After the confusion about the beta launch for Diablo 3 last May, Blizzard has finally opened the gates of hell for early adopters of the legendary hack-and-slash RPG of the late nineties. But before we get into that, there are a couple of things we would like to clarify first.
- Despite of the Diablo 3 Beta launch today, its official release date is still pending. And several sources suggest it should be announced on or before Blizzcon (Blizzard Conference 2011) on October 21-22.
- Details about the game’s availability on console is still a rumor and as of today, no one can vouch if Diablo 3 will support other platform such as Xbox 360 & PS3 aside from its current Windows and Mac offering for computer.
Now let’s go head-on towards the meat shall we?
Aside from its new characters, skill management and gameplay mechanics, there are two important changes all players should get familiarize with the upcoming game. First, this game will be based online meaning, you can’t play Diablo 3 in offline mode unlike its predecessors. Obviously, this is something expected for security reason and anti-piracy purposes. When you put the game in online mode, Blizzard can expect those people who’ll simply download the game in torrent to be screened out since there’s a registration process that needs to be fill out before you can enter. This works synonymously on Starcraft 2. Likewise, just because it’s based online doesn’t mean Diablo 3 is an MMO – hell no! – You can still play the dark world in Single Player mode whereas its “multiplayer mode” is reserve for PVP and clan battles in the future.
The other important change is the new “Auction House”. Call this Diablo 3’s official marketplace where players can buy, sell, auction their items and receive real money in return. For those who are unaware, crafting items has been one of the most interesting features in Diablo 2. The problem? Hackers simply edit these items and put it in character editor software and players can simply download it on third party websites for free. Naturally, this ruined the game since you can finish the whole Acts in just a matter of days not weeks or months.
With the new Auction House service, it’s the only way you can get third party items for your character at a given price. Likewise, this is a headache for those hackers who are planning to put up third party website just to sell these crafted weapons since Blizzard has already created its D3’s official marketplace. However, this also means that if you don’t have real money to spend, then you won’t be able to grab a powerful weapon or you’ll resort on collecting the recipe for that item which is really hard to get based on player’s experience with Diablo 2.
On a nutshell, online requirement and the new Auction House are two of the significant changes on Diablo 3 that will bring security, anti-cheating, anti-piracy and will lessen the hacking-spree that were imminent on its previous version. Also, Blizzard is planning to put a “persistent friends list” as a part of its social-feature so gamers can interact with their buddies without ever leaving the game.
Now the real question is, will there be a discrepancy for players who are playing in single-player mode vs those who always play in multiplayer mode in terms of leveling, gaining items or finishing the quest? In Diablo 2, SP has always been the preferred way and for fans who are used with this kind of setup, hopefully D3 will stick to this gameplay – at least – on savoring the story behind the game and finishing its bosses.
Here’s a tutorial on how you can be listed on Diablo 3 Beta.
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Tags: diablo 3, diablo 3 auction house, diablo 3 beta, diablo 3 beta release, diablo 3 money making tool, diablo 3 online requirement, diablo 3 problems
