Diablo 3 Blog Guide

I'm newly interested in Diablo, what can I expect?


Diablo is an action oriented rpg that focuses on cool skills, an item hunt, and laying waste to the hordes of hell. Like many rpgs it features classes, stats, lots of story, and character progression that you develop and customize by finding items in game. Diablo is, at its core, all about finding, trading, using, and loving items.
The game takes place in the world of Sanctuary. Where man is caught between the eternal struggle of heaven and hell, a war that is poised to spill over into the mortal realm and intiate the apocalypse. You play a hero, set on their path to defend humanity from the supernatural forces that threaten it.

Do I need to play Diablo 1 or 2 to appreciate Diablo 3's gameplay or story?


Not necessarily. Diablo 3 is designed to be very approachable for a newly initiated player and the gameplay is not overly complex. Playing the older games could give you a sense of context and respect for what has been done with Diablo 3, as it's a very progressive continuation of the older game's systems that makes play more fluid and intuitive.

Diablo is a series with deep lore that lends gravity to the player's experience. As for story there will be a lot of references and jokes you might miss not having played the older games, and some character's significances may be lost to you if you don't know their history. You can always catch up on lore using the  lore recaps on YouTube.

(http://youtu.be/5Ghu8RzsWvs) if you don't want to play the older games. Some players choose to ignore the story altogether and are completely fixed on the gameplay, so you don't need to understand the story to enjoy the game if that is more your thing.

What are the System Requirements?


The current system requirements for Diablo 3 can always be found here: http://us.battle.net/support/en/article/diablo-iii-system-requirements
To quickly test your system, click this link: http://systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI/download.aspx?name=Diablo-III&id=11243

I'm an experienced Diablo player and I'm unsure/curious/unaware of Diablo 3. What has changed?

A list of new or changed features in Diablo 3:

• Stat and skill point allocation are gone. This is to encourage experimentation and fluid respecing. You can still customize and boost both your stats and skills with items, and a lot of dimension exists for you to individualize your heros.
• You have access to all skills you meet the level requirement for, instead of committing points to pick them up. In Diablo 2, the number of skills you had was small, and the number you used was smaller still. In Diablo 3, you have a great number of skills and a great number of combinations of them to choose.
• Basic attack is now obsolete as many classes have several 'free' skills that replace it's function while adding flavor. So in a sense each player may now choose one of a few different kinds of basic attack.
• Chance to hit is gone. So if you swing, you wil hit. Same goes for your enemies though! But you can both dodge and block still.
• Experience levels are limited. There is a hard level cap at 60 designed to be reached during hell mode. The final and hardest difficulty level, inferno, in which every monster is level 61 and by default stronger than you, will challege you after you reach that cap.
• Tetris-style inventory management is no longer. Items come in only 2 sizes (one square or two) and characters have a much larger inventory.
• Players have banners they can place in game. Clicking on another player's banner allows you to teleport to their location.
• If a teammate dies, you can come to their aid and resurrect them by clicking on their incapacitated form. This promotes more cooperation than simply watching your friends bodies drop helplessly.
• Potions work differently. They have a cooldown, so they aren't spammable and no function as an emergency heal if things get nasty. For sustain in combat, defeated enemies drop health globes that heal you. This encourages tactical gameplay and eliminates the keyboard slapping potion chugging unkillable sustain found in Diablo 2.
• Gold, items, artisan upgrades, and stash-space is shared accross your account and characters. However, they are separate between your hardcore and softcore characters.
• There are no longer scrolls of identify or town portal. You can both identify and tp inherently through the user interface without the need for an item. There is a channelling time for both, and the effects are instant after channeling, so you can no longer use portals to escape sticky combat situation or drop them preemptively as an emergency exit.
• The crafting system is vastly expanded. Artisans that require investments in training, materials and gigantic sums of gold will replace the gamblers and cube recipes found in Diablo 2.
• Followers have returned and are both more unique and more customizable than before. You can choose skills for them and gear them up to support you while you play solo. In cooperative games they will wait in town. There is a paladin warrior (Templar), a rougeish mercenary (Scoundrel), and an young enchantress (Enchantress).
• Items no longer have stat requirements like strength or dexterity. You must only meet the level requirement to use an armor. Basic armor is used by all classes, but the affixes and bonuses the armor provides will make sure your barb ends up much tankier than your wizard.
• Unique items with fixed attributes are replaced by Legendary items with some variable attributes, so two items may have different affixes.
• Group size is now 4, instead of 8. This aims to keep visual clutter manageble and promote greater cooperative synergy.
• You are limited to 10 characters per copy of D3. If you want more you'll need another Bnet account.
• Boss encounters are now instanced and lock players into the event to prevent tp abuse. You can't leave the encounter or game without resetting the boss health and you can be locked out of the event if you choose not to join it.
• Loot drops are private per player. Meaning that each player sees different items that only they can see and pick up. No more rushing to grab up drops when big monsters fall as everyone gets their own items. More for everyone.

• Item trading is handled through the in game auction house with gold or real money. You can still trade from player to player though too.
• PVP is no longer an option in the main game. Going hostile is gone and PVP is a separate mode. Although it will be unavailable in the game at the time of release because Blizzard needs more time to improve the functionality. They will patch it in later.
• Hardcore mode is unlocked once you raise a single hero to level 10, instead of immediately.
• Diablo 3 will support cross-game friends list and chat through the battletag system (similar to the current Real-ID system in place in SC2 and WoW).

Overall Diablo 3 is a progressive re-imaging of the core game we all love, but it's not Diablo 2 part 2. There's a lot of fun quirks and sentimental things that kept us loving D2 that we'll miss in D3. But D3 also has tons of great improvements to show us it's really it's own new game and deserves to be judged on it's own merits, not how well it compares to it's ancient predecessor.

Wait. No stat points? Every class has all the same skills? Isn't every character just going to end up the same?
While it's true that everyone has the same options at level 60 and the potential to fluidly copy each other's builds, the design of the skill system and the depth of the item economy supporting is subtly, but powerfully enabling players to make individual choices instead of simply copying the easiest skills or items to find.
The amazing thing about the skill system is that you have all these skills that you can modulate in ways that mimic other skills. So you can get utilities many different ways and even if an unusual method is less effecient than using another skill, it's all about the itemization that supports your choices to make the build work. There may be a skill that is best in a 'path of least resistance' way or because the items you need to maximize it are common, but the depth of utility in the skill options are vast and highly equitable and items exist to enable you as a player to make personal choices about what you need and which skill you want to get it from.


How to play Diablo 3 




Turn on elective mode under options -> gameplay. Now you can pick skills from any "category". You can have two skills from "offense" for instance, this opens up many more builds. (To do so, select any skill slot, and then use the arrows to tab over to the other skills. For instance, you can change your left click skill to be on 1, and put the 1 skill on left click. Also, you can have two "left click" skills, one of them on 1 and one of them on 2. Anything like that. You can also just click and drag skills around the bar and swap them.)

Turn on Advanced Tooltips. now you can see how much damage different abilities do compared to each other. An ability that hits everybody seems great, but if its only 50% damage, maybe consider the one that does 500% but is harder to use. Then again, the ability to spam something without looking is really useful.
Turn on enemy health bars. It really helps. Kill the weak enemies first, focus fire. AoE (Area of Effect, big spells like blizzard) are super useful on the weaker groups.

Strategy:


Pay tons of attention to mobs that have an aura. Blue or yellow mobs are rare spawns. When you get into nightmare/hell/inferno, these mobs will be far stronger than the act bosses. They will kill you if you do not pay attention and recognize them.

Especially if there are two at once. You could have two blue mobs nearby each other, and rare mobs will have a posse of similar creatures with them.

General strategy for dealing with tough mobs as ranged: kite them around (RUN! RUN FAST! DON'T LET THEM GET NEAR YOU! YOU'LL DIE!) and drop abilities as you run. If they stop chasing you, turn around and wail on them, until they start chasing you again, and then run. Try to kill off lots of the weaker mobs first, and then when the rare mob is solo, its much easier.

For melee: get in there and mess them up. Try to dance around the edge of the group, killing the weak ones and avoiding the rare until he's left. Watch when he's wailing on you, really pay attention to your health.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE NAME OF RARE MOBS. If they say "Jailer", "Waller", "Vortex", they're gonna mess with your ability to run away and get to safety. The names are logical, Jailer puts you in a little prison circle. Waller creates impassable walls. Vortex pulls you in. Knowing which they are going to use against you is KEY to surviving rare mobs. If they say things like "Arcane" (my all time least favorite, creates purple lazers that spin in circles; these hit HAAARD, DO NOT TOUCH), "Molten" (leaves trail of lava, don't stand in it), etc. etc.

NOTE: sometimes, if a rare mob is REALLY annoying, or if you can kill it quickly, you'll want to just kill it first. For instance, if you're against a "Waller" type, and you get trapped, your best bet is just to annihilate him as fast as you can. It depends upon your dps vs their health.
Gear:

Generally, after you have a full set of gear (no empty slots), you'll want to ignore white items completely (they're worth about 2 gold, not worth the space in your inventory). Pick up all the blues and yellows (magic and rare quality) and vendor them.

DO NOT use the Blacksmith, he is currently not worth it whatsoever and will only waste your money.
DO use the gemcrafter, he's pretty cheap to level up and combining gems is great.
You can post some items which seem good for other classes on the AH. Put the minimum bid at like 100 for anything, you'd rather somebody buy it for 200 gold than have to vendor it for less. Then set the buyout to something like 5k, 10k, 15k, based on its level. Look around for similar items, and go for slightly less gold so it sells fast.

Using all that gold (selling your drops to vendors, AHing some) go to the AH.

Set your character name as the filter, this will only show items that you can equip (level and class).

Pick a slot that you need an upgrade for (your current item is lower level)

Choose your main stat (Strength for barbs, Dex for DH and MNK, Intelligence for Wiz and WD) as one of the filters. Put "Has sockets" for the other one, if you can (some items can't have sockets).

Find something for a reasonably cheap price that has as much of your main stat as you can. You want to be just stacking TONS of that main stat. They made itemization in this game really, really easy.

You do hit a sort of soft cap on your main stat if it gets too high and your base attack is still low. Look for a main weapon that has a very high base DPS. Rings and amulets that give +damage are really, really good. Try swapping out +main stat and +damage and get a feel for how they effect it.

NOTE: The big DPS number listed when you mouse over a weapon summarizes everything for you, and it UPDATES as you change things. If you put in a gem, it will change the DPS to take that into account. This makes comparisons stupid easy.

NOTE: See your character sheet? See the "Damage" number below your stats? THAT IS IT. WATCH THAT NUMBER. For the most part, all you have to do is swap items out and see which gives you the bigger "Damage" number. This takes into account gems, weapons, stat bonuses, attack speed, etc. It makes it stupid easy.

(Long explanation: your main stat total is a percentage applied to your damge. 20 DPS weapon at 200 intelligence is 200% or 40 DPS. So that 200 int gets you 2x damage. But as you get higher, you get less for each bit of intelligence, +20 more int at 200 int total is +10% more dps, but +20 int if you have 800 total is a fraction of that improvement. And having 800% of 1 dps is just 8 dps. You need a good base number to multiply by)

Attack speed is also really good.

For sockets, try to combine your gems as high level as you can. Put the gem that gives your main stat (rubies for barbs, emeralds for DH/MNK, topaz for Wiz/WD) into all your normal "other" slots. Put Amethyst in your helm for +health and put rubies in your weapon for +damage.

Seriously, the AH is the only way to go. The drops in this game are kind of broken, they need to change it. Items that drop for you in game will be lower level than you are most of the time. The game is designed with the AH in mind, so drops aren't as frequent as D2. They EXPECT you to trade the drops that aren't for your class.

NOTE: Anything you buy on the AH, you can sell right back when you're done with it. This is why so many items are so cheap, there's crazy deflation. You can literally buy something for 5K, use it for a few levels, and then sell it back for 5K costing you NOTHING. You could even sell it back for 10K and make a profit! Items never degrade in quality and nothing is soulbound.

I was able to get over 400 DPS in Act II of normal. I had nearly 800 DPS by the end of Act IV normal. You want around 1K DPS by the end of Act I nightmare. Well over 2K by the end of nightmare.
If those numbers sound insane, you just need to hit up the AH more, and look at your stats.

EVERY other affix (item bonuses) should be prioritized below +main stat and +damage (maybe +attack speed). Seriously, just ignore anything else. Armor is mostly worthless, don't worry about it much. At high level, +vitality, +life regen and +resistance become HUGE, but that isn't until high level. Feel free to build a glass cannon, just max your damage as high as you possibly can until you get halfway through nightmare.
If you find something that gives +main stat and +something else, sure, take it.

LOTS of different builds are very viable, so have fun and try different things. Once you get to Hell and up, it gets much harder, you'll have to swap out some abilities for more survivability.

TLDR: Stack damage and main stat until the cows come home. IGNORE EVERYTHING ELSE until you're in hell, pretty much. Sell everything you find (ignore whites) to vendors, use that money on the AH. You kinda have to use the AH to stay viable in this game, which I don't like. They designed it that way. Buy things and then sell them right back for the same cost :)

Look at the "Damage" number on your character sheet, below your stats. This number summarizes everything for you, +stats, +damage, +attack speed, it rolls it all up for you. So just look at that number, and try out different items to see what makes it go up.

Older Blizzard FAQ


What is Diablo III?

Blizzard is developing Diablo III to be the definitive action role-playing game, and a true continuation of the Diablo series. Players will create a hero from one of five distinct classes, such as barbarian or witch doctor, each equipped with an array of spells and abilities. As these heroes adventure through rich and varied settings, unraveling an epic storyline and engaging in combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, they’ll grow in experience and ability and acquire items of incredible power.

The game takes place on Sanctuary, a world of dark fantasy. Unbeknownst to most of its inhabitants, Sanctuary was saved some twenty years ago from the demonic forces of the underworld by a few brave and powerful heroes. Most of those warriors who directly faced the armies of the Burning Hells — and were fortunate enough to survive — went mad from their experiences. And most of the others have buried their haunted memories and pushed the horrors from their thoughts. In Diablo III, players will return to Sanctuary to confront evil in its many forms once again.

Diablo III will be a fitting sequel to Diablo II, with the easy interface, fast-paced action, and visceral gameplay that Diablo players have come to expect and enjoy. It will also include many new features that will take the Diablo action-RPG experience to the next level. We look forward to going into much more detail on our plans for Diablo III as development on the game progresses.

What’s new about Diablo III compared to the previous Diablo games?

Exciting new classes like the witch doctor bring new gameplay options to the table. Returning classes, like the barbarian, have been completely redone with new skills to give them a feel unique to Diablo III. New customization options will provide for an even greater level of character specialization than the previous Diablo games, allowing the player to create unique characters brimming with power.

Diablo III is powered by a new graphics engine that can display characters and hordes of monsters in lush, fully 3D environments. Powerful special-effects systems and Havok-powered physics allow the player to lay waste to the Hells’ minions in spectacular ways.

Also, Diablo III builds on the random environments of the previous Diablo games by introducing a host of new ways to create random scripted events throughout the game. This creates a dense and exciting world alive with quests, NPCs, dynamic encounters, and viciously challenging new monsters and bosses. Diablo III’s environments add a great deal of interactivity to the game, including destructible elements and environmental obstacles that can be turned against your enemies.

In addition, Diablo III will benefit from Battle.net upgrades that will provide some exciting new features for players. Cooperative online play remains a primary focus, with multiple enhancements being planned to make connecting with your friends easier and cooperative gameplay even more fun. We’ll have more details on all these aspects as well as other exciting new features at a later date.

Can you give an overview of Diablo III’s storyline?

It has been twenty years since the events of Diablo II. Of those who faced the Lords of Hatred, Terror, and Destruction in the battle over the fate of Sanctuary, there are few still living who can bear to remember the horrors that the Prime Evils wrought upon the world. And of those who did not witness the terrible events firsthand, most believe the stories to be little more than myth. But something evil is stirring once again in Tristram, and it may already have claimed its first victim: Deckard Cain.

Will there be any other familiar faces in Diablo III (other than Deckard Cain)?

Yes. Players will encounter several new characters as well as a number of characters from the previous games.

Will players be visiting any familiar locations in Diablo III, such as Tristram?

Yes, definitely. Players will return to Tristram and certain other locations from the previous games, and they’ll be exploring new areas of Sanctuary as well.

How many character classes are included in Diablo III? What are they?

Five character classes will be included in the game, two of which, the barbarian and witch doctor, were revealed when the game was announced at the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational. The other classes will be announced at a later date.

Will players be able to choose the gender of their character, regardless of class?

Yes. Players will be able to create male and female characters for all five classes.

Will Diablo III be playable over Battle.net? What new features can we expect?

Yes, Diablo III will be playable over Battle.net, and Battle.net will offer some exciting new features to enhance players’ Diablo III experience. We’ll announce specifics and go into much more detail at a later date.

Will there be a single-player component in addition to multiplayer?

Yes. In addition to battling the hordes of the Burning Hells cooperatively with friends over Battle.net, players will be able to adventure through the world of Diablo III solo. More details on both the single-player and multiplayer experience will be revealed at a later date.

What will questing be like in Diablo III? Will it be similar to Diablo II?

Our plans for the story and quest mechanics are still under wraps. We’ll go into detail on those elements of the game at a later date. We can say, however, that we expect to have class-based quests in addition to the main story-line quests.

What engine is Diablo III running on? What graphical enhancements are included?

Diablo III runs on a custom 3D game engine for rendering full-3D characters and environments. The 3D game engine not only simulates advanced animation sequences and sound effects, but also uses a custom physics engine that allows for realistic object dynamics and cloth simulation.

Lore:


Barbarian Lore

Demon Hunter Lore

Monk Lore 

Witch Doctor Lore

Wizard Lore

Diablo 3 Classes

Barbarian


Other Stuff:



Cheap uber weapons (Old bug?)

Power Leveling

PKing Information


Pre-Beta Screenshots

World Invitational Footage

Diablo 2 Comparison

Graphics Debate

Diablo3Blog Youtube Channel

Old list of great things in Diablo III (Written back in 2008)

  Diablo Lore

BOOK I: OF HEAVEN AND HELL

THE GREAT CONFLICT

Since the beginning, the forces of Light and Darkness have engaged in an eternal war : The Great Conflict, whose victor will rise from the apocalyptic ashes to hold sway over all creation.

To this end, the Angels of the High Heavens adhere to strict militaristic disciplines Seraphim warriors strike at the enemies of Light with swords imbued with righteous wrath and justice. The Angels believe that only absolute discipline can properly restore order to the myriad realms, while the demonic denizens of the Burning Hells hold that absolute chaos is the true nature of all things.

The battles of the Great Conflict rage across both time and space, often infringing upon the very fabric of reality itself. From the Crystal Arch at the very heart of the High Heavens to the arcane hellforge of the Underworld, the warriors of these eternal realms journey to wherever their timeless conflict carries them. The legendary deeds of the heroes of the realms beyond elicit both veneration and insight.

The greatest of these heroes was Izual, ieutenant to the Arch-Angel Tyrael and bearer of the Angelic Runeblade Azurewrath. He once led a fierce attack upon the Hellforge as the creation of the dark demonblade Shadowfang was nearing completion. His quest was to destroy both wielder and weapon - a charge that he was destined never to complete. Izual was overcome by the legions of chaos and, tragically, was lost to the Darkness. His fate stands as testament to the fact that Angels and Demons alike shall fearlessly enter into any domain -so long as their hated enemies dwell within.

Although the Great Conflict burned hotter and longer than any of the stars in the sky, neither side could gain dominion over the other for long. Both factions sought some way to turn the tides of the war to their favour. With the ascension of Man and his mortal realm, the Great Conflict ground to a mysterious halt. Both armies paused in a breathless stalemate, waiting to see to whose side Man would eventually turn.

Mortals had the unique ability to choose between Darkness and Light, and it was held that this would be the deciding factor in the outcome of the Great Conflict. Thus, the agents of the nether-realms descended to the mortal realm to vie for the favour of Man...

THE SIN WAR

The coming of the Great Conflict to the mortal realm is known as the Sin War. Angels and Demons, disguising themselves while travelling amongst men, attempted to secretly lure mortals to their respective causes. Over time, the forces of Darkness discovered that mortals responded much more to brute force than to subtle coercion, and so began to terrorize Man into submission. The Angels fought to defend humanity against this demonic oppression, but all too often their austere methods and severe punishments succeeded only in alienating those whom they sought to protect.

The violent battles of the Sin War occurred often, but they were seldom witnessed by the prying eyes of Man. Only a few "enlightened" souls were aware of the supernatural beings that walked amongst the huddled masses of humanity. Powerful mortals arose and accepted the challenge of the Sin War, allying themselves with both sides in the Great Conflict. The legendary deeds of these great mortal warriors served to earn both the respect and hatred of the netherworlds. Although lesser demons kneeled before those possessing power and strength, they also cursed the very existence of mortal man. Many of these fiends believed that the deadlock brought about by the emergence of Man was a perverse offense to their "higher" role in the great scheme of things.

This jealousy of Man led to harsh, atrocious acts of violence by the demons against the mortal realm. Some men learned of this deep hatred and used it against the denizens of the Underworld. One such mortal, Horazon the Summoner, delighted in summoning demons and then breaking them to his will. Horazon, along with his brother Bartuc, were members of the Eastern mage clan known as the Vizjerei. This mystic clan studied the ways of demons and had catalogued their lore for generations. Empowered by this knowledge, Horazon was able to take the work of the Vizjerei and pervert it for his demented purposes. The denizens of Hell sought revenge against this bold mortal,but Horazon managed to keep himself well protected within his arcane sanctuary.

Bartuc, the brother of Horazon, was eventually lured to the side of Darkness. He was granted exceptional strength and longevity, and fought alongside the legions of Hell against the cursed Vizjerei, and eventually his own brother during the Sin War. Although Bartuc was renowned amongst the warriors of many realms, his dominance in battle came with a terrible price. An insatiable lust for mortal blood pervaded his every thought and deed. Bartuc soon became as fond of bathing in the blood of his enemies as he did of shedding it, and in time he came to be known only as the Warlord of Blood.

THE DARK EXILE

"Seven is the number of the powers of Hell,
and Seven is the number of the Great Evils."

Duriel, the Lord of Pain

Andariel, the Maiden of Anguish

Belial, the Lord of Lies

Azmodan, the Lord of Sin

These are the true names of the lesser of the Great Evils. For ages uncounted each have ruled over their own domains within the Burning Hells,
Seeking absolute dominion over their infernal brethren. As the Lesser Four continuously vied for the control of those forces that dwelled within their realms, the Greater Three held absolute power over the whole of Hell. The Lesser Four used dark and evil measures in their quest for power, and herein begins the legend of the Exile.

Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred

Baal, the Lord of Destruction

Diablo, the Lord of Terror

These are the Prime Evils of Hell that wielded their power as a dark, sovereign triumvirate. The Three Brothers ruled over the Lesser Four by brutal force and malicious cunning. Being the eldest and strongest of the Evils, the Three Brothers were responsible for countless victories against the armies of the Light. Although they never held sway over the High Heavens for long, the Three were justly feared by enemies and subjects alike.

With the ascension of Man and the subsequent standstill of the Great Conflict, the Three Brothers began to devote their energies to the perversion of mortal souls. The Three realized that Man was the key to victory in the war against Heaven, and thus altered their rigid agendum that they had propagated since the Beginning. This change caused many of the Lesser Evils to question the authority of the Three, and so brought about a great rift between the Prime Evils and their servitors.

In their ignorance, the Lesser Evils began to believe that the Three were afraid to continue the war with Heaven. Frustrated by the cessation of the
war, Azmodan and Belial saw the situation as their chance to overthrow the Prime Evils and take control of Hell for themselves. The two demon lords made a pact with their minor brethren, assuring them that the wretched plague of humanity would not deter the ultimate victory of the sons of Hell. Azmodan and Belial devised a plan to end the stalemate, achieve victory in the Sin War and ultimately ride the bloody crest of the Great Conflict straight into the very arms of Armageddon. Thus, a great revolution was set into motion as all of Hell went to war against the Three Brothers...

The Brothers fought with all of the savagery of the Underworld, and to their credit, annihilated a third of Hell's treacherous legions. In the end, however, they were overcome by the Horned Death led by the traitors Azmodan and Belial. The Prime Evils, weakened and bodiless were banished to the mortal realm where Azmodan hoped that they would remain trapped forever. Azmodan believed that with the Three set loose upon humanity, the Angels would be forced to turn their focus upon on the mortal plane - thus leaving the Gates of Heaven abandoned and defenseless. Those few demons who still pledged allegiance to the Three Brothers fled the wrath of Azmodan and Belial, escaping to the realm of Man to seek out their lost Masters.

As the warfires died out upon the battlefields of Hell, Azmodan and Belial began to argue over which of them held the higher authority. The pact that they had made quickly fell to ashes as the two demon lords took up arms against each other. The legions of Hell that remained were polarized behind either warlord, launching themselves into a bloody civil war that has lasted to this day...

THE BINDING OF THE THREE

In the ancient days, before the rise of the Western Empires, the dark and terrible entities known as the Three Evils were exiled to the world of Man.
These eternal entities wandered throughout the waking world and fed upon the lusts of men, leaving chaos and attrition in their wake. The Evils turned father against son and prompted many great nation into brutal and petty wars. Their Exile from Hell left them with an insatiable hunger to bring suffering and pain to all who would not kneel before them, and so the Three Brothers ravaged the lands of the Far East for countless centuries.

Eventually, a secretive order of mortal magi was gathered together by the enigmatic Arch-Angel Tyrael. These sorcerers were to hunt the Three Evils and put an end to their vicious rampage. The order, known as the Horadrim, consisted of wizards from the diverse and numerous mage-clans of the East. Employing disparate magical practices and disciplines, this unlikely Brotherhood succeeded in capturing two of the Brothers within powerful artifacts called Soulstones. Mephisto and Baal, trapped within the swirling, spiritual constraints of the Soulstones, were then buried beneath the dunes of the desolate Eastern Sands.

The powers of Hatred and wanton Destruction seemed to diminish in the East as a nervous peace began to settle over the land. Yet, for many decades the Horadrim continued their grim search for the third Brother, Diablo. They knew that if the Lord of Terror was left untamed there could never be any lasting peace within the realm of humanity.

The Horadrim followed in the wake of terror and anarchy that spread throughout the Western lands. After a great battle which claimed the lives of many brave souls, the Lord of Terror was captured and imprisoned within the last of the Soulstones by a group of Horadrim monks led by the Initiate Jered Cain. These monks carried the cursed stone to the land of Khanduras and buried it within a secluded cave near the river Talsande. Above this cave the Horadrim constructed a great Monastery from which they could continue to safeguard the Soulstone. As ages passed, the Horadrim constructed a network of catacombs beneath the Monastery to house the earthly remains of the martyrs of their Order.

Generation passed in Khanduras, and the numbers of the Horadrim slowly dwindled. With no quests left to undertake, and too few sons to sustain their guardianship, the once powerful Order faded into obscurity. Eventually, the great Monastery that they had built fell to ruins as well. Although villages grew and thrived around the shell of the old Monastery, no one knew of the dark, secret passageways that stretched into the cold earth beneath it. None could have dreamed of the burning red gem that pulsed within the labyrinth's heart...



BOOK II: THE RETURN OF TERROR




THE LANDS OF KHANDURAS

Years after the last of the Horadrim had died, a great and prosperous society grew in the lands of the West. As time wore on, many Eastern pilgrims
settled in the lands surrounding Khanduras and soon establish small, self contained kingdoms. A few of these kingdoms bickered with Khanduras over holdings of property or routes of trade. These squabbles did little to upset the lasting peace of the West,and the great Northern kingdom of Westmarch proved to be a strong ally of Khanduras as the two lands steadily engaged in ventures of barter and commerce.

During this time, a bold, new religion of the Light known as Zakarum began to spread throughout the kingdom of Westmarch and into many of its northern principalities. Zakarum, founded in the Far East, implored followers to enter into the Light and forsake the darkness that lurked within their souls. The people of Westmarch adopted the statues of Zakarum as their sacred mission in the world. Westmarch began to turn towards its neighbors, expecting them to embrace this "New Beginning" as well. Tensions rose between the kingdoms of Westmarch and Khanduras as the priests of Zakarum began to preach their foreign dogma whether they were welcomed or not.

It was then that the great northern lord Leoric came unto the lands of Khanduras and, in the name of Zakarum, declared himself King, Leoric was a deeply religious man and had brought many Knights and Priests with him that comprised his Order of the Light.Leoric and his trusted advisor, the Arch Bishop Lazarus, made their way to the city of Tristram. Leoric appropriated the ancient, decrepit Monastery on the outskirts of the town for his seat of power and renovated it to match its time-lost glory. Although the free people of
Khanduras were not pleased with being placed under the sudden rule of a foreign King, Leoric served them with justice and might. Eventually, the people of Khanduras grew to respect the kind Leoric,sensing that he sough only to guide and protect them against the oppression of Darkness.

THE AWAKENING

Not long after Leoric took possession of Khanduras, a power long asleep awakened within the dark recesses beneath the Monastery. Sensing that freedom was within his grasp, Diablo entered the nightmares of the Arch Bishop and lured him into the dark, subterranean labyrinth. In his terror, Lazarus raced throughout the abandoned hallways until he at last came to the chamber of the burning Soulstone. No longer in command of his body or spirit, he raised the stone above his head and uttered words long forgotten in the realms of mortals. His will destroyed, Lazarus shattered the Soulstone upon the ground. Diablo once again came into the world of Man. Although he was released from his imprisonment within the Soulstone, the Lord of Terror was still greatly weakened from his long sleep and required an anchor to the world. Once he had found a mortal form to wear, he could begin to reclaim his vastly depleted power. The great demon weighed the souls residing in the town above, and chose to take the strongest of them - that of King Leoric.

For many months King Leoric secretly fought the evil presence that twisted his thoughts and emotions. Sensing that he had been possessed by some unknown evil. Leoric hid his dark secret from his Priests, hoping that somehow his own devout righteousness would be enough to exorcise that corruption growing inside him - he was sorely mistaken. Diablo stripped away the core of Leoric's being, burning away all honor and virtue from his soul. Lazarus too, had fallen under the sway of the Demon, keeping close to Leoric at all times. Lazarus worked to conceal the plans of his new Master from the Order of Light, hoping that the demon's power would grow, well concealed amongst the servants of Zakarum.

The priests of Zakarum and the citizenry of Khanduras recognized the disturbing change within their liege. His once proud and rugged form became distorted and deformed. King Leoric became increasingly deranged and ordered immediate executions of any who dared to question his methods or authority. Leoric began to send his Knights to other villages to bully their own people into submission. The people of Khanduras who had once grown to see great honor in their ruler began to call Leoric the Black King.

Driven to the brink of madness by the Lord of Terror, King Leoric slowly alienated his closest friends and advisors, Lachdanan, Captain of the Knight of the Order of Light and honored Champion of Zakarum, tried to discern the nature of his King's deteriorating spirit. Yet at every turn the Arch-Bishop Lazarus would waylay Lachdanan and admonish him from questioning the actions of the King. As tensions grew between the two, Lazarus charged Lachdanan with treason against the Kingdom. To the Priests and Knights of Leoric's court, the prospect of Lachdanan committing treason was ridiculous. Lachdanan's motives were honorable and just, and soon many began question thereason of their once beloved King.

Leoric's madness was growing more obvious with each passing day. Sensing that the advisors of the court were becoming increasingly suspicious of foul treachery, Lazarus desperately sought to contain the eroding situation. The Arch-Bishop masterfully convinced the delusional Leoric that the kingdom of Westmarch was plotting against him, secretly planning to dethrone him and annex Khanduras into its own lands. Leoric flew into a rage and summoned his advisors to his side. Manipulated by the Arch-Bishop, the paranoid King declared a state of war between the kingdoms of Khanduras and Westmarch.

Leoric ignored the warnings and admonishments of his advisors and the royal army of Khanduras was ordered to the North to engage in a war that they did not believe in. Lachdanan was appointed by Lazarus to lead the armies of Khanduras into Westmarch. Although Lachdanan argued against the necessity of the coming conflict, he was honor-bound to uphold the will of his King. Many of
the high-priests and officials were forced to travel to the North as emissaries on errands of diplomatic urgency, as well. The desperate ploy of
Lazarus had succeeded in sending many of the King's more 'troublesome' advisors to their certain deaths...

THE DARKENING OF TRISTRAM

The absence of prying advisors and inquisitive Priests left Diablo free to assume total control over the King's battered soul. As the Lord of Terror attempted to strengthen his hold upon the maddened King, he found that the lingering spirit of Leoric fought with him still. Although the control over
Leoric that Diablo held was formidable, the Demon knew that in his weakened state he could never take complete possession of his soul as long as a glimmer of his will remained. The demonlord sought a fresh and innocent host upon which to build his Terror.

The demon relinquished his control over Leoric, but the King's soul was left corrupted and his mind crazed. Diablo began to search throughout Khanduras for the perfect vessel to act as his focus, and found such a soul easily within his reach. Enjoined by his dark master, Lazarus kidnapped Albrecht - the only son of Leoric - and dragged the terrified youth down into the blackness of the labyrinth. Flooding the boy's defenseless mind with the essence of pure Terror, Diablo easily took possession of the young Albrecht.

Pain and fire raced through the child's soul. Hideous laughter filled his head and clouded his thoughts. Paralyzed with fear, Albrecht felt the presence of Diablo within his mind as it seemed to push him down, deeper and deeper into darkness and oblivion. Diablo gazed upon his surroundings through the eyes of the young prince. A lustful hunger still tortured the demon after his frustrating bout for control over Leoric, but the nightmares of the boy provided ample substance to sate him. Reaching deep into Albrecht's subconscious, Diablo ripped the greatest fears of the child from their hiding places and gave them breath.

Albrecht watched, as if out of a dream, twisted and disfigured forms appeared all around him. Unholy, writhing visages of terror danced about him chanting choruses of obscenities. All of the 'monsters' that he had ever imagined or believed that he had seen in his life became flesh and were given life before him. Large bodies comprised of living rock erupted from the walls and bowed to their dark master. The ancient, skeletal corpses of the Horadrim arose from archaic crypts and lumbered off into the red washed corridors beyond. As the cacophony of madness and nightmares hammered its final blow against Albrecht's scattered and scrambled maniacally into the lengthening passageways of his waking Nightmare.

The ancient catacombs of the Horadrim had become a twisted labyrinth of raw, focused Terror. Empowered by Diablo's possession of young Albrecht, the creatures of the boy's own imagination had gained corporeal form. So strong was the terror that grew inside of Albrecht, that the borders of the Mortal realm began to warp and tear. The Burning Hell began to seep into the world of Man and take root within the labyrinth. Beings and occurrences displaced by time and space, and long lost to the history of Man were pulled s creaming into the ever-expanding domain.

The body of Albrecht, fully possessed by Diablo, began to distort and change. The small boy grew and his eyes blazed as tendril-like spines ripped through his flesh. Great, arched horns erupted from albrecht's skull as Diablo altered the form of a child to match that of his demonic body. Deep within the recesses of the labyrinth, a growing power was being harnessed. When the moment was right, Diablo would venture once more into the mortal world and free his captive Brothers Mephisto and Baal. The Prime Evils would be reunited, and together they would reclaim their rightful place in Hell.

THE FALL OF THE BLACK KING

The war against the zealous armies of Westmarch ended with a horrible slaughter. With the army of Khanduras ripped to shreds by the superior
numbers and defensive positions of Westmarch, Lachdanan quickly gathered together those who were not captured or killed and ordered a retreat back to the safety of Khanduras. They returned to find the town of Tristram in shambles.

King Leoric, deep within the throes of madness, went into a rage when he learned that his son was missing. After scouring the village with the few guards that remained within at the monastery, Leoric had decided that the townsfolk had abducted his son and hidden him somewhere. Although the townsfolk denied any knowledge of Prince Albrecht's whereabouts, Leoric insisted that they had crafted a conspiracy against him, and that they would pay the price forsuch treachery.

The mysterious disappearance of the Arch-Bishop Lazarus left no one in Tristram with whom the King would take council. Overcome by grief and dementia,
Leoric had many of the townsfolk executed for the crime of high treason.

As Lachdanan and his fellow survivors returned to confront their King, Leoric sent his few remaining guards against them. Believing that Lachdanan was somehow part of the townsfolk's conspiracy. Leoric decreed that he and his party
were to die. Lachdanan, finally realizing that Leoric was beyond salvation, ordered his men to defend themselves. The ensuing battle carried them down into the very halls of the darkened Monastery, bringing a final desecration to the once holy sanctum of the Horadrim. Lachdanan won a bittersweet victory as his men were forced to kill all of Leoric's deceived protectors. They cornered the ravenous King within his own sanctuary and begged him to explain the atrocities he had committed. Leoric only spat at them and cursed them for traitors against both his crown and the Light.

Lachdanan walked slowly towards his King and sorrowfully drew his sword. Full of grief and rage, all honor having been cast to the winds, Lachdanan ran his blade through Leoric's shrivelled, blackened heart. The once noble King screamed an unearthly death-cry, and as his madness finally overtook him, he brought down a curse upon those who had so betrayed him. Calling upon the forces of Darkness that he had spent his entire life combating, Leoric condemned Lachdanan and the others to eternal damnation. In that last, fleeting moment within the heart of the Monastery, all that was ever virtuous or honorable about the stewards of Khanduras was shattered forever.

THE REIGN OF DIABLO

The Black King lay dead, slain at the hands of his own Priests and Knights. The young Prince Albrecht was still missing, and the proud defenders of Khanduras were no more. The people of Tristram looked about their lifeless town and were greatly dismayed. Awash in feelings of both relief and Remorse, they soon realize that their troubles had merely begun. Strange, eerie lights appeared in the darkened windows of the Monastery. Misshapen, leathery-skinned creatures were seen venturing forth from the shadows of the church. Horrible, wounded cries seemed to linger on the wind, emanating from deep underground. It became apparent that something quite unnatural had infested the once holy sight...

Travelers on the roads surrounding Tristram were accosted by cloaked riders that seemed to now constantly roam the deserted countryside. Many villagers fled Tristram, making their way to other towns or kingdoms, fearing some unnamed evil that seemed to wait in the shadows all around them. Those few chose to remain seldom ventured out at night, and never tread foot upon the grounds of the cursed Monastery. Whispered rumors of poor, innocent people being abducted in the night by wicked, nightmarish creatures filled the halls of the local inn. With no King, no law, and no army left to defend them, many of the townsfolk began to fear an attack from the things that now dwelt beneath their town.

The Arch-Bishop Lazarus, frayed and dishevelled, returned from his absence and assured the townsfolk that he too had been ravaged by the growing evil of the Monastery. With their desperate need for reassurance clouding their good judgement, Lazarus whipped the townspeople into a frenzied mob. Reminding them that Prince Albrecht was still unaccounted for; he persuaded many of the men to follow him into the depths of the Monastery to search for the boy. They gathered torches and soon the night air glowed with the flickering light of hope. They armed themselves with shovels, picks and scythes and so prepared, they boldly followed the treacherous Arch-Bishop straight into the fiery maw of Hell itself...

The few who survived the horrible fate that awaited them returned to Tristram and recounted what they could of the ordeal. Their wounds were terrible, and even the skills of the healer could not save some of them. As the stories of demons and devils spread, a stifling, primal Terror began to consume the hearts of all the town's inhabitants. It was a Terror that none of them had ever known...

Deep beneath the foundations of the ruined Monastery, Diablo gorged himself upon the fears of the mortals above him. He slowly sank back into the welcoming shadows and began to harness his depleted power.

He smiled to himself in the sheltering darkness, for he knew that the time of his final victory was fast approaching...

Chronology of Events of the games

Diablo 1

-Diablo is revived by using the body of the young prince Albrecht, unbenownst to the villages of tristram, after the unsuccessful attempt to use the king. Lazarus concocts a story that the prince was kidnapped.
-Many heroes seeking fame and fortune come to tristram to fight the evils beneath the Cathedral, a search part if formed to find the lost prince, virtually all members of the party are killed by the demon know as the butcher save 2 Farhnam, and Lazarus.
-a nameless warrior comes to tristram, he is stronger and more determined than most, and is able to brave the dangers of the labyrinth.
-while searching the deeper recesses of the labyrinth he comes across the famed warlord of blood, otherwise known as the brother of the great mage Horazon
-he comes across the once great Knight Lachdanan, and subsequently frees him from his torment.
-journing further into the labyrinth he happens across the abode of the arch bishop Lazarus, who is performing some sort of ritual on a young child (The child is later revealed to not be the prince)who the warrior is unable to save.
-finally the warrior faces of with the Lord of Terror, Diablo himself
-after defeating Diablo thinking himself strong enough to contain the essence of Diablo, now held within the crimson soulstone the warrior has removed from the head of the beast, causing Diablos body to revert back to that of the young prince who subsequently dies, the warrior then proceeds to shove the soulstone into his forehead.
-after which he spends sometime in the village of Tristram, but soon takes his leave, towards the east.

Diablo II/LOD

Now the chronology of the movies and the D2 games are a litte weird, the seem weave in and out of each other making it somewhat hard to place the exact timeline of event, but basically you are following marius, but the exact time delay between the two of you seems to vary or at least it appears that way.

Marius in the asylum is after you killed diablo and mephisto, as he says "i had heard later he had been defeated and the soulstones destroyed at the Hell forge, all except one...", and he is at the rogue citadel before you were in act 1, same goes for his being at lut gohlein and Kurast, he was there before you, when you are in kurast and Hell marius is either in the asylum or hiding before he ends up there, still possessing Baal's stone.

Rough/hazy events of D2.

-marius at the rogue citadel
-Marius at lut gohlein
-You at act 1
-you at act 2
-you at act 3 (and find a being called the Dark Wanderer aka Diablo)
-Marius at Kurast
-The Three summon the Gate to Hell
-Diablo assumes his true form
-marius goes into hiding then enters the asylum, or goes there without hiding
-you kill Mephisto
-you at act 4
-you kill Diablo
-you destroy the two soulstones you have collected, returning the essenses of Mephisto and Diablo to the abyss. One prime evil and soulstone eludes you
-alternatively marius who is still in hiding enters the asylum
-Marius still holding Baals soulstone learns of diablos death
-marius recounts the events of his travels and your adventures to who he thinks is the arch Angel Tyrael but is really Baal Lord of Destruction
-Marius dies
-You enter act 5
-you kill Baal
-Tyrael destroys the world stone

Thanks to Oxhorn for sending me this video of him trying out the Barbarian in the Diablo 3 beta. Don't forget to go to his video on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24amccLi_Sw) and upvote, favorite and subscribe to his channel.

The fiery gates leading to the Burning Hells have begun to swing open, and the Diablo III beta test is officially underway. Invitations to participate in the beta test are now being delivered to the chosen heroes. As with beta tests for other Blizzard Entertainment games, the testing process for Diablo III will occur in phases. In addition to selecting players who have opted in via their Battle.net accounts, we’ll also be providing keys through beta promotions and giveaways -- stay tuned for more info. We welcome those invited to provide feedback or report bugs on the official forums.

If you have a beta license, you are free to show, share, or talk about any portion of the beta content to which you have access, as this beta test is not confidential.

We’d like to remind those looking forward to an invite to be wary of phishing attempts. If you believe you’ve received an invite to the Diablo III beta test, it’s best to refrain from clicking on any links in the email, and instead log in to your Battle.net account to see if a Diablo III beta game account was granted. Or, if you were sent a key, attempt to add it manually by going to the Add or Upgrade a Game section of the Battle.net account management page.

For those who have received an invite to the beta test, we thank you for helping us test out our server stability and hardware. For those of you still hoping for an invite, we wish you the best of luck and hope you’ll keep an eye out for some of the beta-key giveaways and promotions we’ll have right here on the Diablo III community site.

Source: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/3542796

On the Blizzard job website is a vacancy for a "Playstation 3 Specialist" in the Diablo III section.

"Blizzard Entertainment is seeking an enthusiastic senior software engineer to be a key contributor on the Diablo team," the job posting read. "This position is responsible for overseeing PlayStation 3 (PS3) architecture design as well as other PS3-specific game code development to maximise platform performance. Responsibilities are to "design, implement, and maintain game systems to work on the Playstation 3".