For Blizzard fans, a very particular moment of reckoning has nearly arrived, as the definitive version of Diablo III is on its way to Xbox One and Xbox 360. It’s been dubbed Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition, and brings with it a host of new features for Blizzard’s isometric action-role-playing game. Here’s what you need to know before it launches tomorrow.

The game brings with it all of the hacking, slashing, and looting gameplay the series is known for. It also comes packaged with all of the existing Diablo III content, along with a four-player cooperative mode that can be played offline or online. The new control scheme trades in the series’ traditional point-and-click interface for direct control of your character’s movement via the left analog stick, along with a directional dodge move performed with the right stick. The result is a far more responsive combat experience, designed expressly for console players, that manages to retain Diablo III’s tactical complexity. To show off all of the impressive visual niceties Blizzard has managed to squeeze into the game, the Xbox One version will run in full, glorious 1080p HD.
The Ultimate Evil Edition also features the popular Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion pack, which brings with it a new adventure mode, as well as a new character class called the Crusader. The expansion includes new areas and bounties, and early adopters will be equipped with a little bonus as well: All launch day copies of the Ultimate Evil Edition come packaged with a code for Infernal Pauldrons shoulder plates. Blizzard has provided a brief taste of what players can expect from them: “Wearable at level 1, these devilishly handsome shoulder plates provide bonuses to Vitality, Life per Second, and Cooldown Reduction, and are primed and ready for transmogrification.”
The Diablo III experience has also been streamlined from its PC roots: Players don’t need to create a Battle.net account, and can play the game offline if they wish. There are no more real-money auction houses and Blizzard has tweaked enemy loot drops to be more relevant to players’ needs. Save games can be ported from Xbox 360 to Xbox One as well – so if you’ve made a bunch of progress in the original Diablo III on Xbox 360 and want to continue the adventure, you won’t need to start from scratch. And Blizzard’s recently announced synced multiplatform patching process is the cherry on top.
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition is set for release on Xbox One and Xbox 360 on August 19 – so gear up for the fight against evil!