by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

As previously noted by my good friend Neinball, this latest edition of Play Your Way Thursday was going to be extra special.

Not only were two builds going to be featured (both the winner V3dun’s “Void Ray” Wizard and second place finisher who was able to step in for the stream spot, Majier’s “Sweeping Thunder” Crusader) and not only were all of the participants going to be putting their characters (and pride) on the line by showcasing Hardcore gameplay for the first time on Play Your Way Thursday, but also the effervescent and widely-popular deadmau5 would finally be making his Diablo debut in an official capacity. [Those in the know surely recognize the tribute to him in this item.]

With Brandy “Nevalistis” Camel and Don Vu in tow, this stream could not be anything but amazing. So, did it live up to the hype? Read on for my favorite highlights from the session and the official Blizzard summary.

I was able to watch the VOD earlier today and if you’re looking for a few quick hits before you sink your teeth into the entire video, look no further than my list of favorite moments below:

• Don hasn’t died once this season!
• Don instead saw fit to kill Brandy while powerleveling her.
• Deadmau5 posited a theory that the Wormhole rune on Teleport interacts interestingly with Vortex. Don wasn’t buying it.
• The Speed Racer Conquest was deemed impossible by deadmau5. Don wasn’t purchasing that idea either.
• Pressing Control-Alt-Delete and then Escape can potentially restore a play session where it seems like your game has crashed.
• Deadmau5 threw out a suggestion to have Nemesis Bracers activate as long as your character owns them (in inventory or stash). The others were intrigued. Majier thought this could be a good way to bring charms into Diablo 3.
• Final Count on Cheat Death Passive Procs: Don – 3; Deadmau5 – 3; Majier – 3; Brandy – ZERO!

Last Thursday, we hopped on Twitch and livestreamed a very special Hardcore edition of Play Your Way, featuring Majier’s “Sweeping Thunder” Crusader and special guest, deadmau5! If you missed the live broadcast, the VOD of our play session is now available on both Twitch and YouTube.

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For our fourth Play Your Way livestream, associate game designer Don Vu convinced Majier#1230 and I into leveling up new Seasonal heroes to join himself and Joel “deadmau5” Zimmerman in Hardcore mode. The threat of permanent death was very real, and you better bet my heart was racing the entire stream!

We started out with Nephalem Rifts on Torment III and pushed our way past Torment VI. After our successes there, we challenged ourselves to Greater Rift levels 25-29! Want to see how we fared? Then check the video embedded video below or watch the VOD directly on Twitch or YouTube.

[youtube id="nVSS86UFpyg"]

Curious about the builds we were running? Here’s what we were rolling with:

• Brandy “Nevalistis” Camel
  • Hardcore Void Ray
• Don Vu
  • Hardcore Condemn
• Majier
  • Hardcore Sweeping Thunder
• deadmau5
  • Burn Everything

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Thanks to those who joined us in chat, especially those demanding blood tribute.

Until next time, keep playing your way and don’t forget to send in your builds for a chance to join us on stream!