Social interaction has been vital to all of Blizzard's games ever since online multiplayer became irreversibly tied with PC gaming. World of Warcraft took the social aspect one step further by creating the Armory, a profile keeping track of a player's progress outside of the actual game. Now players would be able to keep track of their friends and brag about their gear without having to log on.

Now, just a few months after launch, Diablo 3 character profiles have gone live, offering functionality very similar to the World of Warcraft Armory.

The aptly named Hero Profiles have three tabs for players to scroll through. The first is a Career tab which outlines a player's progress through the game with all of their heroes, as well as play time, progression through both normal and hardcore modes, and both lifetime and elite kills. The next tab is the Heroes tab, which lets players leaf through each hero individually, examining current gear, attributes, skills, progression, and even current followers. The most exciting aspect of this tab is clearly the detailed gear overview, because let's face it, Diablo 3 is all about the gear.

The third and final tab is the friends tab, which should be pretty self-explanatory. Players will be able to view their friends' characters and "quickly compare notes on gear, skill & rune choices, and everything in between. " Players who want to know why their friends are advancing so much more quickly than they are can now find the answer without having to go to the trouble of asking. Just check the profile.

These are exciting new features for gamers that want to show off their stacked characters and keep track of their progress while away from the game. For those wishing for even more functionality, Blizzard promises even more detailed statistics in future updates, along with separate tabs for in-game achievements and artisans.

Ranters, are you excited for the inclusion of Hero Profiles in Diablo 3? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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