Diablo 4 : Developer Update and Additional Beta Weekend

Yesterday Blizzard hosted their latest developer update on Diablo 4 and provided a lot of insight into what they’ve learned from the betas along with more of what players can expect. Specifically they discussed class balance, more of what the end-game entails including world tiers and unique loot, and a special “Server Slam” surprise for players. Let’s dive in.

Looting and Monster Slaying

One of the most exciting aspects demonstrated during the livestream was related to end-game structure and loot. If you missed the prior end game details shared by the team, you can find them here. Meanwhile, below you can see some of the higher level legendaries and Ancestral Uniques that were shared yesterday.

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The team discussed many more details on the late-game as well including how you upgrade Dungeons to “Nightmare Dungeons” using Sigils in World Tiers 3 and 4. They also provided new looks at the Paragon board for how you will continue to build out you character(s) once you hit the level cap.

Beta Updates

The beta provided the team at Blizzard a wealth of data to help guide the game. They’ve detailed those at length and you can find all of the specifics here. Below are the changes that are being made to the classes specifically.

General

• Effects like Stun and Freeze can be applied to Elite Monsters twice as long before they become Unstoppable.
• Reviewed class skills to confirm that all classes have access to sufficient skills that remove control impairing effects.
• Many Legendary Powers have had updates to their effectiveness.

Barbarian

• A flat 10% passive damage reduction has been added for the Barbarian Class. Some Skill Tree passives had their damage reduction effects reduced to compensate.
• The Whirlwind Skill now deals more damage and consumes more Fury.
• The Double Swing Skill Enhancement refunds its full Fury cost when used on Stunned or Knocked Down enemies.

Druid

• Companion Skills will now deal heavily increased damage.
• All Ultimate Skills have had their cooldowns reduced.
• Usability improvements have been made to Maul and Pulverize.
• Using a non-Shapeshifting Skill will transform a Druid back into their human form.

Necromancer

• Summoned Minions will die more often, requiring players to utilize Corpses more often.
• Many bonuses in the Book of the Dead have had their stats increased.
• The damage dealt by the Corpse Explosion skill has been reduced.
• The brightness of the Skeletal Warriors and Mages has been reduced.

Rogue

• Upgrades for Subterfuge Skills have had their bonuses increased.
• Multiple passive Skills have had their bonuses increased.
• All Imbuement Skills have had their cooldowns increased.

Sorcerer

• Charged Bolt’s damage was increased and the Mana cost to cast has decreased.
• Decreased the damage of Chain Lightning and reduced its effectiveness against Bosses.
• Decreased the cooldown for the Incinerate Skill’s Enchantment bonus.
• Firewalls will now spawn underneath enemies more frequently when using its Enchantment bonus.
• Increased the Lucky Hit chance for the Meteor Skill’s Enchantment bonus.

Another Beta!?

Perhaps the best news of the livestream was that a final beta weekend is coming on May 12th. The team is calling it the “Server Slam.” It will run from May 12th-14th and include all of the changes detailed by the team after the closed and open betas. The goal of course is to ensure server stability for launch and to continue to prepare. Here are the details:

While the content is generally the same, it will offer players the opportunity to earn the “Cry of Ashava” mount trophy for the first time.

If you’re curious how to get involved, here are the details:

Early Download for this experience starts on May 10 at 12 p.m. PDT. See the directions below on how to download Server Slam for your platform of choice. If you do not have the Diablo IV Open Beta downloaded:

PC

• Launch the Battle.net client. If Diablo IV is not already in your Favorites bar, you can add it by clicking on the + icon. Alternatively, you can find Diablo IV by accessing the All Games page. You’ll see Diablo IV at the top of the list.
• Once you get to the Diablo IV Game Page, click the dropdown menu under Game Version and select the Diablo IV – Server Slam option. Click the blue button that says Install. The game will begin to install, and once it’s available, click Play to Launch.

Xbox

• Launch the Xbox Store and search for Diablo IV–Server Slam. Select Download.

PlayStation

• Launch the PlayStation Store and search for Diablo IV–Server Slam. Select Download.

For those that still have the Diablo IV Open Beta downloaded:

• Once the Early Download period begins, an update will be available for you to download. After Server Slam starts, you can begin your journey into Sanctuary.

If you missed it previously, we provided an in-depth overview/review of the beta as well. You can find that here!