Leaks, rumors, and speculation have been the driving force behind Diablo 4, one year after its disappointing no show at BlizzCon 2018. Not wanting to repeat the mistake made with Diablo Immortal, Blizzard has finally given longtime fans what they've been waiting for and officially announced the newest entry in the long running franchise.
Earlier today at BlizzCon 2019, Diablo 4 director Luis Barriga came out during the opening ceremonies to show off an impressive CG cinematic as well as a first look at actual gameplay. Plenty of new details were also shown off including the three initial classes and design philosophies for the upcoming action-RPG. However, the team held back a bit as a dedicated Diablo panel was planned which contained even more details.
Here's everything the team has shared so far at BlizzCon.
Inspiration and Legacy
The latest entry in the long running franchise is mixing things up a bit and taking elements from each of its predecessors. Barriga specifically referenced the first Diablo's sense of terror and dread, the class and loot chase from Diablo 2, and the combat systems from Diablo 3. Blizzard is looking to tap into the franchise's history in order to make Diablo 4 the best it can be.
One of the biggest complaints about Diablo 3 prior to its release was the brighter outdoor spaces and larger color palate. Diablo has always been associated with dungeons and a more gothic style. This is something that the team is moving back towards with Diablo 4. As players will discover, the team is making things darker, bloodier, creepier, and a bit more unpredictable. The level design systems from Diablo 3 have been upgraded to help make them feel more unique and varied each time they're visited.
Story
According to Blizzard, Diablo 4 picks up 20 years after its predecessor. The world has been decimated in the wake of what happened in the High Heavens, ultimately creating a vacuum of power. As players witnessed in the CG trailer, a dark ritual led by a mysterious individual has caused Lilith, the daughter of the Demonic Lord of Hatred Mephisto, to return to the world of Sanctuary. What her ultimate goals are and whether or not she is the main antagonist is not yet known.
Gameplay
As revealed in the panel, the Diablo 4 team took a lot of inspiration from the fan favorite Adventure Mode from Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. To create that sense freedom when moving around, the world has been opened up considerably. The campaign itself is now completely set in an open environment, no longer requiring players to unlock each area in sequential order first. The game will also come with a day-night and weather cycle as well as retain its iconic isometric camera angle.
Alongside the open world, players will be getting mounts to help them traverse the huge open spaces. Better yet, each class has their own unique dismount animation that allows them to not waste any time getting back into the fight.
Social Areas
New to the series are hub zones that act as social areas where people playing the game can meet up, chat, trade loot, and more.
In addition to these areas, Diablo 4 will have world events that will challenge large groups of players to work together in order to overcome. On paper, it sounds similar to Public events from a game like Destiny 2. The panel showed off a massive boss character being fought by 10 or more players at once.
Classes
During its initial reveal, Blizzard confirmed three classes players can pick from, each one fitting a specific roll.
- Barbarian - The melee master of the bunch, the Barbarian is back once again for those who want to get up close and personal. This class excels at hand to hand combat and brings back a number of familiar abilities like Fury, Leap, and Berzerk. Blizzard is also making this class the master of weapons, letting players equip any weapon they want and even equip four weapons at once. Players will have the option to switch weapons at any time, even in the middle of combat.
- Sorceress - Opposite of the Barbarian is the Sorceress, master of magic. She has access to spells like meteor strike, blizzard, and other spells that let her keep her distance from enemies. As the trailer shows, she can even transform into a ball of lightning and zip around the area damaging most enemies in the vicinity.
- Druid - The final revealed character is the Druid, a hybrid character that can cast spells and dish out melee damage. Like his Diablo 2 counterpart, the Druid can also transform into a Werebear or Werewolf and chain together other attacks. He also has access to Earth-based magic including summoning tornadoes or a huge rolling boulder.
Based on series history, fans should expect at least two more classes to be revealed before the game comes out and then additional classes after the initial launch.
Customization
To help players really put their personal spin on the character they choose, skill trees, rune words, and ability levels are making a return.
Skill trees were last seen in Diablo 2, letting players spend points on upgrading various skills or abilities. It's a change from the flexible system Diablo 3 players have likely gotten used to.
Rune Words are another feature last seen in Diablo 2, allowing players to imbue their weapons and armor with items to give them new effects. Certain combination of Rune Words would also create powerful and unique effects.
Unlike its predecessor, players will be able to customize their base character class. Selecting a class no longer gives players a simple male or female option but different skin tones and preset looks to pick form as well. Even the various aspects of mounts can be swapped out like the design of the head and more.
Player versus Player
Another feature making its return from earlier games is the PvP systems that were largely abandoned in Diablo 3. For this latest game, certain areas in the game will be PvP enabled zones where players are free to battle each other. To prevent griefing, players will need to opt-in to the feature.
Diablo 4 is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.