The anticipation around Diablo 4 has been running as hot as hell itself for quite some time. Despite the controversies and atrocities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment over the last couple of years, it’s hard to ignore the next big chapter in the world of Diablo and Sanctuary.
Today, the developers over at Blizzard not only announced the Open and Closed Beta dates coming in March. You can watch the VOD of the live stream, but Im also going to sum it up for you below.
Beta Weekends Are Right Around The Corner
Early Access to the Open Beta begins March 17 at 9 a.m. PST and concludes March 20 at 12 p.m. PST.
The Open Beta begins March 24 at 9 a.m. PST and concludes March 27 at 12 p.m. PST.
When the doors open for the Open Beta, Diablo 4 players will be able to decimate the demons of hell through the entirety the Prologue and Act 1 of the campaign.
Early Access player will be able to fight through Fractured Peaks with three classes including Barbarian, Rogue, and Sorcerer. A few days later when the Beta is opened to the general public, the Druid and Necromancer will be added to the selection screen. Each account will be able to house a maximum of 10 characters with a level cap of 25.
Multiplayer is a key ingredient to the series, and it will be fully present in the Betas. Console versions of Diablo 4 will also support couch co-op in addition to 4-player online play.
Regardless of how much you play; all characters made during these weekends will be deleted once the Beta ends.
Big Boss Time
In what seems like an attempt to give demon slayers a taste of some of the newer aspects of the game and “raid-like” fights, timed boss battles will be available on each Beta weekend. The Diablo 4 devs say “a gargantuan world boss can be found stomping about at select times. While we don’t know much more than that for these particular instances, the world bosses are new to the franchise as 12 players can team up to tackle the gnarly giants.
A Trio of Rewards
Beta players will also be able to receive a few fun rewards on their Diablo 4 journey. Each of them will be handed out on launch day on June 4th:
- Initial Casualty Title: earned by reaching Kyovashad with one character.
- Early Voyager Title: earned by reaching Level 20 on one character.
- Beta Wolf Pack Cosmetic Item: earned by reaching Level 20 on one character.
A companion to kill for.
Get a character to level 20 during the #DiabloIV Beta to unlock the Beta Wolf Pack cosmetic. pic.twitter.com/hBxSgzpfpy
— Diablo (@Diablo) February 28, 2023
What Will You Need To Play?
Minimum Requirements for PC
Settings to run the Diablo 4 Open Beta at 1080p native resolution / 720p render resolution, low graphics settings, 30 fps.
- Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-8100
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon R9 280
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: SSD with 45 GB available space
- Internet: Broadband Connection
Recommended Specifications for PC
- Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K or AMD R3-1300X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 370
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: SSD with 45 GB available space
- Internet: Broadband Connection
If you want to enlist in the Beta you can click here.
Detailed Armor System
Classic to the Diablo franchise, Diablo 4 will allow you to equip a Helm, Chest, along with Boots, Legs and Gloves. Each armor piece or set will scale with the item power. Check out the stream above to see all the detailed graphs that Meng Song, Diablo 4‘s lead systems designer, showed off.
On top of that, one of the most noticeable changes will be the way elemental damage will be mitigated. Whether it be fire, ice, poison, or anything else Hell has to offer, elemental effects will be blocked at half the percentage of you armour’s value. Also new to Diablo 4, some enemies will also be suited with armour.
Strongholds
Another new addition to the franchise that was also detailed in the live stream; Strongholds. You’ll come across dozens in Diablo 4 and each will have their own objectives and enemies. You’ll stumble upon a Stronghold and need to clear it out not only to earn new rewards, but unearth something new for your travels like a town, vendor, or waypoint.
During the stream, the Stronghold “Hopes of Light” was shown off, a waterside or port town that has been overrun by water-based demons. To cleanse the area, you must fight through the hordes and ignite the lighthouse once again.
Diablo 4 launches on June 2nd.
