Following the announcement of Diablo IV during the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2019, more details were announced during the “Diablo IV: Unveiled” panel chaired by 3 key development leaders of the game. While not going too in-depth with the making of each features and functions, there were several which caught our eyes. Here is a brief summary of these highlights if you did not have access to the development panel. Talents are back!
● Diablo IV is in a very early development stage, and it is not coming out any time soon, even by Blizzard standards. Yes, this is what the development team said.
● The Barbarian class can now equip 4 weapons to form his arsenal and bring them along during battles.
● The Druid is now attuned to elements of earth and lightning.
● Focus on set items will not be as intense as in Diablo 3, and the team wishes to balance out the power shift with Legendary items. They will also put in more stats such as increasing skill level throughout all items to make each rarity worth something.
● Of course, equipment comparison is not going anywhere.
● 5 key distinct regions in Diablo IV, with day/night cycles and weather.
● Open world concept, players can choose where to go instead of following a linear path.
● As part of the open world, town hubs where players can see each other, trade, look at other players’ gears, and form parties.
● Open world also leads to open world boss raids. That looks oddly like a Tarmogoyf from Magic: The Gathering…
● Being a connected open world, there is a new mode of transportation – mounts! Players can even equip them with various gear pieces, just like a normal character.
● Each class has its own unique dismount skill, for example the Barbarian will slam the ground around him, while the Sorceress will freeze all enemies. These dismount skills can be use in tandem as a strategy! Of course, players have the option to dismount normally.
● Talent tree, first found in Diablo 2, is back!
● Runes, first found in Diablo 2, is back! Ok, it actually first appeared in Diablo: Hellfire, but I don’t think that counts as canon… or is it…
● Here is a good look at Lilith, the final big bad of Diablo IV. Or is she?