UPDATE (7/24/12): As expected, Blizzard is rolling out a hotfix for this issue. Meanwhile, there are reports of a similar, “divine” exploit for the Barbarian class.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Trouble getting through your wizard Diablo IIIgreatest difficulties without dying? Would it help to be completely invulnerable to damage? It is currently possible, thanks to an exploit that spread across the internet this morning.
The madness method was posted to the Blizzard forums late last night, before apparently being taken down by a moderator. We’ve kept the signal alive below, if you want to try it for yourself (or, if you don’t want to bother, YouTube poster Rumiah has a video of the exploit in action):
Step 1: Select Teleport – Fracture. Tie it to a key
Step 2: Select Archon, tested with Improved Archon
Step 3: Move your mouse over or near your character
Step 4: Press Teleport
Step 5: FAST(!) Press Archon
Forum goers aren’t happy with the news, with many worried that the high-level loot earned by players using the exploit will soon flood the game’s auction houses. “Do you know how many wizards on soft and hardcore… are going to make money [in] on NEVER die?” one player asked rhetorically. “The bad economy system of Diablo 3 is ruined,” another writes, while a third claims to have collected ten legendary items in one night of play.
We’ve said in the past that the need for constant hot-fixed character power tweaks is a sign of that Diablo III was not well balanced at launch, but this is probably an exception to that rule. With Blizzard no doubt working feverishly on a patch, you can enjoy your invincible wizards while you can.