Stay awhile and listen! For the past two decades Diablo players have been listening to this phrase, while hoping to get epic loot. To celebrate Diablo’s 20 year anniversary, Blizzard released The Darkening of Tristram event in Diablo 3. This event features the return of the labyrinth from the original Diablo, complete with 16 floors of dungeon crawling for your enjoyment. This article will provide you with Celxius Gaming’s first impressions of the Darkening of Tristram event.
The Darkening of Tristram
First of all, in order to reach the event you need to locate the portal. Take the waypoint to the Old Ruins in Act 1, and the portal to Tristram is slightly to the south. Upon entering the portal, you will be treated to a classic view of the game. The area looks and feels like the original Diablo, complete with the townsfolk from the first game. The cathedral is in the northeast and upon entering you immediately feel a wave of nostalgia. The cathedral is much darker than the rest of Diablo 3, and a ghostly echo recites a familiar phrase once you enter.
Another highlight of the event comes as you venture deeper into the labyrinth and reunite with old enemies.
This goes for many of the unique creatures that were in the first game. While the game tries to recreate the abilities these creatures had, it does sometimes fall flat.
As I made my way deeper into the lower floors of the labyrinth, I also noted how much quicker this run went than the original Diablo. True, we have a higher level capacity, more complex spells and better equipment, but this aspect of the run did take away some of the nostalgia factor for me. I do not have the best gear and am not at a high paragon level. However I was still able to clear the labyrinth on Torment VII in under thirty minutes. It was worth it to get to the end, and square off against Diablo once more.
Once you beat the Dark Lord himself, you get treated to the cutscene from the end of the first game. A scene that still gives me chills to this day.
Gimme the Epic Loot
While the Darkening of Tristram contains plenty of nostalgia, some of the best things about the event are the collectibles. There is plenty of old loot to collect in the labyrinth (I’m looking at you Godly Plate of the Whale), but by completing event specific achievements you can unlock some rare goodies.
Once you beat the Butcher, he drops his infamous cleaver. Picking it up unlocks the transmogrification, allowing you to change a weapon to look like the cleaver. Additionally, if you start with a new character and complete the labyrinth you unlock the Butcher as a pet. This cute little guy will follow you, spinning his mini-cleaver and eating a large slab of meat. What kind of meat is it, I have no idea.
By killing the unique enemies of the labyrinth, you can unlock the classic Devil (red orb) and Angel (blue orb) character portraits. It is a little bit tough to find all the creatures due to RNG, but keep trekking through and you will get it.
Arguably though the best collectible from this event comes from beating the Dark Lord. Once you beat Diablo, he drops his red soulstone. The soulstone is a unique gem that periodically does massive damage in a circle around you. Like other unique gems, it can be upgraded via greater rifts. When you get the stone, make sure to socket it into a helm slot and equip the helm. Once you do, you unlock the red soulstone transmog.
Again make sure you equip the stone into a helm slot and then put on the helm. Once you do that, you no longer need to equip the gem. You can use that transmog on any head slot item you want!
Final Impressions
In conclusion, the Darkening of Tristram event is definitely worth at least one playthrough. If you are a fan of the first game in the series, you won’t be disappointed. It’s full of gritty nostalgia and loot that fans of the series should not miss out on. The event is only available through January and if you miss out now you won’t be able to obtain the collectible loot until January 2018.
Did you enjoy the Darkening of Tristram event? What were your thoughts and opinions of the labyrinth remake? Are the rewards worth the dungeon dive? I’d love to hear your take on the event! Let me know what you think in the comments below.
To watch my play through of the labyrinth, check out my YouTube channel.
