Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – A seasonal journey to defeat evil

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is an action role-playing game (A-RPG) that was released in 2014 by Blizzard Entertainment as an expansion pack for Diablo III. The game features seven playable characters: Demon Hunter, Barbarian, Wizard, Necromancer, Monk, Witch Doctor, and Crusader. All characters have their unique abilities and stories. I played with the Necromancer, a lord of the dead who can raise skeletons to fight by his side.

Necromancer’s army of skeleton mages

The objective in the game’s story is to defeat Malthael, a fallen Archangel of Death. The players must travel through the depths of hell and face several lesser evils on the way to defeat Malthael. While playing the campaign, the player can truly feel like a champion who is trying to save the world from evil while fighting against demons and skeletons.

The final enemy, Malthael, resides in the Heart of the Fortress

I have played Diablo III since it was released, so I know the story by heart. What still draws me to return is seasonal play. Every season, players can level up a new character from the start to compete with other players for three to four months. The game has gone through 21 seasons, and the newest season (22) started recently.

New seasons have a “Seasonal effect” and “Seasonal items” that alter the gameplay. Currently, the seasonal effect is a shadow clone of the player’s character that is activated by clicking on pylons that give special effects to the player. Moreover, one of the seasonal items changes one of the Necromancer’s abilities profoundly. By using this item, playing the character becomes a different experience compared to earlier seasons and the campaign mode.

Powerful pylons activate a shadow clone of the character

The real gameplay starts after reaching the maximum level (70) when the player can enter areas called Greater Rifts. The objective is to defeat enough monsters to spawn the Rift Guardian, who acts as the final enemy before finishing the Greater Rift. If the player can defeat all enemies in under 15 minutes, they are rewarded with legendary items and gems to continue their journey and advance to the next level.

A battle against the Rift Guardian

Frankly, clearing Greater Rifts repeatedly becomes tedious quite quickly. Usually, I can perfect my character’s items in a month. I normally stop playing after that, as the only content in the game is to try and defeat the next level in the Greater Rifts. Still, I return every season to experience the new changes in the game.

Overall, Diablo III is a solid option for people who are interested in A-RPGs in a dark fantasy setting. I would recommend new players to start with the story first to understand the basics of the game. After the story is finished, seasonal play will provide more content for further exploration.

Basic information

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, mac OS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Release date: 25.3.2014 (Microsoft Windows, macOS), 19.8.2014 (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One), 2.11.2018 (Nintendo Switch)

Genres: Action role-playing, hack and slash

PEGI: 16

Pictures taken by the author

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#RPG #Action #Hack and slash #Game Reviews