14 DAY TRIAL // Blizzard promised that they would take down the dreaded auction house last year in September, and today the accursed thing went down, heralding a new age of Diablo 3 gameplay where finding new items is actually rewarding as opposed to disappointing.
Although the decision was made long ago, the dev team scheduled the big event to take place right during the preparations for Reaper of Souls, the action role-playing game's first expansion.
As such, the gold and real money auction house is now closed, since 12:00 PM GMT today, and the ability to bid, buyout or list new auctions has been disabled.
All active auctions will expire as normal following the shutdown, and once complete items will be either returned to the seller or delivered to the current highest bidder, and any unclaimed gold will appear in the Completed tab.
Players will be able to claim gold and items from the Completed tab until June 24, 2014, at which time everything will be devoured by the infamous Treasure Goblins, never to be seen again, as the official auction house FAQ on Battle.net states.
The auction house was one of the most hated things about Diablo 3, and the way its presence altered the game made it unplayable for many. In addition to making the game itself more accessible to non-hardcore audiences, the developers also made loot drops so random that finding decent gear on your own was impossible.
The looming feeling that whatever you found during your forays would get outclassed by dozens of cheap items on the auction house was one of the most reviled features of Diablo 3 and was what drove many away from it.
Fortunately, Blizzard has turned their ear to the common folk and made some significant changes to the game, most of which are already implemented prior to the new content's launch, in addition to a 50 percent bonus experience boost that allows players to quickly level another character to 60 in preparation for the expansion.
Reaper of Souls lands on March 25, bringing with it a new era in which players have to find and craft their own gear. Fortunately, the new era is also accompanied by a massive overhaul which completely changes the way players will find loot, making it possible to find good stuff without having to scroll through page upon page of item listings.
In addition to many improvements across the board, Reaper of Souls introduces a new act, more intrigue and a bit of a better plot, as well as a whole new playable class, the heavily armored and deeply driven Crusader.