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Flux, Wolfpaq, and Xanth compare key features in Torchlight 2 to Diablo 3. The item system, character customization, and much more are handled very differently in TL2, with pros and cons. Also includes a D3 v1.0.5 patch preview. Times and topics listed below are merely a rough guideline, as the flow of conversation twists and turns. 0:00 -- Introductions, TL2 launch vs. v1.0.5 patch preview. Recent Dave Brevik Diablo creator coworker praise. 6:40 -- Torchlight 2 difficulty and basics. The horror of Elite/Hardcore mode. 12:00 -- TL2 deep character customization and permanence vs. Diablo III accessibility and freespecs. Pros and cons. 19:00 -- Skill points. In TL2 better customization. Could/should skill points be re-incorporated into Diablo III? 26:00 -- Items. The items system is the most common complaint about Diablo III. How is it handled in TL2? Why is it not good in Diablo III? 42:00 -- final thoughts on TL2 vs. Diablo III. 45:30 -- Diablo III v1.0.5 patch preview. Monster Power issues, Infernal Machine speculation, 50:10 -- class skill changes. demon hunter new build options. 58:00 -- Does Diablo III still need more incentives to play in parties? 60:00 -- final thoughts on Diablo III and the paragon system. When will v1.05 be released? Will we get PvP in Diablo III this year? Moo. Moo. Moo-ooo. As a programming note, the DiabloPodcast.com site is no more, and going forward, all podcasts will be presented here on Diablo.IncGamers.com in the news. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the DiabloWiki provides links to every show, plus quick summaries. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Neinball and Philter join Flux to discuss recent Diablo III news, including the v1.0.5 feature previews, Inferno nerfs, skill changes, item and economy issues, and Auction House problems and solutions. Times and topics listed below are merely a rough guideline, as the flow of conversation twists and turns. 0:00 -- Introductions, recent D3 play, and Torchlight 2 testing. 8:30 -- Paragon level 100 already achieved. Was the Paragon system rushed? 16:05 -- Banner rewards and armor dyes. Use? Ignore? Wut? 19:45 -- Inferno changes, difficulty nerfs, player skill nerfs, new players X system, Infernal Machine speculation. 31:10 -- Auction House issues. More item search improvements are needed. Why doesn't the Auction House in WoW cause the same "grind for gold" gameplay issue that's made Diablo III not-fun for many players? Would item binding would help the Diablo III economy? Were regular ladder resets the key to D2's item economy remaining fun? 52:30 -- Crafting improvements and general economy issues. 57:00 -- Surprised at how many content upgrades we've already seen in the Diablo III patches? Final thoughts. Moo. Moo. Moo-ooo. As a programming note, the DiabloPodcast.com site is no more, and going forward, all podcasts will be presented here on Diablo.IncGamers.com in the news. Due to this change the older shows are not all currently available as mp3s or via iTunes, but they will be added shortly. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the DiabloWiki provides links to every show, plus quick summaries. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

This episode covers a wide array of topics in v1.04 Diablo III, including the paragon level, item farming, jewelry hunting, a Res All hardcap, needed crafting improvements, coming feature changes, and much more. Flux is joined by JrMint, Azzure (briefly) and Xanth to talk about all sorts of issues created by the v1.04 patch. All the guests are playing a lot and enjoying the game much more than they did prior to the patch, but not everything is perfect just yet, so there's plenty to discuss. Times and topics listed below are merely a guideline, as the flow of conversation twists and turns. Many, many topics come up that are not detailed below. 0:00 -- Intro chat and Azzure discusses his happy return to D3. 3:00 -- Items in v1.04. Seeking but not finding. Quality issues? 9:00 -- Item binding needed in D3 along with increased Legendary drop rates? 11:30 -- Are item level 55-59 Legendaries the most useless items in the game? 18:10 -- Speculation about upcoming game change features. 24:45 -- Xanth enters as Azzure leaves, and talks about his v1.04 Hardcore Inferno play. 26:40 -- Does the Paragon system encourage playing just one character forever? Should paragon levels share across all chars on your account? 38:00 -- Why is finding good rare jewelry so difficult? 40:10 -- Crafting improvements needed? 49:45 -- Would a hard cap for RES ALL improve item variety? 56:50 -- Xanth on hardcore inferno Witch Doctor improvements in v1.04 60:50 -- Xanth on the Monk in v1.04. No changes to encourage the class' use. 63:00 -- Jay Wilson and the "F that loser" controversy. 70:00 -- Enjoying v1.04? Still playing? Curious to try new class/skills, or just boosting more in paragon levels? As a programming note, the DiabloPodcast.com site is no more, and all podcast posts will be displayed right here, in the news. Due to this change the mp3s are currently unavailable for past shows, but they'll be working again shortly. For ease of navigation, you can use The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki, which has a short summary of every show, or navigate back through the news posts via The Diablo Podcast category tag. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux is joined by Muggs and Philter to discuss everything about the v1.0.4 patch after a week of play testing. Everyone is a big fan of most of the v1.04 changes, though there are still issues that can be improved, here and there. Topics include changes to the game on the whole, the Paragon system, improved (or not) item finding, changes to boss modifiers, easier multiplayer gaming, and specific changes to the Demon Hunter, Wizard, Barbarian, and Witch Doctor. 0:00 -- Intro and general v1.0.4 reactions. 3:35 -- Paragon levels discussion. Magic Find and very slow Paragon level progression. Is +exp gear needed? Should the devs reintroduce +experience from quests? How has v1.04 improved your item finds? Does the Paragon system make you want to play the same char all the time, instead of playing multiple level 60s? 20:40 -- Monster and boss changes. Is Diablo 3 too easy now? 26:50 -- Demon Hunter. 30:10 -- Wizard. 33:20 -- Barbarian. 42:35 -- Witch Doctor. 57:55 -- Monk. 58:15 -- Overall v1.0.4 patch change reactions, and final thoughts. All the class discussion is based on first hand experience, and both guests have played a lot of Witch Doctor, plus that class got the most changes, so that's the most thorough conversation. The Barbarian gets the second most chat since everyone has tested him out, while the poor Monk is excluded by the luck of the draw. See the TDP #77 post on DiabloPodcast.com for more show details and the mp3 download link. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. Listen via the video versions of the podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux is joined by two first time guests, Danthar and Philter, to discuss everything about the v1.0.4 patch previews. Last week brought previews for improvements to Legendary Items as well as the Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, Wizard, and Witch Doctor, and on the show we discuss all of those, along with other imminent patch issues. The patch should go online Tuesday, August 21st, and we'll record another podcast next weekend after five days of patch testing, to discuss the features and changes. Approximate times when each topic begins: 3:00 -- Legendary item improvements and Magic Find changes. 13:00 -- Witch Doctor. 29:30 -- Demon Hunter. 37:30 -- Monk. 47:30 -- Wizard. 57:00 -- Barbarian. 1:07:00 -- Why is there no D3 (PTR) Patch Test Realm? 1:10:00 -- What are you most looking forward to in v1.0.4 patch? The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux is joined by regular guest Xanth and first time guest Sarnakle to discuss all things Barbarian. Why is the class the most popular in the game, what types of play styles are most popular, what are the best and worst (and most fun novelty) skills and rune effects, sword/board vs. dual-wielding vs. two-hander, the best Inferno builds, the magic of Critical Hits, selecting a Fury-spender, defensive options, PvP expectations, and more. There's even a bonus digression into Diablo III's lacking multiplayer incentives, which are largely responsible for the lack of public games (especially in Inferno Hardcore) and how that could be addressed by the developers. As with the last podcast focused on the Demon Hunter, we made an effort to explain the basics and to keep the conversation accessible to even non-Barb experts. You'll probably still benefit by referring to a full list of Barbarian skills and passives while you listen. If you really want to educate yourself, you should skim over AlexanderBaron's titanically-informative Hardcore Barbarian guide, as it's referred to several times during the conversation. Due to a technical issue, the audio of both guests is about .25 seconds ahead of Flux's, so a few times they seem to answer questions before they have been completely asked. (Either that or they're both impatient psychics.) This is most noticeable during the intro chat, but isn't an issue for 99% of the show. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux is joined by long time guest Wolfpaq and first time guest JrMint for a podcast focused (almost) entirely on the Demon Hunter. Both guests and the host have played the class extensively, and we cover every aspect of Diablo III's pewpewpew expert. Pros and cons of the class, best and worst builds, discussion of almost every skill, favorite rune effects for various situations, passive skill choices, build options and variety, and brainstorming wish lists for ways to improve the class. We tried to keep the show interesting for experts AND accessible for newcomers, so in addition to debates about the best Inferno builds and high end gear talk, it includes basic info about how the class works, explanations by the guests why they like the DH the best, what new DH players should keep in mind, and more. Though we tried to explain things as we went, if you're not super familiar with the DH you'll probably benefit by referring to a full list of her skills and effects while you listen. Demon Hunter skills. Demon Hunter passives. If you're not a big fan of the DH, never fear. We'll be covering all five classes in this level of detail on the podcast, with the Barbarian or Wizard coming up next week, and the others following soon after. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux is joined by Grug and The Eliminator to talk about their Diablo III experiences thus far. One guest is still really enjoying the game while the other... not so much. The original plan for this show was for Exile to talk about why he burned out on Inferno, while Eliminator talked about why he still enjoyed it. However, when Flux had to postpone the recording time and Exile couldn't make it, Grug was able to step in on short notice. That guest substitution changed the show focus, since Grug played much less of the game before burning out. So much less that all of the usual "sick of the Inferno grind/lame end game item system" issues don't apply to him. This change was probably for the good of the show though, since instead of another "why aren't the uniques and set items better" debate that you've read in a dozen forum posts by now, the conversation focused on the pros and cons of other aspects of Diablo III, none of them specific to the end game. Topics include repeating content, level design, story, dialogue, expansion thoughts, the skill rune system, and what needs to be changed in patches to improve D3 and win back disenchanted fans like Grug. Apologies for the YT version on this one: I somehow managed to cut off about the first 10s of audio, so you don't hear some of the set up and guest introductions, and I didn't stretch the image properly so it's a postage stamp. Video editing is not my area of expertise, but I shall check it more closely next time. The audio is fine on the mp3, if you want to hear what you missed in the opening seconds. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel. http://diablo.incgamers.com/wp-content/uploads/podcast/

Flux talks all things Inferno with long time podcast guest Wolfpaq and first time guest Muggs. Both guests have extensive experience with Diablo III's end game and enjoy it, though they've each got a list of features that could/should/need to be improved and upgraded. Inferno-related topics include what's good about the end game, issues with the end game items, D3's "never level again" experience curve, the Auction House as a blessing/curse/necessity, fast games with Nephalem Valor stacks, pros and cons of the crafting system, nostalgia (or not) for customizable runestones, and much more. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

If you enjoyed the podcast but wish there was just less of Flux talking, this is the show for you. Long-time, old-time Diabloii.net columnist Garwulf, AKA Robert Marks, is the guest and my goodness does he have a lot to say. Fortunately he's pretty good at saying it, so hear him discourse on his new book project, his place in the origins of video game journalism, the evolution of ebook publishing, and his interactions with Blizzard back in 2000, when he published the first official Blizzard ebook and the first official Diablo fiction, Demonsbane. Garwulf's new book is called The Traveller on the Road of Legends. The official blurb: "We've all read fantasies about quests, and dragons, and annoying wizards. In which the fate of the world hangs in the balance. And here's another one. But this one is intriguingly different. THE TRAVELER ON THE ROAD OF LEGENDS introduces a setting of infinite possibilities, characters we care about, and danger that must be fought right now. A great adventure." Get Traveler on the Road of Legends from Amazon.com. Get Demonsbane via Amazon.com, or read it in print in the Diablo Archive. Robert's publishing company: Legacy Books Press. You can also check the original Garwulf's Corner columns from 2000-2002, an interview Flux conducted with him upon the publication of Demonsbane, and Flux's 2002 review of that novella. Garwulf's blog can be seen at garwulf.livejournal.com. The whole chat is a good one, but if you're really only interested in the "writing a book for Blizzard and getting a preview of Diablo 3's plot" content, you can skip to about 37 minutes. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

After a few weeks off, The Diablo Podcast returns with a new show focused largely on Hardcore, Inferno, and successful (or not) player approaches to both. Flux is joined by Hardcore expert Xanth for a wide-ranging discussion of all things Diablo III. Topics include Xanth's Hardcore success (two level 60s and a 59, only two of whom were dead at the time the show was recorded), and how it's possible to survive playing HC when most players die repeatedly against most nasty boss packs. The build style, the attitude towards using defensive skills, the overgearing and different emphasis on HC chars marks them as very different than Softcore chars, even ones played by careful players. Other topics include Inferno issues, the mega gear check it provides, the ironic way many players are hobbling themselves for Inferno by Auction House overgearing in Hell, and mixed-laments that so few offensive skills can be used in the end game. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux chats with Xanth and Neinball about Diablo III's second week, and the guys debate going great and what needs work. Topics include character builds and early progress, play styles, reactions to the full game, issues with the economy, the difficulty curve and Inferno, the story and cliffhanger ending, and more. All of the gameplay issues get a Hardcore evaluation as well, since that's Xanth's area of expertise. The second section of the show kicks in around 56 minutes, when Xanth and Neinball check out, and Flux starts a new quick chat with Exile. Exile explains why is his Witch Doctor is level 59.9, talks about the economy and the GAH, revisits some of his pre-game predictions, and more. This show is not spoiler free. The story is discussed in general terms, and the act bosses are mentioned. We're sorry, but if you still haven't completed normal difficulty two weeks after launch, you need to play a little faster. Or skip parts of this podcast; we mention the topic before we start talking about the story, and that's about 35m in. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux, Azzure, and Grug discuss the first week of Diablo III, both in-game and around the Diablo community. Both guests and the host are relatively pleased with the game, though one guest has some strong reservations about a few things. The launch is discussed and the panelists debate whether the extensive negative press coverage of Diablo III's "rocky" launch was a big deal or a big overreaction. Most of the show is concentrated on the gameplay, and there is much discussion of first reactions to the retail client after so long in the tiny Beta. Other game issues include everyone's first character(s) and goals, character builds and rune effect experimentation, issues with the item system's limited variety, randomization issues with outdoor and indoor areas, and reactions to Inferno being beaten in four days. This show is spoiler free, in terms of plot or story details. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Our Diablo III predictions podcast includes short conversations with eight members of the Diablo community, as they predict how the Diablo III experience will unfold. Not every guest was asked exactly the same questions, but most of them got most of the questions, which included the following: Name the most and least popular classes shortly after launch. Will they differ for hardcore? Will there be a major hack or cheat or dupe or other problem requiring a patch fix within the first few months. Will Followers be essential, irrelevant, or something in between in Hell and Inferno? Will the RMAH take off with players paying up to the $250 max price cap within the first month? How long will players take to beat Inferno softcore and Hardcore? When will PvP be patched in? When will D3X be announced and when released? Can you make a bold prediction for the 6th class? Approximate starting times for the various segments: 1:50 -- Azzure's predictions. 8:00 -- The Eliminator's predictions. 14:30 -- Xanth's predictions. 20:45 -- MrFrye's predictions. 24:30 -- Exile's predictions. 32:35 -- Grug's predictions. 38:45 -- Neinball's predictions. 44:00 -- Wolfpaq's predictions. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.

Flux is joined by Grug and Azzure to talk about the highs and lows of the recently-concluded Diablo III beta test. All of the guys were lucky enough to be in the Beta almost from the start, and with the help of numerous fan suggestions in a big beta forum discussion thread, they review the highs and lows of the Diablo 3 Beta. Topics include the ever-changing difficulty, the slow pace of invites, technical problems, the glorious "Beyond the Gate" preview, the huge number of rare boss monsters, varied special areas and rare quests, the addition of skill runes, the unpleasant new skill UI and chat UI, and several more. Grug then tells the story of his recent encounter with Bashiok at PAX East, and relates more of the new info Bashiok shared with him, before the show wraps up with release night plans and first character choices. Approximate starting times for the various segments: 0:30 -- Beta retrospective; highs and lows. 27:30 -- Grug's conversation with Bashiok at PAX east and the new info he revealed. 37:30 -- Release night plans. First class choices. Closing thoughts. The Diablo Podcast Episode Guide in the wiki provides easy navigation with a short summary of every show. Listen and subscribe through iTunes. View video versions of all The Diablo Podcasts on You Tube, via our all-encompassing Diablo3Inc channel.