After 11 years, Diablo 3 is getting its final new season, and it seems that Blizzard has saved one of the best for last.
The majority of Diablo players have now moved onto the fourth instalment in the acclaimed action-RPG series, but its predecessor, Diablo 3, still has one more season up its sleeve. Dubbed Visions of Enmity, Season 29 sees the introduction of a Solo Self Found mode, a feature fans have long been asking for, an overhaul of the Paragon Points system, Class balance updates, and more.
Solo Self Found provides a unique single-player experience for "demon slayers seeking to up the intensity of their journey through Sanctuary." There's no player trading here, so you'll have to rely solely on the items and resources in your possession. "We decided to bring Solo Self Found to Diablo III after years of players requesting an officially supported single player mode," Blizzard says. "Without the experience bonus from being in a Party, or other players to protect your back as you carve through demonic legions, this mode will temper you."
SSF comes with its own leaderboards, and if you're feeling particularly brave, there's also a hardcore version. It's great to see Blizzard listen to fans and implement this kind of feature so late in the game's lifespan and let's hope we see it added to Diablo 4 at some point too.
Blizzard is also introducing changes to how Paragon Points work. "You can only assign a total of 800 Paragon Points to your character," the developer explains. "Previously, you were only able to assign a total of 50 Paragon Points to each attribute within the Core, Defense, Offense, and Utility categories, but now you can assign up to 200 in each attribute."
On top of that, there's a new seasonal theme, a bunch of community-led quality-of-life improvements - such as changes to Greater Rift monsters - various balance adjustments to the Crusader, Demon Hunter, and Witch Doctor classes, and fixes for a number of bugs, including one that meant the Witch Doctor's Angry Chicken skill didn't deal as much damage as it was meant to.
To test the new content, the Public Test Realm (PTR) for Diablo 3 Season 29 will go live tomorrow, August 15, and will run until August 29. Details on how to participate and the full patch notes can be found on Blizzard's website.
Diablo 3 Season 29 will be the game's final season to feature brand-new content, as starting with Season 30, Blizzard will be revisiting old seasons instead. For fans, it's a fitting last hurrah for the 2012 title. "Pretty cool they kept it supported for so long. Hope Diablo 4 turns it around to the same degree," said one Diablo fan on ResetEra. "Honestly sounds amazing," says another. "The changes are great and seems like a wonderful send-off."
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