Blizzard has provided their quarterly development update on Diablo 4 which details some of the design decisions and methodologies that are going into the next iteration in the legendary series. You can find the full update here and we’ve summarized some key elements for you below as well.
Storytelling
- The camera will pull in towards NPCs during conversations to get you closer to the action.
- Cinematics will be rendered in real-time and thus allow the showing of the player character as they are currently equipped.
Open World
- Sanctuary will be an “open-world”.
- You can break from the campaign at any time to partake in other activities such as PvP, events, crafting, or merely exploring.
- You can focus purely on the campaign story arc or choose to explore and complete side missions along the way.
- Camps are a new feature and spread throughout the world. Upon first discovering them, they will be occupied by enemies but once conquered, will become friendly trading posts and waypoints.
- Mounts are new to Diablo and will give players a new way to traverse the world while also being fully customizable.
Multiplayer
- While the team wants to foster the social aspect of Diablo, they are also cautious of making it feel like an MMO.
- Players can join world events, earn their reward, and then move on without necessarily interacting directly with other players.
- Social Hubs will feature more players while once in a mission or dungeon it will simply be you and your party.
Items and Progression
- Not much was shared in this regard other than a few images of potential items.
Our Take
While this wasn’t a very meaningful update in terms of content, it does wet our appetite to hear more about Diablo 4 and its development. By far one of our favorite franchises, we’ll be covering Diablo 4 top to bottom right up until, and well after, release.