Diablo IV is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, the fourth installment in the popular Diablo series. The game was officially announced at BlizzCon 2019 and is currently in development for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Diablo IV takes place several years after the events of Diablo III and features a dark and gritty art style, similar to the first two games in the series. The game is set in a world called Sanctuary, which is once again threatened by the return of the demon lord, Lilith.
Diablo 4 Storyline
The storyline of Diablo IV revolves around the return of the demon lord Lilith, who was first introduced in Diablo II’s expansion, Lord of Destruction. Lilith, who is the daughter of the demon lord Mephisto and the queen of the succubi, has returned to Sanctuary with the intention of using the realm’s human inhabitants as a source of power to resurrect her father.
Players will take on the role of heroes who must fight against Lilith and her minions to save Sanctuary from her dark ambitions. The game’s story is set in a world that has been ravaged by war and chaos, and players will encounter a variety of NPCs and factions as they explore the open world.
Diablo 4 Character Classes for Gameplay
The five playable classes each have their unique motivations for fighting against Lilith and her forces. For example, the Barbarian seeks revenge against the demon horde that destroyed his homeland, while the Sorceress seeks to uncover the secrets of the ancient world to gain ultimate power.
As players progress through the story, they will discover ancient artifacts and powerful weapons that will aid them in their fight against Lilith. The game will also feature a branching narrative, with choices made by the player affecting the outcome of the story.
Diablo 4 Skill Tree
The skill tree in Diablo 4 is incredibly complex and offers players many choices. The tree follows a hub-and-spoke structure, with each hub presenting between 4-8 options, some of which are mutually exclusive. Though I don’t have any footage to share, I focused on building up my Barbarian character to deal as much damage as possible, using Bash as my secondary attack to generate Fury, and Flay as my primary attack to cause bleeding. I also invested in Whirlwind, Leap, and Death Blow as special abilities, and Wrath of the Berserker as my Ultimate ability, which became available towards the end of my time with the preview version. I was able to respec my character whenever I wanted, except for one point which I changed to spend in a different branch of the skill tree at level 25.
Diablo 4 Gameplay Mechanics
In battles, I generally targeted the most dangerous enemies first and stunned them with Bash before switching to Flay to finish them off. I also used Leap to close the gap with ranged enemies and added skill points to it. The game’s visuals are stunning, with beautiful lighting and violent effects. Using Leap and Whirlwind to defeat a group of enemies feels satisfying and powerful. Combining all of my attacks during battles felt like conducting an orchestral performance of demon-slaying.
Diablo 4 Exploring
Exploring Sanctuary never got boring, with side quests popping up frequently and even random events happening. Though I rarely saw other players in this preview version, public events are likely to be easier with a group. I struggled with the Stronghold event, marked by a red skull on the map, and ultimately got defeated by the final boss. I intended to return later when I had leveled up more, but I ran out of time.
Pros of the Gameplay
The first 1-2 hours of playing Diablo 4 leave a strong and positive impression on the player. The instanced dungeons in particular are enjoyable and provide a good challenge, especially in the endgame. The game runs smoothly, with no frame drops even during events with a large number of enemies on the screen. The world and characters look great most of the time, with any issues likely due to a texture setting bug. The combat as a sorcerer feels good, but it may feel weightier for melee classes. Different spells feel distinct and offer a variety of experiences to play around with.
Cons of the Gameplay
While the game has several positive aspects, there are a number of “trivial” issues that make it feel like it had a lower production investment and less time in the oven than it actually did. These issues include losing control of the camera and having other NPCs and players disappear during conversations with NPCs, no “fade in/fade out” visual effect when changing instances, and textures loading randomly in the background during NPC interactions.
Additionally, the low-quality models and walking/death animations of the random animal critters in the wild and bugs/desyncs with quest progress, difficulty walking into certain areas, and “rubberbanding” while moving all detract from the overall experience. Polishing these aspects of the game could have received more attention, as these issues detract from the game’s immersion.
To Wrap it all Up
Diablo IV is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, set several years after the events of Diablo III in a dark and gritty world threatened by the return of demon lord Lilith. Players take on the role of heroes fighting against Lilith and her forces as they explore an open world filled with side quests and random events.
The game features five playable classes, each with unique motivations and a complex skill tree with branching narrative choices. While the game has stunning visuals and enjoyable instanced dungeons, it suffers from trivial issues like camera control and NPC disappearing during conversations that detract from the overall experience.
Suggested Read: Who is Lilith in Diablo 4
