I'm going to get this out there right off the bat: I wish that Blizzard would start developing Diablo 4 or at least give us a new expansion. I love the series but it's time to move past Diablo 3. That said, Rise of the Necromancer is a lot of fun and it's made playing D3 fun again. To say that I haven't gotten my money's worth would be untrue and I've totally found that I've extracted $15 worth of fun already.
For those who don't already know (all three of you...), Rise of the Necromancer is a new DLC for Diablo 3 that brings the Necromancer class into the game to join the likes of the Barbarian, Monk, Demon Hunter, and all the others. Similar to the Witch Doctor as a pet class, the Necro brings back the halcyon days of Diablo 2 but with some 2017 improvements. It sports a $15 price tag which includes some quality of life bonuses like extra storage tabs, a pet, a portrait frame and more.
A lot of virtual ink has been devoted to the price tag for RotN that frankly has me a bit baffled. This is the first time that a paid DLC has been offered for D3 but it's hardly the first time that games have offered DLC for a similar price without much more, or even not as much, content. For instance, Fallout 4 Far Harbor is $15 right now with the Steam Summer Sale and Persona 5 offers costume and "BGM special sets" for $6.99 each and there are a lot of them available. Even Mario Kart 8 for Wii U sported a pair of DLC for $7.99 each for three characters and four vehicles.
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All this goes a long way to say that RotN is worth the money you pay into it. If you put in three or four hours just leveling your necromancer to 70, you've gotten a good deal. Add in more than a few hours to gear her (or him) up, and you've gotten an even better deal. Add on top of that the two new zones and new Challenge Rifts that are also available to anyone regardless of purchasing the DLC and you've gotten a steal.
The fact of the matter is that people are tired of Diablo 3 and, honestly, I don't blame them. I am too, though I have to admit to being happily surprised at how much fun it's been to play the Necro. She is wildly overpowered and marching through Greater Rifts in record time merrily blowing up everything in her path has been a blast. That said, it also makes me wish for new content to play her in, though I am content for now to keep with her until I grow tired of D3 again.
Blizzard has thrown a lot of effort at the Necro. They have fantastic voice actors and custom voice lines throughout the campaign so they mesh well with the over-arching story. In addition, working through story mode gives players a way to slowly level up their characters and learn the nuances of the class.
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That said, however, there are probably few experienced D3 players who might actually want to do that. It's very slow, after all, and can feel tedious playing through it all again for the umpteenth time. Moving on to Adventure Mode and plowing through levels quickly and efficiently is great fun as well. Of course, playing with friends will make it all go that much faster, though I played alone to maximize my time. Honestly, the Necro is perfect for solo play. Let's just say that Corpse Explosion and Poison Nova plus a half-dozen skeletons and a (frighteningly ugly) Golem work well together.
Necros can be ranged fighters with old favorites like Bone Spear or Teeth. They can let their army of more-or-less persistent skeletons and limited-time raises do all the work. They can also be more melee oriented with Scythes that can dish out fairly decent damage and with Poison Nova to thin the crowd and provide bodies for Corpse Explosion, arguably the class's signature ability.
Unlike a lot of the D3 classes, Necros, particularly pet masters, have a lot more "work" to do to keep the army vast and mighty. They also have to be able to target the right bodies to blow up, use more melee-ranged skills when needed. The fun is in finding the right abilities and runes to apply to make the game fun for you. And it IS fun in a gooey, gory, bloody, body parts flying kind of way -- just the way a great ARPG should be.
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The Bottom Line
If you like Diablo 3, Rise of the Necromancer is well-worth the $15 price tag. You won't be sorry you bought it.
Now...bring on D4 or World of Diablo!
