This blog is part of my series about my experiences in the Diablo III: RoS beta. The beta has ended, but I still wanted to share my thoughts about it. Who knows? Maybe one or two of the things I write about for this series will end up being really relevant after the expansion comes out. If anything, I think my blogs about the beta are a good way for new players to get some information about the game.
I was playing a Crusader named Joan. The last blog ended with her hitting Level 18. This blog picks up from there and shares her adventure from Level 18 to Level 19. All of the screenshots you see in this blog were taken on January 4, 2014.
Joan the Crusader and her Follower, Kormac the Templar, were on a quest to find Karyna’s Lost Wagon. They were supposed to pick up the Khazra staff. Clicking on the “sparkly bits” that cover the stuff in the wagon initiates an event. Be prepared! Players will immediately get surrounded by angry Khazra (or “goat men”).
The “big bad” for this event is Nalghban the Foul. He is the Dark Moon Clan Elder Shaman.
If you happen across the Cave of the Moonclan, I highly recommend you enter it. There are chests inside it for you to open. (More loot is always good, right?) It also will have a couple of mobs with either blue monsters or a gold one (or maybe both). The Cave of the Moon Clan has 2 levels, but they are rather short. It is a fairly easy way to gain a little bit more experience points (XP).
Joan the Crusader switched her Follower from Kormac the Templar to Lyndon the Scoundrel sometime before she entered the Cave of the Moon Clan. Together, they fought Gilgamesh the Murderer.
Back to the Northern Highlands! I like to clear an entire zone the first time I go through it. It is the most efficient way to earn the Exploration Achievements. In the screenshot below, you can see that Joan the Crusader and her Follower Lyndon the Scoundrel fought Sepsis the Mangler. He has the jailer affix, one of the most annoying ones. It means he can “jail” your character and hold him or her in place for a little while. It is frustrating because the enemies can still pound on you, but you can neither fight back nor defend yourself until the spell wears off.
If you look at the left-hand side of that screenshot, you will see a chest. I noticed that the Reaper of Souls (RoS) beta had lots and lots of chests, often located in open areas that I wasn’t used to finding them in. The dungeons have more chests, too. I found this to be very exciting! (More loot is a good thing, right?) This realization made me look forward to the RoS expansion with excitement. It would be way more fun than the original Diablo game!
Joan the Crusader took the portal to New Tristram so she could add a gem into something she found. Doing so gave her the Socket To Me Achievement.
Socket To Me: Socket a gem in any item.
In Joan’s stash, you can see a Crusader Shield. She also has Griswold’s Scribblings (which looks like a splash of blood). The grey and black square is her collection of Common Debris.
Back into battle! Joan the Crusader entered the area called Leoric’s Hunting Grounds. There are plenty of mobs to fight here! She quickly earned enough experience points to make her hit Level 19! She was working on the quest called “Trailing the Coven” where you are supposed to find Leoric’s Manor Courtyard. Once you enter Leoric’s Hunting Grounds, you know that his Manor isn’t too far away!
If you look closely, you can see that my Crusader is now throwing Blessed Hammers that are red. (Before, they were an icy blue color). The change is due to the selection of a rune that is called Burning Wrath. It unlocks at Level 18. It makes the Blessed Hammer skill that much more fun!
Burning Wrath: The hammer is engulfed in fire and has a 25% chance to scorch the ground over which it passes. Enemies who pass through the scorched ground take 95% weapon damage as Fire per second.
The next blog will pick up with Joan the Crusader’s adventure as she goes from Level 19 to Level 20. In it, she goes through my least favorite zone in the entire Diablo III game. So far, my Crusader has yet to pick up any Legendary loot. That was disappointing! I was hoping to find at least one or two pieces by now.