BlizzCon 2019 was a runaway success with the announcement of highly anticipated games such as Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, and Diablo 4. Diablo is one of the hottest IPs around because of its addictive gameplay and friendly community. As a game with demonic themes, it can be both dark and hair-raising. Judging by the trailers, Diablo 4 will take on grittier tones.
With Diablo 4 on the horizon, we are clinging onto any news that developer Blizzard Entertainment can give us. These are 5 things we already know about Diablo 4 (& 5 things we hope to see).
10 Lilith Is The Daughter Of Mephisto (Already Know)
It's been foreshadowed in the recently released cinematic trailer that Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto, is going to be a villain in Diablo 4. As the Queen of the Succubi, Lilith may or may not be the final boss in the game. Judging by past Diablo games, Lilith will be one of the bosses, but the last will be Diablo, the Prime Evil.
We don't know what Lilith's motives are for returning. The details around her are enshrouded in darkness, and we can't expect anything good from her. Any time a demon is resurrected in Diablo, there is nothing but bad news.
9 Valuable Drops From Bosses (Hope To See)
One thing missing from Diablo 3 is valuable drops from bosses. Players are forced to either find swarms of enemies in the adventure mode or participate in rifts. Rifts are certainly the most efficient way to find valuable loot in Diablo 3, but it is not nearly as rewarding. Doing rift after rift becomes tedious and lackluster.
Bring back bosses that drop valuable loot like what was seen in Diablo 2. A significant number of players would enjoy fighting bosses like Lilith and Diablo to find loot. Also, being able to obtain loot that is specific to particular elite monsters could improve the flow of the game.
8 Diablo 4 Will Release On Consoles (Already Know)
It's already been confirmed that Diablo 4 will release on video game consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Blizzard Entertainment could go above and beyond by bringing the game to the Nintendo Switch and next-gen consoles. Utilizing the power of the PlayStation 5 and Project Scarlett, Diablo could look better than ever.
We remember Diablo 3's unique gameplay on consoles for supporting 4-player local multiplayer. The fact they are bringing Diablo 4 back to consoles at launch is incredible. This means no waiting period for console players who want to jump right into the action.
7 The Best Of Previous Diablo Games (Hope To See)
According to Petra Nemcova, we need to "Learn from the past, look to the future, but live in the present." This truth relates to Diablo 4 since the game's developers need to learn from previous Diablo games.
Previous Diablo games weren't perfect. Blizzard Entertainment needs to take the best aspects of past Diablo games and remove the parts that didn't work. An auction house doesn't work; that is proven. We do, however, need more enemy variety and player customization.
6 The Return Of The Druid (Already Know)
Returning to Diablo 4 for the first time since Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction is the nostalgic Druid class. Druids are characterized as individuals in tune with nature. They can manipulate their environment or use it to blend in.
Druids can transform into animals, which boosts the power of the character. In Diablo 2, Druids were masters of close quarter combat and could change into animals like werewolves or werebears. The fact they are returning to Diablo 4 is too good to be true.
5 Cross-Platform Play (Hope To See)
Cross-platform is becoming an integral part of gaming. It allows players to connect with players on different consoles such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Widely popular games such as Rocket League and Fortnite have already made the cross-platform leap, bringing players together in a way like never before.
As reported by gamesradar.com, "Blizzard confirmed it's working toward Diablo 4 cross-play." We hope to see cross-platform at launch instead of a year or two down the road.
4 PvP Zones (Already Know)
PvP (player versus player) combat is going to be revamped in a way never imagined. It's going to include PvP zones, which is not something new to the Diablo series. Missing from Diablo 3's PvP was gameplay elements like score counting and team battles.
Perhaps Diablo 4 will deliver on the wishes of fans and bring PvP like never seen before. Players will be limited to fighting in these PvP zones and cannot grief other players on the battlefield.
3 Stable Dedicated Servers (Hope To See)
Server stability is a serious issue with game developer Blizzard Entertainment's releases. Titles like World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft Classic have major server issues that plague a significant number of players.
Dedicated servers allow players to create lobbies and name them, opening up possibilities for trading servers, PvP, and random hang out servers. Dedicated servers were present in Diablo 2, and they seemed to fit the game well. Matchmaking has drawbacks such as less player interaction, and dedicated servers could fix those issues.
2 We Know Little Is Known About The End Game (Already Know)
Blizzard has only introduced the game, showing very little of its gameplay. We have yet to witness the endgame of Diablo 4, which is an essential part of the game series. Typically, players in the endgame try to improve their gear and make the godliest character possible.
This could mean finding gear that improves stats or battling other players to strengthen their Diablo prowess. According to pcgamer.com, "Diablo 4 endgame progression is still undecided."
1 Removal Of Paragon Levels (Hope To See)
Unlike Diablo 2, which has a definitive ending when you can't improve your gear any further, Diablo 3 introduced Paragon levels. Paragon levels make it, so there is no end to the game, and players play until they drop.
Blizzard Entertainment could remove Paragon levels in their upcoming game. The feature creates a player imbalance between the experienced and the not. A player's skill level becomes irrelevant since a character's power is determined by who has played the longest. Blizzard needs to introduce a new end-game system or improve on an existing one.