Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls is getting its first major content patch for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems with the release of The Vault, a new area that was introduced first into the PC version of Diablo 3's expansion.

Players are now able to collect legendary gems in this, and other, locations. Legendary gems are stones that give the player special abilities when placed into rings and amulets.

Entering into The Vault can be triggered by defeating Treasure Goblins, giving players the chance of being transported into the area which is home to additional treasures and a new boss called Baroness Greed.

Full patch notes for this update can be found here.

Seasons, two new zones, and tons more content will be coming in the form of patch 2.1.0 to Blizzard's loot-filled title Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls according to a new forum post on Battle.net.

Blizzard announced the new Seasons game mode back in June, along with details on the addition of Greater Rifts, a type of Nephalem Rift, and Cesspools, one of two new areas for Reaper of Souls. Blizzard's 2.1 Patch Roundup revealed even more content coming with the 2.1 patch, including The Vault (another new area), leaderboards for Seasons and Greater Rifts, and details on the first Season's new items.

Community manager Tyvalir noted on the Diablo forums that while the patch only weighs in at 300mb, "it will be making several changes to the game files stored on your computer. As a result, the “Applying Patch” phase may take up to 30 minutes to finish once the patch has been downloaded." Those lost or wanting to catch up on the new changes can also find a stack of cliff notes giving the quick rundown on the patch over here.

Blizzard has taken to the Diablo 3 website to outline just what players can expect from Reaper of Souls' upcoming 2.1.0 patch, including a new "Seasons" mode that brings a number of unique quests and challenges to the game.

The new Seasons mode will work similarly to Diablo 2's Ladders, whereby players will roll back to level 1 at the start of each season as they work toward earning mode-specific achievements called Conquests. They will also gain exclusive rewards and unique Legendaries depending on their progress, and will also get to compete across a new leaderboard system that will track progress across each specific Season.

Reaper of Souls version 2.1.0 will also introduce Greater Rifts, which are more challenging versions of Nephalem Rifts that can be unlocked via random Rift Guardian drops. The previously mentioned leaderboards for Seasons will also be available for these new Greater Rifts. A new area is also planned for the patch, titled The Cesspool, which was originally planned for launch with Reaper of Souls but had been pushed back for further development time.

Sony has revealed a new trailer today showing off Blizzard's Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls expansion in action on the PlayStation 4, including a quick look at some of the new expansion content like the Crusader class.

As with the PC expansion and its 2.0 update, the PlayStation 4 (and the other three platforms) will be gaining all of the content changes including the Crusader class, Act V, changes to the difficulty levels, loot 2.0 and the loot-filled Rifts. The trailer follows previous news that consoles will be getting a special "Ultimate Evil Edition" that will include exclusive Infernal Pauldrons bonus in-game item.

Wearable at level 1, these devilishly sharp transmogrifiable shoulderplates provide Health, Life regeneration, and Cooldown Reduction. The key for the Infernal Pauldrons will be available in launch day copies of the Ultimate Evil Edition (cannot be transferred across platforms). Blizzard has also made it clear that saves can be taken over from each respective platforms past-gen console to new-gen console.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition will be available on August 19th for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Check out the trailer below to see the PlayStation 4 version in action.

Blizzard has revealed that those on consoles wanting a taste of the latest Diablo 3 expansion, Reaper of Souls, won't have to wait long with the developer announcing today an August 19th release.

The console version of Reaper of Souls has been given a nice branding as the "Ultimate Evil Edition," and will be available across all four console platforms - PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. All four console versions of the Ultimate Evil Edition feature 4-player same-screen and online multiplayer.

“The Ultimate Evil Edition brings Reaper of Souls to console gamers for the first time, and wraps all of the content, features, and updates we’ve released for Diablo III into one epic package,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Whether you’re a veteran of the crusade against the forces of evil on PC or are just stepping foot into Sanctuary for the first time, there’s never been a better time to experience Diablo III from the comfort of your couch.”

Those who preorder their copy of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition will also receive the exclusive Infernal Pauldrons bonus in-game item. Wearable at level 1, these devilishly sharp transmogrifiable shoulderplates provide Health, Life regeneration, and Cooldown Reduction. The key for the Infernal Pauldrons will be available in launch day copies of the Ultimate Evil Edition (cannot be transferred across platforms). Blizzard has also made it clear that saves can be taken over from each respective platforms past-gen console to new-gen console.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition will be available at a RRP of $79.95 on August 19th for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

With Diablo 3's first expansion - Reaper of Souls - now out and into the hands of both new and returning players around the world, we at AusGamers decided to do a bit of time travel, heading back before the launch of the expansion to chat with Lead Character Artist Paul Warzecha on all things Diablo.

From discussion on just how the Crusader class came to be through to a look at the specific Reaper of Souls artistic style, Warzecha reveals a number of interesting bits about the expansion that you may not have known. So while you wittle away at bad boy Malthael's health to gain those fat loots, check out our full interview with Paul Warzecha on all things Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls.

The first patch for Blizzard's loot-collecting clicker Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls is now live, bringing with it a rather large list of changes and fixes to classes, bugs and of course that precious loot.

Of the classes to be tweaked and changed, the Crusader seems to be the most affected with a rather large portion of the patch notes dedicated to the valiant warrior. Having been made available on the launch of the expansion, it was clear that certain balances were going to be seen as more players handled the class, though from a glance they still seem to play exactly like advertised: lots of smashing and lots of holy light.

Other changes include Nephalem Rifts getting layout tweaks, increase drop rate to Malthael's Reaper Fear legendary crafting material, Resplendent Chest increases to make loot much more appealing and the increase in survivability of pets summoned by several skills or items.

All this and more can be read in Blizzard's full patch notes. Let us know your thoughts on how Reaper of Souls is doing since its launch and if you've found any sick loot in the comments below!

Diablo 3's very first expansion, Reaper of Souls, has sold 2.7 million copies across Windows and Mac in its first week of sales according to developer Blizzard.

To help put it into perspective, Blizzard also revealed that the final boss of Act V, Death, has been killed more than 1.5 million times, showing that even Death can die for that shiny loot. This follows Diablo 3's sales of 15 million since its launch back in 2012, a quite large figure that includes the sales of the console versions. A console version of Reaper of Souls is expected to be released sometime later this year.

"With Reaper of Souls, we wanted to emphasize all the things that Diablo gamers have always loved about the series, from the dark gothic setting to the piles and piles of epic loot," said Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime.

"We're excited to see that players are enjoying the changes we've made to the game, and we look forward to achieving our Paragon levels alongside everyone else in the weeks and months ahead."

How are you enjoying the expansion? Found any cool legendaries since the Loot 2.0 patch? Let us know in the comments!

With the launch of Diablo 3's first expansion now a few days behind us, we have finally surfaced from the numerous clicking of mouse buttons to bring you our take on the newest content to grace Blizzard's action RPG.

Reaper of Souls adds a whole slew of content to the original Diablo 3 title, including a number of free additions that don't necessarily require an expansion purchase to experience - a notion that Blizzard has brought over from the World of Wacraft fence line.

Our very own Kosta "Toadovsky" Andreadis has braved the depths of hell once more to face Death himself, and his tales of success are nothing short of bravery with the hellish creatures that still await.

Everything has been changed for the better, and when you factor in all the new content and the fantastic new Crusader class, you have what is arguably the best entry in the series. Or at the very least a worthy sequel to Diablo II, which after all, is what a lot fans wanted the first time around.

Read on for his full review of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls.

With the release of their first expansion now in the hands of the public, Blizzard has revealed new details on what to expect in the first post-release patch for Diablo 3: reaper of Souls, including the introduction of seasons and ladder systems.

Spotted by DiabloFans(via VG247), game director Josh Mosqueira announced the additions, stating, “I’m happy to say that as part of our first big content patch in a couple of months, we will be releasing Seasons, which will include a ladder-like aspect to them."

“We’re still working on them, but the general gist is that you’ll level up a new character, we’ll have specific ladders for Seasons, and also some goodies that will drop along the way. There’s more information of that to come, and we’re not making an announcement of when, but that’s coming in the first major content patch – not the first patch, but the first major content patch.”

Mosqueira also revealed that there will be season-exclusive Legendary items, which will be awarded for good ladder performance and through new Tiered Rifts. “For the current [Legendaries], we probably are not going to revisit them,” he added. “They all take time to do and I’d rather we were adding new legendary items, and the time is better spent on new legendary items than going back to refit old ones."

Those scratching their heads wondering what exactly Tiered Rifts are, Mosqueira stated that "There is another major feature in the patch 2.1, which is going to be what we’re internally calling tiered Rifts. The idea is a challenge scenario, where players do increasingly hard Rifts, to see who can get the farthest."

You do your bounties, you do a Nephalem Rift. If you clear it, there’s a chance to get a Greater Rift Token. If you successfully do that, you'll get a Greater Rift Key (rank 2), then Rank 3, etc.. Much like seasons, we’re going to have a leaderboard as well, so you can see who got to the highest tier Rift, and what time were they able to obtain on that.”

What are your thoughts on the new competitive systems? Will you participate in the ladders? How is your Reaper of Souls experience going so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Blizzard has revealed the official launch times for their first expansion to Diablo 3, with Reaper of Souls going live this afternoon for Australian gamers.

For Australian Eastern Daylight folks 3:00 PM is your starting time, while Australian Central Daylight zones starts at 2.30 PM. Those of us living in Queensland who shun the Daylight Savings, our time is 2:00 PM and for Western Australia gamers your start time is 12:00 PM. To those across the seas, New Zealand's launch time is 5:00 PM.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls sees a whole bag full of content dropped, including the new Loot 2.0 system, the Crusader class, Act V and more. To help those who may be slightly in over their head, Blizzard has a complete game guide ready to go for the expansion, which you can find over here.

Are you getting the new expansion? What will you do on your first login? Let us know in the comments below!

The somewhat controversial Auction House for Blizzard's action-rpg title Diablo 3 has now had the plug officially pulled, ahead of its expansion release next week.

Blizzard has previously explained why it chose to close the Auction House late last year, stating that "despite the benefits of the AH system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot."

While players are able to access both the gold and real-money Auction Houses through the game's menu, players will find that they can not bid, buyout or sell any new items. A note at the bottom of the window reads: "The Auction House is shutting down. You must claim your items from the Completed tab by 6/24. Existing auctions will complete based on the time remaining."

Ahead of its launch next week, Blizzard has revealed a launch trailer for Reaper of Souls, the first expansion to Diablo 3 that will add a new Crusader class and levels 61-70 among many other features. The trailer is titled 'The End is Near' and you can check it out below.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls will be available on March 25th for Windows and Mac.

As the launch date for Diablo 3's Reaper of Souls expansion edges ever-closer, Blizzard has released another new video, this time showcasing the add-ons new character class, the Crusader.

Among the small townships of Sanctuary, rumors have surfaced of a battle-scarred warrior hailing from the eastern swamplands of Kehjistan. Clad in impenetrable armor and wielding a massive shield, it is said he is a member of a legendary holy order—one of the pious followers of Zakarum who have vowed to defend their faith against corruption and decay.

Brutally culling his foes with hardened steel and incinerating light, this mysterious wanderer has left a bloody westbound trail in his wake, signalling a slow, but steady advance towards the cursed town of New Tristram...

Find out all about Diablo's newest holy warrior in the video below, and make sure to catch up on our four part diary series from the Reaper of Souls closed beta test (parts one, two, three and four) if you missed it .

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls is due to land on March 25th 2014 for PC and Mac, and as part of the Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition "coming soon" to PlayStation 4.

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The first expansion for Diablo III -- Reaper of Souls, is nearly upon us, and while we've been covering the game since its announcement, including highlighting much of what's on offer as part of a closed beta gameplay diary series, we were also given a chance to chat with two key people who're busting their asses to get the expansion to you -- lead level designer Kevin Martens, and senior level designer Larra Paolilli.

In this final piece of top-level access we'll likely get before the game drops proper, both devs talk about the expanded randomness of the game, loot, the Crusader class, accessibility, Adventure Mode, Nephalem Rifts and much more.

Click here for our full Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls interview feature.

Blizzard has revealed two new bonus items for those who pre-purchases the Reaper of Souls expansion for Diablo 3 before March 31st, offering up an aesthetic item as well as an unlockable character in Blizzard's upcoming Heroes of the Storm MOBA.

Pictured below, the two bonus items that players receive are the Wings of Valor aesthetic item, which summons radiant wings of the Archangel of Valor for your Diablo 3 character, and Valla the Demon Hunter for the free-to-play MOBA. Blizzard has yet to reveal how exactly their MOBA will operate character-unlocking wise, though we presume it will either be following the League of Legend's roster unlock or the DOTA 2 full roster unlock.

Diablo III fans who have already pre-purchased either the standard edition or the deluxe edition of Reaper of Souls will receive the items as long as you redeem your Reaper of Souls game key on your Battle.net account before March 31.

You can find out more on what Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls has to offer in our four part closed beta diary - part one, two, three and four.

With patch 2.0.1 on the horizon for Blizzard's action RPG Diablo 3, the developer has taken to their official blog to reveal a bit more on two of the bigger additions to their first expansion, Reaper of Souls.

Alongside the new classes, removal of auction house and range of other features, the new expansion will see an introduction to clans and communities, with the major difference between the two being scale:

"With a member limit of 120 players, clans are intended to be smaller and invitation only," Blizzard reports. "This means that while you can send a request to join a clan, you will not technically become a member unless you are invited or your request to join the clan is accepted. Also, while anyone can create or join a clan, you can only be a member of one clan at any given time."

In contrast to the small clan-sized player limits, Blizzard's communities social feature expands to a larger scale, inclusive of a specific category and language. Blizzard mentions a selection of categories for communities, including regions, companies, and player classes, among presumably many others.

Communities are designed to be a place where players can come together for any number of reasons, including playing the same class, frequenting the same fan sites, or living in the same geographical area. They're all about fostering relationships between like-minded people, with a keen focus on socialization.

Unlike Clans, Communities are intended to be much larger and more casual. They can be public or private, for example, and support a nearly unlimited number of members. In addition, while you can only join a single Clan, you can be a member of multiple different Communities at the same time.

It's recommended to check out the full blog post for a thorough rundown on what to expect, including glimpses of UI changes in action. One thing is for sure in that these new social features will definitely help create a more socially-orientated community, and enable those wanting to group up with friends an even easier way to do so.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls will be available come March 25th for Windows and Mac.

Over the past two months, Kosta "Toadovsky" Andreadis has been delivering us his heavily detailed thoughts on the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls closed beta, first taking us through loot, then adventuring and most recently, behind the helm and shield of the Crusader Class. Today, however, he brings his diary series to a close with a wrap-up of the game as it currently stands in beta but with a detailed look at smaller things he hasn't focused on yet.

Map traversal, other class upgrades, transmogrification, companions, audio, co-op and much, much more round out his gameplay diary experience.

Click here for our Diablo III: Reaper of Souls gameplay diary #4.

Announced late last year, Blizzard has taken to their Battle.net blog to unveil just what the physical Collector's Edition will look like for their upcoming Diablo 3 expansion, Reaper of Souls.

With your usual high-quality art book and unique box art, the limited edition will also include a behind the scenes DVD and Blu-Ray, the Reaper of Souls soundtrack, a Malthael mouse pad and a handful of in-game content exclusive to the Collector's Edition.

A collection of exclusive helm- and weapon-transmogrification recipes to distinguish your hero among the champions of Sanctuary; a loyal Spectral Hound minion to keep your adventurers company on their epic journeys; three additional character slots to accommodate new heroes; an in-game Treasure Goblin companion pet for World of Warcraft; and an assortment of Crusader-themed Battle.net portraits and Malthael-themed decals for StarCraft II.

Currently it looks like only JB Hi-Fi ($88) and EB Games ($89.95) are offering the Collector's Edition for sale, though if you spot any other retailers with the physical edition let us know in the comments below.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls will be available on PC and Mac come March 25th. If you haven't been keeping up with our new hands-on closed beta diary by Kosta "Toadovsky" Andreadis, you can find the third chapter over here for a great insight into the new Crusader class.

The third installment in our ongoing Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Closed Beta gameplay diary series is here, this time taking a closer look at the new Crusader class.

Kosta "Toadovsky" Andreadis wreaks all manner of holy fury on the game's undead to take the Crusader for his test-drive, while also giving us insight into the city of Westmarch and its broadened, more expansive design, the game's overall darker tone and how the new Acts differ (or not) from the Acts of Diablo III proper.

Click here for our Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Closed Beta Diary #3.

Kosta "Toadovsky" Andreadis is back with his second gameplay diary for Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, this time focusing on the raised level cap of 70 and what that means for gameplay in the new expansion.

Diablo 3 proper, effectively stopped being "fresh" and "exciting" once level 60 was reached, and repetition was the only tool you could really use to get their in the first place. For gluttons of punishment, this probably wasn't a big deal, for everyone else though, it was. Thankfully everything surrounding the level 60 plateau seems to have been front and centre on the development drawing board for Reaper of Souls, as Kosta explains not only about how much more engaging and fun it is to now strive for level 70, but the player-choice in just how you do it along the way.

Click here for his Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Beta Diary #2 - The Not-So Long Road to 70.