Diablo 4: Everything you need to know

Navigation:

• World
• Campaign
• Dungeons
• Classes
• Levelling
• Skills and Talents
• Endgame
• PvP
• Release Date

What’s the world of Diablo 4 like?

The world of Diablo 4 is going to be dark, gritty and 10 or 20 times larger than previous Diablo games. It’s also a shared world, which means you’ll see occasionally see other players and have the option of partying up to take on Dungeons and other activities. However, areas like dungeons and the campaign can be played through fully on your own if you so choose.

Towns will be dotted around the world, and they’ll be the game’s main trading hubs. Opportunities to party up, trade and interact with others will be at their highest in these zones.

There are new World Boss Areas where you can join up with players and take on big baddies for powerful loot rewards. These are rather like Public Events in Destiny 2, or roaming mini-bosses in WoW.

Just taking a look at Diablo 4’s map, there are plenty of unique zones to explore, each with their own theme, enemies, dungeons and secrets:

• Scosglen
• Dry Steppes
• Kehjistan
• Corajan Jungles
• Swamplands
• Dreadlands
• Khanduras
• Xiansai
• Westmarch
• Sharval Wilds
• Skovos Isles

There will also be over 100 settlements of varying sizes and tonnes of hidden areas.

As the world is so much larger, you’ll be able to ride mounts to get around in Diablo 4. Horses have been shown off, but we imagine there will be plenty of different options and cosmetics to help you stand out from the crowd.

What’s more, there are special dismount abilities for each class. The Sorceress’ dismount causes her to fly off her mount with an icy blast.

What will the campaign be like?

Details are thin, but we know that Diablo 4’s campaign will be non-linear. Presumably, we’ll be able to choose which areas we’d like to visit and level in throughout the story considering the world is so much larger this time around.

Whenever you complete one part of the world during the campaign, it will be unlocked as a shared space. So, as you work your way through the campaign, more and more of the world will be unlocked as a shared player space.

What are dungeons like in Diablo 4?

For now, Blizzard’s remaining tight-lipped about Dungeons in Diablo 4. From the gameplay we’ve seen and the panels at BlizzCon, we can get a better idea of what they’ll entail, though.

As you’d expect of a world this size, there will be hundreds of dungeons to explore and loot. And according to Blizzard, they will always be private to you and your party. This means you won’t find random players tearing through enemies and hoovering up all your loot.

Dungeons will be randomised to increase replayability. Loading screens will be no more, and actions will have consequences. The choices you make in the first part of the dungeon may affect a latter section, for example.

Dungeon objectives will task you with tracking down rare enemies in a dungeon, or defeating a certain area in a specific time. Progressing through these objectives will increase their difficulty, but in turn, you’ll gain greater rewards. Additionally, enemies will respond to your progress. If you’re particularly successful, they might get stronger to give you a tougher time.

What Classes are playable in Diablo 4?

There will be five Classes available on launch, but three have been shown off so far: the Barbarian, Sorceress and Druid.

Character customisation is due to be even more complex this time around. Think gender, tattoos, hair colour, eye colour, face, stature etc.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the three classes we saw at BlizzCon 2019:

Barbarian

• Can wield up to 4 weapons at a time.
• You are allowed two carry one-handed weapons, and two separate two-handed weapons.
• You can switch between these weapons on the fly depending on which skills you’re using. This makes for some amazing combo potential, and also allows you to tailor your swings to the situation at hand.

Sorceress

• Think of her as the main spell-caster class in Diablo 4.
• You control three elements and use them to your advantage. Fling ice, summon meteors, transform yourself into an electric ball which zips around the battlefield – you name it.
• She has great damage potential, but she’s no frontliner, meaning you will need to keep your distance and chain together your abilities wisely when under attack.

Druid

• A versatile class who’s part caster, part shapeshifter. You can transform into a bear and a werewolf. The former is tanky with AoE abilities, the latter has higher DPS but is a little more vulnerable.
• Shapeshifting is snappy, meaning you can transform mid-ability and use different abilities in that form.
• You can use the moment you shapeshift to your advantage. For example, transforming may grant you a quick defense bonus.

As with most Diablo expansions, we imagine more will be added over time.

How will levelling work in Diablo 4?

Levelling will likely work in a similar manner to Diablo 3. You’ll earn EXP as you complete objectives and slay monsters, and as you rank up you’ll grow in strength. Each level up will also grant you points which you can put into skill trees and talents to make your character unique – and even more powerful.

We know that there will be a max level of 40 in Diablo 4, and that zones/enemies will scale to your level. When you’re in a party, the game will scale to the party leader’s level. This will present a greater challenge, but Blizzard is keen to point out that you’ll still feel powerful.

Blizzard is currently thinking of a new Paragon system, but it’s not settled on exactly what it could be just yet. We’ll update this section once we know more.

How do Skills and Talents work in Diablo 4?

Skills in Diablo 4 work similarly to Diablo 2. Putting a point into a Skill gives it a rank, and the higher the Rank, the stronger the skill. We know from the BlizzCon showcase each Skill will have 15 ranks, and some of these ranks add serious punch to these Skills. Think extra crowd control, larger impact, and total transformations of a Skill that you might be used to.

As you’d expect, some Skills are level gated, but there’s a chance you’ll get one or more skill points per level.

From what we’ve seen there are 25-26 individual skills for each Class and these are split into six different categories, each offering different customisation options.

On top of Skills, there’s a brand new talent tree with two or three branches depending on which Class you’ve chosen. Classes will also have special interaction with their Talent tree. For example, the Druid can put points into any branch they like, while the Sorceress gets an extra branch.

Talents often add percentage boosts to your abilities and damage effects. More points in a Talent will increase its bonus, and sometimes your gear can take them beyond their maximum threshold.

The video above by Dantics shows off the Sorceress’ Skills and Talents. It’s a great in-depth video on how all of this stuff works, so it’s well worth giving it a watch.

What’s the endgame like?

The primary endgame activity will be Key Dungeons. Once you’ve hit the endgame special keys will drop randomly when you’re completing activities. These keys will correspond to a specific dungeon, but they’ll upgrade it to an endgame version.

These Key Dungeons will scale up to your level no matter what, so they’ll be extremely tough to beat. What’s more, each Key Dungeon comes with random affixes which can affect the way the dungeon works. Some may change the environment, or make enemies even more lethal. Think of each affix as a special mod or mutation.

Here’s an example of a Dungeon Key:

Garan Hold Key:

• Rank 15
• Lightning Pulse
• ”Demonic creatures infest this former hunting lodge. Fallen shaman conduct vile rituals, summoning more of their kin and endlessly spreading their scourge into the surrounding forest.”
• Sell Value: 1410

How will PvP work?

In Diablo 4 you won’t be running around a shared world being attacked by random players – son don’t worry. If you want to get involved in PvP, you’ll need to visit dedicated PvP zones, similar to World Boss zones.

Blizzard has noted there won’t be separate PvP balance for items and skills, but they expect PvP builds to be very different from PvE focused kit.

Lastly, Blizzard is exploring dedicated PvP Modes and even PvPvE modes too.

What is the release date?

Blizzard hasn’t specified when Diablo 4 will release, but it’s definitely a while away yet. Expect to see it once next gen has launched, so potentially in 2021.

It has been announced for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but considering it will launch with the next generation of consoles, expect it to be on those too. Even the Nintendo Switch will likely receive the game at some point, considering Diablo: Eternal ended up launching on the Switch.

Diablo 4: BlizzCon 2019 Announcement Roundup

Here’s all the info that’s dropped with BlizzCon 2019:

New Cinematic Trailer: It’s definitely going back to its dark, gritty roots. We’ve embedded the latest trailer below.

New Gameplay Trailer: Get a glimpse at all new gameplay below.

Three Confirmed Classes: Barbarian, Sorcerer/Sorceress, and Druid.

• Druid – Druids can shapeshift into bears and werewolves, unlocking new attacks and changing their stats. They’re also able to control the elements by casting down lightning storms and summoning tornadoes to ravage groups of enemies.
• Sorcerer/Sorceress – A classic mage with an arsenal of spells at their disposal. You can freeze enemies with an icy storm, before shattering them with an enormous fireball. Electricity is another focus, and this time players can transform themselves into a ball of it and whizz around the map dealing huge damage to enemies.
• Barbarian – This class is as you’d expect, big, burly and ready for a fight. They’re able to wield multiple weapons and swap between them on the fly, chaining combos and delivering huge amounts of damage.

It’s definitely Diablo: It’s an isometric action RPG, with tonnes of skills and fast paced combat.

The game is a ways off yet: There’s no release date, let alone release window. Blizzard has said it could be a long time until it launches – even in “Blizzard Time” – so we could have a couple of years of waiting on our hands.

Skill trees: You’ll be able to put points into a variety of skill trees to make individual abilities stronger. As you progress through the skill tree, you’ll also unlock new effects, augments and the like. Essentially, it’ll allow for a greater amount of customisation.

Social areas are getting an upgrade: These are now player shared spaces, rather like social hubs in Destiny. You’ll see other players running about, and you’ll be able to trade items, inspect builds and party up.

It’s always online: Blizzard’s stated that Diablo 4 will not have an offline mode as it features a “shared open world”.

You can ride horses now: Mounts will help you traverse the environment. Horses have been shown off, but we imagine there will be plenty more!

Diablo 4: Leaks and Rumours

– Big Reddit Leak –

Some final Diablo 4 rumours have emerged ahead of BlizzCon 2019, and this time it’s thanks to redditor PracticalBrush12. They’ve dropped some details of the game’s alleged mechanics, story, and more. Industry insider Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) adds some legitimacy to the leak, having said it “lines up with everything I’ve heard about Diablo IV”.

From the sounds of things, Diablo 4 is going for a darker, grittier tone than the previous game. Locations will be “laid with corpses”, there will be “wasteland, greyish deserts, clut caves surrounded by flesh, rotten crypts” and more. These environments are reportedly bigger than before, possibly even open world to some extent.

To help aid you traverse these larger areas, characters will be able to ride horses, and there may be “contextual interaction with the environment”, i.e, climbing up walls.

Three classes will be making an appearance: Mage, Barbarian, and Druid. What’s more, PvP may be available from the start, but it’ll almost certainly have 4 player co-op from the off.

Of course, there’s not long to wait until we know if this leak has any validity. However, something tells us a lot of this information is likely spot on.

– Art Book Leak –

In an advert in the latest issue of German video game magazine GameStar, it looks like the upcoming “The Art of Diablo” book has been teased a little earlier than it would’ve liked.

The art book is set to contain “more than 500 artworks from Diablo 1, Diablo 2, Diablo 3, and Diablo 4”. According to the release date, it’ll be available in November and we can already pre-order it on Amazon. Perhaps the game isn’t as far off as we think?

– Shifting Focus –

Another report by Kotaku revealed that Blizzard cancelled a StarCraft first-person shooter which had been in development for two years. Instead, it decided to focus its efforts on future Diablo and Overwatch games, specifically, Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2.

Both of these games are expected to reveal themselves at this year’s Blizzcon, but for now we’ll have to wait and see.

– Job Openings –

Have a glance at Blizzards’ job page for Diablo and there’s a plethora of openings – 23, in fact. It’s looking for artists, loads of engineers, designers and more.

If this doesn’t scream “Diablo 4 is in production”, then we don’t know what it means.

– The Future of Diablo –

All the way back in August 2018, Blizzard posted a video entitled “The Future of Diablo” which offers a brief insight into what the company has in store for the series.

The main take away from this video is this quote:

The forges here at Blizzard are burning hot, and we have multiple Diablo projects in the works. Some of them are going to take longer than others.”

Given Blizzard announcement of a Diablo mobile title dubbed Immortal, it’s clear there’s more in store for the franchise. Maybe we’ll see more than just a Diablo 4 at Blizzcon 2019?