The Diablo series has come to define so much about dungeon-crawling RPGs, really setting the standard for loot-based progression in gaming.
It’s been 11 years since the last release in the franchise, and Blizzard is finally set to return to Hell with Diablo IV. That’s a lot of time, and fittingly Diablo IV looks like it’s updating the series in meaningful ways. With that in mind, here’s everything we know about Diablo IV.
When Is Diablo IV’s Release Date?
As announced at The Game Awards 2022, Diablo IV is set to launch on June 6, 2023, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
The story of Diablo IV picks up after the end of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls as cultists have summoned Lilith, the daughter of the series’ major villain Mephisto. The depleted forces of the Angels and Demons allow Lilith to take advantage of the power vacuum, and establish her base in Sanctuary.
When Is the Diablo IV Open Beta?
Diablo IV will have two different beta periods in March 2023. Players that have pre-ordered the game will have access to the beta on March 17-19. After that, the open beta will take place on March 24-26. Blizzard has a lengthy open beta guide on its website if you need any help.
Diablo IV Classes and New Features
At the moment, we know five classes are returning to Diablo IV. There will likely be more added over time, but here are the ones we know about, with descriptions from Blizzard.
- Barbarian – The Barbarian has unparalleled strength and expertly wields an entire arsenal in battle, with a weapon for every occasion. He bellows intimidating war cries and unleashes ground-shaking slams to send approaching hordes reeling.
- Druid – the Druid is a savage shapeshifter, fluidly transforming between the forms of a towering bear or a vicious werewolf to fight alongside the creatures of the wild. He also commands the power of earth, wind, and storm, unleashing nature’s wrath to devastating effect.
- Necromancer – Necromancers are cunning summoners that conjure vengeful hordes of the undead. Their Essence flows into three powerful bastions of Bone, Blood, or Shadow to bring low their enemies.
- Rogue – The Rogue is an adaptable, agile warrior who can specialize in ranged or close-quarters combat. She can best any foe with her imbued weapons, perform powerful combo attacks, and can augment her arsenal with deadly poisons and shadow magic to slay demons with impunity.
- Sorcerer – The Sorcerer shapes the elements into whatever form is necessary to ensure victory, from hurling bolts of lightning, impaling her foes upon jagged spikes of ice, and raining flaming meteors down from the sky.
Diablo IV looks to be putting a major emphasis on character customization, both in terms of visual design and weapons and armour. At the same time, unlike past games, Diablo IV will have a vast open world to explore, with five different zones that are completely different. While you can certainly traverse the world on foot, you’ll also have access to a variety of mounts.
The open world is also a bit of a “shared world,” as sometimes you’ll run into other players during events or world bosses. It’s not nearly on the level of an MMO, but if you’re online, you won’t be experiencing Diablo IV alone.
Transmogrification, introduced in Reaper of Souls, will be immediately available in Diablo IV. This will let you mix and match armour pieces as you see fit, adjusting their look and colour on the fly.
The final big new addition is called The Codex of Power, allowing you to apply Aspects to equipment that you collect from quests and dungeons. These can alter the skills and power of your class in interesting ways.
Diablo IV Trailers
There are a host of different trailers that Blizzard has released for Diablo IV. There’s, of course, the stunning cinematic trailer that was used to announce the game, and Blizzard once again used a cinematic during the release date trailer at The Game Awards. There’s also the gorgeous opening cutscene that you can watch.
Then there are a variety of gameplay videos released by Blizzard, including the gameplay showcase that you can see above. Other deep dive videos cover things like The World of Sanctuary. Head over to the Diablo YouTube channel for even more.
