Well, it only took two years, the creative director being fired, and a ridiculous amount of changes for Diablo 3 to finally become the game we always wanted – Diablo 2 with improvements. It’s a novel concept, isn’t it – building on the success of a release by taking what works and improving it with layers of evil fun.
First off, the removal of the auction house is paramount in Diablo 3 being a better game. No longer will you have to grind for cash to go to the auction house to buy gear – now you grind and actually get drops like in D1 and D2. Incredible. Now, drops actually drop. The Loot 2.0 system puts the fun back into going out and killing monsters, and the best part (beyond the cool new ACT) is Adventure Mode.
Wait, before I get into Adventure Mode, I need to bring up ACT V.
You may scoff at a single act being all this expansion offers, but the amount of content is rather deceiving. Yes, the act is only a few hours long, but it’s high quality content and beautiful environments will make you forget that. You’ll beat the new act by the time you hit level 67 or so, unlocking adventure mode which will send you all over the world with specific bounties to collect or bosses to kill. This extends the life of D3 in a huge way, and it feels like WoW made its mark on the franchise in the best way possible. Instead of running a certain path to get loot or fight enemies, you now have clear goals that change constantly. It keeps the game and the grind fresh, very fresh.
The hooks are in deep now, and even if you want more brand-new content the game has it hidden away in the form of events and new side-missions that pop up often. I can’t stress enough that this iteration of D3 feels like the one we always wanted.
As far as the Crusader class, it’s a lot like a paladin, or in Diablo terms a kind of combination of the current Barbarian and Monk. I’ve only leveled my Crusader up to level 10, but I plan on getting him to 70 as soon as possible.
This is a bit rambling, but if you like Diablo, I think this review speaks to you. If you don’t know the game, there’s no better time than now to jump in and slay some monsters. Speaking of which – search MIDDLEEASY in the clan group. We’ve got some serious badasses in our clan and you should play with us.
If you like Diablo, this is a must-buy.
