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BlizzCon is a great place to meet up with friends, guildmates, and other cohorts, and this year we’re providing you with the perfect space right on the show floor. Located between Halls B and C, The Meeting Stone is an easy and recognizable gathering point as it will literally contain a giant life-sized Meeting Stone. No more hiking upstairs to squint at each other in a well-lit room, this year you’ll be able to meet up at this central location and be just a scant few meters away from the main stage, demo areas, and other attractions.
The Blizzard Community Team and other staff members will be on-hand to interact with those summoned to the Meeting Stone (and to mitigate potential corpse camping). We’ll be putting together a schedule to reserve space and times for larger groups, to also be displayed at the event.
Please visit the new Meeting Stone forum if you’re interested in arranging a specific time for your group meetup.Blizzard Quote [source]
"It is said that the cleric gave these crusaders a seemingly impossible task: to scour the far-flung lands to the east and find a means, however it might manifest, to purify the Zakarum faith."
It didn't take long after we'd announced Diablo III: Reaper of Souls for artists to try their hand at illustrating the newly announced Crusader class, and in this week’s Artisan Showcase, we wanted to spotlight an epic piece of Crusader fan art by artist István Dányi! Below is István's piece, "Crusader - Unbreakable Warrior."
István has also illustrated other characters from Diablo lore, including Duriel, the Prince of Pain, who appeared in the second act of Diablo II:
Eager to see more of István's artistic endeavors? Make sure to follow him on DeviantART.
Are you working on any Blizzard fan creations? Make sure to tell us all about them over in our Community Creations forum!
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Beloved for her bravery and endless search for the truth, Leah will never be forgotten by the heroes of Sanctuary. And although she may have been lost to the sinister forces of the Burning Hells, her spirit lives on through the remarkable creations of this community.
For this Artisan Showcase, we take a closer look at one such piece with Taiwanese community manager Broodlisk, who recently sat down with fan artist Ming-yi Sheh ("Sheh") to talk about his Diablo III-themed digital painting, "Leah the Diablo." Here's the translated interview:
Q. We've very happy to see such a high quality piece of Diablo artwork featuring a female Diablo. Before we continue, could introduce yourself to community?
My name's Sheh and I dropped out of Life Sciences at National Taiwan Normal University. I am now studying Multimedia and Animation at National Taiwan University of Arts. I am super honored to be introduced by Blizzard! My hobbies are, naturally, drawing and fantasy literature.
Q. How much art experience do you have?
About 3 years. I used to go online to check out tutorials and the drawings by top artists. I ended up neglecting my studies, so I had no choice but to study animation instead (laugh). It's mainly out of personal interest. The university doesn't really expect much and, as an arts university, you have a lot of freedom. You can choose whatever path you like as long as you take responsibility for your own future.
Q. What was your inspiration for this drawing of a female Diablo?
I played Diablo II as a child, so I've always looked forward to Diablo III. As Leah was the main character in all of the official videos released, and she was such a looker, I couldn't wait to see what role she played in the game. When Diablo III finally came out, a group of us graduate students bought it and played it all through the night. When Leah became Diablo, I nearly broke down. Going from babe one second to monster the next? That was just too much. I eventually decided to try and set things right. She should at least keep her beautiful face.
Q: What did you feel was the trickiest part of this drawing?
I think it was the hands. The hands are always the most difficult part to draw. It might be different for other people, but I think I have trouble with hands because, when I look in the mirror, I don't usually look at my hands. Your hands are also reversed from your own point of view. As well, I am a guy, so the hands in this drawing… feel a bit masculine. I could only use my hands for reference, after all. The face, as well as the horns and spines on the back, was a lot easier by comparison.
Q. You have experience with drawing settings, characters and monsters. Are you planning to go into game art in the future?
If I get the chance, definitely. I hope to work overseas in the future and I've always loved to draw. My technique is not good enough yet so I will probably look for jobs in 3D, which is my specialty. I will continue to hone my drawing skills, however. I've been a fan of Blizzard since childhood. There is not much chance of me finding a job in the US at the moment, but I will try my luck and send in my resume eventually.
Q. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Finally, is there anything that you would like to say to Diablo III players or people learning how to draw?
I still have plenty of room for improvement but I hope people will like my drawing. I appreciate this opportunity from Blizzard as well as Broodlisk for taking the time to give me an interview. Thanks.
To see more of Peter Sheh's atwork, make sure to check out his CGHub portfolio and personal website.
Are you working on any Blizzard fan creations? Make sure to tell us all about them over in our Community Creations forum!
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There are a lot of challenges in Diablo III, and while some players have been busy testing their mettle against other players in Brawling or earning every last achievement they can muster, others have heeded the call to push their characters to new heights and achieve Paragon 100. But some especially passionate players have gone above and beyond striving to reach Paragon level 100 not once, but on all five character classes on every available gender and class combination to achieve the presigious "Paragon 1000."
In this Player Spotlight, we catch up with Glow, who was one of the first players in the world to hit the elusive "Paragon 1000." He was nice enough to take the time to answer some questions about the experience and the challenges he faced on his personal quest for glory.
Q. What name do you go by in-game, and what country are you from?
I go by Glow. I'm from the United States.
Q. Which hero class was your first Paragon level 100 character?
My first hero class was a female Monk.
Q. What made you decide to go for Paragon 1000?
Personal interest and the enjoyment of reaching max levels on everything available. I did the same thing in Diablo II with eight 99s, completely legit. Only a few screenshots remain from that however. Also, I was in a race with another player, but it was a hidden race.
Q. Which hero of yours do you consider your “main?”
Female monk.
Q. How long did it take you, on average, to level your characters to Paragon 100?
150 hours on average. MP0-MP1 speed runs using the Act 3 "Roaha Route". Barbarians were 75-80 hours due to spider farming. Also, these hours are clocked in before the "serious boost exp patch" (patch 1.0.8) which was released just days after I finished.
Q. When did you hit Paragon 100 on your 10th Diablo III character, and what class and gender were they?
May 5th, but it may have been May 6th. I'd like to go with May 5th! Male Demon Hunter.
Q. What did you do to celebrate this impressive feat?
Break! Haha. (It's quite possible had a few drinks.. Nothing that amazing unfortunately. I was 100% out of the stress circle, and was relaxed!)
Q. Did you prefer to level solo, with friends, or in public games?
I did a LOT of my leveling solo, then towards the end I had to party up with people to give me strength. :) Towards the end, I'd say 2 characters in total was mostly circulated from group play.
Q. What was your most memorable moment of this entire experience?
Achieving something no one has achieved yet!
Q. What was your favorite Legendary item or set piece you found during your journey?
Chantodo's Will. It was my highest seller for 2 billion gold that I found it on MP10 in Act 3, Arreat Crater 2, on a white monster. I also have an Oculus I picked up for a bargain... it is one of the favorite items I have.
Q. What about your favorite non-Legendary item?
Mainly all those 666's, and 777's lol.
Q. What else did you do to help pass the time and encourage you on your journey to Paragon 1000? Did you watch TV shows, movies, listen to music, or watch livestreamers?
Music, music, music. And some Ventrilo. :)
Q. What was your favorite change to Diablo III since it launched?
ID ALL (patch 1.0.8)!
Q. What are you most looking forward to in the future of Diablo III?
Getting it for the Xbox 360. :) I hope one day Diablo decides to think about an MMO. Starcraft as well! I'd probably prefer a Starcraft MMO more, but that's just me. :)
Q. What tips do you have for players looking to achieve Paragon 100 (or 1000) in Diablo III?
Be persistent! Don't lose hope!
Q. Any closing thoughts?
I'm glad to have accomplished such an amazing task!
Curious to find out more about Glow’s journey? Make sure to check out his Diablo III videos on his YouTube channel!
Are you working towards Paragon level 100 on you first character or are you perhaps finishing up "Paragon 1000" on your tenth Hero? Let us know about your experiences and personal quests within Diablo III in the comments below!
Feel free to join the conversation on this update over on the forums.
Blizzard Quote [source]
When we initially designed and implemented the auction houses, the driving goal was to provide a convenient and secure system for trades. But as we've mentioned on different occasions, it became increasingly clear that despite the benefits of the AH system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot. With that in mind, we want to let everyone know that we've decided to remove the gold and real-money auction house system from Diablo III.
We feel that this move along with the Loot 2.0 system being developed concurrently with Reaper of Souls™ will result in a much more rewarding game experience for our players.
We're working out the details of how the auction house system will be shut down, but we wanted to share the news as soon as we made the decision in order to give everyone as much advance notice as possible. Please note that the shutdown will occur on March 18, 2014. We will keep everyone informed as we work through this process.
Josh Mosqueira and I wanted to provide everyone with a little more information behind this decision, so please have a look at the video, and stay tuned to this site for further updates in the months ahead.