Activision Blizzard has finally announced the expected launch date of the much anticipated Diablo IV. The game was announced back in Blizzcon 2019 but has been kept for the most part under wraps. As of October 18th however, dedicated fans with significant time invested in Diablo II and III, have been sent email invites for the open beta. New fans looking to get in on the action are a little late, as they closed the invites on November 18th, so we're out of luck until the next round comes.
The unique thing about the beta is that instead of starting players in the early game, they're instead starting them off in the end game, as according to Blizzard:
"For many, the end game is their favorite aspect of Diablo. We want to ensure it feels satisfying, and with no shortage of challenging variety to experience across many, many demon slaying sessions."
This has been done so as not to spoil the story of Lilith's return to Sanctuary, but also as they are taking an entirely new approach to this game in the series. The game will now be set in an open world, with the end game as the centerpiece. Zaven Haroutunian, one of the game's lead designers, mentioned, "[The endgame] was a super ambitious thing but I think we've nailed it and I'm super proud of the team." The challenge will be whether they will take us along a path similar to World of Warcraft, which struggles to find a balance between hardcore and casual players due to the insane content density.
Diablo IV will include five classes at launch: Barbarian, Druid, Sorceress, Necromancer, and Rogue. Some familiar, some new. Gone from Diablo III are the Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Witch Doctor, and the Wizard, though they could potentially make a return later on.
One final point of contention comes with the Battle Pass system that will be put into place, and for Diablo veterans, this definitely raised some red flags. We are all a little too familiar with the aggressive cash grab Diablo Immortal forced onto us. It is definitely possible that this could go a similar route, however, Blizzard has assured us that only cosmetic upgrades will be included, so there will not be a pay-to-win system.
What are you most excited about in Diablo IV? The endgame, the open world, or the new classes?