Diablo 3 comes out May 15th as we all know, but the real money auction house isn't out for another week after that. Some might see this as a bad thing, but honestly it's for the best. It gives time for people to at least get an idea of how the economy will work, which items are valuable etc. I will be posting a ton of information during that week to help optimize your farming, so that you guys are ready for the launch of the auction house.
As originally announced in the Auction House FAQ, the currency-based real money auction house will not be enabled until approximately one week after the game's worldwide launch. You will still have access to the gold auction house as soon as the game launches.
If you haven't yet we recommend acquainting yourself with our auction house guides and FAQ's:
A new section has been added to the website, Tools, here you can find three calculators to help you with your auction house needs.
Real-Money Auction House Profit Calculator
Calculate profits for both Battle.net Balance and PayPal (or other authorized service) cash outs after Blizzard's transaction/transfer fees on any item or commodity.
Gold or Real-Money Auction House Calculator
Should I sell this item in the gold auction house or the real-money auction house? This tool calculates how much gold is earned from a successful auction in the gold auction house as well as profits for selling that gold in the real-money auction house after Blizzard's transaction/transfer fees.
Resell Calculator
This tool calculates profits earned after reselling an item. Find a item for cheap and wanna know how much you need to sell it for to make a profit? Use this tool.
More tools will be added in the future! If you have any feedback on the current tools please post in the forums or send me a message. Do the same if you have any suggestions for new tools you would like to see also.
Earlier today there was a Diablo III Developer Chat earlier over at bestbuy.com. I have gone ahead and compiled all the questions and answers. Some really interesting stuff in here, most of all I was surprised to hear that no one in the internal test team finished Inferno mode.
Q: When the option is selected to list things in the auction house for a real dollar value selling price, does that money go to the seller or Blizzard?
A: Jay Wilson - We charge a $1 dollar service fee, or 15% for commodities. The remainder of the sale price goes to the seller.
Q: With some information out (may or may not be correct) about how hard monsters hit in Inferno, will WD pets still be viable?
A: Jay Wilson - Yes, pets scale pretty well in inferno. You do have to refresh them, but they are useful for tanking mobs.
Q: What was the hardest thing you had to cut from the game due to time/prodcution constraints?
A: Jason Regier - For me, it was PvP. I had a ton of fun playing it against folks at BlizzCon, but it just wasn't ready for prime time yet.
Q: Will there be anyway to share the wings I get in the Collector's Edition with friends?
A: Jason Bender - Those are just for you, but you can apply them to as many of your characters as you like.
Q: Has anyone from the internal testing found a legendary item yet? Also, when are the stats for the legendaries going to be released?
A: Jason Regier - I got one during testing, and when it dropped, I jumped up and cheered. It was awesome!
Q: Can you explain us about the bossfights? Will they be like Diablo 2 where the bosses had a fixed number of abilities and they just used them, or it will be more like WoW where the bosses have phases with different abilities and the scenery/positioning its crucial in the fight.
A: Jay Wilson - Depends on the boss. Some have a set number of abilities, some have phases. Most are a little more complex than Diablo II.
Q:I will like to start of by saying the game is looking amazing so far, and I'm new to Diablo. Can you use the WASD keys for movement or just the left click on the mouse?
A: Jason Regier - Basic control in Diablo 3 is very simple. Just click to move, and click on monsters to attack them.
A: Jay Wilson - We don't support WASD for movement. We don't think it feels good as a movement scheme from an isometric view.
Q: Will you make inferno difficulty easier if people will start telling you that you made it too hard and they cannot beat it, even that it is beatable at this point? Cause I remember in 90s games required skill to beat them and it would be nice to have at least one that kind of game at this point, without life regenerating itself etc.
A: Jason Bender - Inferno isn't for everyone. We would like to keep it as challenging as possible. Also, don't forget Hardcore mode. That's retro-hard!
The 100% unlock has finally been revealed! The video is a short animation based on the Diablo universe, also if you missed any banner unlocks they are all available one last time.
A new piece has shown up on the official Diablo 3 website with some information on what to expect for the launch of diablo 3.
As we near Diablo III’s long-awaited May 15 launch date, we have some additional details to share on what to expect, how to prepare, and when you’ll be able to begin installing and playing.
Purchase the Game
If you haven’t already purchased Diablo III you can acquire it directly from Blizzard through the digital presale. You can also preorder the game at most major retailers and fine purveyors of high-quality gaming products worldwide. If you’re interested in the Diablo® III Collector’s Edition, please be aware that this physical retail-only edition is printed in limited quantities and has already sold out in most places that take preorders on games. We recommend calling around and checking if your local retailers will have the Collector’s Edition available.
Create Your BattleTag™
We expect that on launch night both the game service and website will be under very heavy strain due to the immense number of people excited to be among the first playing Diablo III. With that in mind, we highly recommend you create your BattleTag now, as it’s required to play Diablo III. Please keep in mind that this non-unique nickname is a permanent choice, and will display both in-game and on the website, so be sure to choose one you like! (What is a BattleTag?)
Regional Launch Times
As previously mentioned in announcement of our midnight launch events, the launch time of the game is broken down by region.
The Americas (U.S., Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and South East Asia) servers open at: 12:01 a.m. PDT, May 15
Digital Presale Download
If you’ve purchased a digital copy you can begin downloading your client right now, and we highly encourage you to do so. We also have a Diablo III presale visual guide available that may be helpful. As it may take you some time to download the full game, it’s best that you begin early. This may afford you additional time to troubleshoot any downloader or installer issues issues you may encounter.
Early Install
We will be unlocking the game's installer at 8:01 a.m. PDT on May 14. This will allow you to begin installing the game, troubleshoot any issues you run into, download and install the launch day 1.0.1 patch, and be ready to play as soon as the servers come online.
Global Play Launch Time
We’ll be turning on Global Play when the game has launched in all regions. This means that you will not be able to play in a region outside your home region until after the Americas’ midnight launch at 12:01 a.m. PDT on May 15. We’ll provide an update once Global Play is enabled, and you’ll then be able to change the region you connect to through the game’s options. Please note that characters, items, and friends lists do not transfer across regions and players who use Global Play to connect outside of their home region will only be able to access the gold-based auction house. More information can be found in our Global Play introduction article.
Launch Night Login
As we’ve unlocked the Diablo III installer early, many people will be ready to log in right when the servers go live at midnight, so we’re going to be closely monitoring the impact on the service. It’s possible we’ll need to adjust the rate at which we’re logging people in to ensure a stable experience, and if we do you may see a delay when attempting to login. Please be aware that a delay of up to 40 seconds is possible while the game attempts to connect you. If your connection doesn’t succeed in 40 seconds, you’ll be presented with an Error 37 message and asked to try again. If you see this error it does in fact mean that you should try again. We’ll be working around the clock to keep you informed of any issues that are occurring through the in-game breaking news window, as well as the official forums.