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‘Diablo III’s “Darkening Of Tristram” Event Returns!
Those who enjoyed Diablo III‘s Darkening of Tristram event last year will be pleased to know that Blizzard has launched it again. The original event, which marked the 20th Anniversary of the original Diablo, began again last night, and will be up until January 30th.
In case you don’t know, during the event, Diablo III gets a retro makeover in terms of the UI, graphics, sound effects, and even your movement! That’s right, you’re stuck moving in eight directions à la 1996. To trigger the event, you’ll find special cultists in the game. Killing them will spawn a portal that takes you to a 16-level dungeon where you’ll encounter bosses and elements from the first game.
You can play this event with either a new or existing character, although doing the former is the intended way to experience it. If you manage to clear the dungeon, you have the opportunity to earn unique portraits, pets, transmogrification designs, and more. There are also Achievements in this mode (in case you’re one of those types). This event is available for all platforms, so PC gamers don’t have the opportunity to be cocky this time.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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