Blizzard Quote [source]
The demonic hordes of the Burning Hells and cold hatred of the Angel of Death are no match against the collective might of the nephalem. So, to help the heroes of Sanctuary rally their allies, we're adding two new social features to Diablo III in patch 2.0.1: Clans and Communities.
With Clans and Communities, we're providing players with easy and practical tools for finding and communicating with like-minded individuals who share a passion for demon slaying, loot hunting, experience farming, as well as other interests.
Both Clans and Communities are still in development and currently available for testing on the Patch 2.0.1 PTR and Reaper of Souls Closed Beta. For those of who haven't yet given them a test drive yet, here's a first look.
First Look: Clans
Clans are designed to provide players who share similar interests, gameplay schedules, or goals the ability to band together and form tight-knit groups. They're a great way to commmunicate with numerous friends at once, organize your play, and generally just keep in touch with those you game with the most.
With a member limit of 120 players, clans are intended to be smaller and invitation only. This means that while you can send a request to join a clan, you will not technically become a member unless you are invited or your request to join the clan is accepted. Also, while anyone can create or join a clan, you can only be a member of one clan at any given time.
How Clans Work:
The Clan window can be opened by clicking the "Communities" button located in the lower right-hand corner of the character selection screen, or by using the customizable hotkey (default Shift + O).
Creating a Clan:
To create a Clan, you will need to provide a Clan Tag (note: this tag will display next to each member's name in-game), a full name for the Clan, and then select a language.
You can also indicate whether or not you are looking for members. Note that if you are not looking for members, your Clan will not be displayed in "Find Clan" search results.
Finding and Joining a Clan:
To find and join a Clan,simply open the Communities tab and click "Find" at the top of the window. This option will only appear if you are not currently part of a Clan.
When looking for a Clan to join, you will be able to narrow your search by language and word filters. Selecting a language will limit the search to display only Clans in that language. Similarly, if you add a word or series of words to the filter, only clans with that word in the tag or name will display.
First Look: Communities
Communities are designed to be a place where players can come together for any number of reasons, including playing the same class, frequenting the same fan sites, or living in the same geographical area. They're all about fostering relationships between like-minded people, with a keen focus on socialization.
Unlike Clans, Communities are intended to be much larger and more casual. They can be public or private, for example, and support a nearly unlimited number of members. In addition, while you can only join a single Clan, you can be a member of multiple different Communities at the same time.
How Communities Work:
Similar to Clans, the Community window can be accessed by clicking the "Communities" button located in the lower right-hand corner of the character selection screen, or by using the customizable hotkey (default Shift + O).
Creating a Community:
When creating a Community, you will be prompted to pick a language and a category for the Community that best describes it.
Categories include (but aren't limited to):
- Online Communities
- Class Specific
- Streamers/Personalities
- Internet Cafes
- Regional
- Schools
- Companies
- Hardcore
You will also need to decide if the Community should be public or invite only.
Finding and Joining a Community:
Searching for a Community works much the same way as searching for a Clan; however, since you can be a member of multiple Communities at once, this option will always be available. To browse for Communities, open the Communities tab and click 'Find" at the bottom of the window.
You can narrow your search by selecting a language, or by adding a word filter so that only Communities with that word in the name will be displayed in your search results.
You can also limit your search to only display Communities based on a specific category, and you have the option to also only show public Communities.
The Clan & Community Window
Once you've joined or created a Clan or Community, you will be able to open and browse its respective social window. The Clan and Community window is divided into three tabs: the News, Roster, and Settings.
The News Tab:
The News tab is the first tab you land on. Here you can find the latest information about your Clan or Community, as well as catch up on the recent activity of other members.
You can filter the news you receive in the News tab to include several different types of information.
For Clans and Communities:
- Message of the Day: Notifies you of changes to the MOTD
- Clan/Community Information: Notifies you of changes to the Clan Information entry
- New Leader: Be among the first to know when Clan or Community Leadership changes hands
For Clans Only:
- Items: Notifies you when a clan member finds a Legendary item and allows you to check out its stats
- Achievements: Notifies you every time a clan member completes an Achievement
- Member Joined: Notifies you when a new member joins the clan
- Member Left: Notifies you when a member leaves the clan
- Member Promoted: Allows you to track promotions within your clan
From the News tab (depending on your rank and permission level), you can also edit Clan or Community information, create news posts, and set the Message of the Day that Clan or Community members will see when logging into the game.
The Roster Tab:
In the Roster tab, you will find a list of all Clan or Community members. The roster will show what heroes each member plays, their location in game, rank, and Achievement points. From here, you can also easily inspect member profiles.
The Settings Tab:
The Settings tab is mostly for Clan or Community leaders and officers. From this tab, you can alter the various permissions for each Clan or Community rank, such as the ability to add news, invite members, create the Message of the Day, and join chat channels. You will also be able to change the language of your Clan or Community, whether your Clan is looking for members, or if your Community is public or private.
In addition to the News, Roster, and Settings tab, players who join a Clan or Community will gain access to a dedicated chat channel for the Clan and each Community. If you are the leader or an officer of a Clan or a Community, you will also gain access to an Officers Chat specific to that Clan or Community.
We hope that the Clans and Communities make it easier for players to have fun with friends—and make new friends!—while playing Diablo III. We look forward to collecting feedback from the brave souls participating in the Reaper of Souls Beta as well as those playing on the PTR for Patch 2.0.1.
See you in game!
Blizzard Quote [source]
As we announced a little while back, with the upcoming release of patch 2.0.1, your Diablo III launcher will be automatically updated to our new desktop app for Battle.net. You can upgrade now if you like, but if you haven't done so yourself by the time patch day rolls around, here’s a quick heads up about what you can expect.
Step 1: Optimize!
When you start your Diablo III launcher for the first time after Patch 2.0.1 launches, you'll receive a quick tools update, and then you'll be prompted to begin the process of optimizing your Diablo III installation.
It could take a while—anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes, even on a monster machine—but it's an important part of prepping for Patch 2.0.1 and Reaper of Souls.
Step 2: Download!
Next your Diablo III launcher will download the rest of the data you need—you'll see the usual red, yellow, and green data indicator during this process. How much data you'll need to download depends on how much background-downloading you've done already.
Step 3: Click Play and Log in to the Game
Once the Play button lights up, you can click it to enter the game and dive into the new Patch 2.0.1 content! Your launcher won't actually be updated to the desktop app Battle.net until the next time you start it up—so slay as many demons as you want, and then quit only when you've sated your bloodthirst.
Step 4: Start Up Diablo III Again
The next time you launch Diablo III, you'll be greeted with a pop-up screen letting you know your launcher is about to be updated to Battle.net.
Click Start Installation to start the process.
It shouldn't take too long, but keep in mind you may need to click a Restart Now button at some point during the installation process.
Step 5: Welcome to Battle.net!
When you see the Battle.net login prompt, enter your account information, and click Log In.
Once you see the screen below, you're done!
Click Play from the app's Diablo III screen to get back into the game at any time (you won’t have to log in again), or launch the game from your desktop as usual. For more information on Battle.net, check out the Battle.net web page and Support article.
Heads up for those who've already upgraded their launcher to Battle.net (or who plan to do so before Patch 2.0.1 launches):
On patch day, you will also have to go through a code-optimization process similar to what's outlined Step 1 above. Expect it to take 15 to 60 minutes or so, and keep in mind your computer might run a little slower than usual during the process.
That's it! Happy hunting!
Blizzard Quote [source]
You've fought bravely against the forces of the Burning Hells, banishing the Prime Evil and restoring Hope to the High Heavens. However, a new terror awaits. Soon, the sickening forces of Death will advance on the mortal realm of Sanctuary, ushering in a new age as Diablo® III: Reaper of Souls™ is unleashed upon the world.
The time has come for heroes to rise to a new challenge and prove their mastery of both the sword and the pen. So, crack open your stash of art supplies, nephalem, and get ready to get crafty!
To celebrate the upcoming launch of Reaper of Souls, Blizzard Entertainment and deviantART have joined forces to bring you a truly Legendary fan art contest. With over $11,000 worth of prizes and a two-night trip to Blizzard HQ in Irvine, CA up for grabs, we're calling all talented artisans from Caldeum to Kehjistan to take up their styluses in defense of the realm.
Your challenge, brave heroes, is to channel your arcane power and create an illustration depicting one or more central figures of the expansion getting ready for the coming conflict against the Angel of Death. These figures may include the six heroes of Sanctuary or even Malthael himself.
Your entries will have a chance to be seen not only by the millions of passionate Diablo players from around the globe, but also by the teams at both Blizzard and deviantART. In addition to scoring some truly epic prize packages that even the pickiest treasure goblin would be jealous of, the top 25 winners will also have their art displayed at Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, with the top three winners hand-selected by Christian Lichtner— art director of Diablo III.
We've shared some of the tantalizing contest details below, but make sure to head on over to deviantART’s contest page for further information as well as the official rules and submission guidelines.
Best of luck to all artisans, and may the most devious designs win!
Contest Prizes:
1st Place
- A two night trip to Blizzard HQ in Irvine, CA to meet the artists and developers of Diablo III
- A framed print of the winning work signed to the artist by the Diablo III Creative Team
- $5,000 USD
- Signed boxed copy of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition
- 8,000 deviantART Points
- 1-year Premium Membership to DeviantART.com
2nd Place
- A framed print of the winning work signed to the artist by the Diablo III Creative Team
- $3,000 USD
- Signed boxed copy of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition
- 4,000 deviantART Points
- 6-month Premium Membership to DeviantART.com
3rd Place
- A framed print of the winning work signed to the artist by the Diablo III Creative Team
- $1,000 USD
- Signed boxed copy of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector’s Edition
- 4,000 deviantART Points
- 6-month Premium Membership to DeviantART.com
22 Semi-Finalists
- Signed boxed copy of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition
- 1,000 deviantART Points
Contest Rules:
- Show one or more central figures of Diablo III getting ready for the coming conflict against Malthael. You may choose figures from the six heroes of Sanctuary or even Malthael himself!
- Entrant must be at least 17 years old as of February 13, 2014;
- Entrant may reside anywhere in the world;
- Entries must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. PT (Los Angeles Time) on March 13, 2014 and be submitted through the contest gallery on deviantART;
- Membership to www.deviantart.com is required to enter the Contest. Membership to www.deviantart.com is free. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THE CONTEST;
- Your submitted entry is to be an original artwork inspired by Diablo III in the form of a portrait or an illustration showing a central figure from one of the six classes of Heroes of Sanctuary or of Malthael preparing for the coming conflict;
- You may use any visual medium excluding cosplay, photographs, or moving images. Photographs of an entry made in another medium are acceptable. Licensed brushes and textures are permitted. Read the official rules for more details;
- You may reference but not actually duplicate visual materials provided or referenced in the Asset Page;
- Your entry must be in the form of a single JPG or PNG file at least 2000 pixels and at a minimum of 72 dpi;
- Other requirements and restrictions apply, please read the official rules carefully.
Contest Deadlines:
- February 13, 2014 - Diablo III Fan Art Contest on deviantART Launches
- March 13, 2014 - Art Submissions Close at 11:59:59 p.m. PT on March 13, 2014
- March 18, 2014 - 25 Contest Semi-Finalists Announced
- April 2, 2014 - Top 3 Contest Winners Announced
Are you planning to enter this epic fan art contest? Let us know below, and be sure to share your works in progress and final creations with us on Twitter using the hashtag #D3DA!
Blizzard Quote [source]
Patch notes are listed below for the next phase of our PTR and Closed Beta for Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. Please note that changes that apply to the PTR environment also apply to the Closed Beta.
Diablo III PTR Patch 2.0.1 - v.2.0.0.21962
Below you will find the most current PTR patch notes for 2.0.1. Please note that this is not the final version of the 2.0.1 patch notes and that many changes may not have been documented or described in full detail.
To provide feedback on these changes or report new bugs, please visit the appropriate PTR forum:
To report any issues you may experience while playing, please visit the PTR Bug Report forum.
Table of Contents
GENERAL
- Damage from monsters has been increased slightly per Difficulty level increase
- Bug Fix: Resolved several issues that caused the client to crash when viewing the tooltips for items with certain Legacy affixes
- Bug Fix: Resolved an issue where many Rare items would not properly display their name
CLASSES
- Barbarian
- Active Skills
- Bash
- Increased base skill damage from 165% to 170% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Instigation
- Reduced bonus Fury generation from 3 to 2
- Cleave
- Reduced base skill damage from 160% to 150% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Reaping Swing
- Reduced bonus Fury per enemy hit from 2 to 1
- Skill Rune - Broad Sweep
- Reduced damage from 230% to 210% weapon damage
- Weapon Throw
- Increased base skill damage from 135% to 150% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Mighty Throw
- Increased damage from 200% to 210% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Balanced Weapon
- Reduced bonus Fury generation from 3 to 2
- Hammer of the Ancients
- Skill Rune - Smash
- Reduced damage from 680% to 640% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Smash
- Earthquake
- Skill Rune - Mountain's Call
- Increased the cooldown from 45 to 50 seconds
- Skill Rune - Mountain's Call
- Bash
- Passive Skills
- Animosity
- Reduced increased Fury generation from 20% to 15%
- Superstition
- Reduced Fury granted on taking damage from 3 to 2
- No Escape
- Increased damage bonus from 20% to 25%
- Reduced range required from 25 to 20 yards
- Relentless
- Increased health threshold from 30% to 35%
- Juggernaut
- Increased healing received when Stunned, Feared, Immobilized, or Charmed from 15% to 20% of maximum Life
- Animosity
- Active Skills
- Demon Hunter
- Active Skills
- Preparation
- Skill Rune - Invigoration
- Increased max Discipline increase from 10 to 15.
- Skill Rune - Punishment
- Reduced Hatred gain from 100 to 75.
- Skill Rune - Battle Scars
- Increased Life gain from 35% to 40%.
- Skill Rune - Invigoration
- Preparation
- Active Skills
- Monk
- Active Skills
- Deadly Reach
- Increased base skill damage to 109%
- Increased third hit knock up chance to 50%
- Skill Rune - Scattered Blows
- Increased damage to 156%
- Sweeping Wind
- Increased base skill damage to 30%
- Skill Rune - Cyclone
- Reduced Cyclone damage to 23%
- Inner Sanctuary
- Increased base skill duration to 6 seconds
- Skill Rune - Sanctified Ground
- Increased duration to 8 seconds
- Deadly Reach
- Active Skills
- Witch Doctor
- Active Skills
- Spirit Walk
- Skill Rune - Honored Guest
- Reduced amount of Maximum Mana gained from 30% to 20%
- Skill Rune - Honored Guest
- Zombie Charger
- Skill Rune - Lumbering Cold
- Damage reduced to 196% per bear
- Zombie Bears now spawn 4 yards away from the player
- Skill Rune - Lumbering Cold
- Firebats
- Skill Rune - Cloud of Bats
- Damage reduced to 425%
- Skill Rune - Cloud of Bats
- Poison Dart
- Base skill damage increased from 140% to 155%
- Skill Rune - Splinters
- Damage increased from 60% to 65%
- Skill Rune - Flaming Dart
- Damage increased from 240% to 275%
- Corpse Spiders
- Base damage increased to 216% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Blazing Spiders
- Damage increased from 230% to 259% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Leaping Spiders
- Damage increased from 210% to 238% weapon damage
- Plague of Toads
- Base damage increased from 175% to 190% weapon damage
- Firebomb
- Damage increased from 140% to 155%
- Skill Rune - Pyrogeist
- Damage increased from 26% to 28% (560% over 6 seconds)
- Spirit Walk
- Passive Skills
- Blood Ritual
- Mana costs reduction reduced from 15% to 10%
- Spiritual Attunement
- Mana maximum reduced from 20% to 10%
- Blood Ritual
- Active Skills
- Wizard
- Active Skills
- Energy Twister
- Increased base skill damage to 1000%
- Skill Rune - Raging Storm
- Increased combined twister damage to 1935%
- Skill Rune - Wicked Wind
- Increased damage to 743%
- Skill Rune - Storm Chaser
- Increased damage per stack to 196%
- Ray of Frost
- Increased base skill damage to 510%
- Skill Rune - Black Ice
- Increased damage to 1204%
- Disintegrate
- Increased base skill damage to 511%
- Skill Rune - Volatility
- Increased damage to 750%
- Skill Rune - Entropy
- Increased damage to 649%
- Skill Rune - Chaos Nexus
- Increased damage to 115%
- Arcane Torrent
- Increased base skill damage to 573%
- Skill Rune - Death Blossom
- Increased damage to 1452%
- Skill Rune - Arcane Mines
- Increased damage to 688%
- Skill Rune - Cascade
- Increased damage to 582%
- Energy Twister
- Active Skills
Back to Top of PTR Patch Notes
Reaper of Souls Closed Beta - v.2.0.0.21962
Below you will find the most current Closed Beta patch notes for Reaper of Souls.
To provide feedback on these changes or report new bugs, please visit the appropriate Closed Beta forum:
To report any issues you experience while playing, please visit the Reaper of Souls Bug Report forum.
Table of Contents
ATTENTION: Please note that the Closed Beta also includes all changes from the PTR.
GENERAL
- Bug Fix: Quest rewards are now properly provided when completing key quests in Act V
ADVENTURE MODE
- Bug Fix: Resolved an issue where accepting a placeholder message that popped up when interacting with Asheara in Act II would cause the client to disconnect
CLASSES
- Barbarian
- Passive Skills
- Earthen Might
- Reduced Fury generation from 40 to 35
- Earthen Might
- Passive Skills
- Crusader
- Active Skills
- Steed Charge
- Base ability cooldown increased from 20 to 25 seconds
- Skill Rune - Ramming Speed
- Damage increased from 350% to 475% weapon damage per second
- Skill Rune - Nightmare
- Damage increased from 150% to 550% weapon damage per second
- Skill Rune - Draw and Quarter
- Damage increased from 20% to 125% weapon damage per second
- Shield Glare
- Skill Rune - Zealous Glare
- Wrath per target reduced from 12 to 9
- Skill Rune - Zealous Glare
- Fist of the Heavens
- Skill Rune - Divine Well
- Damage for subsidiary bolts reduced from 32% to 20%
- Damage ticks more consistently with less random variance
- Skill Rune - Heaven's Tempest
- Damage increased from 65% to 150% damage per second in the pool area
- Skill Rune - Divine Well
- Blessed Hammer
- Skill Rune - Thunderstruck
- Damage reduced from 50% to 40%
- Skill Rune - Burning Wrath
- Damage increased from 85% to 95%
- Skill Rune - Thunderstruck
- Akarat's Champion
- Base ability cooldown reduced from 120 seconds to 90 seconds
- Steed Charge
- Passive Skills
- Heavenly Strength
- Movement speed penalty increased from 10% to 15%
- Heavenly Strength
- Active Skills
- Demon Hunter
- Active Skills
- Vengeance
- Increased base skill damage of the rockets from 30% to 40% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Personal Mortar
- Increased damage of mortars from 135% to 150% weapon damage
- Skill Rune - Seethe
- Reduced Hatred gain per second from 15 to 10
- Skill Rune - From the Shadows
- Increased the damage of the shadows from 80% to 120% weapon damage
- Vengeance
- Active Skills
- Monk
- Active Skills
- Epiphany
- All Runes
- Reduced cooldown to 60 seconds
- Reduced Spirit Regeneration per Second to 20
- All Runes
- Epiphany
- Active Skills
Blizzard Quote [source]
The Design a Legendary project is well underway. So far, we've selected the weapon type, weapon theme, and the vote for the item's Legendary power is nearly complete. The concepting phase has also concluded for the item's visual appearance, and we'll be able to share with you 3D models and low-rez screenshots of item in-game early next week!
But there's still one big thing left to decide: the item's name.When we originally started the Design a Legendary project, our goal was to host an official naming contest near the end of the design process. We even had super fancy legal Terms of Use all drawn up and ready for digital print.
Unfortunately, even the best laid plans of mice and CMs can go awry and, due to development deadlines, a full contest isn't in the cards at this point -- especially since we want to make sure that this Legendary is available with the release of Reaper of Souls (rather than needing to be patched in later). But have no fear! It's still very important to us that the name of this Mephisto-themed, one-handed sword to be chosen by you, our players, so we've come up with *cue trumpet flare* other plans.
Over the past week, we've scoured forum posts, blog comments, tweets, and more wherein players have suggested some amazing names for this particular Legendary. Of those names, our designers have chosen five which fit the tone and theme of the weapon. Those five player-submitted names are:
- Spine of the Father
- Rancor
- Shard of Hate
- Malevolence
- Sankekur's Sorrow
So, pick your favorite by using the voting options below, and be sure to spread the word. As with previous votes, whichever name gets the most votes globally wins!
After the poll has closed, we'll tabulate player votes from all our different Diablo III communities around the world to determine the winner and share the results next week. Don't delay, though—this poll will close Wednesday, January 29.