The Diablo 3 Necromancer Closed Beta Has Begun

It's a big day for Diablo III, as the game's Necromancer class is now available in closed beta.

Announced at BlizzCon last year, Necromancers are "powerful spell casters who lay waste to their enemies using curses and reanimation--along with an obedient cadre of pets," reads a line from Blizzard's official description. "This new class employs a controlled gameplay style using the raw materials of life: blood and bone."

If you have been selected for the Necromancer closed beta, this will show up on your Blizzard Account Management page. You can then select "Necromancer Beta Test" from the drop-down menu in the launcher to install and start playing. Additionally, you can copy over characters from your regular Diablo III account and bring them to the Necromancer beta test.

Full instructions for downloading the beta and copying characters can be found here. If you still need to sign up for the beta, you can do that right here.

Finally, Blizzard shared the preliminary patch notes for 2.6.0, which includes the Necromancer class, as well as Challenge Rifts and the Adventure Mode.

GENERAL

• New Feature: Challenge Rifts
  • Explore new builds created by fellow players in a weekly static dungeon. You can access these through the main screen, similar to Adventure Mode and Campaign Mode.
    • Note: New Challenge Rifts may be available more frequently during the beta.

CLASSES

• New Class: Necromancer
  • As a master of the dark arts, you wield the powers of life and death necessary to restore the Balance! Necromancers are powerful spell casters who lay waste to their enemies using curses and reanimation—along with an obedient cadre of pets. This new class employs a controlled gameplay style using the raw materials of life: blood and bone.

ADVENTURE MODE

• New Zones: The Moors & The Temple of the Firstborn
  • The fog-enshrouded Moors and the darkened Temple of the Firstborn can be explored in Adventure Mode through a new waypoint on the Act 2 map.
• Set Dungeons
  • The user interface has been updated to better explain tier completion requirements.
  • With this, the basic completion tier must be finished within the given time limit.
• Bounties
  • Four new Waypoints have appeared in Act IV. Each one has bounties to complete. These Realms of Fate are the unintended consequences of the battle between the nephalem and Diablo in the High Heavens.