Diablo IV

[beowulf]

And it is finally confirmed with first cinematic trailer.

Click to read more...

 

[SeidoN]

and gameplay, which looks GREAT

 

[Oogie Boogie]

I want it NOW

 

[beowulf]

Indeed I can't wait for it.

So bloody happy the Druid from D2 is back, was my favorite class for a long time.

 

[Moskau]

Can't wait to see what they copied from better companies that actually innovate.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Indeed I can't wait for it.

So bloody happy the Druid from D2 is back, was my favorite class for a long time.

Same.. sad there's only 3 classes for now.. an important aspect of this game is having diverse, fun classes, which I felt was lacking in D3.. where I only really enjoyed the Necromancer.

 

[beowulf]

Can't wait to see what they copied from better companies that actually innovate.

There is always one...

 

[aleshemsky83]

Well, he's right, but it's not some secret. Blizzard has always jumped into popular genres and struck while the iron was hot. It's true, just not some genius observation.

 

[Moskau]

There is always one...

Blizzard hasn't had an original idea in 12 years. Oh look Albion mounts. Oh look streamlined PoE gem system. Rifts were a rip off of maps. Everything from WoW in the past 7 years was taken from Rift, FFXIV or ESO. Everything they do is just a streamlined version of something another company did first.

 

[beowulf]

Well, he's right, but it's not some secret. Blizzard has always jumped into popular genres and struck while the iron was hot. It's true, just not some genius observation.

Well considering how everyone tries to copy Blizzard and Diablo specifically for dungeon crawlers...

People can complain as much as they want but there are few gaming companies as successful as Blizzard. Whether via innovation or improving existing ideas they most often get it done. They listen to fans when they do mess up and make changes.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Originality is overrated. Execution is what matters most.

I was actually impressed by the gameplay trailer. I played the original back in the day but only had a fleeting interest in the other games.

The enhanced mobility (at least, I don't remember ever seeing the player character move like that in the Diablo 3 footage I've seen) looks awesome.

 

[Hivemind]

Diablo is essentially the template for all PC Hack-and-Slash ARPGs. The whole premise of accusing Blizzard of ripping off other developers who are ripping off Diablo is rather hilarious.

Well, he's right, but it's not some secret. Blizzard has always jumped into popular genres and struck while the iron was hot. It's true, just not some genius observation.

Ehhhh.... what.
Blizzard basically were the ones who popularized the RTS. RTS games existed before Warcraft, but they weren't exactly notable. It was Blizzard and the Command & Conquer series that pushed that genre into the mainstream.
And it's beyond question that World of Warcraft launched MMORPGs to a height beyond what they were before. Everquest was popular, but it was nowhere close to what WoW became.
As a whole archetype, first person shooters were popular when Overwatch was announced. But as a sub-genre within FPS, it was basically picking up where TF2 left off, and TF2 wasn't exactly peaking then. It's not like Blizzard made a CoD clone or hopped into the emerging battle royale genre. And after Overwatch's announcement came Paladins, Battleborn, etc.
Hearthstone pretty much popularized the computer-based CCG genre. Sure, a MTG client existed at the time, but it was god awful. After Hearthstone came Gwent, Artifact, Slay the Spire, Shadowverse, Elder Scrolls: Legends, Legends of Runthera, and MTG Arena. They pretty clearly were the ones to spark that movement.

Heroes of the Storm is the one time they've clearly been behind the pack on a genre (and even then, that genre was invented on Blizzard's map editor). That and the new Hearthstone autobattler (lolwut).

 

[LightningStrikes]

God, I'm hyped. A dark, unsettling and gory Diablo game in state of the art graphics and film-like cutscences? Sign me up.

Still a lot of questions open... Gameplay, gamemodes, monetization, loot system, talent trees etc.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Heroes of the Storm is the one time they've clearly been behind the pack on a genre

Never said anything about them being behind or ahead, but the pattern is obvious, almost all their recent games have been them jumping into esports and microtransaction heavy genres to get a stake in the marketplace. I agree, they do it better than the other big players when they come in, but that doesn't really change that theyre coming in and putting a spin on established games or genres.

I think thats what took Diablo 4 so long and why they pushed immortal, they haven't really figured out monetization for the franchise. I think this announcement came now partly for PR reasons.

edit: by the way I should say, about the actual game, Diablo 3 didn't really bring me back into the franchise so Im not really sure if this is. I think the looting didn't grab me like it did 2, and the story of 3 was just awful. It was screaming "this is a videogame" with all the "collect the 7 pieces of fallen angel sword/diablos heart/insert mcguffin" over and over. Hope the story is better this time.

 

[Hivemind]

Never said anything about them being behind or ahead, but the pattern is obvious, almost all their recent games have been them jumping into esports and microtransaction heavy genres to get a stake in the marketplace. I agree, they do it better than the other big players when they come in, but that doesn't really change that theyre coming in and putting a spin on established games or genres.

You realize you're talking about the company that helped invent eSports, right? Multiplayer play and competitive gaming is part of their DNA.

 

[PK Cronin]

Diablo 3 was pretty weak in terms of longevity. I didn't mind playing it the first time through but became a real slog to replay because of how boring it was. It also didn't have the same feeling. This looks much more like what I envision Diablo games to look like and I'm glad they're going back to it. Now, if they could just re-do Diablo 1's dungeon style instead of the open world I'd be thrilled (I know that will never happen and I'm the only person who likes it more).

 

[beowulf]

Will the game maybe be 18+? You have to confirmed your over 18 to enter the website lol

Diablo® IV

Same.. sad there's only 3 classes for now.. an important aspect of this game is having diverse, fun classes, which I felt was lacking in D3.. where I only really enjoyed the Necromancer.

The other 2 starting classes will be announced later. I am guessing like usual a healer (paladin or crusader) and a bow based character so demon hunter or amazon etc.

 

[Spawn]

I never really considered the "tone" of Diablo 3 a problem.

The biggest problem with Diablo 3 is they never figured out the loot grind. When the game first game out the loot grind was way too punishing to find loot you could use yourself so you'd need to use the auction house to outfit your character which really took killed the desire to grind for loot.

Then with the expansion and development of rifts, greater rifts etc and revamping of set items they swung WAY too far the other way.

Builds became entirely dependent on full set bonuses and legendary/set items became increasingly easy to find where it got to the point that you could fully gear out your level 70 character (which took maybe 90 minutes to get if you were going slow) in a day or two. Then the only goal became finding slightly better versions of the set items you already had and trying to grind out paragon levels

There was something much more rewarding about the loot grind in D2. Yes, there was still the absolute elite items that you'd need if you wanted to have a truly elite character, but there were always alternatives along the way to fully gearing out a character and there was frequently variations in your character builds if you wanted to be a little different.

Not that D2 was perfect. The introduction of the really over powered runewords along with never truly fixing botting and duping of items really changed the landscape of the game.

I'm concerned that the only thing Blizzard heard with D3 is that the game wasn't dark enough. So we're just going to end up with a re-skinned D3 that's a bit grittier in art style.

 

[God King Fudge]

I spent more time than I even care to recall on D3 on PC. Then I went and got the Platinum on PS4. I'm ready for more of that in some form.

 

[beowulf]

Well so far I have heard the better PVP is coming back.
More character customization so the gender, skin tones, etc.
Players will ride mounts to get around for longer distances.
Sets will still exist as will legendary items but they are likely not going to be as overpowered.
Trading is back
It might have an MMO feel though not a true MMO.


The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat, utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.

The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.

The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated play-style empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s fury on the forces of the Burning Hells.

 

[PK Cronin]

I never really considered the "tone" of Diablo 3 a problem.

The biggest problem with Diablo 3 is they never figured out the loot grind. When the game first game out the loot grind was way too punishing to find loot you could use yourself so you'd need to use the auction house to outfit your character which really took killed the desire to grind for loot.

Then with the expansion and development of rifts, greater rifts etc and revamping of set items they swung WAY too far the other way.

Builds became entirely dependent on full set bonuses and legendary/set items became increasingly easy to find where it got to the point that you could fully gear out your level 70 character (which took maybe 90 minutes to get if you were going slow) in a day or two. Then the only goal became finding slightly better versions of the set items you already had and trying to grind out paragon levels

There was something much more rewarding about the loot grind in D2. Yes, there was still the absolute elite items that you'd need if you wanted to have a truly elite character, but there were always alternatives along the way to fully gearing out a character and there was frequently variations in your character builds if you wanted to be a little different.

Not that D2 was perfect. The introduction of the really over powered runewords along with never truly fixing botting and duping of items really changed the landscape of the game.

I'm concerned that the only thing Blizzard heard with D3 is that the game wasn't dark enough. So we're just going to end up with a re-skinned D3 that's a bit grittier in art style.

I personally don't like the cartoonish style of D3. I also don't like when numbers are jumping out after every click. Just give me a health bar and let me watch that drain, I don't need critical hit notifications and crap.

The loot grind was definitely a problem for me and turned me off right away, as did the auction house (what a terrible thing that way). I liked the Runewords in D2 because there were ways to transmute the runes you needed, so progress was always being made. Grinding to hopefully have the one item you need with the specific stats you need drop isn't a lot of fun for me. I also found the skill trees in Diablo 2 to be much better. The end game stuff, with the Uber bosses and keys were also a bit better than just doing rift after rift after rift, but that could just be because I'm older now and don't have the same time to devote to games.

 

[beowulf]

I personally don't like the cartoonish style of D3. I also don't like when numbers are jumping out after every click. Just give me a health bar and let me watch that drain, I don't need critical hit notifications and crap.

The loot grind was definitely a problem for me and turned me off right away, as did the auction house (what a terrible thing that way). I liked the Runewords in D2 because there were ways to transmute the runes you needed, so progress was always being made. Grinding to hopefully have the one item you need with the specific stats you need drop isn't a lot of fun for me. I also found the skill trees in Diablo 2 to be much better. The end game stuff, with the Uber bosses and keys were also a bit better than just doing rift after rift after rift, but that could just be because I'm older now and don't have the same time to devote to games.

Good ol' Zod rune lol

 

[Morbo]

I played D2 for years, only 1 Zod ever dropped for me.

 

[beowulf]

Diablo IV will feature permanent character progression as well as personal customization. To accomplish this, we’re reintroducing both Skill Points and Talent Trees.
Skill Points will be earned by leveling up as well as by hunting down rare tomes out in the world. You can choose to spend Skill Points as you go, save them up to invest more heavily in skills that are unlocked at higher levels, spread them out between multiple skills, or focus on your favorites to make them more powerful.

 

[beowulf]

Itemization

It’s not a Diablo game without tons of new loot to find, and we want to share a broad, top-down approach to our itemization. First, you’ll see the familiar return of most item categories:
Normal -> Magic -> Rare -> Legendary/Set -> Ancient -> Mythic
In Diablo IV, we want Legendaries to be just as, if not more, powerful than Set items. We don’t want you to feel beholden to one particular class set to play your chosen style. Ancient items are a system we’ll be leveraging for Seasons, but we’ll dig into that at a later date. As for Mythic items, these will be so powerful you’ll only be able to equip one of them at a time, so choose wisely!
When it comes to combat statistics, we’ve simplified the math problem. Players should spend more time thinking about stats that change how they play rather than solving arithmetic. Attack and Defense will be your bread and butter; one stat for increasing your damage, and one stat for decreasing damage taken.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Any official statement on the release date? All I read on 3rd party sites is that it won’t be soon, not even “Blizzard soon (tm)”.