As I mentioned earlier in the week, I was diddling around with StarCraft Remastered the other day and sort of checking in on Blizzard games that I still enjoy. I realized that I had purchased that Necromancer DLC sometime last year and had only played for a few hours. My Necromancer was a hardcore seasonal creation but I only took him to level 22. I believe that was around the time I really started concentrating on my backlog, and I have made significant progress on that front. At this point I was tempted to play again, as I hadn’t joined in on a season for quite some time despite having played like the first 6 or so seasons religiously.

Looks like when I actually picked up the Necromancer DLC it was Season 11 and i had missed the 5 seasons prior to that. These reset fairly rapidly so that’s not saying I hadn’t played in years. Apparently we’re into season 14 at this point, and I’ve used the rebirth option on the last Necromancer I created so I could start over. It’s still seasonal and still hardcore, but I want to actually see what a high end Necro can do. I have a month to do so during this season, and I think that’s doable. First up, have a gander at the latest season’s notes if you aren’t familiar with the game, or haven’t played in a while like me. There have been some changes that came down the pipeline that I only discovered once I was in game. As usual, there is a Season’s Journey.

It’s the same as always, though you’ll get different frames, pennants and armor sets. What was new this season was what they’re calling “themes” and season 14 is the season of greed. Treasure Goblins spawn in pairs now, and they drop more loot than usual.

More of the cross-promotional goodies were added to my account as well, apparently I happened to login during the StarCraft 20th Anniversay celebration, so we get this sweet Terran ship as a pet. Doesn’t really do much but it’s interesting nonetheless. I like these cross-promotions because if you’re already playing multiple games from a developer, you get free stuff in each. Hi-Rez has done a lot of this as well, and it’s pretty cool.

One of the new features that was added during my absence are “Challenge Rifts.” These are predetermined Nephalim Rifts that you must complete with a custom built character. There’s a time limit for completion and I assume the rewards are decent but I have yet to try one. I’ll get to that sooner or later.

Another new feature is the Armory, which is located next to your personal stash. This is a great option for those with multiple full armor sets that might be beneficial in different circumstances, and being able to swap gear load outs on the fly is a nice touch. I won’t have use for this for a while but I still am glad it’s something that’s been added.

Otherwise it’s more of the same old Diablo III that you either love or loath. Personally I still rather enjoy it, as I can play and zone out for a few hours without having too much to digest. You’ll see above the new pet in action, me fighting some of the treasure goblins, and how my new lowbie Necro looks at the current time. I’ll be trying to hit level 70 before the seasons reset and have my new set armor installed by then. I don’t know how much I’ll play going into the future because it is more of the same, but I at least want to see the new class in action at high level. There are a couple other ARPGs that I want to get to so I won’t be spending too much time here. Grim Dawn has been calling my name as well, as I picked up the expansion and haven’t really gone all that far into the game. Anyway, that’s all for today’s post. Are you still playing Diablo III?