Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

The pre-expansion Diablo III patch 2.0.1 deployed on February 25, 2014, one month before the release of Reaper of Souls.[5] The patch updates the game for all owners of the base game, and does not require ownership of the expansion. The patch changed many game systems, including class skills, difficulty, and the number and quality of items acquired. One of the changes in the patch was a change to the paragon level system. Previously, paragon levels were separated between characters and were limited in number. With this patch, all the previous paragon experience was combined into an account wide paragon level that had no maximum. This allowed players to change between different characters and retain the bonuses between them, depending on the game mode being played.

The patch also made major changes to the game's item drop system. The change was referred to by developers as "Loot 2.0". Items would now drop in decreased quantity but increased quality, with a greater proportion of high bonuses and more useful properties. Instead of the mostly random item properties, items now found by a character would typically have properties that could be used by the character that found it. Many legendary items were changed to now provide playstyle and gameplay changing properties (a skill may become modified, changing its previous use, or gain new effects that are otherwise unobtainable). Previously bind-on-equip and tradeable pieces of equipment were made account-bound instead, with a limited amount of time to allow trading to other characters who were present in game when the item was dropped.

Patch 2.0.1 also streamlined crafting, condensing crafting materials into two categories: crafting items for the levels that comprise the original game, and materials for the expansion. Potions were also condensed into a single type of potion, where previously there were many different strengths and types. This patch added cursed chest and cursed shrine events. These timed events challenge players to fight off several sequential waves of attacking monsters, and provide rewards based on the player's success.

The patch also introduced Pools of Reflection. When used, the pools provide a cumulative experience point bonus (up to a maximum amount) which is lost on death, but otherwise lasts until the player earns a certain amount of experience.[6]

The monster difficulty systems were also changed in patch 2.0.1. The Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno modes were removed, as well as the monster power system. The dynamic difficulty replacement system provides a new approach: monster levels automatically scale with the player's level, and the chosen difficulty setting affects how much tougher they are beyond that. The difficulties that can be chosen are Normal, Hard, Expert, Master, Torment I, Torment II, Torment III, and Torment IV, for a total of 8 difficulty levels. The higher difficulties can yield exclusive rewards, such as higher-quality gems, special legendary items, additional gold, and additional experience points.

Released on November 2, 2018, the Nintendo Switch version includes all expansion content to date as well as several new items.[7] Up to four people can play together:[8] either four players can play on a single screen, or four separate Switches can be used together using the internet.[9] It can be played both offline and online.[10]

Patch 2.1 introduced seasons to the game, which are the equivalent of ladders from Diablo II.[12] In each season, players start with a new level 1 character and game performance is compared on a leaderboard. Each season has exclusive Legendary items, which will be awarded for good Ladder performance and through Tiered Rifts and each season includes Conquests, which are seasonal achievements for the first 1,000 to complete them on each server. Seasons last for around three months. When a season ends all seasonal characters are transferred to the main account.

Adventure Mode allows players to freely explore every region currently available in the game, without being restricted by the story. New objectives (including Bounties and Nephalem Rifts), areas and NPCs are also available to the players, and these features can only be found in Adventure Mode. Until patch 2.7.3, the mode was unlockable (and made available for all seasonal and non-seasonal characters on the player's account) only after completing the entire campaign (including Act V) once. However, as of patch 2.7.4, it will be automatically unlocked across all accounts and platforms.[13]

Players are able to complete five random Bounties for each act when playing in Adventure Mode. Bounties are random missions that may require players to hunt down a specific enemy, clear a specific area, slay a certain number of enemies, or complete a certain event, for example cleanse a cursed chest or a cursed shrine. Upon completion of Bounties, players will be rewarded with certain amount of gold, loots as well as crystalline blood shards, which can be traded for powerful items. Once players complete all five Bounties designated to one act, they will be rewarded with a Horadric Cache, which contains random loots and rewards such as gems, crafting materials, crafting recipes, and equipment. As of patch 2.3, Rift Key Fragments are no longer in the game, and thus have been removed from Horadric caches.[14] Additional bounty areas were added with the Ruins of Sescheron in Act III (patch 2.3), Greyhollow Island in Act V (patch 2.4), the Shrouded Moors and the Temple of the Firstborn in Act II, and the Realms of Fate in Act IV (both patch 2.6).

Nephalem Rifts are dungeons in Adventure Mode that consist of randomized regions and encounters. Players fight enemies and explore areas drawn randomly from all acts. As of patch 2.3 Nephalem rifts can be opened for free and no longer require Rift Keystone Fragments (which have been removed from the game). Players will also find "pylons" that grant players powerful abilities during exploration of the Rifts. In the first major content patch Greater Rifts were added where the difficulty increases each time you complete the rift within the time limit. The final boss in each Nephalem Rift has a chance of dropping a Greater Rift Keystone, which can be used to open these Greater Rifts.

Added in patch 2.3, Kanai's Cube is an improvement on the Horadric Cubes used in Diablo II. In Adventure Mode, players will speak to the ghost of Zoltun Kulle in town, at which point he will direct them to the Ruins of Sescheron in Act III to locate the cube. Once found, the cube is available to all characters of the type that finds it (normal or Hardcore; the first character in a new Season must re-acquire it regardless of whether their normal or Hardcore characters have already found it). With certain crafting material combinations, the cube can be used to extract legendary powers (marked in orange text in the item's stats), upgrade rare items to legendary, remove level requirements on items, and other abilities.[15]

The Mystic is a new NPC featured in Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. The mystic serves two basic functions: Item Enchanting and Transmogrification. Item Enchanting allows players to “re-roll the dice”; players are free to re-roll one property on an item. The selected property can be re-rolled to a higher value or to another property. Transmogrification allows players to change their character's appearance for purely aesthetic purposes.

Kadala provides gambling services in the game's Adventure Mode. Blood Shards are used to purchase unidentified items from her. Most of the time these items will be magic or rare, with a low chance to roll a legendary or certain set items, regardless of difficulty or magic find. She does not sell items that are only found in Horadric Caches, but does sell Torment-exclusive items.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original Diablo, Blizzard announced at BlizzCon on November 4, 2016, that they will add a remade version of the original game (complete with its 16-level dungeon and original bosses) to Diablo III; this will also include "retro touches" such as the option for the pixelated graphics and the eight-direction movement limitations of the original game, while being played with the Diablo III classes.[16][17] The event, known as "the Darkening of Tristram", went live for the first time on January 4, 2017, and ran until January 31, and returned during the subsequent years.[18]

Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls Patch 2.5.0 brings many new highlights to the game, such as the armory system, crafting material storage, and seasons for consoles.

The armory system allows for you to store five different builds for each of your characters. Saving a build saves your complete current build to include skills, gear, gems, and Kanai's cube powers. Saving builds in the armory system allows for a quick change in game play. For example, it allows you to switch from your solo adventure mode “grinding build” to a “tankier support build” for group play instantly by visiting the wardrobe located by the in game mailbox.

Prior to patch 2.5.0, crafting materials would be stored in your inventory. This caused limited inventory space to be filled with crafting materials and gems. Now, all crafting materials will be maintained in a separate storage tab that does not affect your normal inventory space. In an Action RPG game based around RNG “random number generator” gear drops, you need as much inventory space as possible.

Seasons were first implemented into Diablo in patch 2.1, but for the PC client. Starting in 2.5.0 console gamers will be able to compete with each other on the same level as PC gamers. It will also allow for console gamers to earn the same season exclusive award previously only available to PC Diablo player base.[19]

Blizzard's "Rise of the Necromancer" DLC pack introduced the Necromancer class, one of the five original classes of Diablo II, to the game. The new incarnation of the Necromancer was described as a "reimagining" of the earlier version; a number of the signature abilities (such as raising undead minions, bone spear attacks, and causing corpses to explode) were made available, though a number of new abilities were also added, as well as new gear sets and appearances. The DLC also included two additional character slots, more slots in the in-game stash, and cosmetic appearances such as a portrait frame, a pennant worn by the character, and a banner design and sigil. The pack cost $14.99 and was released with Patch 2.6.0 on June 27, 2017.[20][21]

Patch 2.6.0 introduced a number of new features, including the "Rise of the Necromancer" pack announced at BlizzCon, as well as 30 new legendary items and four armor sets for the Necromancer class. An additional game mode, "Challenge Rifts", was also introduced. The Challenge Rifts mode takes a "snapshot" of a previously-completed Greater Rift, including the character, armor, and talent build used in that Greater Rift, as well as the enemies and powerups that appeared within it; if the player is able to beat the previously set completion time, they will receive a reward cache (similar to completing bounties).[22] New zones were also added to certain maps in Adventure Mode: The Shrouded Moors and the Temple of the Firstborn near Caldeum (Act II), centered around a strange "blood cult", and the Realms of Fate in the High Heavens (Act IV), consequences of the battle between the Nephalem (player characters) and Diablo in the campaign story in Diablo III.[23]

Reaper of Souls sold 2.7 million copies in its first week on sale.[29] By August 2014, Diablo III and Reaper of Souls had combined sales of 20 million copies.[30] As of June 30, 2015, Diablo III and Reaper of Souls had combined sales of 30 million copies.[31]