The Prime Evils are not finished with Sanctuary. Diablo II: Lord of Destruction from Blizzard carries the story north to the frozen mountain town of Harrogath, where the last of the Barbarians hold the walls against the armies of Baal, the Lord of Destruction. He is the last of the three brothers still standing, and stopping him means climbing the icy passes to the summit of Mount Arreat and the Worldstone itself. Deckard Cain travels with you, as ever, to read the scrolls the dead leave behind.

Act V is a full new chapter, not a patch. Expect a march through the Bloody Foothills, the Frigid Highlands, the Crystalline Passage and the Worldstone Keep before the throne is reached.

Alongside the Amazon, Barbarian, Necromancer, Paladin and Sorceress, players may now choose one of two newcomers, each with three skill trees of its own:

• The Assassin, a hunter of demons who fights with Martial Arts, lays deadly Traps, and calls on Shadow Disciplines.
• The Druid, a wild spellcaster who commands Elemental magic, summons beasts and spirits, and takes Shape as werewolf or werebear.

The expansion reworks systems veterans already know:

1. Mercenaries can now follow you between acts, gain experience, be revived when they fall, and be equipped with your own weapons, armor and helms.
2. Runewords arrive. Slot the right Runes into a socketed item in the correct order and the item gains powerful new properties. Combine gems and runes in the Horadric Cube to climb the ranks.
3. A larger stash gives you far more room to hoard your magic, rare, set and unique finds.
4. New elite item tiers, class-specific gear and charms deepen the hunt for loot.

Take your new hero online across the Internet Gaming Zone. Battle.net realm play supports up to eight players for cooperative questing, Hardcore characters, and hostile player-versus-player dueling, with TCP/IP and open play also on offer. The Worldstone awaits. Bring runes.