Background Download NOW Available!

Eagle eyed gamer out there may notice the little bit of text on the starting graphic when you boot up Diablo informing you that it has begun downloading data for a "future patch". This download is in preparation for the March 25 launch of Reaper of Souls as well as a pre-expansion patch that will be released in the coming months.

The download will be around 6GB in size and include things like models, textures, art files, and other upcoming content in patch 2.0.1 and Reaper of Souls that is already complete.

By making this data available early, you'll have leass to download once the pre-expansion patch and expansion are released. The background download data is encrypted and won't make any changes to the live game or Battle.net service until patch 2.0.1 and Reaper of Souls launch. In the meantime, you will be able play Diablo III as normal, and your in-game experience should remain unaffected by the download itself.

The folks from Blizzard say that your gameplay will not be affected in any way.

Stay tuned for more news!