Few other developers have had more difficulty trying to maintain their sterling legacy over the past few years than Blizzard. Even without getting into the behind-the-scenes controversies dating back to 2018 that led to several major departures, the once-renowned developer of Warcraft and Starcraft has struggled to meet player expectations with their new releases and keep their current player bases satisfied. Despite the largely-positive reception to the launch of Overwatch in 2016, the introduction of competitive play resulted in a more toxic community of players, which ultimately hurt more casual fans as banned competitive players could still partake in Quick Play and Arcade matches. The Warcraft III: Reforged remaster in 2020 was plagued by technical issues and was criticized by fans of the original for removing features and degrading the overall art style. Most recently, Overwatch 2, which fully replaced the original game after its servers were shut down and continues to lack its PvE modes that were advertised alongside the initial reveal of the game, has received backlash from players for its grind-heavy battle passes that restrict access to new characters that were previously free for all players.
With all of these recent missteps and the looming presence of a potential Microsoft acquisition on the horizon, Blizzard is in desperate need of a new title that excites players at launch and keeps their interest in the months (or years) to follow, perhaps putting the studio back on the path to regaining its lauded reputation. Next month, Diablo IV will be released over a decade after the last game, and looks to push the series forward with ambitious new features. The core loop of defeating waves of monsters and demons to level up and acquire better loot still lies at the heart of the game, but the fourth entry will introduce a sizable open world, eliminating loading screens between different regions or dungeons. Additionally, the non-linear structure will allow players to complete each of the five regions in whatever order they prefer, scaling the enemy levels to match that of the solo player or party leader. That being said, certain areas of each region will be locked off until players are far enough into the campaign, ensuring that you won’t immediately rush off to get demolished by enemies that are far above your capabilities. Meanwhile, the over-world hub areas will support non-party players, allowing opportunities for both PvP interactions and limited-time boss events that you’re able to partake in with other players for additional rewards.
Perhaps the biggest ground-level change to Diablo IV is how the in-game world is constructed. Unlike past entries which mixed 2D and 3D elements to create their environments, all of Diablo IV’s assets will be 3D, creating a greater sense of realism within the world and allowing for another series first, in-game cinematics. These cutscenes will tell a somewhat more grounded tale compared to that of previous Diablo games, foregoing any high fantasy themes and revolving around the regular townsfolk of Sanctuary thirty years after Diablo III. After cultists have unleashed Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, onto the unwilling inhabitants of Sanctuary, the player-characters are called upon to restore peace to this area of refuge, which was created to help those seeking shelter from the eternal war between angels and demons. Of course, it wouldn’t be Diablo without several different character classes to choose between, and Diablo IV brings back five fan-favorite archetypes from the first three games: the multi-weapon wielding Barbarian, the elemental magic powers of the Sorceress, the shape-shifting Druid, the speedy and versatile Rogue, and the dark magic abilities of the Necromancer.
With each of these classes offering unique playstyles and providing a base level of replayability, Blizzard is looking to add even more reasons for dedicated players to continue returning to the game after the completion of the campaign. Similar to the world tier systems found in games like The Division and Outriders, Diablo IV will have five world tiers that escalate in both enemy difficulty and potential rewards, with the first two available from the start and the remaining three being unlocked by completing capstone dungeons. Speaking of dungeons, players can gain access to Nightmare versions of dungeons by acquiring sigils, adding modifiers and increasing the overall challenge of previously encountered dungeons. Players who survive these endgame encounters will be compensated with legendary and all-new Mythic loot that will help in the never-ending pursuit of the perfect build. Finally, Diablo III’s seasons will be making their return in the months and years after launch, offering exclusive loot and world-changing modifiers that will encourage players to change their playstyle in order to overcome these new challenges. With the largely-positive player feedback from Diablo IV’s beta periods, there’s potential for the newest entry in the series to recapture the magic of the first three games, as long as Blizzard can ensure a smooth launch for their online-only title and keep players satisfied with a regular flow of post-release content. Diablo IV is set to launch on June 6 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
