Blizzard have released a preview of Diablo IV. This phase of the game occurs after the destruction of the Black Soulstone, the defeat of the Prime Evil, and the fall of Malthael, Angel of Death. Countless lives have been lost and the people of Sanctuary find themselves struggling through the darkest of ages. Years have passed and, as some semblance of regular life starts rebuilding, a threat as old as the land itself begins to manifest.
Diablo IV is the latest in the saga of the genre-defining ARPG Diablohub fans players have fallen for. Hellish new features, brutal challenges, and an unavoidable return to darkness lie at the heart of this game. Get a preview of the terror that is in store:
Diablo IV takes place many years after the events of Diablo III; after millions have been slaughtered by the actions of the High Heavens and Burning Hells alike. In the power vacuum left behind, a legendary name resurfaces;Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto, the whispered progenitor of humanity. Her hold on Sanctuary cuts deep into the hearts of men and women alike, cultivating the worst in its citizens and leaving the world a dark and hopeless place.
With Diablo IV, Blizzard are opening up the campaign approach to broaden Sanctuary in a way that's not been tried before. With a fully open world, players will be able to adventure across five distinctively dangerous regions in any order, all seamlessly connected for uninterrupted journeys.
Mount up and roam from zone to zone completing public events with others or explore populated town social hubs to party up and trade. Challenge a world boss or even other players for treasure and glory! The world, along with its deadly inhabitants, awaits.
While it’s probably suicidal to go alone, you might prefer to try going through Sanctuary solo. Players can explore the campaign at their own pace, plumb randomized dungeons for rare loot, and find any item without joining a group. Keyed dungeons will offer a new endgame experience available to individual players as well as groups of up to four!
Players will be able to choose between five different, unique classes on launch. These three will be revealed by Blizzard at BlizzCon 2019:
The Barbarian:
Crush enemies and wade through combat with reckless abandon.
The Sorceress:
Freeze, scorch, or shock your foes with immeasurable arcane power.
The Druid:
With the Druid, you can shift between primal forms while commanding the fury of nature itself.
Blizzard have promised to make November a month to remember promising that there will be a way for everyone to explore Sanctuary. People waiting for a news update on Diablo Immortal, Blizzard has been busy developing the new game: refining the game, solidifying its goals, improving mechanics and game systems, as well as laying the groundwork for what a Blizzard mobile MMO ARPG will look like in 2020 and beyond.
In this article, we review the Diablo Immortal basics before we look to the future for this game.
Diablo Immortal is a mobile MMO ARPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Action role-playing video game)intended for iPhone and Android devices to start with. Blizzard are working to include all the well-loved features of Diablo: multitudes of monsters to slay, troves of loot to collect and customize, and powerful classes to play with in multi-player games or on your own.
In addition to migrating to new platform, the shift to mobile MMO ARPG will please the online multiplayer. Blizzard still want players to be able to enjoy the game playing solo, Diablo Immortal will be abound with multiplayer features including persistent shared zones, 4-player instanced dungeons, full Guild support and social systems, and even more.
Diablo Immortal takes place between the time of Diablo II and Diablo III. As Sanctuary recovers from the aftermath of Baal’s invasion and the destruction of Mount Arreat in Diablo 2, powerful malevolent forces are search for what's left of the Worldstone for their diabolical needs.
Your player will be a unique, original hero who aligns with the surviving members of the Horadrim, fighting to prevent the enemies of Sanctuary from reclaiming and controlling the Worldstone. In this roleplay, you will unite with other mortal champions and defend yourselves from the corrupting evil of the Burning Hells!
Currently, Blizzard are planning 6 classes for players to select in Diablo Immortal: Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, and Wizard.
Last year’s demo revealed the Barbarian, Monk, and Wizard, classes, playable in a streamlined dungeon experience. In 2019, visitors will get a chance to preview Demon Hunter for a spin (or Strafe) through a slice of open-world gameplay through the town of Wortham and the outdoor zone of Ashwold Cemetary.
Blizzard have also added a new base game mechanic: Ultimate Abilities. All classes build-up charge for their chosen Ultimate by using basic attacks. Once this charge has been reached a certain level, players can choose to augment their basic attack for a short time in a face-meltingly powerful display of strength, guile, or raw magical potential.
At the same time, Blizzard also debuting its new equipment system, including the first batch of skill-altering Legendary items. Turn your Scorch’s burning fireball into an icy Frozen Orb, change up how Exploding Palm targets foes and dishes out damage, or transform deadly arrows into grenades when using Strafe.
Blizzard have compiled this magnificent gameplay trailer:
When you look at the video, you'll see few other things we’re showing off that aren’t available in the demo, and even more we’ll be ready to share next year!
Blizzard have helpfully provided a few answers to some frequently asked questions.
Question: When will I be able to play Diablo Immortal?
A: Blizzard doesn't have a release date at this time. It takes time, according to Blizzard, to meet thequality level they are targetting, and it's claimed there are a lot of ambitious goals for Diablo Immortal. Keep a close eye on Diablohub.com for upcoming news and you can also Pre-Register for testing opportunities at the Diablo Immortal site.
Question: Will there be microtransactions in Diablo Immortal? How much Diablo Immortal cost?
A: Blizzard are focused on building a great Diablo game first, but they need to make a living too! Blizzard are being coy about the pricing but they say they want to make a Diablo game players love and to support it for years to come. With this in mind, they are aiming to create an ecosystem that accounts for and welcomes every type of player—from our most die-hard Diablo veterans to those who’ll be exploring Sanctuary for the first time.
Question: What will support will there be for Diablo Immortal?
A: Blizzard are saying that Diablo Immortal has been planned from the ground up for ongoing content and events. After launch, players can expect continued support and regular content updates including balance changes, new zones, dungeons, bosses, loot, additional stories, and even new classes! Stay tuned for more
After a week of testing PTR 2.6.7 has started from the 17th October and Blizzard needs your help to make Season 19 the best ever!
Brand new class sets have been developed for Diablo III as outlined in Blizzard’s Support blog, and at the same time have given an extensive revamp of several Barbarian Legendaries after client feedback. Blizzard have continued to develop its approach to Seasonal buffs and how they can change up the overall gameplay journey. Players are invited to take a preview of the preliminary patch notes below and start theorycrafting. Don’t forget Diablo III Patch 2.6.7 will be available before the end of 2020
Blizzars are keen to point out that these notes are a preview for PTR content, and are subject to change.
Blizzard will be running the Patch 2.6.7 PTR over the course of one week, starting Thursday, October 17. During the course of PTR, there may be periodic maintenances, outages, hotfixes, or minor patches.
There will be two buffs active to help you on your PTR journey: increased Legendary drop rate and double Blood Shard drops. You can also buy customized gear we’re focused on testing from the special PTR vendor, D’jank Miem, who will exchange Blood Shards for class-specific bags full of Legendary items that need your testing!
Feedback should be provided in the PTR Feedback forum while bug reports should be provided in the PTR Bug Report forum. Clearly separating these discussions allows your designers and quality assurance testers to home in on the information they need most.
With another new game-impacting Seasonal buff and entirely new class sets to experiment with, we know it’ll be very tempting to get your hands on as much as you can! To help guide your focus, here are our priorities in terms of what we’d most like to see tested.
As with our previous PTRs, this testing period will have a short duration. Whether you’re a PTR veteran or newcomer, we thought we’d pass along a few tips to get you started.
Last updated October 14 @ 10:00 a.m. PST.
Below you will find the patch notes for the most recent update for Diablo III, Patch 2.6.7.
Note: All changes apply to all versions of Diablo III, including PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC unless otherwise indicated. Please note that PTR is only available for PC and Mac users.
To participate in the public test, you must have a Diablo III game license attached to a Battle.net account in good standing (i.e. one that hasn't been suspended or banned). In addition, you will also need to download and install the Blizzard Battle.net desktop app if you have not already done so.
Step 1: Restart the Battle.net desktop app.
Step 2: Navigate to the Diablo III tab on the left-hand menu.
Step 3: On the Diablo III screen, there is a drop-down menu right above the "Play" button (note that this may say "Install" if you do not have Diablo III currently installed). Select "PTR: Diablo III" from this drop-down menu before proceeding.
Step 4: Click Install to begin the installation process.
Your PTR account will be created automatically if you do not already have one. The PTR is available in all supported languages, and accounts from all regions are eligible to participate. For additional assistance with installing and launching the PTR, click here.
The option to copy your existing Diablo III characters from your live account to the PTR will be available and can be done directly through the PTR client. However, only one region per account can be copied at a time. So, if you choose to copy characters from your account in a different region, any previously copied PTR characters will be lost.
Step 1: Log into the live game and then log out.
Step 2: Log into PTR client and create a level 1 character. After you're done, return to the main character screen.
Step 3: Click on the "PTR Copy" button located in the upper right-hand corner. (The PTR Copy button will not appear in-game until you have created a new level 1 character.)
Step 4: Select your region.
Step 5: Click "Copy." This will copy all characters on your account from the selected region.
Step 6: You will be disconnected from the PTR client.
Step 7: Log back in. Your copied characters will be available for play.
Please note that you can only copy characters from one gameplay region at a time. If you choose to copy characters from a different region, any previously copied PTR characters will be lost. In addition, you can only copy characters over to your PTR account once every 24 hours. Attempting to copy characters before this cooldown is up will result in an error.
What's new in Ptach 2.6.6:
Note: All changes apply to all versions of Diablo III, including PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC unless otherwise indicated.
PTR-Specific Bug Fixes
Blizzard have announced the starting date of the latest season; Season 18 starting August 23. The latest Diablo III patch, discussed later, will be released at the same time. Here we list the details of the all-new Season of the Triune buff, the heap of new Legendary powers, and a few crafted item revamps in Patch 2.6.6!
Season 18 introduced the Season of the Triune, which is a call-back to an ancient cult forged over 3,000 years ago by the Prime Evils of the Burning Hells. Parading as three benevolent deities dedicated to Determination, Creation, and Love, the Prime Evils intended to infiltrate the hearts of men in a bid to tilt the odds in their favor in the ongoing Eternal Conflict. Ultimately defeated by Uldyssian during the Sin War, the survivors of the Cult of the Triune still operate today as the more widely-known Coven, whom continue the work of Adria and Magdha even after their deaths.
Throughout Season 18, all players will benefit from the Power of the Triune buff, which will periodically summon circles around the battlefield that provide one of three random buffs:
Blizzard aimmed to set up something different in Season 18, and particularly were looking st speed up the gameplay from the instant players begin their journey. This buff alters gameplay from level 1 to level 70 and beyond, and is best played by moving as much as possible around the battlefield to leverage these powerful boosts. Blizzard want to see how well players utilize these ancient powers from their first level to their final Greater Rift push!
As early as Season 17, Blizzard started to re-introduce previous Seasonal rewards to make them available to players who may have missed them the first time around. This means that in Season 18, awards that were originally available from Season 6 are returning to the Season Journey.
In addition to the Chest and Gloves slots of the exclusive Conqueror Set, Diablo III players will be able to earn a series of portrait frames bedecked with the mysterious beauty of Blood Shards. A ghastly All Hallow's pennant will also be available, allowing you to proudly proclaim your love for all things grim and creepy.
Blizzard note that for players who've been diligently slaying demons for the past few Seasons and reached Conqueror in the Season Journey each time, most will have accrued a few extra stash tabs. In additions players will earn a new tab each Season by finishing the Conqueror tier, up to a maximum of five:
Here are the challenges you'll meet if you Want to prepare your Conquest plan for Season 18.
Push your way to Greater Rift level 75 to complete Divinity/Lionhearted. On a Good Day/I Can't Stop guides you to get your Legendary Gem grind on; level three Legendary Gems to 65 to complete this challenge! For the speedy, Speed Demon/Need for Speed requires the fastest nephalem to complete a Nephalem Rift at level 70 on Torment X or higher in under two minutes. For Curses!/Stars Align, pick any Cursed Chest event that requires killing monsters and defeat over 350 or more at level 70 on Torment X or higher. For the fiercest demon slayers, Boss Mode/World's Apart is a speed challenge where you'll need to eliminate the following bosses at level 70 and Torment X in under twenty minutes:
At last, the Class Sets rewarded for completing certain chapters in the Season Journey courtesy of Haedrig's Gift have rotated once more. Blizzard have listed the available Sets below. For those new to Seasons, here's how it works:
Completing Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of the Season Journey will reward you with three of Haedrig's Gifts. Each Gift contains a few pieces from one of your Class Sets. Players can only unlock one Class Set in this manner per Season across Hardcore and Non-Hardcore, so choose wisely!
The set you will receive depends on the class of the character you're playing when you open each Haedrig's Gift. To collect a full Class Set, you'll need to open all three on the same character.
Here are the sets granted by Haedrig's Gift in Season 18: