To combat the lull some players have encountered once they have reached level 60 in Diablo 3, Blizzard is adding a new layer of upgrade levels.
This new layer – called the ‘Paragon System’ – adds 100 additional levels for players to push through once they have reached Diablo 3’s current level max. Coming in update 1.0.4, all experience earned after level 60 will be put toward the new Paragon levels. Each new level in Paragon gives players a boost in core stats (dexterity, strength, vitality, and intelligence) in amounts similar to standard levels along with a 3% boot in magic and gold find.
“It can be demoralizing to play for an hour, not get any drops, and also be out a big chunk of gold from repair costs. Your play session may not only end without an upgrade, it can wind up being a net loss,” game director Jay Wilson wrote on the official blog post revealing the changes. “We know that a lot of you out there are level 60 – maybe on multiple characters – and this system provides a way to make progress every time you log in to the game.”
Under the new system, Nephalem Valor bonuses give players a 15% boost in experience toward Paragon levels per stack. In comparison to Diablo 2, Wilson says that reaching the maximum Paragon level approximates the “long-term investment required to get a level 99 character” in the franchise’s previous installment.
Blizzard’s goal with Paragon is to have top-tier players slowly “transition away” from their reliance on magic find on items in a way that wouldn’t “flip the entire game end-over end.” Once 1.0.4 hits, magic find will be capped to 300% before Nephalem Valor, meaning players will hit the cap once they reach Paragon level 100 – which will allow players to slowly remove those items over time.
No date for the update has been revealed.
