Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer

Last updated

Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer
Diablo III RotN Cover.jpg
Cover art
Developer(s) Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s) Blizzard Entertainment
Composer(s)
Series Diablo
Platform(s)
Release
  • WW: June 27, 2017
Genre(s) Action role-playing, hack and slash
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer is a downloadable content pack for the action role-playing video game Diablo III . It was announced at BlizzCon 2016. [1] It was digitally released for the PC, Mac, and latest-generation console versions of Diablo III on June 27, 2017. [2] It is included in the retail and digital release Diablo III: Eternal Collection for consoles. [3] The pack adds the Necromancer class to Diablo III.

Contents

Features

Necromancer class

The Necromancer class from Diablo II has been brought back and re-worked to integrate with Diablo III . This new class employs a controlled gameplay style centered around spells that utilise blood and bone. Additional weapons and armor have been added, including scythes and phylacteries. [4]

Cosmetics

The pack adds two additional stash tabs and character slots; along with other cosmetic items.

Patch 2.6.0

Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer Patch 2.6.0 brings many new features to the game, such as the Necromancer class, Challenge Rifts, new zones and bounties. Challenge Rifts are a game mode which lets players explore new builds which have been created by other players. Each week a new class build and dungeon are featured. The player must finish the Rift faster than the original player to receive a special Horadrim cache. [4]

Development

Prior to the release of Diablo III's first expansion, Reaper of Souls, development on its second expansion, which was in the early stages of development, was cancelled as Blizzard aimed to shift development to a sequel instead of a second expansion. [5]

In 2016, following the cancellation of a new game in development in the Diablo series, a smaller development team was tasked with working on 'Rise of the Necromancer' for Diablo III, aimed at providing those interested in the series with content due to the lack of new Diablo releases approaching announcement or release. [5]

Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer was released on June 27, 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One alongside a new package, Diablo III: Eternal Collection, released for consoles that also included the base game and Reaper of Souls. [6] Rise of the Necromancer's content made it to Nintendo Switch in 2018, when the Eternal Collection package was released for the platform. [7]

Reception

Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer received mostly positive reviews upon release, with critics noting the small amount of content being paid for and not included in the free patch but praising the gameplay of the new class. On Metacritic, it scored an average of 76 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8]

In a positive review, IGN's T.J. Hafer concluded that while he felt "$15 might be a bit much to simply unlock a new class," he "[didn't think players] would be disappointed with the new playstyles and crazy strategies Rise of the Necromancer brings to Sanctuary." [12] Similar points were raised by GameSpot's Brett Todd, who also raised worries about the cost of the pack, stating "If not for the price, [it] would be easy to instantly recommend to fans of Diablo III or anyone with even a passing interest in trying out a classic hack-and-slash RPG." He concluded that "this is a fantastic character pack that adds one of the best, most enjoyable classes to the existing game roster." [11]

In an overall positive review, Destructoid's Chris Carter summarized that "There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun." [9] Writing for Game Revolution, Jonathan Leack praised the introduction of the Necromancer class, stating that "[it] isn’t necessarily a new class to the evil world of Diablo, but it’s the best iteration yet." He concluded that, keeping in mind the minor grievances he had with the content, the pack "deserves the attention of Diablo veterans and new players alike." [10]

In a review of Diablo 3: Rise of the Necromancer in Black Gate , Matt Drought said "I believe that you will find that the Necromancer is a fantastic character addition to Diablo 3. Diablo 3 is a fun and enjoyable game in its own right, but the Necromancer's powers and abilites[ sic ] create new gameplay opportunities that feel fresh and exciting." [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Diablo II</i> 2000 video game

Diablo II is an action role-playing hack-and-slash video game developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment in 2000 for Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, and macOS. The game, with its dark fantasy and horror themes, was conceptualized and designed by David Brevik and Erich Schaefer, who, with Max Schaefer, acted as project leads on the game. The producers were Matthew Householder and Bill Roper. The game was developed over a three-year period, with a crunch time of a year and a half.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BlizzCon</span> Annual gaming convention by Blizzard Entertainment

BlizzCon is an annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to promote its major franchises including Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch.

<i>Diablo</i> (series) Video game franchise

Diablo is an action role-playing dungeon crawler video game series developed by Blizzard North and continued by Blizzard Entertainment after the North studio shut down in 2005. The series is made up of four core games: Diablo, Diablo II, Diablo III, and Diablo IV. Expansions include the third-party published Hellfire, which follows the first game; Lord of Destruction, published by Blizzard and released after the second game; and Reaper of Souls, which follows the third game. Additional content is provided through story elements explored in other media forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle.net</span> Online gaming platform by Blizzard Entertainment

Battle.net is an Internet-based online game, social networking service, digital distribution, and digital rights management platform developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The service was launched on December 31, 1996, followed a few days later with the release of Blizzard's action-role-playing video game Diablo on January 3, 1997. Battle.net was officially renamed to "Blizzard Battle.net" in August 2017, with the change being reverted in January 2021.

<i>Diablo II: Lord of Destruction</i> Expansion pack for the action role-playing video game Diablo II

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is an expansion pack for the hack and slash action role-playing game Diablo II. Unlike the original Diablo's expansion pack, Diablo: Hellfire, it is a first-party expansion developed by Blizzard North.

<i>Diablo</i> (video game) 1997 action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North

Diablo is an action role-playing video game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment in January 1997, and is the first installment in the video game series of the same name.

<i>Diablo III</i> 2012 action role-playing video game

Diablo III is a 2012 online-only hack-and-slash action role-playing game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment as the third installment in the Diablo franchise. It was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in May 2012, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in September 2013, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in August 2014, and Nintendo Switch in November 2018. Set 20 years after the events of Diablo II, players control one of seven character classes – Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, Witch Doctor, or Wizard – and are tasked with defeating Diablo.

<i>The Elder Scrolls Online</i> 2014 video game

The Elder Scrolls Online, abbreviated ESO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by ZeniMax Online Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released for Windows and macOS in April 2014. It is a part of the Elder Scrolls series.

<i>Heroes of the Storm</i> 2015 video game

Heroes of the Storm is a crossover multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Announced at BlizzCon 2010, it was released on June 2, 2015 for macOS and Windows. The game features various characters from Blizzard's franchises as playable heroes, as well as different battlegrounds based on Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, and Overwatch universes.

<i>Hearthstone</i> Digital collectible card game by Blizzard Entertainment

Hearthstone is a free-to-play online digital collectible card game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Originally subtitled Heroes of Warcraft, Hearthstone builds upon the existing lore of the Warcraft series by using the same elements, characters, and relics. It was first released for Windows and macOS in March 2014, with ports for iOS and Android released later that year. The game features cross-platform play, allowing players on any supported device to compete with one another, restricted only by geographical region account limits.

<i>Diablo III: Reaper of Souls</i> Expansion pack for the action role-playing video game Diablo III

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is an expansion pack for the action role-playing video game Diablo III. It was revealed at Gamescom 2013. It was released for the PC and Mac versions of Diablo III on March 25, 2014. The expansion pack content was released as part of the Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition version for consoles on August 19 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. That edition expanded the base Diablo III game on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and brought the game for the first time to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

<i>Call of Duty: Black Ops III</i> 2015 video game

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a 2015 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the twelfth entry in the Call of Duty series and the sequel to the 2012 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It was released on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on November 6, 2015. A feature-limited version developed by Beenox and Mercenary Technology that only supports multiplayer modes was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and was also the final Call of Duty title released on those platforms.

<i>StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops</i> 2016 video game

StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops is a downloadable content (DLC) single-player mission pack for the military science fiction real-time strategy game series StarCraft II. Consisting of nine missions, it was released over the course of three installments as DLC, with three missions in each separably purchasable pack. The first mission pack was released March 29, 2016, the second mission pack released on August 2, 2016 and the final mission pack was released on November 22, 2016.

<i>StarCraft: Remastered</i> 2017 video game

StarCraft: Remastered is a remastered edition of the 1998 real-time strategy video game StarCraft and its expansion Brood War, which was released on August 14, 2017. It retains the gameplay of the original StarCraft, but features ultra-high-definition graphics, re-recorded audio, and Blizzard's modern online feature suite. The remaster was developed over the period of a year and included playtesting from professional StarCraft players.

<i>Diablo Immortal</i> 2022 video game

Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play, massively multiplayer online action role-playing video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase. A mobile game in the Diablo series, it is set between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III. Players control a character of their chosen class: Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Demon Hunter, Crusader, or Blood Knight; they must locate and destroy hidden shards of the Worldstone, to prevent Skarn, the Lord of Damnation, from destroying the world of Sanctuary.

<i>Diablo IV</i> 2023 video game

Diablo IV is a 2023 online-only action role-playing dungeon crawling game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth main installment in the Diablo series. Announced at BlizzCon 2019, the game was released on June 5, 2023 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S, and Microsoft Windows. Players create a character from one of five playable classes—Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, or Sorcerer—and use their skills to complete quests through combat.

<i>World of Warcraft: Shadowlands</i> 2020 expansion set for the MMORPG

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is the eighth expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Battle for Azeroth. It was announced and made available for preorder at BlizzCon on November 1, 2019. Originally scheduled for release on October 27, 2020, its release was delayed until November 23, the sixteenth anniversary of the original game's release.

<i>Warcraft III: Reforged</i> 2020 video game

Warcraft III: Reforged is a remastered edition of the 2002 real-time strategy video game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion The Frozen Throne. Released on January 28, 2020, it adds revamped graphics, new campaign gameplay settings as well as modern online Battle.net features. The game received mixed reviews from critics and an overwhelmingly negative reception from players for its changes from the original, the lack of many announced features and technical issues.

<i>Diablo II: Resurrected</i> 2021 video game

Diablo II: Resurrected is an action role-playing video game co-developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Blizzard Albany and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It is a remaster of Diablo II (2000) and its expansion Lord of Destruction (2001). The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on September 23, 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Restoring the Balance—Necromancer Overview". Blizzard Entertainment. November 4, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Rise of the Necromancer Pack Arrives June 27!". Blizzard Entertainment. June 20, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Diablo 3: The Eternal Collection bundles the new Necromancer class, base game, and Reaper of Souls on console". June 20, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Patch 2.6.0 Now Live". Blizzard Entertainment. June 27, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Schreier, Jason (November 21, 2018). "The Past, Present, And Future Of Diablo". Kotaku . Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Diablo 3 Rise of the Necromancer Release Date Revealed". June 20, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Diablo 3 for Nintendo Switch detailed in full". Eurogamer . August 16, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer for PC Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Carter, Chris (June 27, 2017). "Review: Diablo III: Reaper of Souls". Destructoid . Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Leack, Jonathan (July 3, 2017). "Diablo 3: Rise of the Necromancer Review – True to the Dark Spirit". Game Revolution . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  11. 1 2 Todd, Brett (July 11, 2017). "Diablo 3: Rise of the Necromancer". GameSpot . Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Hafer, T.J. (July 10, 2017). "IGN Review: Diablo 3: Rise of the Necromancer". IGN . Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  13. ↑ https://www.blackgate.com/2017/10/31/diablo-3-rise-of-the-necromancer/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.