Diablo III’s Reaper of Souls Visits on 25 March 2014

Good things come to those who wait, even if it is Death himself.

The Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion revealed in August this year will introduce several welcome changes to the ailing franchise, bringing this action role-playing game closer to what fans idealized. The key highlight will be the story’s continuation in Act V where players confront the fallen Malthael, now the Angel of Death. The lore behind it is fascinating should one choose to explore further; hopefully Blizzard delivers a tighter narrative this time round.

Other expansion-only content include the Crusader class, a level cap increase to 70 and new game modes. Adventure Mode opens up the world and lets the player freely explore, slay and loot. On the other hand, Bounties offer randomized objectives across Sanctuary while Nephalem Rifts lead to randomized dungeons with “heaps of loot”. These should add some replay value to what is currently a very linear, repetitive experience (as far as action RPGs go).

Blizzard will also deliver two important updates via free patches before Reaper of Souls goes live. Loot 2.0 encompasses multiple revisions to the loot system, from the removal of the real-money Auction House to improved Legendary items and even a new NPC called the Mystic. Likewise, Paragon 2.0 will continue to optimize the endgame by granting better character customization.

More updates will follow once they’ve finalized the details, making this sound like a proper attempt at reviving Diablo III. With great alternatives such as free-to-play Path of Exile and mod-friendly Torchlight II, there’s a lot to live up to before action RPG fans find their way back in Blizzard’s frosty arms.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will be available worldwide on 25 March 2014 at a suggested retail price of S$49.90 for the Standard Edition and S$99.90 for the Collector’s Edition. Asiasoft will be the exclusive distributor for Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.