The other day, I booted up Diablo 3 for the first time in a while.
I had put it aside to catch up on my backlog a bit (and because I just couldn’t figure out the necromancer’s play style), but it’s just one of those games with undeniable replay value.
This is more or less how that went for me.
At first, I couldn’t put my finger on what was different. Shane pitched that maybe it was the first time we’d played Diablo 3 on the 4K TV, but well, we’d bought the TV in April last year so we could play multiplayer games, so that wasn’t it.
Then it hit me.
Things looked different, and it wasn’t just in my head.
See, it had been long enough since I’d played Diablo 3 that there had actually been a visual update to the game. What gave it away for me—and this is going to sound silly—is that the font for normal items had changed. Instead of white, as it had been before, it’s now a lovely shade of lilac.
That prompted a veritable Where’s Waldo scenario to see if I could spot any other new things. You know, things like the new gear sets and transmogrifications, and what appeared to be buffs to how the characters themselves looked.
Seeing clearly
My first thought was that Blizzard had upgraded for 4K, but that was silly of me. Technically, the 4K visual upgrade for the PS4 Pro happened about this time last year, only two months after the PS4 Pro was officially launched.
However, it would make sense that the developers at Blizzard would do a little refresh on things, seeing as the Xbox One X—the first Xbox to have 4K gameplay—just came out in time for the holidays last year.
And hey, if you’re already in there fixing things, why not give everything a fresh new look, right?
This new look also coincides with the second Darkening of Tristram event, which started last year as a suitably ceremonious celebration of Diablo 3’s anniversary. The event takes players on a retrospective tour of maps designed to mimic the glory days of Diablo 1, and both years, has brought in a slew of special items and gear to collect.
In case that wasn’t enough, it also coincides with the game’s Season 12, and seasons tend to bring in their own special items and gear too.
BONUS: This year’s season also introduced a bunch of buffs to legendary and set items, including things like the demon hunter set I have on Artemis going from an additional 1,200% damage per active sentry to 3,000%.
With all these changes, it’s really no wonder I couldn’t immediately figure out what was different. I think it’s time to really let loose and rain a little hell!
