This past week, reports were shared that Blizzard had officially begun a "Friends and Family Alpha" for Diablo 4. This alpha test would go beyond employee-only testing and would invite trusted friends and family members to play the current build of Diablo 4, but only under strict NDA. NDA'd test leaks are infrequent, particularly when only "trusted" individuals are invited, but it seems some players are anxious to share Diablo 4 info with the public.
The most prominent leak features several screenshots taken from the Diablo 4 alpha's opening menus. The user interface is clearly using temporary assets, but there are some intriguing revelations nonetheless. The most prominent confirmation is the return of Diablo 3's seasons, as one gameplay option allows players to create a character partaking in the current season's competitive progression race. Seasons typically have unique equipment and exclusive rewards available, with characters and content only moving to the regular game after the season's completion.
Other reveals within the Diablo 4 alpha's menus are less clear regarding whether they're finalized features or not. For example, there's a look at Diablo 4's character creation system, but it may just be a portion of what will be available. The four menus shown for Diablo 4 character creation include "Face & Body," "Hair," "Accessories," and, "Color." These options are what's shown after choosing the masculine Barbarian.
Two other interesting features seen in the Diablo 4 alpha's menus include an optional tutorial and a difficulty menu. The tutorial offers the player two options, "More Guidance" and "Less Guidance." More Guidance will offer the player in-depth tutorials and is recommended for new Diablo players. Less Guidance will only offer "minimal" direction and only for new Diablo 4 features.
The difficulty options are intriguing, to say the least. Two difficulty options are provided for the player once they're done creating their character. There's "Adventurer - World Tier 1" and "Veteran - World Tier 2." The first is recommended for new players and those who want a light challenge. Enemies are noted as easy to defeat, while loot rewards are "average." Veteran difficulty is for a challenge and grants not just better loot drops, but also increased XP and gold. Diablo games typically feature at least three difficulties: Normal, Nightmare, and Hell. Diablo 3 then added Inferno, and later 13 tiers of Torment. It's possible, or even likely, that more difficulties will be available upon campaign completion in Diablo 4.
This obviously isn't the most productive way to learn about new Diablo 4 features. For more specific information, Diablo fans will have to wait for Blizzard's quarterly Diablo 4 reports. Still, for those hungry for any bit of Diablo 4 information available, it seems that leaks may be coming more frequently.
Diablo 4 releases in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.