Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls expansion could finally bring back gamers' zeal for Diablo

So news came out yesterday (first in a leaked video) that Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls will not only get Crusader as an additional character but it will also have the all new and exciting Adventure Mode option. In brief, the new Adventure Mode option cuts out the boring story (which you probably have gone through zillions of times by now), unlocks all waypoints, and allows you to roam and slash freely in the world of Diablo 3. More interestingly, the Adventure Mode brings you Bounties and Nephalem Rifts which I thought are great ideas to get people excited over Diablo 3 again. Finally.

Bounties, as Blizzard explains “are optional, randomized objectives available only in Adventure Mode.” To put in bluntly, they are an option for folks who don’t know what to do in Diablo 3 but still want to do something. Sounds familiar? That’s because we’ve all felt that before. In Diablo 3‘s current state, gamers have nothing much to do except for random slaying and doing key warden runs. It gets repetitive and boring after awhile and many gamers, even the most hardcore fans of Diablo 3 start to quit.

So what kind of objectives or missions can we find in Bounties? It’s still a mystery until we have Reaper of Souls in our hands. But Blizzard listed several possible objectives which certainly read exciting: “Slaying a unique monster (like Mira Eamon), killing a boss (like Queen Aranae), clearing a dungeon (like the Khazra Den), and completing an event (like Last Stand of the Ancients).” Each act has its own randomized Bounties and each time you complete one bounty you will receive a new one when you start a new Adventure Mode game. These bounties also give you legendary drops which is what really matters in Diablo 3. Though there isn’t any word if Blizzard has decided to fix the current screwed up legendaries’ stats roll, my guess is that it probably will with the new expansion or a patch. Completing bounties will also give you Rift Keystones which give you access to Nephalem Rift.

Nephalem Rifts are uber-randomized dungeons that are designed to be completed within 10 to 15 minutes. So what’s random? A hell of a lot; Ranging from levels, boss, maps, to loots. Blizzard created this with an aim “to provide players with a rewarding, endlessly replayable experience.” I certainly hope it does live up to its claim.

With so many fuck-ups over the past year, I believe Blizzard is finally bringing Diablo 3 in the right direction. Gamers are thrilled when the announcement was made that the Auction House will be taken down. With this new Adventure Mode, it seems to suggest that Blizzard has finally started to spare a thought for their gamers. Gamers don’t care how much revenue Blizzard is making. They only care about playing a real solid game and so far Diablo 3 has been a real disappointment. It has let down a lot of Diablo 3 fans who waited for more than a decade.

But with all the good news surrounding Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls, I might just pick up my Barbarian again and give Diablo 3 just one last chance…