It’s a huge day for Xbox console hype with news that the Xbox One will now be available without a bundled Kinect, the Games with Gold and weekly deals programs coming to Xbox One, and video apps no longer requiring Xbox Live Gold on either the One or 360 (see the whole list of announcements here).
All fantastic news, but I’m almost as excited for another announcement coming from Blizzard: Diablo III is coming to Xbox One! In fact, the Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition will come to Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Playstation systems this August. The Ultimate Evil Edition collects both the main Diablo III game (which we reviewed for Xbox 360 back in September) and the “Reaper of Souls” expansion pack that landed on PC in March. Read on for pricing and character transfer details!
Reaper of Souls
Vanilla Diablo III is a fairly long game as-is, but many fans have hungered for new content – especially more character classes. “Reaper of Souls” adds a whole fifth act to the game, with a brand new story taking place after the main game’s conclusion. As the Order attempts to seal away the dangerous Black Soulstone, Malthael the Angel of Death arrives and steals the stone. It’s up to the player(s) to get it back.
The “Reaper of Souls” expansion also brings the following additions:
- Crusader (pictured above): A sixth character class who wields large weapons (like axes and the new flails) and holy magic.
- Adventure Mode: Freely explore every unlocked area in the game without having to start a new game. New objectives and features can only be found in Adventure Mode, such as Bounties, Nephalim Rifts, and the Mystic NPC.
- Bounties: Random optional missions. Complete them for sizable rewards.
- Nephalim Rifts: Randomized dungeons that can only be opened with items gained from Bounties.
- The Mystic: A new NPC who can Enchant items and Transmogrify player characters (change their appearance).
- Level Cap to 70: Formidable new spells and abilities that take players to new heights of power
Pricing and transfer
Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition will cost $39.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on Xbox One. The “Reaper of Souls” expansion pack will not be sold separately on consoles, so Xbox 360 players who already own Diablo III have no choice but to get the Ultimate Evil Edition. That might sound like a poor value, except that the expansion pack costs $39.99 on PC anyway. 360 gamers will pay the same price; they just don’t have to hold onto the original Diablo III disc to play the new content.
The main Diablo III game is only four acts long, but with four distinct difficulty levels and endless piles of loot to find, many gamers have already put hundreds of hours into the game. It would suck to have to start from scratch on Xbox One. Thankfully Blizzard has announced that Xbox 360 players will be able to transfer their progress to the Xbox One version (and Playstation 3 gamers can transfer to Playstation 4)! Thus it’s completely safe to buy the 360 game now and play it till the Ultimate Evil Edition arrives on the 360’s big brother system.
More than just the expansion
The Ultimate Evil Edition will boast several console-exclusive improvements as well. The new Apprentice mode allows low-level players to boost their stats while adventuring with high-level friends. This makes it easier for new players to join experienced ones without dragging the team down. A new in-game mail system will let players send items to their friends, including “mysterious Player Gifts containing rare loot for the adventurer whose name they bear.”
Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition sounds like the action-RPG to beat, especially on the young Xbox One. And it will feature the same fantastic multiplayer features as the first 360 game. That’s four-player local co-op, four-player online co-op, and any mixture of the two. Questing with friends and hunting for rare loot should be better than ever before when the Ultimate Evil Edition rolls around.
Preorder the Ultimate Evil Edition to get the exclusive Infernal Pauldrons bonus in-game item. The Pauldrons are a unique set of shoulder plates that provide Health, Life regeneration, and Cool-down Reduction effects. The Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition is due out on Tuesday, August 19.
- Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition – Xbox One – $59.99 – Amazon Preorder Link
- Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition – Xbox 360 – $39.99 – Amazon Preorder Link
