Official ResetEra Thread for Diablo 3: Eternal Collection for Nintendo Switch
I figured, with the release of the Nintendo Switch version and an influx of returning and newbie players alike, a new OT would be great to get everyone together and discuss things! It's my first OT so hopefully it'll be a decent place for all things Diablo 3 Switch related...
Please read the FAQs before asking a question, as the most common queries regarding this game have been asked multiple times in previous threads, it's one of the reasons I wanted to make an OT to be honest.
Playing for the first time? Check out the Tips for Beginners section below for some starters from our fellow ResetEra members!
Want to play together online with some of them? Here's a list of Nintendo Switch Friend Codes to add (thanks to BringBackSonics for compiling)!
Need more advice or wanna organise a group session? Here's a Discord for ResetEra Diablo 3 Switch! (Discord link hidden below
...)
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Release Date: 2nd November 2018
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
(also available on PlayStation 4, XBox One and PC via Blizzard Battle.net)
Prices: £49.99/€59.99/$59.99
(Nintendo eShop prices for UK/EU/US, prices for physical version and digital version from other regions may vary)
About the Game
The third entry in Blizzard's premier action RPG series finally makes its way onto a handheld console, as well as being their first game on a Nintendo console since Starcraft 64. Now you too can go to hell and restore balance to the cursed land of New Tristram...
Features
Create the most powerful nephalem with
7 unique classes to choose from, each with a variety of different skills to help plough through the forces of hell.
Collect
lots of loot of all types and rarities - weapons, armour and gems - and kit out your nephalem to suit their abilities.
Story Mode with 5 chapters where the fates of the living and the afterlife hang in the balance.
Eternal endgame possibilities with
Adventure Mode, including bounties for gear and materials, Rifts for even more challenge, and online Seasons to compete against others.
Go it alone or take some friends with you! Many offline options to choose from, including local "couch co-op" multiplayer on a single screen, remote adhoc miltiplayer between multiple consoles (even a hybrid mix of both!), or simply join a party online and raise hell there!
Includes the content from the expansions
Reaper of Souls and
Rise of the Necromancer, as well as all of the updates up until now.
Exclusive for Nintendo Switch players -
Ganondorf transmogrification armour set,
Cucoo companion pet,
Triforce portrait and cosmetic wings!
There is also
amiibo support, including opening portals and summoning special mobs, and an adorable
Loot Goblin amiibo to go with the release!
(Available December 2018)
Media
Trailer
Live-Action Trailer
Links
Diablo 3: Eternal Collection for Nintendo Switch Official Site (UK/EU)
Diablo 3: Eternal Collection for Nintendo Switch Official Site (US)
Official Website Guide to Diablo 3 for Beginners
Useful Guide on Reddit for Returning Players (for v2.6)
Useful Guide on Reddit for Diablo 3 Switch Release
Reviews
Metacritic - 87 (as of 31st October 2018)
Opencritic - 86 (as of 31st October 2018)
IGN said:
Game Informer said:
Gamespot said:
FAQs
Q1: How is the performance in both docked and handheld modes?
Resolution for
docked mode is dynamic 960p and for
handheld mode is 720p, with both targeting
60fps. In most cases this has been shown to be very solid with very few drops, though this will come under more scrutiny once people start hitting higher Greater Rift levels (these slowed down even on PC and the other consoles, so I'd expect the same here).
Here are a couple videos showing performance, with
Digital Foundry's being prerelease and
ContraNetwork's being post release.
Q2: Some previews showed some sparse levels. Has the mob density been changed?
According to Blizzard, the mob density is no different from the current gen versions of Diablo 3, so it will match what is seen on PS4 and XBox One. It makes sense, since Blizzard haven't actively worked on the last gen versions for years.
Q3: Can this game be played without an Internet connection? Do I need Nintendo Online subscription to play?
Unlike the PC version of the game, which requires the player to be logged into their Battle.net account at all times, the console versions of Diablo 3 do not require an Internet connection to play. This is the same for the Switch version.
For offline (solo, couch and wireless co-op) and solo Season play, a Nintendo Online sub is not required. This matches the policy on the other two consoles.
For online co-op play of any kind, a Nintendo Online sub is required.
Q4: What are the differences between the PC and console versions?
There are some notable differences, including:
Dodge roll mechanic
Zoomed in camera view
Targeting with skills (especially ranged or ground)
Mob density
Storage and inventory mechanics
Nemesis monsters and gifting mechanics
Seasonal rewards
Apprentice mode
Because of these differences, I've always considered the console versions of Diablo 3 to be its own thing. Also, certain builds may be affected by these changes, so the meta for reaching higher Greater Rift levels will be different compared to PC.
Q5: Is there any crossplay, cross-save or character transfers between different platforms?
At this moment in time, there are none of these things (though crossplay is being looked at). Since PC and consoles have those aforementioned differences, it's probably best to keep them separate. As for transferring between consoles, both the PlayStation and XBox versions have suffered majorly from hacked characters and items, so again it's probably for the best that they don't go over to a new platform and ruin the online aspect for the growing playerbase.
Q6: What are the controller options?
You've got dual joycons (in handheld or separated from the console), single joycon with waggle and pro controller setups. Here are the control schemes, as provided by
samred.
Q7: Full price? Why is a six year-old game full price?
Aside from the fact that you're getting essentially the complete collection of Diablo 3 releases (vanilla, Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer), there have been many many quality of life changes over the years which, when combined together into a neat package, I personally feel is well worth the asking price for the hundreds of hours of gameplay to be had here. Also, it is price aligned to the digital versions on other consoles (
£54.99 on PSN UK and
£54.99 on Microsoft Store).
Saying that, I know that many gamers are price conscious. I wouldn't expect discounts on the digital version any time soon (if other third-party releases on the Switch are anything to go by), but the physical version tends to have some monies off if you want a better deal.
Q8: What should I do first? Is Adventure Mode locked behind Story Mode progress?
Previously, to access Adventure Mode, players had to complete all five Acts in Story Mode. Recently however, they removed this requirement so now veteran players can jump straight into the endgame content without wading through the story again.
However, for first-timers, I would personally recommend doing the story. You'll get to know all of the skills, monsters, bosses and maps without going in blind and you might enjoy the hokey, corny plot... :V
Tips for Beginners
On not worrying too much at the beginning about best classes and optimal builds, just HAVING FUN!
To add to what Tu101uk has said, seriously, don't sweat your builds and obsess. Especially in the early game. Do the campaign on normal with a character you like the sound of, unlock your skills and play around. Coming in new and obsessing over the "optimal" build is just going to ruin your enjoyment of the game. I went down that path and it just makes you freeze up and doubt yourself.
I had the most fun when I just didn't sweat it. As Tu101uk says, there's plenty of time down the line to start to think about builds. Just have fun with it.
On playing as a newbie/nub/noob (i.e. for the first time)...
So, let me summarize as far as I understand this, from my perspective as a nub.
The current season has a neat set of goodies for the Demon Hunter, especially. (
guidefor DH for intermediate players)
You get them by completing a buncha tasks and then pressing X while in the seasons screen. This takes a while though, especially for newbs.
It is perfectly reasonable to start a season character as a newbie (
guidefor noobs) and use it to play through the story to learn about game mechanics and most importantly, grab the only head gear you will be allowed to use until you hit Level 70, the socketed helmet that boosts the efficiency of the +XP gem (Ruby) it will be fitted with: Leoric's Crown. Seriously, nearly every guide I've read is harping on about this thing. At least it's a guaranteed drop.
Experienced players will instead go Rifting in adventure mode as soon as possible, interspersed with the rare bounty run for season unlocks (also to exploit the occasional bonus loot).
It's preferrable to play with friends to decrease difficulty due to generous mob scaling, and to earn XP/drop boosts. Apparently you can fake-multiplay by syncing up additional controllers for local multi, even if you don't control the additional players - the party characters warp to you automatically if they get too far away from you. Playing like that sounds painful, though. Doubt it's worth it.
Switch on Elective mode so you can configure controls in a way that's not braindead.
On the level of difficulty, for newbies, Hard is recommended, with Master a possibility if you get good gear synergies going. Expert is discouraged because Monsters gain excessively more health, making them less fun to fight. Of course, YMMV. Please note that you can only switch difficulty level from the main menu, not while playing with a character.
Between Levels 1 and 70, too much focus on gear and crafting is detrimental, as it will be rapidly replaced anyway. Just grab whatever boosts your primary stat and damage. Plus the Crown from above. Rings and Amulets that add fixed amounts of Damage are to be prioritized so you can punch above your weight.
During their playtime, noobs should keep an eye out for two more items besides the freaking Crown, namely the Bovine Bardiche and the Puzzle Ring. These items may drop at random and allow you to access bonus dungeons with massive XP and gold gains once you unlock a certain cube in Act 3. Anything else you don't use that isn't a legendary, dismantle. You'll have enough crap to fiddle around with once you hit Level 70. No need to keep around lowlevel gear.
After newbs have gotten fully accustomed to controls and mechanics, and for experienced players from the start, it is a good idea to try the (weekly?) Challenge Rift from the pre-game lobby. There's a buncha goodies to be had that help you substantially in your run to 70. It's more or less a speedrun challenge with a fully kitted out character, harvested from the attempts submitted to the leaderboards, and as such requires experienced players. Depends on the run though.
Recommended gameplay tactic: Always focus on groups of mobs, try to lead stragglers into groups or otherwise ignore them if at all possible.
On playing co-op with friends without levelled characters...
By the way, if you are doing couch co-op with friends and they don't have any characters don't worry, because Diablo 3 has an Apprentice Mode that automatically scales the stats for any lower level characters to that of the highest level character in the group. That way, your friends can still participate in killing the hellish horde without you waiting for them to level up from scratch. They get drops and EXP scaled to their level, while you can still play without lowering the difficulty.
On starting out with Season 15...
A tip for new players:
start by making a Seasonal character if you have an Online sub. Seasonal characters are different from regular ones in that:
- They start completely fresh, with no gold, XP, and an empty stash (a non-issue this time, because everyone's starting fresh...).
- Seasonal characters have a list of objectives to complete, to help guide them through the basics of the game (called the "Season Journey"). Completing the first four parts of the Season Journey will give your character a complete set of extremely powerful equipment, which will give you a huge boost when they're all equipped.
- Current season (15) only: seaonal characters earn double the loot chests from completing all bounties in an Act (story area). These caches contain exclusive crafting items, and can sometimes be a pain to grind; this bonus effectively cuts that tedium in half.
- You can earn unique rewards by playing Seasons: new character portraits, new armor transmogs, new pets,
and even more stash space.
- After the season ends, everything transfers over to your pool of non-seasonal characters, including equipment, gold, Paragon experience, stash upgrades, all the unique Season rewards, and the Seasonal character(s) themselves, who become regular characters.
Seasonal characters have a huge advantage over regular ones for that reason, as they can obtain a powerful Set equipment combo far earlier than other players can find them naturally. Seasons are also an excellent way for new players to learn the ins and outs of the game, with the Season Journey objectives.
Another thing of note is that you only need to be online to
create a Seasonal character. After that, you can play offline and earn the rewards to your heart's content. (You might, however, be ineligible for placement on leaderboards if you're offline when you do something leaderboard-worthy, if you care about that sort of thing.)
Go right to Adventure, it's incredible. It's the only thing anyone ever plays in D3. No one ever goes back to Campaign for anything other than curiosity or the occasional achievement.
On Kanai's Cube...
Secondly, make it an early goal to find Kanai's Cube in Adventure Mode. The Cube gives you all sorts of functionality, but the best is definitely the ability to remove a Legendary effect from an item and equip it without needing the item equipped.
https://us.diablo3.com/en/game/guide/items/kanais-cube
On customising skills and enhancing information about them...
Elective mode and advanced tooltips are not on by default, first thing you should do is go on options>gameplay and enable them! You definitely want them both on.
On what the icons mean when picking up loot, how to expand your stash and what to do with spare Legendary gear...
1st is damage, 2nd is defense, 3rd is life regen I think. Green arrows up mean an increase, 1 arrow is slight increase, 2 is more, 3 is obviously big increase. Same thing when they are red and pointing down, obviously meaning less.
R3 while you're at your stash to upgrade it, costs in game money. Dismantle your legendaries at the blacksmith. Some you want to save if they have great effects as you can put the powers into the Kanais cube and use them without the item.
On grinding for better gear in the end-game...
I often see the question about getting better stuff in the last pages so I'll try to give my point of view (sorry by advance for my English).
To me the best sources are the cube upgrade from yellow ones, great rifts (in a group for the loot bonus) and Kadala (y-yeah... Not much but... Sometimes !). So you'll have to farm a lot of nephalem rifts for keys (to go to GR) + death's breath (> Torment VI if possible to have a lot of them) to upgrade yellow items in the cube. Don't forget you can reroll in the cube green set parts to have other parts of the same set. Don't bother with reforging legendaries at the beginning, it's expensive. If you run out of yellow to upgrade it works with crafted ones too.
About GR, the higher you farm, the more blood shards you get (but you'll have to find the most confortable to you, a rift cleared in 5-7 moins is OK). Don't forget to push the highest you can in solo to be able to stock a lot of shards and if you reach the 70 solo you'll unlock the better rarity of items (primal). Blood shards are for "Kadala" (the NPC you'll hate) to exchange for stuff. She can give you any rarity items, but rarest at low chance of course.
One item should be prioritized if the bracers are secondary in your build : nemesis bracers. It makes spawn elite monsters on each bonus pillar. It means faster rifts and death's breath <3
If you're too squishy and don't have a good belt, try the "Golwrap". It will make you almost invincible when you pick up gold (works like a charm with " Boon of the Hoarder", the gem you get on Avarice when you pût a puzzle ring in the cube). With the "Avarice Band" (a ring you get only in the bounties rewards), you'll pick up so much gold that your armor will be totally insane). Of course all of this is for everywhere but GR because there is no gold there.
On your jewels, the top priority is SLOTS. Legendary gems are a must have. Even if you have meaty attributed, don't pass on a legendary gem. Choose them wisely. You can have legendary gems in great rifts. So don't wait too long to do some GR, it's not the content you save after optimizing your stuff, it is a part of the grind. I admit I did the mistake when I started to play. I thought it was elitist content. It's not until 100+.
Also if you're lost and struggle to push in higher difficulties/rifts, I recommend you to search builds for Season 15 (to be sure it's not outdated, because the game changer a lot) on the Internet, there are several websites for that. Sometimes you just don't know the existence of very powerful items with specific skills. It's not a game like most rpg with 1 or 2 top gear only about raw stats, all is in the special atrributes and synergy. It's normal to not see immediatly what works better.
Wow that messy wall of text, sorry.
All assets used and media posted in this OT belong to their respective owners.
Let me know in the thread if you have any suggestions for things to add to the OT![/hide]
