To no one’s surprise, Diablo 4 has now been formally announced as the first reveal at BlizzCon 2019. There is much to discuss on the matter, including an early look at classes, game design, and what the developers describe as a commitment to Darkness, World, and Legacy. There is no official date yet for the release of Diablo 4, but this may chance in the days to come.
Recent leaks of an art book for Diablo 4 have fueled rumors about the theme and overall style of the game, and most of the Gothic, dark, and gritty environments from Diablo 2 appear to make a comeback in the next installment of the game. The trailer not only confirmed this new direction for design, with a violent summoning of Lilith, Queen of the Succubi.
The introduction to the book by art director John Mueller further emphasizes this return to a darker way of thinking for design, “From the early days of Diablo 4's development, the goal was to embrace the sinister side of Sanctuary and bring the darkness of the series to the fore once again." The leaks prior to the reveal focused on Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, and sister of Lucion. Within Sanctuary, she is known as the Queen of the Succubi, and it appears this Blessed Mother will be the primary antagonist of the game.
All the leaks proved to be true, and following the cinematic trailer reveal, Blizzard Game Director Luis Barriga took the stage to discuss these core concepts that are the focus for Diablo 4. Barriga was clear in stating that Darkness, World, and Legacy were the principal focus for the Blizzard team.
Darkness will come in the form of art, story, and horror elements, with everything returning to its darker roots. The World will be presented in a way that embraces everything about Sanctuary. Until now we have only ever seen superficial and brief glimpses of the world, but Barriga assures the audience that everything and everyone will feel as though it has a strong connection to its environment. Most exciting of all is that the world will also have PVP Zones, a long-requested feature of Diablo 3 that was initially proposed, but eventually scrapped.
Legacy meanwhile refers to the never-ending search for gear. There will be a focus on the classic gear search of Diablo 2, while also mixing in the current and still popular Best in Slot focus of gear hunting of Diablo 3.
Finally, the Druid is making its long-awaited return to the Diablo series, and was one of the three class presented and shown in a brief gameplay trailer. The Barbarian and Sorceress were presented alongside the Druid, and their gameplay footage looked nearly identical to what we have now in Diablo 3.
The game has no firm release date yet, but we do know that it will be released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Check back soon for more on Diablo 4, as the coverage will be ongoing over the BlizzCon weekend
Source: BlizzCon