Diablo IV

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

If it was any other nigga I would, but I enjoy Sykar.

 

[Arbaces]

Hellgate was ruined so fucking bad by the various relaunches.... shame

I disagree; I played it at launch, and Hellgate was never a good game. It shouldn't have been massively multiplayer, and it shouldn't have had so much filler. It's a mediocre shooter combined with bad procedural levels and the hotkey facerolling "gameplay" of an MMO of that era. It's truly abysmal in singleplayer, but multiplayer wasn't much better. If you doubt my words, then you can try out the working private server at: https://london2038.com/.

 

[J1M]

Last Epoch and GGG devs must be ecstatic right now. Diablo IV was already going to be 3+ years late to the party.

At least it's understandable for D4 since it's a new game but what is even taking OW2 so long? Wasn't it just a single-player mode and some new models for the Blender artists? It's been two years since they announced that thing and it's still not even close to being ready.

False. D4 is a D3 mod.

 

[Peachcurl]

I disagree; I played it at launch, and Hellgate was never a good game. It shouldn't have been massively multiplayer, and it shouldn't have had so much filler. It's a mediocre shooter combined with bad procedural levels and the hotkey facerolling "gameplay" of an MMO of that era. It's truly abysmal in singleplayer, but multiplayer wasn't much better. If you doubt my words, then you can try out the working private server at: https://london2038.com/.

That may be where we differ: I never cared much for the multiplayer. Singleplayer was reasonably fun for me at launch. The 'end result' which is now available on steam is horrible.

 

[Reinhardt]

small codex guild that is still active.

I wouldn't call it "active"

 

[Gradenmayer]

Delayed until they inject every female with kilotons of testosterone or turn them into fruits, so no one in their company will feel like digitally raping or sexually harassing them.

Here is an exclusive picture of D4 Lilith's redesign.

Spoiler

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Last Epoch and GGG devs must be ecstatic right now. Diablo IV was already going to be 3+ years late to the party.

So not just delayed but indefinitely delayed?

 

[Atlantico]

So not just delayed but indefinitely delayed?

Your link doesn't work

Works now

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Go figure. That's what I get for quoting google.

edit... worked for me just now. Odd.

 

[Mazisky]

The last update put to rest those who were saying here that the game won't have dynamic lighting.

 

[cvv]

 

[Infinitron]

The last update put to rest those who were saying here that the game won't have dynamic lighting.

https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo4/23746639/diablo-iv-quarterly-update-december-2021

DIABLO IV QUARTERLY UPDATE—DECEMBER 2021

Introduction

• Itemization & Paragon Updates

• Visual Effects in Diablo IV

October's deep dive into sound design, the atmospheric ambient tracks, and peeking behind the scenes of how game sounds are made.

Since our last blog, we've been hard at work adding new content and systems to the game. We’ve made big strides, with every build of the game containing a host of expanded content, new art, balance changes, and other iterations. In fact, the team is currently playtesting an internal release of the game that represents a significant milestone. We have much to share with you today as a result, so let's dive in.

First, Lead Systems Designer Joe Piepiora will discuss updates to key elements of itemization. These include the return of +Skills on items, a new way to interact with legendary powers, and some early work on targeted drops. After that, grab a warm beverage and a comfortable chair as he walks us through Diablo IV's completely new end-game character growth system: the Paragon Board.

Next, Lead Visual Effects Artist Daniel Briggs will describe the philosophy that allows our talented VFX team to create huge explosions and eye-popping skill effects while keeping the game clear and readable, even when there are many players and monsters on the screen at the same time. He'll also go into detail on how Diablo IV's new game engine has allowed us to make frame-by-frame combat more precise and nuanced, while leveling up our effects to take advantage of the new lighting system. Finally, feast your eyes upon a plethora of skills across all four announced classes that show off our skill-driven death system.

We hope you enjoy this update and look forward to your thoughts and reactions. We'll be back in the new year and are ever grateful to have you with us on this journey.

-Joe Shely,
Game Director, Diablo IV

Spoiler

Legendary and Unique Items
As Joe Shely discussed back in our December 2020 update, Legendary and Unique Items remain a core part of the Diablo item chase experience. We’ve made a foundational change to Legendary items in Diablo 4 by allowing legendary powers to appear on multiple item slots. Now, if you’re searching for a legendary power, like Martial Arts—which enhances the Barbarian’s kick ability—you may find it on rings, chestplates, or helmets; there’s no need to hunt for a specific item type any longer.

Now, the real question is what happens when you find a power on an axe when you really wanted it on a ring? Or you found a great legendary amulet, but can’t use the power? Well, that is when we get to introduce our new friend, the Occultist.



The Occultist can extract a legendary power from a Legendary item, crystallizing it into Essence while destroying the item in the process. That Essence can then be implanted into another Legendary item, overriding the power that was present in the item at that time. Essence material can also be stored and used at a later time.

Unique Items cannot be modified in this way, keeping their fantasies intact—and as their name implies—unique.





Hunting for Items
Sanctuary is a vast world, filled with forlorn trails through werewolf-infested forests, withered heaths crawling with cannibals, and fog-choked graveyards crawling with the restless dead. There are plenty of enemies and monsters for the hero to encounter. Each of these monsters seem to enjoy collecting certain types of items and will be somewhat more likely to drop those items than others. While bandits are fond of Maces, Crossbows, and Boots, if you’re hunting for a new pair of Pants, you'd do well to kill some of the Drowned instead.

In past discussions, we’ve received feedback that it seems deflating for so much of a character’s power to be delivered through the gear that they have equipped. Customizing and planning a character feels less rewarding if it doesn’t play a big role in how the character performs in combat. We hear you loud and clear, and in Diablo IV, we have placed a stronger emphasis on character power that is earned by all the little decisions you make while leveling up and exploring the world of Sanctuary. While we aren’t talking about everything we have planned for character power today, I’m happy to talk about one feature in particular, the Paragon Board.

The Paragon Board
In Diablo IV, we have placed a heavy emphasis on build customization, ensuring that you can have plenty of control over how your hero grows. The Paragon Board unlocks for each class at level 50 and is a distillation of this focus. Your hero begins their journey through the Paragon system at the central starting tile of their class’s intro board, and from there, you make selections radiating outward. Once your hero reaches a gate tile, you’ll choose which new paragon board you would like to attach to at that location. The desired outcome is a personalized set of bonuses that will empower your hero and honor your dedication to their progression, that will remain fun to tweak and adjust over many playthroughs.

There is a lot to take in with the image below, so I’ll walk through some aspects of what we’re looking at here.



The Paragon Board is comprised of many fixed tiles. As the Barbarian earns experience, they will earn Paragon points, which are used to unlock a connected tile. There are a few varieties of tiles that I want to walk through.

Normal Tiles
These tiles are straightforward, providing a small but meaningful stat boost. Normal Tiles are connective tissues that can be found throughout the board and are quite common.

Magic Tiles
Magic Tiles are found in clusters throughout the board and provide a potent, more diverse set of benefits. As you might expect, they are less common than Normal Tiles, but are still plentiful.

Rare Tiles
Rare Tiles offer significant boosts in power. Upon entering the Paragon Board for the first time, these represent great goals for players to chase, particularly once you’ve narrowed builds down towards highly specific goals. Rare Tiles also have additional powers that unlock once the hero has raised an attribute to a sufficient level, requiring some choices to be made when plotting your path through the board.

Legendary Tile
After the first Paragon Board, each new board has a single Legendary Tile that can be found at its center. Legendary Tiles impart a new Legendary Power to the character that earns it.



Glyphs and Sockets
A Socket is a special tile that can contain a Glyph. Glyphs are items found throughout Sanctuary that, when embedded into a Paragon Board, confer various benefits based upon the number of active tiles within their radius.

Glyphs can also be leveled up by delving into some particularly dangerous dungeons. Leveling up a Glyph extends the radius of their effect, allowing each one to draw power from or impart power to even more active tiles.



Gate Tiles and Board Selection
A single Gate Tile lies at each edge of the Paragon Board. As you progress through the Paragon Board, you will eventually reach a Gate Tile, which upon unlocking will allow you to select a new Paragon Board to attach to your existing Board. Each of these boards has unique Tile layouts, new Magic and Rare Tiles, and a new Legendary Tile at the center.

The Paragon Board is extended from these Gate Tiles. Upon selecting from the Paragon Board list, you will be able to place the board down, connecting it to the newly unlocked Gate Tile. You may also optionally rotate that newly placed board.



We’re hard at work on these and other features that we’ll be able to share more about in future updates. Though for now that’s all from the systems team. Thanks for reading and please share any feedback you have on social media, Reddit, or our forums! We’ll see you in Hell!

Back to Top





Some examples of death types that Sorceresses can trigger:

• Freeze/Shatter - Break frozen monsters into pieces
• Char - Singe the corpse of a monster with lightning
• Burn – Scorch the monster’s flesh, leaving the remains of a charred skeleton

The Barbarian takes pride in their physical capabilities. Their arsenal of weaponry makes them deadly in close combat. With the power of their ancient bloodline, Barbarians crush foes into piles of gore or send them flying across the battlefield. Their brute strength is equally matched by their speed and ferocity as they unleash fury on the battlefield, dismembering limbs from all that stand in their way.





Some examples of death types that Barbarians can trigger:

• Crush – Flatten a monster under the weight of a heavy object
• Decapitate - Remove a monster’s head from its body
• Cut In Half - Sweet
• Break Lower Limbs- The monster’s lower body is shattered, splitting several of their joints

The Rogue is dexterous; their attacks are methodical. Monsters are often oblivious to their presence until it is far too late. A precise stab from one of their daggers, or a well-placed arrow, is enough to bring most monsters to the floor. The Rogue finds the most opportune time to take on a fight, and they imbue weapons to gain an advantage. Shadow magic can make a superb distraction, but their shadow clones are as deadly as their blades.





Some examples of death types that Rogues can trigger:

• Eviscerate – Spill the insides of a monster
• Shadow – Shadow energy deteriorates the life from a monster's flesh.
• Freeze/Shatter - Break frozen monsters into pieces
• Poison – The monster’s skin melts off leaving a heap of muscle and bone
• Flay – Flay the skin from an enemy, leaving the muscle structure intact

The Druid is one with nature magic. They conjure storms and call down lightning on their enemies. They control the battlefield with gusts of wind as their animal companions tear the flesh from monsters. Druids manipulate the earth with nature magic, molding it to their will and bludgeoning enemies from afar. As their enemies approach, they see the innate power of the Druid, shapeshifting fluidly between an agile werewolf and a hulking werebear.





Some examples of death types that Druids can trigger:

• Roadkill – The monster is crushed by a moving object, leaving a smear of blood on the ground
• Devoured– The monster's flesh is eaten away by a swarm of ferocious bites
• Lightning Gib – Lightning causes the monster’s body to pop, exploding into pieces
• Maul – The monster’s skin is completely mangled, covering them in blood

That is everything we have to share with you today. It has been a dream to work on this franchise, and I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to share some of our development process with the community.

Thank you for reading our last quarterly update blog for 2021. I hope you found it exciting and interesting. We are actively listening to your feedback, and we strive to make Diablo IV the dark, gothic game we all want to play. Please continue to share your thoughts and provide feedback on social media, Reddit, and our forums!

 

[Sykar]

So they go the D3 route, the retards.

 

[HeyCheckOutHowHardICanPee]

The visuals look fantastic...

but the itemization and the paragon node tile/sockets

 

[Tyranicon]

I think I'd rather have them just take Diablo 2's system wholesale rather than whatever modern devs can think of.

A single Gate Tile lies at each edge of the Paragon Board. As you progress through the Paragon Board, you will eventually reach a Gate Tile, which upon unlocking will allow you to select a new Paragon Board to attach to your existing Board. Each of these boards has unique Tile layouts, new Magic and Rare Tiles, and a new Legendary Tile at the center.

I fell asleep.

 

[Ismaul]

The tile system really looks like a boring version of Path of Exile's passive tree. Except now, they've made the tree itself be a randomized item, which means you can't even plan your build.

 

[Perkel]

The tile system really looks like a boring version of Path of Exile's passive tree. Except now, they've made the tree itself be a randomized item, which means you can't even plan your build.

Those are paragon replacement. Which is improvement over shitty paragon system and its 0.001% to attack speed points shared between all characters.

Itemization also is huge improvement over D3 loot 2.0

 

[abija]

The last update put to rest those who were saying here that the game won't have dynamic lighting.

How exactly did you get "dynamic lighting" from the quite descriptive explanation of how they're going to fake it? :D

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I don't even know what dynamic lighting is. How shocking.

Dynamic lighting is a type of simulated lighting where lighting calculations are computed in real time. Therefore, using dynamic lighting enables on-the-fly lighting calculations accounting for real-time variations, such as change in game state, narrative, player's and characters' positions and camera movement.

Ok...

 

[Tyranicon]

I don't even know what dynamic lighting is. How shocking.

Dynamic lighting is a type of simulated lighting where lighting calculations are computed in real time. Therefore, using dynamic lighting enables on-the-fly lighting calculations accounting for real-time variations, such as change in game state, narrative, player's and characters' positions and camera movement.

Ok...

Yup, I have dynamic lighting in my game. It's not really worth the effort or resource drain unless you're AAA.

 

[cyborgboy95]

What does this means for Diablo 4 I wonder? Is there a chance it will be sold on Steam after this??

 

[shamroxor]

The hell with Diablo, this means Arcanum IP and two of the Troika devs are under the same umbrella now

 

[jackofshadows]

Eh, so what? Do you really want 1st person Arcanum game being run through current year political correct filters? Some franchises should be left untouched.

 

[shamroxor]

Three devs actually..
At least it would be fun to see the fireworks

 

[Rahdulan]

Somewhere, there's a Japanese businessman going YABAI.