Blizzard Quote [source]

Patch 2.6.4 PTR

Patch 2.6.4 PTR, which allows for testing the game at a rapid pace, was launched last week, allowing you to give the developers some feedback before the full download is launched. Season 16 is shaping up to be one epic journey, with the developers implementing some features that have been long requested, such as the class set balancing, changes to the quality of life and the new seasonal buff, which promises to be a game changer.

PTR Details

Patch 2.6.4 PTR was conducted over the course of one week, starting from November 21st on a Wednesday. As the game was being patched, players were told to expected periodic minor patches, hotfixes, outages and maintenances.

To help players out on their PTR journey, two buffs are active throughout: double Blood Shard drops and increased Legendary drop rate. This means if you require class set items (or additional items), these buffs will allow you to acquire them!

The PTR Bug Report forum is where players should submit bug reports while the PTR Feedback forum is where feedback should be submitted; these separated tracks have been created so that important information can easily be prioritized by the quality assurance testers and designers.

PTR Goals

The developers know you are tempted to grab as many goodies as you can, considering there is the game-changing Seasonal buff and a large number of class set changes to enjoy! However, they have outlined what they would like to see tested the most to direct your focus on the most important things.

• Greater Rifts being pushed to the maximum by players in both Non-Seasonal and Seasonal play
• With the Season of Grandeur buff making it possible, developers would like to see more class set mix-and-match experimentation

PTR Tips

Compared to the PTRs that have been conducted in the past, this one is slightly different (and the last test happened a while back). That's why the developers have compiled a couple of helpful tips that will get you started, whether you are PTR seasoned veteran or a newbie.

• Participants have been asked to select a section of the update they should focus their testing on because the PTR is of limited duration.
• For instance, you need to focus on changes that affect a Monk in particular if you primarily play using a Monk. Good things to focus on include what you'd like to see in future (it doesn't matter if the features are beyond this current patch's scope), things you feel need to be tweaked and the things you want to be kept.
• Stocking up on Bovine Bardiches, Puzzle Rings and similar items are things that need serious consideration before jumping into the PTR. PTR farming can be sped up significantly when you have these items with you after your character is imported!
• Do your best to break the game patch! However, be sure to alert the developers so they can fix the issues and ensure everyone enjoys a smooth launch.
• It is important to pay more attention to your experience rather than the solution when giving feedback to the developers. How did you feel about the changes? Did you notice something that was off? Was something insufficient or wrong? It is important to pinpoint the issues themselves; however, the developers are always willing to listen to your suggestions.

Patch Notes

Last updated December 3 @ 10:00 p.m. PST.

Patch 2.6.4 preliminary patch notes can be found in the following section. Keep in mind that a couple of the changes might not be comprehensively described or documented since this is not the patch's final version.

PTR PATCH 2.6.4 - v2.6.4.49286

Please head on over to the PTR Feedback forum if you wish to leave feedback for patch 2.6.4. Please head on over to the PTR Bug Report forum if you wish to alert the developers of any issues you encountered during your play.

For further details on how to be a PTR participant, click here.

• General
• Quality of Life
• Philosophy
• In this patch, a couple of Quality of Life changes were included that were frequently requested, as well as improved indication and celebrating Primal Legendary drops.
• All characters now get five extra Armory tabs, making the total number of tabs equal to 10
• Material tabs are now the place to keep your Greater Rift Keystones
• Any Greater Rift Keystone you currently have in both your stash and inventory has been moved automatically.
• Any dropped Primal Legendaries will be marked with a red beam
• The mini-map will show a red pentagram indicating Primal Legendaries that are on the ground
• The icon of Primal Legendaries now has an updated background and red border
• Greater Rifts
• Philosophy
• Micro-management of Paragon points for the duration of a Greater Rift doesn't feel like gameplay that can engage players, nor does it mesh well with the consistency of the current rules of participating in a Greater Rift. Furthermore, since the prior window, particularly between Greater Rifts, is usually very tiny, the alteration to the matchmaking below will simplify the process of finding Greater Rift groups for all players
• When there is an open Greater Rift, no swapping of Paragon points will take place
• When a Greater Rift is open, players will now be able to get matched into public games
• You will not be able to participate in an active rift if this is the manner you have joined
• Until they complete their run, players currently in the Rift will face no extra difficulty scaling when continuing the Rift
• Seasons
• Season 16: Season of Grandeur
• The developers have implemented the Season of Grandeur buff
• All seasonal players will get the Ring of Royal Grandeur's legendary power from the buff
• Whether in Kanai's Cube or equipped, you will not be able to stack the buff with extra Ring of Royal Grandeur
• Non-Seasonal players will not be able to apply this buff unlike in past seasons
• A Rift Guardian will drop a Primal Legendary if it is the first time a solo player is attempting to complete a Level-70 Greater Rift
• Class Set Changes
• Philosophy
• To improve the diversity of all sets and classes of Greater Rifts of a higher level, the developers have taken another tuning pass. Keep in mind that there might be more tweaks over the PTR's course since the values are only tentative.
• All Classes
• Legacy of Nightmares
• An increase, from 100-percent to 500-percent, has occurred on the (2) Set bonus
• Barbarian
• The Legacy of Raekor
• An increase, from 2800-percent to 7000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Immortal King's Call
• An increase, from 1500-percent to 4000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Might of the Earth
• An increase, from 5600-percent to 20000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Wrath of the Wastes
• An increase, from 3000-percent to 10000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Crusader
• Thorns of the Invoker
• An increase, from 140-percent to 350-percent, has occurred on the (2) Set bonus
• An increase, from 5400-percent to 15000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Roland's Legacy
• An increase, from 3300-percent to 13000-percent, has occurred on the (4) Set bonus
• An increase in Attack Speed, from 50-percent to 75-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Seeker of the Light
• An increase in the damage of the Blessed Hammer, from 2000-percent to 12000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Demon Hunter
• Embodiment of the Maruader
• An increase, from 3000-percent to 12000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Unhallowed Essence
• An increase, from 100-percent to 350-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Natalya's Vengeance
• An increase, from 3500-percent to 14000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• The Shadow's Mantle
• An increase, from 1200-percent to 6000-percent, has occurred on the (2) Set bonus
• An increase, from 50000-percent to 75000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Monk
• Uliana's Strategem
• An increase, from 2100-percent to 9000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Inna's Mantra
• An increase, from 150-percent to 1500-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Monkey King's Garb
• An increase, from 1000-percent to 1500-percent, has occurred on the (2) Set bonus
• Raiment of a Thousand Storms
• An increase, from 100-percent to 400-percent, has occurred on the (2) Set bonus
• An increase in the damage of the Dashing Strike, from 13000-percent to 60000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• An increase in the damage of the Spirit Generator, from 1300-percent to 6000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Necromancer
• Trag'Oul's Avatar
• An increase, from 3300-percent to 3800-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Witch Doctor
• Spirit of Arachyr
• An increase, from 4500-percent to 9000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Helltooth Harness
• An increase, from 1500-percent to 3000-percent, has occurred on the (2) Set bonus
• An increase, from 4400-percent to 9000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Raiment of the Jade Harvester
• An increase, from 560 seconds to 3500 seconds, has occurred on the (2) Set bonus
• An increase, from 1650 seconds to 10000 seconds, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Zunimassa's Haunt
• An increase, from 5500-percent to 15000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Wizard
• Tal Rasha's Elements
• An increase, from 750-percent to 3000-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Delsere's Magnum Opus
• An increase, from 3800-percent to 8500-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus
• Vyr's Amazing Arcana
• An increase in bonus damage, from 50-percent to 100-percent, has occurred on the (6) Set bonus

How to Participate

To be a public test participant, your Battle.net account must have an attached Diablo III license that is in good standing (for example, from an account that is not banned or suspended). On top of that, the Battle.net desktop app needs to be downloaded and installed if this has not been done already.

Step 1: A PTR account must be created. Head on over to Account Management when you are in your Blizzard Battle.net account, which brings up the management page for the game. Click on "Create a PTR account" once you are on this page.

You may not find the "Create PTR account" button if you have previously participated in any PTR for Diablo III. This is because the step can be skipped since you already have an existing PTR account.

Step 2: You must choose the "Diablo III" option, which is located on the application menu's left side, once your PTR account has been created, the desktop app for Blizzard Battle.net has been installed and you have used your credentials for Blizzard Battle.net to log in.

Step 3: On top of the "Play" button, you will see a drop-down menu on the Diablo III screen (note: if Diablo III has not been installed, this button might say "Install" instead). Before proceeding, choose "PTR: Diablo III" from that drop-down menu.

Step 4: The patch should now be able to be installed and played.

All accounts, no matter the region, can participate and all supported languages are available in the PTR.

PTR Character Copy

You can use the PTR client to directly transfer all your characters to the PTR from your Diablo III live account. However, you are only allowed to transfer just one account per region at a time. This means you will lose all PTR characters if you decide to transfer characters from an account that is in another region.

Step 1: Log in and out of a live game.

Step 2: Create a character of level 1 once you log into your PTR client. Go back to the main character screen once done.

Step 3: Locate the "PTR Copy" button on the upper-right corner and click on it. (Note: until you have created a new level 1 character, this button will not be available in the game.)

Step 4: Choose your region.

Step 5: To transfer all characters you have in the chosen regional account, click on "Copy."

Step 6: The PTR client will be disconnected.

Step 7: Log in again. Now you will be able to play with your transferred characters.

Keep in mind that characters can only be transferred from a single region at a time. You lose all PTR characters that were copied previously when you decide to transfer characters from another region. On top of that, there is a 24-hour wait time once you transfer characters to a PTR account. You will get an error message if you try to transfer characters again before the 24 hours are up.

Since this server is for testing, uneven performance should be expected, and keep in mind that downtime and restarts can happen at any time without warning. The developers thank you for your anticipation and are anticipating your great feedback.

Blizzard Quote [source]

Buying a Virtual Ticket for BlizzCon 2018

The halls of Anaheim Convention Center were bursting with activity, as Blizzard geared up to welcome and bloodthirsty guests of the occasion.

BlizzCon 2018, is over now but you can still take part by buying a virtual ticket to watch highlights of the show online

You can now only view the event as a virtual attendee ie by watching video streams. BlizzCon, which is an annual event that is held by Blizzard for two days to display the best of their franchises, is just around the corner. The event, which took take place between the 2nd and 3rd of November at the Anaheim Convention Center, is over and had sold out all its physical tickets anyway. However, you can tune in to the festivities from the comfort of your home.

You can catch up on a bunch of exciting video presentations, and you can view them all for $50 by purchasing a virtual ticket. Holders of virtual tickets will have complete access, whether live or video on demand, to all the content of the event, which includes the whole BlizzCon 2017 as well as the 2018 show, with exclusive videos of behind-the-scenes action and panels! Panels include Diablo, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Heros of the Storm and Overwatch.

The main stage of BlizzCon 2018 also featured "What's next" events for each of these franchises starting from 2nd November. Blizzard planned a number of exciting sessions for BlizzCon 2018, and you can see them all by looking at the event's schedule.

What's more, virtual ticket holders can still get epic loot from their favorite Blizzard games.

The rewards of BlizzCon 2018 included:

• Heroes of the Storm - BlizzCon 2018 Portrait and Banner and Nexus Razorgrin Mount and Spray
• Starcraft - Portrait, StarCraft Remastered SCR Console Skin and the Protoss workers, StarCraft II Terran and Zerg Classic skins
• World of Warcraft - Stormwind and Orgrimmar Champion's War Banners and Mantle of the Horde and Alliance
• Hearthstone - 10 card packs and BlizzCon 2018 card pack
• Overwatch - Skin for Legendary Demon Hunter Sombra

Keep in mind that Blizzard will not keep any major news locked because you're not a virtual ticket holder, meaning there's no cause for concern because they didn't make any announcements regarding Diablo 4. But you are likely to be engaged and have more fun if you hold a virtual ticket and want to tune into sessions from BlizzCon 2018.

Switch Bundle: Diablo III Eternal Collection Update

The Nintendo Switch bundle is customized to perfection for fans of the portable version of Diablo III – there are only a couple of these bundles on the website, so get yours today before someone else snatches it up.

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

Want to take part in some Rifts with us on your Switch? You can digitally download the Diablo III: Eternal Collection from the Nintendo eShop or grab a physical copy at the Gear Store.

Note: We recommend that you download the game away from the show's floor, as it will be experiencing a high amount of traffic that could potentially slow down your download.

The Book of Adria

If you want to learn about the deadliest beasts born in the deepest depths of the Burning Hells, Sanctuary is where you will find them. Written by Adria, you will get a chance to discover all the foes you will fight against in the Diablo universe.

BlizzCon is the biggest bash of the year, and it is getting closer as each day passes. Whether you are attending the event live or virtually with your digital camera, the Blizzard team is more than excited to have you there in Anaheim.

We have a word of warning though, not everyone was enamoured with the offering (click here)

Click here to buy a virtual ticket for BlizzCon 2018.

Blizzard Quote [source]

There's not long left to take part in the Legendary Hunt

Everyone loves treasure! It doesn't matter if you are Diablo III newbie or a seasoned veteran. But to whip you into shape, you have been invited to take part in a treasure hunt before the Nintendo Switch version of Diablo III, dubbed the Eternal Collection, launches. This is your chance to exercise your loot-chasing leg muscles and win some awesome rewards in the process.

Ready to begin the treasure hunt? Items have been hidden all over the internet and in the real world as well! But never fear - you will get clues to their whereabouts and it's then up to you to use your detective skills to track them down. Read on for more information about this exciting treasure hunt!

In the days to come, keep your eyes glued on the Blizzard Twitter page for clues. Once you have unlocked what the clue means, head on over to the location (on the internet or physically) and locate the QR code or item. You will be teleported to the collection page, where you can also keep track of all the items in the treasure hunt, after scanning the item or clicking the link.

You will be entered in the prize drawing, where all sorts of cool treasures are up for grabs, with every item you find. Be on the lookout for Legendary loot since the quality of the item you find affects the number of entries you get for the draw!

Blizzard Quote [source]

The Eternal Collection of Diablo III for Nintendo Switch is just weeks away, and we know you can't wait to slay demons, hunt for loot and make memories with the online and local co-op modes!

On top of giving you the chance to play the Burning Hells on the move, there is a surprise that will make it worth the wait. Blizzard has teamed up with Nintendo and created the Diablo III Eternal Collection Bundle for the Switch, and it's filled with plenty of goodies that even Greed would be envious of.

The Eternal Collection Bundle for Nintendo Switch contains a Diablo III Eternal Collection download code and a Switch console, dock and carrying case with a Diablo theme. This is the definitive edition of Diablo III, as it contains all the features and updates released thus far, as well as the expansion, Reaper of Souls, and content pack, Rise of the Necromancer. Fans of the Zelda series also get the Ganondorf cosmetic armour set, allowing them to play as one of the greatest villains of all time, as well as other goodies from the magical land of Hyrule.

Whether you are a newbie looking to kill their first demon or a seasoned pro who wants to collect more loot in the Eternal Conflict, playing Diablo III on the Switch is the best way to take this infinite adventure with you everywhere you go. Grab your special edition Switch console while stocks last. Don't let them get away from you like a Treasure Goblin making a b-line for a portal!

Want to know how you can grab one of these consoles? If you're in North America, head on to GameStop. If you're in Canada, go to EB Games. People in New Zealand and Australia should check with their local retailers.

Are you ready to party up with other Nintendo Switchers? November 2nd is around the corner so leave your thoughts in the comments section, and we'll talk again when the Diablo III's portable version launches!