This New Year’s Eve, Blizzard will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Diablo game. The company will set up events and items, which will be available for a limited time, related to the anniversary throughout its current lineup of titles.
Diablo III players will be able to play a new event called “The Darkening of Tristram.” The event was announced earlier this year at BlizzCon, and it’s a recreation of the original game within Diablo III. You’ll have to make your way through 16 levels and fight the game’s original four bosses. To complete the nostalgic package, the event will also have “retro touches like special graphics filters and eight-direction character movement.” But there’s a catch: You have to own the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion in order to play the event.
If you’re playing Overwatch, you can still celebrate the Diablo anniversary with sprays--symbols painted on a wall or the ground--of each class from Diablo III. You can also show off with a new icon that displays Diablo, the Lord of Terror. In World of Warcraft, it seems that there might be some new quests available as some characters from the Diablo world of Sanctuary arrive in Azeroth.
For StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm, a new Diablo-themed portrait is available. It seems that Heroes of the Storm will also receive a new map as part of the celebration. And if you’re playing the popular card game Hearthstone, a new challenger will appear in the Tavern Brawl section with the opportunity for you to win some new cards for your decks.
Blizzard was a bit unclear on when the anniversary events begin, although it’s a safe bet that it will start sometime soon, because New Year’s Eve is this Saturday. There’s no word yet on how long the events will last. If you want to get in on the action, keep your eyes peeled on Blizzard’s announcements.
