Latest patch for Diablo 3 hits, bringing Kanai’s Cube and new Ruins of Sescheron zone

By Kris Wouk August 26, 2015

While Diablo 3 was first released in 2012, Blizzard has a knack for creating experiences that make players want to stick around. The Reaper of Souls expansion and Ultimate Evil Edition versions of the game for consoles certainly help, but so does a steady stream of patches that keep the game feeling fresh.

Blizzard has been previewing the latest patch — version 2.3.0 — since June, but now it is finally live for everyone. The plan was for the patch to hit the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One simultaneously, and just as intended the patch has already successfully rolled out on each platform.

Those who have played their fair share of Diablo 2 will remember the Horadric Cube. While that item isn’t coming to Diablo 3, a new item called Kanai’s Cube certainly bears more than a few similarities to the old cube. The item can be used to extract Legendary powers from items, destroying the item in the process. Kanai’s Cube can also reforge Legendary items, re-rolling its stats as if it had dropped for the first time.

Diablo 3 Kanai's Cube — Image used with permission by copyright holder

To find Kanai’s Cube, players will have to journey into the new zone included in the patch, a frozen wasteland known as the Ruins of Sescheron. “Filled with new enemies, traps, and environmental hazards, you’ll be able to explore the region and learn more about what befell the barbarians of Mount Arreat,” Blizzard’s patch notes read.

The patch also lays the groundwork for the upcoming Season Four of Diablo 3, which starts on August 28. Now players will be able to track their personal progress through the Season via the Season Journey Interface. While the seasons are currently only available to those playing the PC version of the game, this may not always be the case.

“Seasons aren’t really about the leaderboard, but having a fresh start, experiencing the game again and feeling like you’re part of a larger community than yourself where the excitement around Diablo is there,” Blizzard senior producer Rob Foote said in an interview with IGN. “So I think maybe that’s something we need to re-evaluate again. We’ll probably go back and revisit that decision”

For the full list of changes stretches beyond what we can cover here, so for all the changes see the full patch notes for version 2.3.0 on Battle.net.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

Gaming

Homeworld 3 preload guide: release time, file size, and preorder

Ships flying by giant purple towers.

A large-scale sci-fi real-time strategy series is finally coming back with Homeworld 3, and its release is imminent. This is the only RTS series that places you in direct control of entire fleets of ships in 3D combat in some of the most beautiful regions of space we've seen. While we have to wait to see if the story has a satisfying conclusion after all these years, there are always the co-op and PvP modes to sink your time into long after the credits roll. Let's make sure your ships are refueled and ready to take off when Homeworld 3 releases.
Homeworld 3 release time
There are two release times for Homeworld 3 depending on whether or not you purchased the Fleet Command or Collector's editions. If you have either of these versions preordered, then you can start playing at 11 a.m. PT on may 10. If not, then the global release will be at 11 a.m. PT on May 13.
Homeworld 3 file size

Developer Blackbird Interactive has stated that Homeworld 3 will be around 40 GB in size,so be sure you have at least that much space to spare.
Homeworld 3 preload options
Unfortunately, there will be no preloading options for Homeworld 3 prior to launch. You will have to wait for your game to download in full once it unlocks to start playing.
Homeworld 3 preorder details

Gaming

Marvel Rivals is already fun, but it needs to lock down its identity

Team up abilities in Marvel Rivals

After spending a weekend with the Marvel Rivals alpha test, I discovered that I had almost completely forgotten it was a Marvel game.

From the moment it was revealed, Marvel Rivals was labeled an Overwatch clone. That comparison wasn't simply due to it being a 6v6 hero shooter with a similar art style, but even its UI looked almost identical to Blizzard's once-dominant title. The main differentiator we knew of before anyone got their hands on it was the fact that it was a third-person game rather than first-person. Now that I've gotten hands-on with the alpha test and have a good idea of what the base Marvel Rivals is attempting to build upon, it is clear it is straddling the line between embracing its Marvel IP and wanting to recapture that original Overwatch experience. And while the current experience is certainly enjoyable, it may need to commit to a direction to have lasting appeal.
Putting the hero in hero shooter
The Marvel Rivals alpha let me sample 19 heroes and villains divided into the familiar Tank, Damage Per Second (DPS), and Support roles. Each character has a star ranking for their difficulty, which is helpful considering the current tutorial is so bare-bones that it may as well be absent. That will hopefully be addressed by the full release, but for now, learning any character is a trial by fire.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Codename Red gets new title ahead of reveal this week

Ubisoft confirmed that Assassin's Creed Shadows is the name of its upcoming Assassin's Creed game set in feudal Japan. We'll learn more about it later this week.

This project was previously referred to as Assassin's Creed Codename Red. Ubisoft announced it during a live stream in 2022, confirming its feudal Japanese setting, that the company considers it the next "premium flagship" Assassin's Creed game, and that it's developed by Ubisoft Quebec.