Diablo 3 Starter Edition Now Available to All

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Want to sample Blizzard's Diablo 3? Now everyone with a Battle.net account can get a taste.

Previously a guest pass-only offering, Blizzard said on Tuesday that the free Diablo 3 Starter Edition is now available for all PC gamers -- friends aren't required. Offered exclusively on Battle.net, potential customers can play the action-RPG up to the Skeleton King boss in Act I, and advance all the way to level 13 without having to purchase the $59.99 PC game.

To play the Starter Edition, gamers must do one of the following:

* Log in to your existing Battle.net account and sign up for the Diablo 3 Starter Edition through the "Your Game Accounts" section.
* Create a new Battle.net account and the Diablo 3 Starter Edition license will be added to your account automatically.
* Grab the Diablo 3 game disc from a friend, install the game, and then log in with your Battle.net account. The Diablo 3 Starter Edition will be added to your account automatically.

In addition to the two previously-mentioned limitations, the Starter Edition only allows matchmaking with other Starter Edition players. There's also no Auction House access (Real Money or Gold), and Global Play is not available. Players attempting to connect to Diablo 3 Starter Edition in a region other than their Battle.net Account's home region will receive Error 12.

"Any progress and achievements you earn while playing the Starter Edition will automatically carry over if you decide to upgrade to the full version of Diablo 3, and the Starter Edition restrictions will be removed," Blizzard said on Tuesday.

These restrictions are essentially the same ones Blizzard imposes on consumers who purchase the digital version of Diablo 3 from Battle.net. The restrictions can last for up to 72 hours while payment verification is fully complete. However gamers playing the Starter Edition can upgrade to the full version by heading to the Game Management page and clicking on the option on the right-hand side.

For more information and a full list of restrictions, check out the Diablo 3 Starter Edition FAQ.

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Kevin Parrish
26 Comments Comment from the forums
  • blppt
    SOAB. I begged somebody at work to give me a free guest pass for months, just got one yesterday. Sigh.
    Reply
  • tinmann
    I might as well give it a whirl, who knows I might buy it if it ever goes on sale.
    Reply
  • fuxxnuts
    don't. its epic fail. no end game.
    Reply
  • bystander
    fuxxnutsdon't. its epic fail. no end game.Even without an end game, it's still fun. We play a lot of games without limitless re-playability. As long as you don't expect 1000's of hours of play, it's a fine game. As much as I disliked that it doesn't have the longevity of D2 did, I still haven't played a single player game more than I played D3 in a very long time.
    Reply
  • d_kuhn
    It'll be in the super saver bin before too long... be patient.
    Reply
  • Will be f2p soon, which makes perfect sense because the game really is p2w.
    Reply
  • fuxxnuts
    bystanderEven without an end game, it's still fun. We play a lot of games without limitless re-playability. As long as you don't expect 1000's of hours of play, it's a fine game. As much as I disliked that it doesn't have the longevity of D2 did, I still haven't played a single player game more than I played D3 in a very long time.
    If you enjoy giving a company $60 for a game with no end-game, no pvp, and all the promises,etc ripped out in favor for microtransactions action housing, okay. But I know better... diablo 2, and even diablo was arugably better designed than D3. (minus graphics).

    Do you work for blizzard by chance, or are you just a sheep?
    Reply
  • bystander
    fuxxnutsIf you enjoy giving a company $60 for a game with no end-game, no pvp, and all the promises,etc ripped out in favor for microtransactions action housing, okay. But I know better... diablo 2, and even diablo was arugably better designed than D3. (minus graphics). Do you work for blizzard by chance, or are you just a sheep?Forget about what they were going to put in. Forget about what D2 had. Now compare it on its own merits. The way you are so heated up about it, I can assume you played it.

    Now, tell me how many hours you played it before you quit? I bet you spent over 200 hours (I've looked at many profiles, and it seems the average player in inferno has over 300 hours spent). Now tell me another game you've played that you invested so much time in.

    Diablo 3 is a fail only in comparison to your expectations, but not in comparison to the rest of the industry.

    Edit: and yes, I quit the game due to it's many problems. However, I can't deny that I spent more time in Diablo 3 than any non-MMO I've played in 10 years. The average $50 game gives me 20-50 hours of fun. I really good one might give 100 hours. Diablo 3 gave me 200 hours of fun.
    Reply
  • Gundam288
    ct1615if you want an end game for diablo, go play WOWI would say Diablo 2. Just play with close buddys via LAN and avoid Battle.net since it's mainly spam bots (at least it was when I played a month after D3 released)

    the one good thing about D2 over D3 is that I can keep it on a flash drive and play it anywhere with no problem.
    Reply
  • aqualipt
    D3 sucks.
    Reply