Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is a fine expansion to a good but troubled game. Fans are a fickle bunch, and when certain things rub them the wrong way, they can get loud. And loud they got, regarding both the ill-conceived and poorly-implemented auction house, always-online requirement, and its now legendary stable of launch issues. With the arrival of Reaper of Souls, we now see Diablo III in a form that's much closer to the sum of its full potential.

I've never found Blizzard particularly adept at storytelling, despite all the lore that's been established over the many years of the studio's existence. However, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls mixes things up by giving us perhaps their most memorable and threatening villain since StarCraft's Queen of Blades. I speak, of course, of Malthael, the titular Reaper. Once the Archangel of Wisdom, Malthael is consumed with hatred of demonkind, and the lengths to which he will go to destroy it include the annihilation of the human race. That's where you, the Nephalem, come in.

The exciting Act V brings you to a whole new level of dark; the doomed city of Westmarch might be the most threatening environment outside of a Souls game. Malevolent spirits are everywhere, and their constant presence will force you to think twice before passing corpses and inanimate objects. It's good, classic Diablo fun.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is much more than just another Act added to the core game. A few critical adjustments have been made under the hood, all of which should please both fans and skeptics. For starters, we have the recently-introduced Loot 2.0, which steers loot drops more towards the class you are currently playing. This takes a good chunk of unwelcome micromanagement out of the proceedings for players with several different characters.

There are a few other additions that keep things exciting. Firstly, Reaper of Souls also adds a new class: the Crusader. This holy warrior is, for all intents and purposes, the de facto tank class for Diablo III. Secondly, the level cap has been raised to 70, which will prolong your adventuring even further.

Finally and best of all, we have Adventure Mode. In this mode, the entire world is open, and bounties are available for you to take on. The action is addictive and exciting, and the loot is incredibly rewarding as always.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is simultaneously a great expansion and a gesture of good faith that ultimately fixes what a lot of people really didn't like about the original 2011 release. The content is fresh and inviting, the new modes and extended level cap promise hours of play, and the new act is a breath of fresh air. If you hated Diablo III, you'd do well to give Reaper of Souls the chance to win you back over.