Diablo III Limited Edition Strategy Guide [Special Limited Edition] [Hardcover]

Ok let's start of by saying the book is marked at £19.99 so don't go paying the ridiculous amounts that some ppl are asking.

Right the book is a very large & very thick hard cover book you get with the book a real bronze page marker with a multi-lvl relief of the LOD head this in its self I would price easy at £5 and well worth it the length of the page marker is about 3-3 1/2 inches and about 2cm wide.

You also get as a bonus a digital code so that you can down load a digital copy of the book too.

The D3 sign on the front adds to the impression of quality that this books means to convey with the 3 slashes actually embossed and in a kinda holographic foil (it just looks nice).

The art work inside is done with great detail and as I have the D3 CE pack I can say that some of the art work is in fact in both books but that's not any thing to be concerned about its a bonus if you've not got the D3 CE pack but if you do there's still much more in this book to be happy with the detailed descriptions of every thing D3 is very precise and a big help if like me you at first didn't understand the crafting of wpns armour helms and the training aspect of the black smith and the gems and the gems trainer too.

This is not a book you will just pick up and read cover to cover more like a reference you can pick from along the way as you play with you're char in the D3 world.

Is it worth the money I paid for it well as I got it for £27 I am happy to have paid that price as I just think of the extra £7 as P&P would I pay more well that would depend on if I have the D3 CE pack or not and if I'm a big fan of the series (I am).

I personally own all the Diablo games plus expansion packs plus I own the steal series D3 mouse and the steal series D3 Barb game matt plus all the Diablo reading books both paper back and ebook and I'm currently converting the paper backs that are not available as an ebook to PDF so that I can add them to my ebook collection.
So as a fan for me the book is the better of all the available strategy guides you can buy right now but don't go spending silly money for a copy look around first remember it is marked up at £19.99.

************Update*************

I forgot to mention that the digital copy of the book you get you will need to open an account at bradygames.com if you've not got one already then you enter the digital code which is printed on the inside of the rear hard cover this will then give you access to a *Flash* based book not an ebook that you are then able to down load and save to you're tablet this I find very frustrating as I as yet can not find a way to save this flash based book to my PC and as it is really just a photo copy of each page the text is very small and hard to read even on my 55" screen as it is a Flash based prog holding Ctrl+ to enlarge the text will not work.
Why they felt the need to do it this way I do not understand from what I can gather to be very truthful and blunt Blizzard and it's 3rd party partners have gone about this whole release quite wrongly there have been many many complaints.

And one last thing to mention before I finish be very careful with the pages in this book they are very very thin almost like tissue paper if you're not the type of person who takes care in handling their stuff then I would suggest you look for another strategy book with thicker pages as you will soon start to find that this very nice looking and very informative book will soon start to show signs of wear.

Please excuse my lack of grammar,punctuation and spelling I'm very dyslexic.

P.S. if you feel this review is not helpful please leave a comment as to why you feel this way and perhaps I can oblige you in helping by giving you what you are looking for in the review of this product rather than just for the sake of leaving a -neg score.

First off, let me just say this book is very nicely presented and looks the part for a collectors item.

The problem is, that's just what it is, and all it really is. Its a book for collectors who want to know the facts behind the monsters and the stuff that's not in the game. This book will tell you everything you need to know about any monster in Diablo III except anything that might be useful to actually beating it. The campaign guide is...brief, its mainly just a very limited walk through. It will NOT help with strategy's, finding difficult locations or how to get passed something when your stuck.

In short, buy it if you like collecting stuff. If you want a guide on how to play the game, look elsewhere.

The cover of this book is beautifully understated. The three 'claw marks' on the front appear to have been gouged into the cover, through the embossed surface, leaving demonic flames from underneath the surface exposed. Embossed patterns in the heavy card of the book cover add to the effect, and on the back an arcane symbol stands out in shining black on the matte black background. Note though that your hands must be absolutely clean when handling the book - the cover takes finger marks like a hero takes health globes, and once marked it's not easy to get clean.

The gold coloured metal bookmark is packaged in a card container designed to hold it securely and protect it in transit. The bookmark is made in two pieces with the head of the prime evil riveted to the bookmark base. The head feels very solid but the bookmark end must be used with care as it will bend very easily if abused at all, which is the case with all metal bookmarks of this type and not a fault with the item.

The book begins with a foreword by Jay wilson and an introduction then gives a fascinating timeline for events in the Diablo world. The hero's basics follows, which is a general guide to gaming in the Diablo 3 world. After that you get details on every hero class. The next 4 sections walk you through the game act by act, giving details of quests, events and areas including spawned dungeons. It's not complete however as there is no mention of the 'Lyceum' spawn anywhere within act 1 (the only act I know well at this point) which is a rare spawn area needed to complete an achievement within act 1, and so therefore must logically appear in that act. If anyone can give me a clue as to where the Lyceum spawns, or the Villager's Journal drops, I'd be eternally grateful. It was those two questions I hoped this guide would answer at this point and not finding them here is disheartening.

The next section is on Artisans and Crafting, with all the crafting information included. Then we go into the loot system, with details on every item in the game, all possible affixes and base stats and their effects. Special item sets and their bonuses are listed and make me think that the item sets may be the true legendaries, however only time will tell. A detailed bestiary follows, with instructions on how to use it. I'd imagine that this would be useful in higher difficulties if a certain monster type is handing you your backside on a platter. Not something I've yet to worry about on normal difficulty. I've not encountered a monster type that I couldn't defeat with common sense and a couple of skill changes. The auction house is also explained in similar detail, and then every achievement in the game is listed, except for feats of strength. The method for getting them is not listed with them, only the achievement itself and whether it gives a banner reward whn gained.

The last section in the book is the armor concept art, which is similar to that found in the art book of the Collector's edtion of the game. Lovely art work and explanations from the animators, designers and artists.

The book itself is in full colour throughout, the pages are not heavier than a standard game guide, but the extras within and the metal bookmark make it good value for money at the RRP. As a part of the purchase price of the book you receive a code that allows you access to the online flash version of the game, this will be updated with game changes so although the printed version may end up being a pretty focus item for your wizard as changes are made in game, the online flash version will remain useful. (No, I couldn't find my missing Lyceum or the Villager's Journal on it either. Meh.)

There are no maps in here, but with the random spawn system changing areas each time you access them within certain limits, maps would really be of little use. The information provided here is both beautifully presented and of a great deal of value. If you are a fan of the new game, then this limited edition will complete your current collection alongside your CE of the game, and if you couldn't get a CE then this gives you a taste of the artwork in the book that goes with it at an affordable price. If you loved the Book of Cain and the CE then you'll love this too, lots more pretty things for your eyes to feast on and some useful information on playing the game to go with it.