Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls has been successfully launched, and so far, player feedback is more than positive. The expansion pack and recent updates to Diablo 3 bred new life into the seemingly dying game from Blizzard, and hordes of players have returned to battle Diablo’s hellish forces once more. Already a financial success, Reaper of Souls sold over 2.7 million copies to date, and it continues to sell them. The best marketing for Blizzard’s game seems to be word-of-mouth, as many players have started persuading friends into returning to the game, picking up the expansion pack in the process. In truth, Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls really fixed some core issues that Diablo 3 was having since launch, and while a decent PvP system still eludes fans of the game, it’s definitely off to a much better start.
The latest 2.0.4 patch released by Blizzard is focused mostly on balancing the game’s classes, and all classes but the Monk have been touched upon, some more than others. Obviously, the Crusader (being the new class and all) has received the most tweaks and changes to its abilities, receiving a boost to most abilities but a significant nerf to the overpowered Fires of Heaven ability. The Crusader now takes 15% damage from all sources, boosting up survival aptitudes considerably. The Wizard didn’t escape from a Frozen Orb nerf either. The Barbarian class has gotten a considerable boost to its single-target abilities, allowing for different and new builds that don’t necessarily rely on AOE and “spin-to-win” tactics. Demon Hunters are also getting single-target ability boosts, mainly focused on increasing the class’ ability to generate Hatred without relying solely on AOE.
Other notable changes of the patch regard crafting, which was made considerably easier. Hopefully, this will get more players to tinker with the anvil in much needed breaks between monster-bashing sessions.
[promo title=”Crafting Changes”][/promo]
- Level 70 crafted sets no longer require Flawless Royal gems and instead now require Marquise gems
- The drop rate of unique Legendary crafting materials has been significantly increased
- This matches the drop rate of Death’s Breaths
- Death’s Breaths are no longer required for level 61-70 Rare crafting recipes
- Bug Fix: Legendary crafted shields now provide the correct amount of Block Value for their level
Overall, the changes to Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls are a welcomed addition. The community provided mostly positive feedback to the new class balancing, especially appreciating the much needed boosts to the Crusader. It’s likely that this patch also prepares the game for the PvP system that Blizzard has been having trouble implementing so far. If you’re looking for more information on the patch, make sure to check out the patch notes for the Reaper of Souls 2.0.4 update on Blizzard’s official website!