In Diablo 2, you had the assistance of a mystical Horadric Cube to alchemize new items. In Diablo 3, adventurers have the much simpler option to just ask some guy to make you stuff. As revealed today at Gamescom, your character can meet and befriend Artisans, including a blacksmith, mystic and jeweler, who will then follow you around the world of Sanctuary, making new items from raw materials you extract from unwanted loot.
The blacksmith makes weapons and armor, of course, and can add sockets to items when possible. The mystic enchants items and creates magical implements like scrolls, potions, runes and charms. The jeweler creates gems, amulets and rings, and can also combine existing gems and remove socketed gems. Each artisan has a quest line and backstory and has skills that can be upgraded by the player.
Two decades have passed since the demonic lords, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, set out across the world of Sanctuary on a vicious rampage, twisting humanity to their unholy will. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils, the memory fades slowly. When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram Cathedral seeking clues to defeat new stirrings of evil, a fiery harbinger of doom falls from the heavens, striking the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. This fire from the sky reawakens ancient evils and calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells once again.
