Diablo 3 is approaching a decade since its release in May 2012, but the community isn’t sick of it just yet. With a few years to go until Diablo 4 is released (hopefully), the best dungeon crawler for the loot hungry carries on, and certain traditions continue to be upheld. Blizzard has announced that the annual ‘Darkening of Tristram’ event will be returning to the game starting January 3, 2022. This treasured event gives players a chance to revisit the Diablo of yesteryear and is a “loving homage” to the first game in the series. Originally debuting as part of the 20th anniversary of the first Diablo title in 2017, players can log in to enjoy the festivities until January 31, 2022.
The event begins on the trail of a group of mysterious cultists causing trouble in Sanctuary. Players will hunt them down in Adventure Mode, and in doing so, will uncover a portal into Tristram’s past. Entering this portal will transport players to a familiar cathedral, where they can find familiar enemies and items from days past. Heading beneath the catacombs will open up a fight with the dark lord himself.
As usual, Blizzard has announced that a number of unique transmogrification effects, portraits, pets, and achievements will be available to those completing certain objectives during the event period. The cultists will begin appearing on December 31 at 4 PM PST, while the portal will open on January 3 at the same time.
Diablo 3 is available on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Upon release in 2012, the game set a new record for the fastest-selling PC game, selling over 3.5 million copies within the first 24 hours. It because the best-selling PC game of 2012, and as of 2015, over 30 million copies had been sold. Diablo 4 is still in development but has been delayed until sometime in 2023. Earlier this month, Blizzard released a lengthy blog post detailing new information about the upcoming title, including changes to the Paragon system.
