14 DAY TRIAL // It feels as if Diablo 3 has just launched. I don’t know why exactly, it might have something to do with the massive improvements made to the game in patch 2.0 and the shutting down of the auction house, but it’s definitely worth playing now.
I remember that when Diablo 3 came out I was - of course – excited, it had been 10 years of waiting after all. I was quite busy at the time so I wasn’t part of the big gold rush, but I kept an eye on things through a friend who was.
The game was really fun, the character classes played very well, I liked the variety of options afforded by the many skills and the versatility of the rune system, but it just felt like there was no reason to play the game after level 60.
No matter how good the game was, there was always a haunting feeling accompanying me while smashing boss face. I knew that no matter what loot I got, there would be hundreds of better items for cheap on the auction house, only a couple of clicks away, without all the annoying playing.
Getting better loot slowly transitioned from boss runs to scrolling through endless pages of auction listings, and the game devolved into an unplayable abomination.
Putting aside some of the issues that plagued its difficulty, as some areas required you to scrounge through the auction house if you didn’t want to pay any real money, there was a great feeling of emptiness that surrounded every game session.
I felt just as I did years before, when playing Diablo II offline and meddling in some shady dealings with an item editor. What initially started as a simple skill reallocation soon drifted into adjusting stats on items and then one thing led to another and I had my inventory packed with +7 to all skills charms and all my characters where clad in shiny class sets.
While stepping on the battlefield surrounded by a glorious aura surely stirred some jealousy among my gaming group, the game quickly became pointless. What was I playing for if I already had all the best items? No matter what I would get, I could simply make something better in the editor in a couple of seconds.
The same feeling of pointlessness plagued my early experience with Diablo 3, but the recently released Patch 2.0 together with the closing of the auction house managed to change things considerably.
Now I once again have a reason to play, not being able to simply get better stuff with a couple of clicks, but knowing that every piece of loot that improves my character is something I earned and that adds a certain value that nothing else can to my gameplay experience.
Using loot that drops when I slay a boss is to me one of the main reasons for playing the game long term, once the novelty of a new character wears off and all the customization options are given a try. It’s one of the reasons I used to play World of Warcraft so much for, you (generally) end up possessing only what you are able to get through your skills, not through buying or luck.
All the legendaries you get are account bound and you’ll usually equip them right away, at least until getting a decent set of permanent gear. That makes the game feel really rewarding, especially when you’re trying an impossible difficulty level, because let’s face it, apart from arcane wallers, the game is not too hard.
On top of that, the paragon system has been extended, now having no upper limit and being easier to level. Also, it is now account-wide, and not limited to single characters. That means that you no longer feel the pressure to play just one guy out of fear of wasting time on alts. Just hit 60 with any char and you’ll gain experience toward your global paragon level.
It could’ve also been the extended break I took from the gane and not just the additions, but it just feels as if Diablo 3 just came out, and it's great.