Play All Of Act 1 Of Diablo 3, For Free, As Part Of The Diablo 3 Starter Edition

For those of you still skeptical about whether Diablo 3 is worth your hard-earned $60, there’s a compromise available. The Diablo 3 Starter Edition is now free to play, granting access to Act 1 and up to level 13.

There are increasingly questions over how Diablo 3 will retain players outside of the hardware community

Fancied playing Diablo 3 but don’t fancy paying all that money you’ve been slaving to earn? No worries: you can go and played Diablo 3’s Starter Edition for the low price of free. However, you can only play the first act.

Players can also play up to level 13 and play act 1 — though there’s no either-or scenario here — and then the $59.99 cost needs to be paid.

There are multiple ways to get access to the Start Edition, for existing and new players. First, log in to — or create — a Battle.net account and head to the Game Account section. New users have the Starter Edition added automatically.

The second option is to simply log in, if an existing user, and head to the Game Account section to add Diablo 3’s Starter Edition. Third, you can have a copy of the retail disc and install the game before the Starter Edition license appears. For the first two methods, players will have to download Diablo 3. When I downloaded the game a couple of months ago, just 4GB was needed to play the game.

Uncertain End-Game Content

Matchmaking is enabled in the Starter Edition though confined to its players. Note you can only play the Starter Edition in the region selected when registering a Battle.net account. If you’re getting the Error 12 notifications — meaning you’re logging into the wrong region – head to the settings menu and select the correct option. If you’re clever like me, you’ll have selected a completely different region to where you actually live.

Progress and achievements carry over to the full game. Digital purchases may temporarily be bound to Starter Edition limitations for 72 hours while payment is verified.

I played the Starter Edition and it definitely provides a good taste of what Diablo 3 is about. I’m not sure excessive loot collecting via clicking is my kind of game, though.