14 DAY TRIAL // One of the features that Blizzard promoted before the launch of Diablo III was the Runestones, designed to change various aspects of the action role-playing experience, but once the game was out, they were nowhere to be seen.
During a session at the Game Developers Conference 2013, attended by Joystiq, the team working on the game explained that it eliminated Runestones because they were a nightmare to manage in the player’s inventory and involved more hassle than fun.
Wyatt Cheng, a technical designer working at Blizzard, explains that Runestones were set to add flexibility to Diablo III character builds and that after they were eliminated, the team found new ways of accomplishing the same goals.
Close to one year after launch, Blizzard is still delivering updates for Diablo III, designed to improve the overall balance of the experience.