Perhaps the most anticipated game Blizzard is developing right now is Diablo IV. It’s been almost two years since Diablo 4 was announced, which makes us even hungrier for a sequel. This year’s BlizzConline gave a ton of new info about the upcoming action-RPG, and what it means for the franchise. And while the online convention was a low-key one, the amount of revelation is more than enough in offering a clearer picture about what we can expect from Diablo 4.
At the same time, Blizzard also hoping to expand the franchise by developing Diablo Immortal (for mobile) and Diablo II Remastered for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.
When Will Diablo 4 Be Released?
Before the virtual convention, Blizzard announced that neither Diablo 4 nor Overwatch will be coming this year. 2022 is a possibility, but my money is from the year 2023 onwards. Even Luis Barriga, the game director, Diablo 4 will not be coming out soon. So, there you have it; you can stop expecting for now.
Diablo 4 – The Story So Far
Diablo 4 is taking on a darker approach – something that we’ve seen already in the past. This will be the direct continuation of the events of Diablo 3’s Reaper of Souls expansion. But Blizzard said that it would focus more on the commoners’ struggles rather than just supernatural, demonic grandeur. Even the trailer was terrifying, showing a blood sacrifice for bring back the demon Lilith.
The Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye makes its return as well. You can work with this mysterious organization after you collect ears from enemies in exchange for upgrades.
PvP Will Take Place In Fields Of Hatred
You Can Ride A Horse For Long Trips
Blizzard recently revealed how the PvP system will work. Inside a Field, you can collect Shards of Hatred from killing other monsters and players, chests, and completed tasks. If you hold onto them long enough you can cleanse them at an altar to spend them on special items. However, if you’re perished while holding uncleansed shards, they’ll be dropped, and whoever killed you can grab ’em.
Diablo 4 – Multiplayer
Unlike previous Diablo installments, this game is 100% open world. This means you can visit and explore distinct regions anytime you want. Sanctuary can offer many opportunities for you to explore and plunder. With features such as shared player worlds, monster ecologies, and town points that act as social hubs for chilling, Diablo 4 will surely be a lot livelier now.
Meanwhile, the distinctive regions share common borders to allow smooth traveling from area to area without those pesky loading times.
Scosglen
An area that is the home to the Druids, and is heavily forested that extends along the coast. Other than werewolves, you can also find a new monster family called Drowned in this area.
Kehjistan, (AKA the Eastern Empire) is located on eastern Sanctuary. It’s home to a group of rising cultists who constantly roam the place, seeking power to aid the return of the ancient Prime Evils.
Fractured Peaks
Diablo 4 Battle
This area is located within a mountain range that is home to the sect of devout priests. Up there, it’s snowy and secluded, but what lies below is a horrifying one.
Dry Steppes
This unforgiving environment is the home to the hardiest, most desperate souls. We warned, for the denizens here land cannot be trusted!
Hawezar
The home to witches and zealots that tirelessly scour the depths for ancient artifacts. Anyone unaware will quickly find themselves in some deep trouble.
Diablo 4’s Starting Classes?
What we know so far is that Diablo will have five unique character classes, each of which embodies their respective fantasy. Now, let’s briefly discuss the first four of them: the Rogue, the Barbarian, the Sorceress, and the Druid.
Rogue
Teamplay Is Key For Winning
The Rogue has three specializations in Diablo 4: the Shadow Realm, the Combo Points system, and the Exploit Weakness. The first one is an ultimate ability enabling the Rogue to become stealthed. The next one is gained and spent using special abilities, which get an effectiveness boost every time it’s done. It’s basically a system that keeps players cycling their abilities. Lastly, the third one gives you a heads-up when enemies will initiate an attack move so that you can counter-attack them at the right timing.
Barbarian
The Barbarian can wield an array of weapons and can deal massive blows in one strike. With the Arsenal system, it’s now possible to swap between different weapon types depending on the situation, skill, or necessity. For instance, switching from using agile hand axes to a heavy two-handed mace. They can carry up to four weapons and swap between each of them dynamically anytime. You can also assign weapons to different skills, allowing a deeper level of customization.
Sorceress
The Sorceress is the master of harnessing different flavors of magic. The unit may be fragile, but highly destructive upon using hero weaves such as Lightning, Fire, and Cold. Also, with the new Chilling mechanic, you’ll have the ability to dominate your enemies by freezing them up before shattering them down. Indeed, her mastery of magic is an iconic part of the game’s power fantasy.
Druid
The shapeshifter makes a triumphant return to Sanctuary! Being able to change forms from human to Werewolf, his command over storm and earth magic is truly a formidable one. Moreover, new skills like Cataclysm can wipe out enemies using nature’s fury itself.
Diablo won’t be Diablo without s hefty amount of loot here and there. But before that, you’ll see something familiar first:
Normal -> Magic -> Rare -> Legendary/Set -> Ancient -> Mythic
Legendaries were made to be just as, if not more, powerful than Set items. That’s because the devs don’t want their players to get stuck in a particular class all the time. At the same time, the Mythic items are made so powerful that you’re only allowed to equip one at a time.
Additionally, the combat statistics were simplified. As a result, Attack and Defense will be your bread and butter. Now, players will spend more time thinking about their stats rather than doing arithmetic. Besides that, some items act as bonus points to further boost your Talents. For instance, if you want to maximize Pulverize, you can do so with Talents, Items, and Skills.
Legendaries
Legendaries fundamentally change the playstyle of abilities. For example, a Legendary might increase your character’s defense after you Teleport, making it a great evasive maneuver during intense moments. Another might remove your Teleport’s cooldown entirely, but now sends you in some random direction. You can also have a power that brings in burst damage upon your arrival. Lastly, combining these Legendaries can result in some pretty wild stuff, so it’s up to you to decide which ones will satisfy your Diablo experience.
Featuring The Game’s Stunning Visuals
Diablo 4 – Runes
Runes are back, adding another layer of gear customization. The two types are Effects and Conditions. It will be easy to combine one effect and one condition to make your own Legendary. Runes bring a ton of variety to help you check out different combinations to play with.
Diablo 4’s Three New Stats
Blizzard will be adding three new stats (Angelic, Ancestral, & Demonic) to the game. They are prerequisites for item affixes, but each has its unique effect.
a) Angelic: increases the duration of self-buffs
b) Ancestral: increases chances of hit effects
c) Demonic: increases the duration of debuffs
Here’s The Diablo IV Skill Tree
In September 2020, Blizzard shared about the skill tree system. The skill tree is where you’ll spend experience to unlock new skills, enhancements, and Passive Points. Meanwhile, Passive Points are spent where it can grant additional effects. That’s why during endgame, players would have unlocked 30%-40% of the nodes by then, even tho they each have different builds. It creates diversity among the Diablo 4 player base.
The same update made the Enchantment System available to the Sorceress. After unlocking a Sorceress skill, you can choose whether to put in on the active or passive skill slot. For instance, putting the Meteor skill as an Enchantment makes meteors fall into enemies periodically rather than controlling them.
Diablo 4 Monsters Are Now Classified As “Families”
To transform Sanctuary into something new and realistic, each monster is now part of a Monster Family. Let’s take for example the Drowned. They are known watery entities found on Scosglen and not anywhere else. Moreover, each family has a signature ability that synergizes with other families, making them strong when they fight altogether.
Player Worlds
Reimagining Affixes On Diablo 4
Diablo 4’s reimagined affixes change the way how you strategize against your enemies. For example, A Multishot-enchanted ranged Fallen might throw projectiles at you, but if it’s on a Fallen Shaman has the Multishot, they’ll be able to revive multiple allies simultaneously.
Diablo 4’s World Bosses
If you looked closely at the demo, you may have noticed a new addition – Ashava. It’s the first new World Bosses, and challenging her might prove difficult, especially without teamwork. When battling Ashava, try to disable her arm blades to lessen the threat for you and your teammates.
How Do Diablo 4’s Online Features Work?
Diablo IV Official Gameplay Trailer
According to BlizzCon attendees, Diablo 4’s desolate vibe is in contrast with its online elements. You’ll be able to mount horses to travel greater distances while doing quests. You’ll also be able to see other players running past to remind you that it’s not just your world and adventure to bear alone.
Lots Of Stuff To Share, But More To Work On!
Diablo 4 is still in development, so don’t expect it to be coming sooner or later. And while there’s no news about the date of the first public access stage, TechsnGames will continue to share major updates from the Diablo community site! There’s even more hell to raise, but we can’t wait to see you on Sanctuary!
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