Wednesday 16 January 2019

Diablo 3 for the Nintendo Switch



Diablo 3 is releasing for the Nintendo Switch on Friday, November 2nd. This thread will hopefully answer any questions you may have, whether you’re a new Diablo 3 player, or have 5000+ hours killing demons.

Switch/Console Specific Questions

How big is the Diablo 3 digital download?

The game is 13.3 GB. If you’re going to play it with a language other than English, it will require an additional download for localization.

How do I target specific enemies/areas?
The game will generally try to help you out by targetting large clumps of enemies in the direction you're walking towards. You can lock onto an enemy by holding the L button, which will display a small orange arrow above the enemy.

What do Nephalem Glory globes (yellow globes) do?
Unlike the PC version, Nephalem Glory globes give you a temporary buff that doubles your damage. Additional globes will increase the timer by 20 seconds, so make sure to keep the buff going for as long as possible.

Where do I get my Ganon transmog?
The Switch version comes with some exclusive transmogs, to make your character look like Ganon. To unlock the transmog, go to your stash and check under “Misc items”, where you’ll find the transmog recipe that will unlock it on your account.

How do I use an amiibo with the game?

So far what we know:
Based on datamined information from the Switch version of the game Diablo 3 will support 3 types of Amiibo:
  • Default/Generic Amiibo
  • Treasure Goblin Amiibo
  • Demon Amiibo

The first two will spawn a portal leading to some location that spawns an elite pack, while the demon amiibo will spawn a powerful demon on the map. To prevent abuse, there's currently a cooldown on each type of the summon:

  • 22 hours (1320 minutes) for portals
  • 45 minutes for demons.

amiibos can be used in both local and online mode.
Similar to the Ganon transmog, the amiibo portal is located in your stash under “Misc items”.

What controller setups are supported?
The Switch version can be played both docked and undocked, using a Pro Controller, two JoyCons, or even a single JoyCon. However, Diablo 3 uses a lot of buttons, so while it is possible to play with a single JoyCon, the experience is not great and I would not recommend it.

How can I play with other people?
You can play either locally, on the same device or on multiple devices, or online, all with up to four players. To play online, you will need to pay for Nintendo’s online service.

Do I need to pay for Nintendo’s online service to play Seasons?
No, the online service is only required to play non-locally with other people.

Can I play Seasons without being constantly connected to the internet?

You need to be connected to the Internet for the following three things:

  1. Creating your seasonal character
  2. Starting each seasonal play session
  3. Attempting to get a higher ranking on the leaderboards

All you have to do is start your seasonal session (basically logging in) when you have internet and DO NOT CLOSE that session; just hit sleep mode. As soon as you are in, you are good to go and play offline the rest of the day/battery life. All your progress will be updated to the server as soon as you connect the switch to the internet, minus the greater rift clears.

Is cross-play supported?
At this time, cross-play between any versions of Diablo 3 is not supported.

Can I jump straight into Adventure mode?
Yes. You are not locked into playing the Story Mode, even from a completely fresh game.

I heard that there was reduced monster density for the Switch version?
This is false. This came about because of the Gamescom specific demo, where the Switch was initially announced. The monster density is unchanged.

Is there any content that I can transfer between the Switch and other versions?
At this time, there’s no way to link your Nintendo account to your Blizzard account, so all your characters, transmogs, and other data are completely separate

New Player Questions

I'm a new player, what should I do?
First of all, welcome! Diablo is an action-oriented RPG that focuses on cool skills, an item hunt, and laying waste to the hordes of heaven and hell. Like many RPGs, it features classes, stats, story, and character progression that you develop and customize by finding items in-game. Diablo is, at its core, all about finding and using items to destroy hordes of monsters as fast as possible.

The game takes place in the world of Sanctuary. Where humanity is caught between the eternal struggle of heaven and hell, a war that is poised to spill over into the mortal realm and initiate the apocalypse. You play a hero, set on their path to defend humanity from the supernatural forces that threaten it.

If this is your first time playing this type of game, just pick any class that looks fun and enjoy playing through Campaign mode (and bring a friend along too!). Don't worry about anything you see on the subreddit, like which class is currently overpowered, as most players here have played through the game many times and discuss the end-game.

Do I need to play Diablo 1 or 2 to appreciate Diablo 3's gameplay or story?
Not necessarily. Diablo 3 is designed to be very approachable for a newly initiated player and the gameplay is not overly complex. Playing the older games could give you a sense of context and respect for what has been done with Diablo 3, as it's a very progressive continuation of the older game's systems that makes play more fluid and intuitive.

Diablo is a series with deep lore that lends gravity to the player's experience. As for story there will be a lot of references and jokes you might miss not having played the older games, and some character's significance may be lost to you if you don't know their history. You can always catch up on lore using the Diablo wikis or lore recaps on YouTube if you don't want to play the older games. Some players choose to ignore the story altogether and are completely fixed on the gameplay, so you don't need to understand the story to enjoy the game if that is more your thing.
What class should I play?

Play whatever class you think is the most interesting! At all but the very highest levels of play, the classes are all equal. They all play differently, so if you don't like one, don't be afraid to try another!

What mode should I play?
I would suggest playing a Normal Season character. Hardcore is a mode where if your character dies, that character can no longer be played, so you should avoid that for your first playthrough. Seasons are essentially considered fresh starts for the game every few months, and come with additional bonuses in the form of Set Items as rewards for completing certain challenges, so there's no downside. Season and non-season characters cannot play with each other, and the same goes for Hardcore and Normal, and all the combinations of the four.

The game is too easy! I'm on hard difficulty and no one is hurting me. What gives?
Blizzard designed the game so that the first few difficulties would pose very little threat to the player and so you could feel powerful. As you level up and complete Campaign Mode, you'll unlock more difficulties like Master and Torment, which can scale all the way to Torment 13. Try bumping up the difficulty and getting to 70 if you're looking for a challenge.

I beat the game/finished the story. What do I do now?

Congrats! Now you can finally play the game!

Joking aside, there are two parts to Diablo games. One involves leveling up, unlocking skills, and enjoying the story. The other part starts at level 70, once you finally get access to all the powerful legendary and set items. The end-game in Diablo games is to get items that let you kill monsters faster so you can get better items that let you kill monsters even faster so you can get even better items and so on. Most players end up playing Adventure mode, where Nephalem Rifts, Bounties, and Greater Rifts are the way to play. If that sounds interesting, great! If not, try leveling a new class, or grouping up with some friends to slay some monsters!

What build should I run? What items should I look for? What does this acronym/abbreviation mean?If you're level 70 and want to start pushing your character to its limits, you should check out the Class Subreddits, located in the sidebar to the right. You'll find lots of advice and different builds for your class. There are plenty of other resources on the web as well, ranging from checking the leaderboards or other Diablo fansites. As for the different acronyms/abbreviation/initialisms, here's a handy wiki page we have.

How can I improve my character?
Keep playing more! The more you play, the more chances you'll get to improve your character, whether through new builds, more paragon points, or better legendaries.

If you have any other questions, please post them below! Also, if there are any mistakes, please let me know.