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Blizzard Celebrates Diablo 3 Birthday with Buffs, Soundtrack

By - Source: Blizzard | B 25 comments

Diablo 3 turns a year old.

Blizzard's action-RPG for the PC Diablo 3 turned a year old on May 15, and to celebrate, the company is slashing the price of the game and offering buffs to all players.

Community manager Lylirra said on Wednesday that over the course of the year, millions of heroes have been created, billions of hours have been spent in games, and trillions of demons have been slaughtered without mercy. "We've grown and improved a lot since release, both as a game team and as a community, and thanks to your feedback, passion, and unquenchable bloodlust, we expect the next year to be even more epic," Lylirra said.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary, Blizzard is handing out free buffs to Diablo 3 players. Those who log in between May 15 and May 21 will receive a 25 percent boost to their Magic Find and +EXP stats. This buff will only be made available while the player is logged in to the game, but will apply to all characters as well as stack with other similar bonuses. The +EXP bonus will stack multiplicatively, and the Magic Find bonus will stack above the 300 percent cap, Lylirra said.

In addition to the birthday buffs, Blizzard is also slashing the price of Diablo 3 down by a third, selling the game for $39.99 until May 21, 2013.

Meanwhile, Blizzard has added the Diablo 15th Anniversary Album to the Blizzard music section of the company's website. This album features 17 tracks pulled from the original soundtrack including the intro theme, Tristram's guitar-laden theme, the background music used in the dungeons and more. Individual tracks are $1.29 USD; the entire album is $11.99 USD.

"We think the game's score is just as atmospheric and haunting now as when it was released (back when our computers had a whopping 16 MB of RAM)," Blizzard states.

Wow. It's been 15 years already? Actually, just over 16 years, as the game was originally released on December 31, 1996. Time flies.

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  • 8 Hide
    nevilence , May 16, 2013 5:17 PM
    This game needs new content, exp and drop boost isnt enough to drag me back on its own.
  • 8 Hide
    Bill Wendel , May 16, 2013 5:32 PM
    The only way I'll play the game is if they put in the offline play. Then I'll go buy it. I won't even play it if it goes free to play but you still have to be online. I want to play when I have no internet. I have other things to do when my internet is up.
  • 8 Hide
    slomo4sho , May 16, 2013 5:57 PM
    You don't celebrate infamy.
  • Display all 25 comments.
  • 6 Hide
    dingo07 , May 16, 2013 5:57 PM
    I bought it about 3 months after it was released. I played it for about 3 months and haven't played it since. It's a joke...
  • -1 Hide
    icepick314 , May 16, 2013 6:45 PM
    Quote:
    I bought it about 3 months after it was released. I played it for about 3 months and haven't played it since. It's a joke...


    joke's on you since you gave your money to Activision/Blizzard...

    I knew this was going to be a joke before the release...

    constant online DRM, auction house that gives Activision/Blizzard cut of EVERY transaction when they don't do squat while the players are doing all the work, uninteresting gameplay, and the price when compared to Torchlight 2 and/or any other point-n-click RPG...

    for those who actually bought the game, hope it was worth $60 for maybe a month of mediocre gameplay at best...
  • 0 Hide
    w0_od , May 16, 2013 7:49 PM
    did not buy it, the always on-line requirement was a red flag to me . The RMAH was basically turning all of blizzards player base into Chinese farmers for Blizzard.
  • 0 Hide
    zodiacfml , May 16, 2013 7:59 PM
    wow, time flies. yet, i couldn't still forget the soundtrack, the sound of drinking potions, scrolls, and the voices of cain and adria.
  • 9 Hide
    schnitter , May 16, 2013 8:32 PM
    25% Magic Find? Let me break that down for you, 25% of 0.0000001 is basically still ZERO.
  • 5 Hide
    laststop311 , May 16, 2013 11:15 PM
    Biggest let down ever. Glad i never played past the guest pass.
  • 1 Hide
    g00fysmiley , May 17, 2013 5:18 AM
    I was given the game fro free... played abiout 6 hours total then uninstalled it, myabe i will pick it up later but imo its the worst blizzard title to date
  • 2 Hide
    leadgeek , May 17, 2013 6:48 AM
    I was going to but 3 copies for my LAN until I discovered that it was online only. I enjoyed playing D II as a team with my sons. The combination of skills and effects with our different characters was always fun. I know it can be done online too, but I prefer the control and speed I had at my disposal within my own network. Oh well, things change.
  • 0 Hide
    Dr_b_ , May 17, 2013 7:10 AM
    Aside from the always connected to the internet issue, the cut scenes ruin the game play and fluidity. Move 100 yards, cut scene. then there is another cut scene ontop of the cut scene you just had to endure. then there is yet another cut scene. they are horrible, at best. Sure you can hit space, but why? Why are there so many of them, why can't they be permanently disabled? just have a check box in the game options to allow them to be shut down. They add nothing to the game.
    Potion timers and lack of potion creation/horadric cube -- the game is missing something, player engagement.
    If you do somehow manage to put up with all of the above, you spend most of your time in the AH trying to find gear that is so badly over inflated you can't get the gear you really want or need.
  • 1 Hide
    koss64 , May 17, 2013 7:35 AM
    I preordered it and got my moneys worth from it, its still a good game,its less frustrating that D2 where you lost xp when you died which I like. When I head home I plan on taking advantage of this on my Barb and Wiz.
  • 0 Hide
    xelliz , May 17, 2013 8:22 AM
    I was in the closed beta, open beta and preordered the game. I got my moneys worth and I didn't use the $ or the Gold AH at all. Maybe you hate the game and thats you, but the game is not the shit hole that some people say it is. Yes it has issues that need to be resolved and yes it overall is the least of the three Diablo games released. If you don't have fun, don't play it.
    As for the celebration...how about give away the soundtrack for a week or month.
  • -2 Hide
    koss64 , May 17, 2013 8:53 AM
    I preordered it and got my moneys worth from it, its still a good game,its less frustrating that D2 where you lost xp when you died which I like. When I head home I plan on taking advantage of this on my Barb and Wiz.
  • 0 Hide
    bildo123 , May 17, 2013 9:00 AM
    Sorry but too busy delving into Neverwinter. Funny how a totally free game is offering just as much if not more enjoyment than this empty shell of a game. One year later and still no PvP. Glad to see all the capital consumed on lawyering up the RMAH really added such a deep and complex game mechanic that will really advance the longevity of the games enjoyment. Ya right.
  • -1 Hide
    Pherule , May 17, 2013 9:10 AM
    Still no proper level randomization. Still no fixed itemization (apparently it will be "fixed" in the next patch). Still no horrific/stifling darkness and atmosphere like in D1. Still no epic music like in D1. Still no light radius.
  • -1 Hide
    tleavit , May 17, 2013 9:19 AM
    How can people still be playing this tuurd of a game??? I quit 2 months after release when I had farmed the same instance zone 16th time. You seriously have to be OCD to continue that treadmill.
  • 1 Hide
    GNCD , May 17, 2013 9:42 AM
    Quote:
    Quote:
    I bought it about 3 months after it was released. I played it for about 3 months and haven't played it since. It's a joke...


    joke's on you since you gave your money to Activision/Blizzard...

    I knew this was going to be a joke before the release...

    constant online DRM, auction house that gives Activision/Blizzard cut of EVERY transaction when they don't do squat while the players are doing all the work, uninteresting gameplay, and the price when compared to Torchlight 2 and/or any other point-n-click RPG...

    for those who actually bought the game, hope it was worth $60 for maybe a month of mediocre gameplay at best...


    Blizz provides and maintains the servers. They gave us the option to make cash without going to seedy sites. I was able to buy WoL and HotS with that cash with enough left to get drunk with friends. D3 gave me the same mindless clicking entertainment as D2. If I want mindless clicking I play D3. I want some brain exercise I play SC2. As for the price, yes D3 is way more expensive than TL, but the problem with TL is that it felt old and I did not feel powerful. There was something really off when using the skills. The same goes with PoE. Combat feels weak.
  • 0 Hide
    fredarteau , May 17, 2013 9:51 AM
    Quote:
    I bought it about 3 months after it was released. I played it for about 3 months and haven't played it since. It's a joke...

    Since most game dont last 3 month i dont think it's a joke, i played for about 2 month and i had fun while it last...
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