian has just killed Azmodan, the boss of Act III, and now I'm currently on the last Act on the way to killing Diablo.

To be honest, I never expected to make it this far.

Yeah, it's Normal Difficulty but since I'm not a hardcore gamer (I like to think of myself as just a casual gamer) this is quite an accomplishment already.

I could have taken Diablo tonight but my connection to Battle.net seems to be lagging at the moment. I had to stop because dying a "lag death" is very possible and very real. It's happened to me several times with my softcore characters.

I would be running and fighting and then all of sudden everything stops but my character. The monsters stop and even my mercenary stops. I can still move my character and I can still make it attack a monster but nothing happens. It's like time stopped and I'm the only one moving.

And then, a few moments later, everything starts moving again trying to catch up and, apparently, the monsters had been hitting me all this time and now I'm already dead.

LAG DEATH.

It's one of the many problems of the always-on-connection of Diablo 3. This would never happen if this game had an offline mode.

And with a Hardcore character (a character that cannot be revived once it's died ), I can't afford dying because of something stupid as this so the very first indication of lagging, I immediately stop playing and close the game.

Looks like Diablo can breathe a sigh of relief...at least for now.

Banned as a Troll

I just found out I've been banned for trolling on the official Diablo III boards. Well, there's only one thing I can say about that.

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

Well, okay. I have a few more things to say.

Let me just say that the official Diablo III boards at Blizzard is just hysterical. A lot of the stuff posted there are just so ridiculous that I just can't help but troll. Yes, I admit it. It was kind of an epic troll. I don't regret it.

What I find annoying about the place is the many defenders of Blizzard who can't seem to accept that there are people out there who are dissatisfied with the game for one reason or another, who have the right to say what they don't like about the game.

The idea that people should just stop playing and shut up if they don't like the game is just IDIOTIC.

My US$ 60.00 says I have every right to complain.

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I'm curious...are these people the type who just shuts up and not complain when a product they've bought is defective? Do you know what those kinds of people are? They're abused people. They're people that other people love taking advantage of because they don't say anything when they're being stepped on and kicked around.

I refuse to be abused and I refuse to be taken advantage of. That's what I do when I complain. That means I freakin' stand up for myself.

Blizzard has already officially admitted that there are shortcomings with the game.

It's all over the news and they're taking steps to hopefully improving the product. This is the result of people complaining. This is the result of people who care about the game and want it to be good.

As for being banned, I find it just hysterical. If Blizzard wants to act like an irate parent spanking a petulant child well, look for another whipping boy because this one ain't crying and begging to be taken back. You can take your forum and shove it up where the sun don't shine.

At least I can still play the game.

As for my Hardcore Barbarian...I've already killed GHOM in Act 3 and still going strong. I'm starting to feel really good about killing Diablo now.

I think I have a pretty good chance of at least finishing this game in Hardcore mode on Normal Difficulty.

Hardcore

Laying off my Level 60 monk on Inferno Act 1 for now as I gather my wits about further progressing through the game successfully.

For the meantime, I decided to start a new Barbarian character...on Hardcore setting!

This means that once my character dies, that's it. Game over. He can't be revived anymore. I lose all money and gear that this character is associated with.

I have no illusions at all that I can finish the game (at least on Normal Setting) without dying once. I would just like to see how far I can go with that kind of risk looming over my head. I would like to see how careful it would force me to play and what techniques I learn here I can use on my Monk on Inferno.

I'm currently on Level 9 and I've successfully killed The Skeleton King. So far so good!

Diablo is DEAD!

Yes! I finally dispatched Diablo today with my Monk (that is, of course, on Normal Difficulty).

It wasn't extraordinarily hard though, but it was pretty challenging. One tip I can give to players is to recognize your opponent's pattern of attacks and devise your own pattern of attack accordingly.

I'm not sure if I would have been able to dispatch of Diablo as easily with a Barbarian though. I'm sure other players would find the Barbarian easier but I just really liked the Monk gameplay. It's fast, lethal, and pretty awesome looking.

Now that I've finished the game, I can say that it's pretty awesome. Definitely much more exciting than Diablo 2 and yeah, even the other games I played before (Drakensang and Path of Exile). I guess it has a lot to do with the story. There is a very precise and strong narrative that drives the story along. It's not an overly complex story (in fact, it's a pretty simple one) but it's tight enough to keep one excited, especially from Act 3 onwards.

I would describe the first two acts as just coasting along with the last two suddenly going into overdrive. I would have never have finished the game so quickly if the narrative wasn't so compelling. You know, I just HAD to know what happens next. I just HAD to see where things were going.

And before I knew it... I'm face to face with the last boss.

I could quit right here, pack up the game in the box and move on to the next one but I'm still pretty much in Tristram in my head. I want to continue playing. And the best thing is, I can play it again but this time on a more difficult setting: Nightmare. And when I finish that, there are two more further difficulty settings: Hell and Inferno.

What keeps me going now, especially now that I know what the narrative is? I guess it's like watching the Titanic movie. You know the thing is going to sink, but you can't help but still watch it. The difference here is that the added difficulty makes it a slightly different game. Since monsters are harder to kill, one has to adjust his gameplay accordingly. I can no longer just coast along, blundering headfirst into mobs and just let God sort it all out.

Now, I have to think more. I have to be much more cautious and plan my attacks. I can't take any monster for granted. The littlelest creature can kill me now (and they did, actually).

Now that I'm on Nightmare, I don't have to rush it. I could just take my time.

After all, the job awaits and I can't afford to miss deadlines because of this game today (like I did so horribly in 1999). Ha, ha, ha!