Diablo IV: Developer Stream Recap

I have been casually following the development of Diablo 4 since its announcement. I love Diablo and played Diablo 3 more than I would like to admit, but I hadn’t decided if I would be buying Diablo 4. 

Today’s Developer stream has gotten me interested in what is to come. I may not be ready to preorder, but I will be getting it eventually. If you haven’t seen the stream, I recommend it if you are on the fence and have questions, but I will summarize the important bits as best I can.

The developers briefly introduced some of the lore where they spoke a bit about the conflict between Lilith and Inarious. They showed the cinematic trailer that introduced those characters/ If you haven’t seen it, check it out on Youtube. I will be getting this game hoping that the story is good. But even if the story isn’t good, at least the cinematics will be cool.

I was a bit disappointed to learn that Diablo 4 will be coming with a battle pass valued at $10 per season. While they assured fans that there will be free unlockable tiers, it doesn’t dull the frustration of having to pay more money to enjoy a game I already own. The battle pass will only feature cosmetic items, and while it may not directly affect gameplay, it is frustrating that half of my progress will be locked behind a paywall. As I understand it, there will still be journeys and things to unlock each season, but I can only assume all the cool stuff I want will be in the paid tiers of the battle pass. I am not excited about battle passes being the standard in modern gaming, but it is what it is. Each season is three months long, with the first season starting shortly after launch. Each season will have its unique battle pass.

Most importantly, they talked about a new crafting mechanic that will premier in Diablo 4, the Codex of Power. As you progress through the game and conquer dungeons, you will find unique abilities and buffs in the form of aspects. Each dungeon has a unique aspect with unique buffs and powers, and Diablo 4 will have over 120 different dungeons. Aspects are class-specific, but there are some that will work for multiple classes.

Aspects can be imbued into your legendary gear to give you unique powers and buffs. Aspects can be transfered to better gear as you find them so you can always carry aspect powers you love. It seems that the focus of Diablo 4 is to have the flexibility to allow for a diverse collection of builds. The developers boasted that you will be able to find a build that will suit your playstyle, but this is something we will have to see for ourselves. 

While I am bummed about the addition of the battle pass, Diablo 4 is shaping up to be a promising sequel. It will be available for PC, Playstation, and Xbox when it releases on 06/06/2022. Preorders are available now. One thing to note is that your saves will crossover between systems, but you will need to buy the game for every system you want to play it on. Battle passes you only need to buy once, and they will carry over to your other consoles.

They also announced a collectors box with a bunch of swag but no game for $96.66. It comes with a cool box, an art book, a cloth map, and some other goodies if you need the Diablo swag. I won’t be buying it because I didn’t find much interesting, but your preorders are now open. You can watch a full unboxing on the official diablo YouTube channel.

I won’t be preordering this game just yet, but I will be following it closely. Who knows, I might change my mind like I always do.

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