Blizzard developers are chugging away at Diablo 4, working from home to ensure development continues on their upcoming title. In a recent Blizzard quarterly update, we got a lot of new information about some things the development team has been working on in the game. The update reveals how the team playtests certain areas and sheds some light on open-world events and group finding tools that will be available in the game.
Diablo 4: World Events
In the Blizzard Post, Luis Barriga, game director, describes the thought process behind designing the multiplayer experience. The team aims to incorporate open world events while still balancing the feeling of uncertainty that is all too familiar in Diablo games. Barriga finds that “the world feels less dangerous when you see other players too often or in too high numbers.”
For that reason, Dungeons and story moments are always between the player and the party. Towns are social hubs, where you might run into dozens of other players who are at the same spot in the campaign. Players might run into one another every so often in popular questing areas, but things really open up at world even locations. One example is the Ashava world boss battle, a demonic world boss revealed at BlizzCon.
We will see many new multiplayer elements inspired by other multiplayer games, such as shared social hubs. In previous Diablo games, players would only see other players if they joined public servers or set their games open. Diablo has always been a game that is equally as fun to play solo as it is with friends. Everyone has their own preferred pace to play the game. While some people might enjoy speed farming, others take their time and soak in the story and lore.
Diablo 4: Group finding tools and cross-play
In the upcoming Diablo 4 world events will be something players can join whenever they want. When the encounter is complete, loot the items and head off to do your own thing. Barriga says the world feels alive with these new elements, without sacrificing the things we’re used to in Diablo. Group finding tools are available to find world events, which might be cross-play compatible.
The post contains a lot of good information for people who want to follow along with development. Luis Barriga offers some valuable insights into how the team is working on the game and how they plan to bring everything to light.
