Awaiting the Reaper

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Preparing for War

With the launch of Reaper of Souls only a mere 10 days away, its high-time you dust off your Ice Climbers and prepare for what amounts to the most game changing expansion since Lord of Destruction.

And while there is no “best” way to prepare yourself for the dangers that await, by following a few simple guidelines and tips, you’ll be better equipped to take on Malthael and his swarms of minions.

Pre-RoS Leveling Tips

• Start leveling now: Tired of watching your Paragon experience bar trickle up? From now until March 25th, experience gains will be increased by 50 percent. There hasn’t been a single better time in D3’s two-year history to grind it out. And thanks to its newly implemented shared Paragon leveling system, there is no limit to the amount of levels players can earn.
• Get your Crusader a Hellfire Ring: If you don’t already have a Hellfire Ring of Strength, now is the time. Hellfire Rings boast level 60 stats, but can be equipped on heroes of any level. The additional stats and 35 percent experience bump will render your newly-minted Crusader a leveling powerhouse. See this post for a preview on upcoming changes to Hellfire ring crafting in Reaper of Souls.
• If you’re poor, sell: Contrary to popular belief, gold will not become useless on March 25. If anything, you’ll need it to perform several highly beneficial level 70 tasks such as crafting gems, enchanting gear and for transmogrification. Feel free to sell your current level 60 materials, as once the expansion drops they’ll quickly be rendered useless. As for gear, best to hold onto anything you’re currently using and to sell the rest. But do it quickly – the Auction House closes for good on March 18th.
• If you’re rich, buy: That being said, if you’re sitting on a cool billion or more, feel free to spend some of your cheddar on twink gear for your alts and Crusader. Purchase or craft a top-tier Ruby, and make sure that any helm used for leveling has a socket. Also feel free to start enchanting some of the gear you found post patch 2.0.1. And if you’re still weighed down by gold, it’s currently selling for almost $6/50 million – the highest it’s been in some time.

Returning Players, Get Ready

If you’re returning to Diablo III after a long hiatus, and a lot of you are,  do yourself a solid and spend some gold on a Torment ready leveling set. Just don’t overdo it. While gold’s overall utility will take a massive hit in RoS, it will also be much scarcer. To be safe, save at least 100 million gold for RoS related activities, or more if you can afford it. Enchanting gear over and over can get mighty expensive.

Reaper of Souls will undoubtedly be the Diablo III players expected at launch, but with change comes the need for a different outlook, so remember this as you prepare yourself for the forthcoming war.