After eight years, Diablo IV is here. Blizzard Entertainment announced the latest installment of its popular action role-playing hack and slash video game.
Diablo IV was introduced during last year’s Blizzcon that took place on November 1st. The upcoming core Diablo game will be an isometric action RPG (role-playing game) that will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and also PC, not to mention the next-gen consoles.
Storyline and Classes
The Blizzcon website offers a glimpse of Diablo IV’s storyline.
Diablo IV takes place years after the events of Diablo III. Millions have been slaughtered by the actions of the High Heavens and Burning Hells alike. In this power vacuum, a legendary name resurfaces. Lilith, daughter of Mephisto and the whispered progenitor of humanity emerges. Her grip on Sanctuary shakes the hearts of men and women alike. It cultivates the worst in its denizens and leaves the world a dark, hopeless place.
With Diablo IV, there’s a fully open world where players will be able to go on an adventure across five distinctively dangerous regions in any order, all seamlessly connected for uninterrupted journeys. Players will be able to choose between five different, unique classes on launch but so far only three have been revealed.
- The Barbarian – battle masters, wreaking havoc with massive weapons of all shapes and sizes.
- The Sorceress – can use powerful elemental magic, shocking foes by the dozen or summoning flame to cleanse an entire area.
- The Druid – can shapeshift into werewolves or werebears, while also wielding natural Earth magic.
Always Online
There’s been speculation on whether or not Diablo IV could be played offline. However, lead designer Joe Shely said that there’s a large, seamless, and connected shared space in the world, so they feel that the best way to experience it is online.
PvP seems to be opt-in though, based on some comments of Blizzard’s comments. But when it comes to PvE, we do know there are world bosses that require multiple players to defeat. Aside from these world bosses, you can set the dungeons to private. That way, you don’t need to worry about other players wandering in your campaign mission areas.
Release Date
The release date of Diablo 4 will not be announced for a while. As the game’s director had said at the 2019 Blizzcon, the game probably won’t be finished anytime soon. So, it’s safe to assume the game won’t be out in a year at least but would most definitely be here within the next two or three years.
