Version 1.13 of Blizzard's nine-year-old action-RPG is now yours for the public testing. Simply opt-in to Diablo II's public test realm on Battle.net, update and you'll be good to go. More detailed instructions are at the Battle.net forums.

So what's changed? Well, the option to respecialize a character for one thing. According to the beta patch notes, 1.13 will give players "1 free respec which can be saved" after completing the Den of Evil quest.

Of course, there are major and minor bug fixes, tweaks to each of Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction's seven classes and at least one mystery addition. For the full list of patch notes, click click click your way to Battle.net.

1.13 PTR is LIVE – Patch Notes & FAQ [Battle.net]

L.A.W., or Living After War, takes place after a 2350, after the Earth "Earth has undergone a nuclear war, diastrophism, and 200 years of ice age". Humans fled into space, placing themselves in cryogenic sleep. Upon waking up they return to the planet to rebuild, only to fall into conflict with the mutant 'Niks' who evolved while they were gone.

However, 'Niks' realize their dignity with the emergence of Leader 'Babitus' and escape from humans for freedom and survival. Then, they found a state in the jungle and enter the era of conflict and war against humans over Power Stone, which are the essential materials for survival.

Yes, it's pretty much all that well-written.

Of course the most exciting thing about L.A.W. is that Nitrogen CEO and former lead artist for Diablo II Jang Wook Lee designed it, with help from "A well-known movie director from the Star Wars." What?

The biggest characteristic of L.A.W. is that CEO Lee, who designed 'Diablo,' and a famous director who has worked on many hit movies, including the Star Wars have jointly worked on the conceptual design to use their imaginations to design very unique future scenes.

Wait, he designed Diablo now? I thought he was the lead artist for the second game?

You know what? Normally we don't do this, but I'm going to just go ahead and drop the full press release in here after the concept gallery so you folks can try and piece it together for yourself. Mind you I really do like the concept art they've provided. Just a little confused as to everything else.

Nitrogen releases L.A.W, a stylish action MMORPG for adults!

- CEO Jang Wook Lee, former member of Blizzard USA, challenges the market with L.A.W, MMORPG for adults!

- A well-known movie director from the Star Wars participates in designing concepts for L.A.W!

- L.A.W (Living After War), MMORPG for adults on life in 2350 after a nuclear war!

CEO Jang Wook Lee, who was the lead artist for 'Diablo 2' at Blizzard Entertainment USA, released a stylish action MMORPG for adults on life in 2340 after a nuclear war.

Online game developer Nitrogen (CEO Jang Wook Lee) announced on March 27 that they have completed the alpha test for 'L.A.W (Living After War)', the MMORPG currently in the development process.

L.A.W. has two tribes: humans and mutant 'Niks.' Each tribe has three occupations: 'warrior' that boasts high attack and defense skills and techniques to handle blades, axes, and batons; 'assassin' that specializes in hidden combats using daggers, archery, and long-distance attacks; and 'esper' that can use elemental energy to destroy a certain area, summon combat robots, heal colleagues, and control enemies.

The biggest characteristic of L.A.W. is that CEO Lee, who designed 'Diablo,' and a famous director who has worked on many hit movies, including the Star Wars have jointly worked on the conceptual design to use their imaginations to design very unique future scenes.

Inside the game, players can enjoy combats using flying objects, vehicles, and defensive towers to plunder and attack the other tribe and to defend themselves; hundreds of dungeons, boss monsters, and hunting with parties and guilds; and a new resource stock market system where they can trade futures and engage in spot trading. In particular, the game offers a strong Action Skill Rage System that enables combats with higher levels and a betting system where individuals or groups can place bets through PvP.

CEO Lee of Nitrogen says, "L.A.W. is the real game that is developed for adults, shows a fusion view of the future based on the Earth and the world culture, and invites any adult gamer from all around the world."

L.A.W. BACKGROUND Story
In 2350, the Earth has undergone a nuclear war, diastrophism, and 200 years of ice age. The humans that had fled to the outer space in a spaceship wake up from freeze-sleep and return to the Earth to found a state called "Delka" to rebuild the human civilization. They find that Niks, the mutants that have been created by radioactivity, destroy the authenticity of mankind, and keep them isolated.

However, 'Niks' realize their dignity with the emergence of Leader 'Babitus' and escape from humans for freedom and survival. Then, they found a state in the jungle and enter the era of conflict and war against humans over Power Stone, which are the essential materials for survival.

The official Blizzard forums are accepting your brilliant suggestions about what will make Diablo II ver. 1.13 a better experience than ver. 1.12.

According to Blizzard staffer "Bashiok," the developer's goal is "to get an overall sense of the single most important request from every member of the community." They really do mean everybody.

"We want as many posts as we can get for the largest cross section, so if you have friends who used to play Diablo II or just don't frequent the forums as much as you do, let them know this is here so we can get their '#1 patch note' too" reads the official call for ideas.

While Blizz is asking for one (and one thing only) that you'd like to see squeezed into the next content patch, that hasn't stopped Diablo II extensive wish lists from hundreds of posters.

Most are things like stat and skill respec options, bug fixes and the nerfing of certain spells and weapons. Supporting resolutions beyond 800 by 600 would be swell, according to many (including me). Your own suggestions are welcome over there (with maybe a copy and paste comment over here).

Diablo II 1.13 – Tell Us Your #1 Patch Note [Blizzard Forums - thanks, Rauno!]

StarCraft and Diablo II Battle.net Ban Policy Update

As part of our continued effort to ensure a fair and fun online experience for all Battle.net players, we have expanded our efforts to remove cheaters from StarCraft and Diablo II. We have identified and closed over 350,000 StarCraft and Diablo II accounts which were found to be using third-party hacks.

The Diablo II CD keys associated with the closed Diablo II accounts are now restricted from playing on Battle.net for approximately 30 days. Repeat offenders will have their accounts closed and their CD keys permanently banned from Battle.net.

As a reminder, we reserve the right to close the accounts and ban the CD keys of players who are caught cheating on Battle.net. Cheating ruins the game experience for legitimate players, and we will not tolerate it.

I want one. Strike that, I need one. My soul cries out for it, but not so badly that I am willing to spend more than of $600 to snag one off of eBay. I'll just use the old model-swapping technique. Sure, no one else will see him and he'll make panda noises, but the screenshots will be fantastic.

Tyrael Mini Pet, Blizz Auth, Blue posts [MMO Champion - Thanks Jim!]

The pet itself will be a miniature version of the Archangel Tyrael of Diablo 2 fame who will travel with you on all your grand adventures in Azeroth! Pictures of this amazing new pet will be available on the official website soon for everybody to check out.

That's right, Archangel Tyrael from Diablo II, who now graces the main page of the Diablo III website. I need him, if only to counteract the evil forces of my Collector's Edition mini-Diablo. Sorry Leslie, nothing personal!

Worldwide Invitational In-Game Pet Redemption [WoW Forums via WorldofWar.net]

I downloaded Super Stardust HD from the PlayStation Store last night, impressions of which will follow later in the day. Following a discussion with N'Gai Croal of Level Up fame over drinks and Madden NFL 08, I have a renewed interest in revisiting Manhunt. Yes, I may have been in my cups at the time, perhaps too deep, but I'm pretty sure I told Croal that I considered the Rockstar Games splatterfest one of the most important console games of the previous generation. I should reevaluate that with a bit more playtime, me thinks.

And you? What are you playing this weekend? Anyone got E3 Fever yet?

I've also got a few Virtual Console games collecting virtual dust, so some ActRaiser and attempts to take out Mr. Dream in Punch-Out!! will also dazzle my television. They may even bedazzle it!

Other than that, no real plans but to take it easy and get some work done. Any new purchases this week? And what are you playing this weekend? Michael McWhertor

For tomorrow's hangover, I'm going to need not only a chili verde burrito to wash away tonight's sins, but seek redemption with a return to Diablo II. My paladin is just about ready to take on Baal, so if anyone wants to meet up for some Battle.net action in Nightmare difficulty, shoot me an e-mail. My chipped gem cup runneth over.

I was a little slow getting to Gunpey and Tomb Raider: Anniversary, as promised last week, but as things wind down, they'll both be getting some attention. Your turn. What are you playing this weekend? Michael McWhertor

In an effort to while away the time, I'll be playing some new purchases. I snapped up Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the PlayStation 2 and Gunpey for the PSP last night, in addition to a Wii Classic Controller. I'll be going nuts with all three, finding time to squeeze in a little Diablo II, Odin Sphere and Warhawk beta when the time presents itself.

Yes, sleep is out. I'll also be eating standing up and brushing my teeth in the shower. So what are you looking forward to? And what are you playing this weekend? Michael McWhertor

Oh, right. I'm also about to work my way through expert mode on Guitar Hero II, much to the dismay of my left hand, while I dream of the Xbox 360 version, the Nyko PS2 to PS3 USB adapter and future Guitar Hero song packs. Good times.

So what's on the gaming calendar this weekend? Any geek throwdowns planned? Let us know in the comments, please. Michael McWhertor

With the Consumer Electronics Show going down next week in Las Vegas, I'm just about to make my trip east to score a little Kotaku coverage. That means I won't be playing much in the way of games this weekend. Outside of pulling a few slot machine arms and a handful of games of blackjack at the cheap tables, I'll probably play nothing but a few quick rounds of Bit Generations games on my Game Boy micro.

Scratch that. I just remembered I installed Diablo II and the Lord of Destruction expansion on my MacBook Pro this week. I think I'll be making a run at Diablo with a new Barbarian in between rounds of heavy drinking on the Strip.

What's on your plate this weekend, dear Kotaku readers? Anyone out there making the trek to CES? Let us know what you're spending time with in the comments. Michael McWhertor

Blizzard is testing the waters for a possible Playstation Portable or Nintendo DS versions of their most popular franchises.

In a recent newsletter, the company asked what readers thought about the idea of bringing Diablo II to the DS or PSP if it supported multiplayer wireless gaming. It also asked whether readers would buy a DS version of StarCraft.

All sound like good ideas, though let's hope they pull it off better than Rock 'n' Roll Racing.

Blizzard Games DS Bound? [N64 Europe]