Watch Us Play The 'Diablo III: Rise Of The Necromancer' Pack (Updated)

Update, 7/5/2017, 11:31 am PDT: You can now watch the replay of last week's stream in the video below.

Yesterday marked the 17th anniversary of the release of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo II, and it seems appropriate to celebrate the occasion by playing Diablo III for our weekly Twitch livestream. We’ll also use the chance to try out the new Necromancer class, which was added to the game earlier this week.

The class made its first appearance in Diablo II, so it’s only fitting that it made its way to the franchise's latest installment this week. The Necromancer utilizes a power called Essence to control the dead. During combat, it can summon undead beings to help fight enemies; it can also inflict curses and use blood magic as another means of inflicting damage. The character comes as part of the appropriately named “Rise of the Necromancer” pack, which also includes a pet, banner designs, and two additional character slots for $15.

Even if you decide not to purchase the pack, you’ll still benefit from the latest update if you own the Reaper of Soulsexpansion. Patch 2.6.0 also introduces a new gameplay mode called Challenge Rifts. This mode allows you try character builds created by other players, and it’s also a test of how fast you can clear a dungeon. At the end, you can see how your time stacks up on the leaderboard against other players. Those who play the game’s Adventure Mode can also benefit from the update. New zones are available--The Moors and The Temple of the Firstborn--and you can access them through a waypoint on the Act 2 map. Speaking of waypoints, there are four new additions to Adventure Mode called the Realms of Fate. Each of these new areas have additional bounties for you to complete. You can learn more from the full patch notes on the game’s website. 

And, even if you can’t make it to today’s stream, you can still check out our previous coverage of the new Necromancer class. We saw the new character for the first time at GDC earlier this year, and we spent some time learning about its abilities as part of a hands-on demo.