More Post-Launch Plans for Diablo 3

In a lengthy community update Blizzard have detailed their plans to address some of the issues raised by the Diablo 3 community for both the short and not-too-distant future.

Patch 1.0.2, releasing this week, will take care of general service problems, while the next patch concentrates on game-balancing issues, though when the latter will be arriving we’re currently unsure.

Blizzard has been making small changes on the fly post-launch, though these are apparently only for problems they deem game breaking. While these patches have been applied for the greater good they’ve come unannounced, something Blizzard wish to change by only releasing well-publicized, scheduled patches in the future.

The studio has commented on problems with their Inferno difficulty level, admitting damage is currently a little too “spiky”, sometimes causing players to kick the bucket a little too quickly. While Blizzard has admitted there’s tuning needed to the mode, along with more promotion of skilled play, the dev insists players have been attempting to have a go at Inferno without being properly equipped. Players apparently need to spend more time “farming” the easier difficulty levels before attempting the challenge.

The equipment’s perceived value is also being addressed. Level 60 items are being given an item level value (much like WoW) in order to make it easier to judge their worth. This should help sort out the apparent lack of respect players seem to have for Legendary items. The stats and bonuses Legendary items possess are also said to be coming under some carefully aimed scrutiny from the studio. When the patch arrives the changes will only be applied to newly dropped items so anything in your inventory will remain the same.

The final fix Blizzard has detailed is a tweak of the Blacksmith profession. The change aims to reduce the cost of leveling up of characters of the crafting persuasion and is scheduled for patch 1.0.3. It’ll also reduce the amount of gems needed for making equipment socket upgrades.