10 things to love about Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls

After a day playing the early preview version of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, I am finally ready to give some thoughts about the game. In short: I like it.

It is perhaps too early to give a full review. Blizzard did say that the game is still in development and not everything we experience in this early preview version will make it to the final game. So I thought rather than trying to review a work in progress, I would just list out 10 new things that you will like about Reaper of Souls. Enjoy!

(1) New act, new mobs, new environment

Act 5 has been awesome so far with new mobs and elites in an entirely new map and environment. In short, this immediately brought back the Diablo 3 excitement. Even the town is entirely new. Elites now look really big on screen just so you won’t mistake them for a normal mob. They are a lot tougher now, too. I played the ‘Master level’ and got wiped by several of the Elites I met. I seriously need new gears to get stronger. Of course, there’s also the all new adventure mode which gives you randomized objectives to ensure content stays fresh.

(2) New items, better graphics

Sick of seeing the typical Archon Spaulders, mighty belt, or Chopsword artwork? You will be excited to know that Reaper of Souls has improved on its item artwork. Though seemingly a small change, it does change the entire experience, making you feel that it is really a refreshed version of Diablo 3. That said, it is also not surprising to see items with ridiculous stats like the one below. It is unclear if such items will stay. But I doubt it.

(3) Better gems

To my delight, I’m surprised to see a Marquise Emerald drop in Act 5. This high level gem gives you 110% more critical hit damage when socketed to your weapon. At pre-expansion, you will have to spend lots of gold to get them. But now, it drops for free. There are also new gems available in the Reaper of Souls, such as one that gives you resist all.

(4) New skills, new combo, new problem?