After rumours galore, including a recent report from Forbes, Blizzard Entertainment has finally confirmed that Diablo 3: Eternal Collection is heading to the Nintendo Switch. This includes the base game, the Reaper of Souls expansion, and the Rise of the Necromancer pack.

Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, said, “The Eternal Collection is the definitive version of Diablo 3, and we’re thrilled to team up with Nintendo to unleash it for Nintendo Switch gamers around the world later this year. Bringing the world together through epic entertainment is core to our mission at Blizzard—we can’t wait to welcome a new generation of demon-slayers to Sanctuary.”

Both the Pro Controller and Joy-Cons are supported, and it’s possible for up to four players to share a single screen to fight together. Alternatively, it’s possible to connect four Switch units together wirelessly, or find players through the Nintendo Switch Online service for co-op.

If that weren’t enough, Blizzard confirmed that exclusive cosmetic armour The Legend of Ganondorf, which takes cues from The Legend of Zelda’s famous villain, will be exclusive to the platform. There’s no release date aside from “later this year”, but Diablo 3: Eternal Collection will be available at retail and through the Nintendo eShop. Those heading to Gamescom 2018, Fan Expo, or PAX West in the near future can get an “early look” at the game as well.

Blizzard Entertainment has deployed patch 2.6.1 for Diablo 3 on the Public Test Realm for PC and it brings a number of changes. There are numerous buffs and changes to classes like the Necromancer.

Though this isn’t the final patch, it still shows the direction that Blizzard is aiming for. Those who want to try out the Necromancer changes have to buy the Rise of the Necromancer pack in the base game instead of the PTR.

Among the buffs included are the Barbarian’s Bloodshed now dealing damage that’s equal to 20 percent of recent Critical Hits on enemies within 20 yards in every second; the Crusader’s Limitless effect now increasing Blessed Hammer’s damage to 640 percent and dealing damage within 20 yards; the Necromancer now being able to cast Bone Armour while moving and without consuming Essence; and several changes to class-specific Legendary items and Gear Sets.

You can check out part of the patch notes below or view the full list here for more information.

Diablo III Update 2.6.1 PTR Patch Notes

Classes

• Barbarian Skills
  • Battle Rage
    • Bloodshed
      • Has been redesigned:
      • Deal damage equal to 20% of your recent Critical Hits to enemies within 20 yards every 1 second.
      • Note: Bloodshed caused performance issues when encountering high enemy density, particularly when combined with Whirlwind, Pain Enhancer, and Gem of Efficacious Toxin.
• Crusader Skills
  • Blessed Hammer
    • Limitless
      • Has been redesigned:
      • Increase the damage of Blessed Hammer to 640% weapon damage as Holy and increase its area of effect by 20 yards.
      • Note: The extra projectiles created by this rune were causing performance issues in cases with high enemy density.
• Necromancer Skills
  • Command Skeletons
    • Commanding your Skeletal Warriors will break crowd control effects on them
    • Skeletal Warriors will no longer die after taking too many hits
    • Design Philosophy: When we were first designing Command Skeletons, we wanted to capture the feeling of being an undead commander by having skeletons regularly spawn around the Necromancer and charge into battle during combat. It created a cool visual, but as the class evolved through Set bonuses and Legendary powers, it became clear that this visual began to hinder gameplay for some builds. Skeletal Warriors now have the same defenses as all other pets in the game.
  • Devour
    • Voracious
      • Resource cost reduction stacks granted from this rune will now stack and are no longer overridden from multiple casts.
  • Simulacrum
    • Added a glow to the skill icon to indicate when Simulacrum is active.
  • Skeletal Mage
    • This skill will now display the duration of the oldest mage raised as a buff in addition to the total number of mages active
    • Design Philosophy: This change is largely to provide transparency to players on the duration of their mage armor. This will be especially useful to players using the Bones of Rathma set. It’s our goal that players will no longer feel compelled to refresh their Skeletal Mage counter when they’re already at max.
  • Bone Armor
    • Essence cost removed.
    • Can now be cast while moving.
  • Army of the Dead
    • Frozen Army
      • The pulsing damage from this rune has been spread out
      • Design Philosophy: This was done to ensure enemies within range are evenly hit and to better align with the visual. This will result in more targets being hit more consistently for the stated weapon damage amount.
• Necromancer Passives
  • Fueled By Death
    • The movement speed bonus from this passive can now exceed the 25% cap
• Witch Doctor Skills
  • Soul Harvest
    • Adding a stack or refreshing Soul Harvest now refreshes all stacks of Soul Harvest.
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed an issue which prevented Army of the Dead from sometimes triggering when the player is immediately afflicted by a monster’s crowd control after casting it
  • Fixed an issue where enemy monsters could heal themselves when striking another monster afflicted by Leech
  • Fixed a bug which caused Skeletal Mages to sometimes spawn up in the air
  • Fixed an issue where the firewall left behind by Arcane Orb – Scorch was not dealing damage
  • Fixed an issue which caused Skeletal Mages to lose their target when players used Command Skeletons to attack the same target
  • Fixed an issue which caused connection issues when players used a channeling skill while attempting to force move at the same time

"In terms of variety, the Necromancer is definitely full of different ways to succeed."

However, while everyone has been comparing the next big looter to Diablo, what’s Diablo 3 been up to? We’ve had a few major updates, buffs to gear sets, new items, Kanai’s Cube, augmenting gems, Empowered Rifts, revamps to Horadric Caches, new areas and so on. There hasn’t really been any major paid DLC, until now with Rise of the Necromancer. Patch 2.6 was also launched and added Challenge Rifts, two new areas and new bounties to complete. That’s free for everyone though so we’re going to focus on the Necromancer DLC for now.

After the trademark cinematic setting up your grim guy (or gal), the Necromancer is yours to control. The Necromancer’s main resource is Essence and you can use causes bone spikes to sprout out of the ground, siphon blood from your enemies or swing a large scythe to generate it. Each of these generators has runes which act as mods. Want your bone spikes to return health or split your giant scythe into two small scythes that gather enemies together? It’s yours. Of course, things are properly mixed up when you’re able to detonate corpses, command a small group of skeletons, summon a half-formed Golem (or Skull Mage) and so on. The Necromancer is also capable of casting curses, like Frailty which can be used to finish off weak enemies or even act as an aura to debuff them.

In terms of variety, the Necromancer is definitely full of different ways to succeed. You could command your skeletons and launch Bone Spears at enemies to create corpses before using corpse lances to attack your foes. You can throw your half-formed Golem into a group of enemies to make some more corpses, detonate them or even consume them to regain health and essence. How about pummeling your enemies with corpse lances with Land of the Dead active while self-healing with each kill? Or bringing an entire swarm of skeletons with Army of the Dead to decimate a group of foes.

"When you combine the many different ways to attack enemies with what’s currently in Diablo 3, the Necromancer becomes yet another class that’s full of opportunities."

Throw in Focus and Restraint which grant 50 percent increased damage each for five seconds when using resource-generating and resource-spending abilities, thus leading to even more carnage in the early going. If there’s one criticism I could have with the Necromancer class, it’s that the passive skills don’t come off as incredibly over-powered at first like, say, the Demon Hunter’s would. Then again, when you min-max your build properly and have the right gear, you’ll quickly find the Necromancer to be a health-sacrificing, self-healing, corpse-detonating machine.

When you combine the many different ways to attack enemies with what’s currently in Diablo 3, the Necromancer becomes yet another class that’s full of opportunities. It’s kind of the essence of what Josh Mosquiera, former game director for Diablo 3, had in mind when revamping everything – making you feel like a bad-ass with awesome action.

Though I haven’t had a chance to spend much time with the new gear sets and Legendary items that come with the Necromancer (since it’s up to RNG at the end of the day), their potency is hard to deny. The Pestilence Master’s Shroud seemed particularly fun with each corpse consumed launching a corpse lance at any enemy. Combine this with Land of the Dead and the Consume rune that heals you and dying seems pretty much out of the question. The Jesseth Arms were useful for increasing the damage done by minions like Skeleton soldiers. There’s five sets in total which includes one weapon set and again, we’ll only know which is the best when more time is spent in the game.

"The problem is that at $15, the only real new addition to the game is the Necromancer along with its associated sets and items"

Here’s the main issue though: The price. At $15, you get the Necromancer, a half-formed Golem as a pet, Wings of the Crypt Guardian as a new pair of cosmetic wings, the Blood Master pennant, a new portrait frame, the Necromancer banner, two stash tabs and two more character slots. The new areas and bounties along with Challenge Rifts are part of patch 2.6. As a side-note, the Moors and Temple of the Firstborn offer some fun adventuring with cool new enemies and it’s always great to have more levels to explore in the Greater Rifts. However, it takes roughly an hour to get through both of them. I can also see the Challenge Rifts as being nothing more than a distraction to attempt when you’re bored even if they offer a neat alternative to collecting crafting materials.

The problem is that at $15, the only real new addition to the game is the Necromancer along with its associated sets and items. It’s a ton of fun to play, don’t get me wrong. But it may be a hard sell for all but fans of the game (and they’re a bit skeptical as to whether the price is worth it). I can applaud Blizzard for keeping the new areas and such free but there could’ve been more paid content. Though I bagged on The Division’s Underground DLC, it did include an entire new area of random dungeons with modifiers, some new story missions, a new Incursion, four new gear sets and new weapons. On the other hand, I had a lot more fun with Rise of the Necromancer than with the Underground DLC.

Honestly, if you’re getting into Diablo 3 for the first time or love the gameplay and wonder if the Necromancer will be a good investment, then by all means pick up Rise of the Necromancer. Though I feel some more value could have been added to the package, the fact that the class offers so much to do, working alongside so many established systems in new and exciting ways, is simply too good to pass up. If you’re trying to get back to the game after a long time, just be aware of what you’re getting beforehand.

This game was reviewed on PC.

It’s time to rise up and get down with the undead. Diablo 3’s Rise of the Necromancer pack is now available digitally at $14.99 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Diablo 3 players will have access to a new class, the Necromancer, which can raise skeletons and a Golem to do his/her bidding. The Necromancer can also drain life from enemies, detonate corpses or consume them for health and even sacrifice health for attacks.

Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime said, “We’re excited to continue our celebration of the 20th anniversary of Diablo by reimagining one of the community’s all-time favourite classes in the Rise of the Necromancer pack.

“We look forward to seeing a new generation of necromancers exploring Adventure Mode, discovering new character builds, and exploding corpses in Greater Rifts throughout Sanctuary.”

Along with the new class, players will receive a half-formed Golem as a pet, new wings that can be used for all classes, two more character slots, two more stash tabs (for PC only) and lots of Necromancer cosmetics.

What are your thoughts on the Rise of the Necromancer? Let us know in the comments below.

Blizzard’s next big content update for Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls will be out today, namely Rise of the Necromancer. In fact, the servers are currently under maintenance before the DLC releases. Maintenance began at 10 AM PDT and will conclude by 12 PM PDT.

Along with a new class with the Necromancer, the character pack will provide players with two more character slots, new stash tabs, a half-formed Golem pet, cosmetics and much more. Blizzard will also be releasing a new patch that adds two new zones and Challenge Rifts for everyone else.

As if that wasn’t enough, Diablo 3: The Eternal Collection will also be releasing for all platforms $39.99. It contains Diablo 3, Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer. You can also pick up Rise of the Necromancer for $14.99 though.

What are your thoughts on Diablo 3’s Rise of the Necromancer pack and the free content that’s coming? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.

Blizzard’s next content pack for Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls finally has a release date. Rise of the Necromancer will be out on June 27th for PC, Xbox One and PS4 through digital storefronts. On top of that, Xbox One and PS4 players can look forward to Diablo 3: Eternal Collection which contains the base game, Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer in one package for $60.

Rise of the Necromancer features the debut of the Necromancer, a highly popular class from Diablo 2. Using blood magic, raising their enemies to fight for them and much more, Necromancers present a more demonic style of play.

Along with the new class, the content pack will include a Half-formed Golem as a pet; Wings of the Crypt Guardian as a cosmetic; two character slots; two stash tabs (for PC players only); and a Necromancer portrait, banner, sigil, accent and Blood Master pennant. Players can also expect patch 2.6.0 which adds Challenge Rifts and new zones to go live on the same day.

Blizzard Entertainment has released a new cinematic trailer for Diablo 3, setting up the backstory for the new Necromancer class en route to the Rise of the Necromancer pack. Check it out below. Say what you will about Blizzard but its cinematic trailer, even with relatively static images, are pretty cool.

The Necromancer is capable of raising the dead to use as minions in battle. The abilities of the class also allow it to siphon off health to damage enemies, which is interesting given all the life-steal techniques on hand. Along with the new Necromancer class, the Rise of the Necromancer pack will coincide with new Challenge Rifts, items and two new zones to explore.

Though Blizzard has released a cinematic for the Necromancer, it hasn’t announced when the Rise of the Necromancer pack will release. We’re still unsure about pricing at this point as well so stay tuned for more information and let us know your thoughts on the new cinematic in the comments.

Diablo 3 will be receiving – among many other things – a new class. As leaked earlier on the Blizzard Store, the Necromancer from Diablo 2 will arrive in Diablo 3 next year.

The Necromancer is quite different from the Witch Doctor. The class can summon skeletons and command them to attack his enemies. It’s also possible to use Corpse Explosion, exploding 10 corpses at once to inflict damage. You can also just straightaway resurrect skeletons with Army of the Dead and send them to a spot to explode.

Using Essence as a resource, the Necromancer can use Bone Spear to attack his enemies and Decrepify to curse and slow enemies, thus reducing the damage caused. Siphon Blood allows the class to drain health and essence from an enemy and Blood Rush allows the Necromancer to quickly teleport from one location to another. It’s also possible to summon a Blood Golem.

The Rise of the Necromancer goes live in the second half of 2017 as a part of a character pack and also features two character slots, two stash stabs and cosmetics. More details will be revealed next year.