Blizzard continuing to make big mechanical changes to Diablo III

While there's still no release date set for Diablo III, it seems the release may be further off than some players were guessing, judging by the latest round of sweeping system overhauls. A new post by game director Jay Wilson goes over several major changes being made to the game, starting with the fact that Scrolls of Identify are gone. You have a short casting time to identify and item and that's it, with no need to carry around a separate item.

The latest changes also remove the Mystic artisan, the Cauldron of Jordan, and the Nephalem Cube. The latter two were removed due to the inclusion of a Town Portal button, making trips back and forth far easier, while the Mystic artisan lacked a sufficiently defined role amidst other item modifications. There's also a major stat overhaul, which reduces the core attributes to Strength, Dexterity, Intellect, and Vitality. They're far-reaching changes, and only time will tell how much their impact might slow the game's release as the team tests the altered systems.