Blizzard Quote [source]

Everyone plays Diablo III differently. Some players strive to achieve the fastest speed runs or the highest DPS they can muster. Other players crave the thrill of playing Hardcore, are committed to maxing out all five classes, or have taken up the challenge of reaching Paragon level 100.

While these are all impressive feats, some players have gone above and beyond in their service to Sanctuary, becoming level 100 Paragons not once, but on multiple characters. And a select few of those have achieved the impressive feat of reaching Paragon level 100 with all five character classes.

To date, only about a dozen players around the world have accomplished this, and we caught up with one of them to find out more about the challenges he faced on his personal quest for "Paragon 500."

Q. What name do you go by in-game, and what country and gameplay region are you from?

I go by Schnutti and my BattleTag is Schnutti#2852. I'm from Germany and therefore I play on the European Diablo III region.

Q. Which hero class was your first Paragon level 100 character?

My first hero class was the Wizard. Reason for that is that I've always been a big wizard fan since Diablo II. I love the way of fighting demons with magic spells. And I love wands, orbs and sources! ;)

Q. What was your preferred route and Monster Power level?

Most of the time I played Act 3. The preferred route: Core of Arreat (backwards) —> Skycrown Battlements (backwards) —> Keep Depths 2 —> Bridge of Korsikk —> Rakkis Crossing —> Tower of the Damned 1—> Arreat Crater 2. I played mostly on MP0 (no Monster Power). Occasionally I changed MPs to overcome boredom, though. :P But I always came back to MP0.

Q. Did you prefer to level solo, with friends, or in public games?

I preferred to level alone, but occasionally I also played with friends to change things up. Solo playing was always most efficient though. I think Blizzard is doing a good job by improving Multiplayer Experience now in 1.08.

Q. What was your most memorable moment of this entire experience?

Well two moments I would say. One of course was when I finished my last Paragon 100. :) And the other was when I met some nice guy from the UK named Anuhart in chat. I always thought that I must be the most crazy player out there. But he had double my playtime by that time! He is a 100% self-found player with a lot of knowledge about the game but also a great and kind person.

Q. We have to ask: what was your favorite Legendary item or set piece you found during your journey?

Well I suppose the favorite ones are the ones that are worth the most. ;) So I would say Immortal King's Belt with 280 Strength, 75 Vitality, 77 All-Resist and a Lacuni Prowlers with 119 Dexterity, 29 Vitality, 9% Attack speed and 6% Critical Strike.

Q. What was your favorite snack and drink accompaniment while slaying demons in Sanctuary?

Well I'm not the typical Coke, burger and pizza guy. ;) I always try to eat healthy food and do a lot of sports, too. I think it's important to do that if you play for many hours every day otherwise you would ruin your body slowly. I drank a lot of coffee and water, sometimes fast food, but usually healthy food.

Q. What else did you do to pass the time on your journey to Paragon 500? Did you watch TV shows, movies, listen to music, or watch livestreamers?

The TV was running most of the time. But I also chatted a lot with friends via Skype and I listened to music. I don't really like livestreams, at least not for Diablo III because for me Diablo is not a game about skill. It's a game about patience, passion and slow progression.

Q. Other players in the Diablo III community look up to you for your accomplishments. What players do you look up to?

There is no particular Diablo III player I look up to because it's hard to measure skill in Diablo III. I look up to everyone that is enjoying this adventure game. Beginner or superpro - it doesn't matter. Because fun should be the reason we are playing Diablo III! :)

Q. What are you currently doing in game?

Currently I'm trading, chatting with friends, farming some essences, farming some keys, hoping for a good crafted item, and looking forward to the next patch and the expansion. ;)

Q. What is your favorite change that is coming in patch 1.0.8 of Diablo III?

Clearly the improvement for Monster Density in Act 1, 2 and 4 but also the improvement of the rewards for Mulitplayer Gaming.

Q. What tips do you have for players looking to achieve Paragon level 100 in Diablo III?

Make small step goals. Like 100 million experience every day. Don't buy too much stuff on the Auction House because it might spoil your fun because Diablo is a loot finding game. If you have the best gear already, it feels like there isn’t much reason to play.

You can find out more about Schnutti’s experiences on his thread here on the DiabloFans forums!

Are you working towards Paragon level 100 on you first character or are you perhaps finishing up Paragon 500 on your fifth Hero? Do you have tips and tricks to share? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below!

Blizzard Quote [source]

As foretold in ancient Horadric texts, Diablo® III is coming soon to the PS3™. The launch date still has yet to be announced, but you can prepare for it now AND receive this exclusive Infernal Helm in-game item in the process, simply by preordering Diablo III at your local retailer. 

Wearable at level 1, the Infernal Helm confers a +EXP bonus to help you whip your new PlayStation® characters into tip-top shape. Plus, it looks sweet as hell (pun intended) on all five mortal heroes of Sanctuary—Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Wizard, and Monk. Keep in mind that the redeemable key for the Infernal Helm, which you will find in your preordered copy of Diablo III on launch day, will apply to all of your PS3™ characters, but will not transfer to any PC characters. 

We'll be announcing a launch date for Diablo III on the PS3™ as it gets closer. In the meantime, get your preorder lined up, and begin preparing your living room for the imminent arrival of your three closest demon-slaying friends. 

You're going to need a bigger couch.