Preview: Diablo 4’s endgame has a lot of potential

A few weeks ago, we got to sit down with the Diablo 4 developers as they talked to us about the title’s strong endgame design. The roundtable talked about everything you can expect from an action RPG once you’ve completed the main campaign — and we have to admit, we were pretty impressed by the discussion.

Indeed, there are many possibilities. Other hardcore Diablo fans will know that the quality of endgame activities is crucial to keeping players engaged. Some will stick around for the story quests and call it a day when the credits roll – and that’s fine – but it’s that secret endgame sauce that keeps people coming back again and again.

However, it may take some time for endgame goals to properly unfold — just ask Bungie, or even Blizzard. Until we actually play Diablo 4’s high-level activities, we won’t know for sure if they’re intact, but at least on paper, it all looks great.

As you probably already know, Diablo 4 features a massive open world map – a first for the series – and it fundamentally changes how end-game content is implemented. Blizzard says one of its biggest challenges during development was determining how to use the open world in entertaining ways – and it’s arguably the ultimate side of things that pushes the envelope.

Once you’ve completed the campaign, the open world offers two main activities: the ‘Helltide’ area, and rewards. The first sees parts of the map transformed into demonic battlefields, where monsters spawn in great numbers. Clearing these areas earns you a currency that can be exchanged for rewards, but perhaps most importantly, Helltides are supposed to refresh your exploration of the open world – a useful distraction from grinding specific dungeons.

Blessings, meanwhile, come from the eerie-sounding Tree of Whispers. Blizzard didn’t tell us Also So much for how bounties work, but in theory, they’ll give you a good reason to roam the Sanctuary in search of powerful enemies and beautiful loot. Diablo 3 players will likely want to see a little more variety from the sequel’s bounty system, so hopefully there are plenty of unique objectives.

But as mentioned, Diablo 4’s endgame meat It seems Location on dungeons — or more specifically, Nightmare Dungeons. Blizzard reminded us that the game features over 120 dungeons, and any one of them can be ‘upgraded’. These increasingly dangerous delves boast extras, challenging objectives, deadly demons, and, of course, end-game rewards.

It’s likely that Nightmare Dungeons is where you’ll go to test out your latest character creation. Blizzard told us that these poles can become very challenging if you push them far enough, so they’ll probably become a barometer of your overall progress.

Speaking of overall progression, dungeons also play a role in setting the difficulty level of your game. The so-called Capstone Dungeons need to be conquered to raise your world level. In other words, you essentially need to prove to the game that you’re ready for the next step—which is arguably a more interesting process than choosing a higher difficulty from a menu (and then finding out that it is actually very difficult for you. current characters).

Blizzard told us Diablo 4’s endgame revolves around the team’s main design goal, which was brought up several times during the discussion. “Play your way” is the motto of action RPGs, and it certainly feels like that in terms of icy character creation. And Rotation of endgame activities.

Developers don’t necessarily want players to repeat the same activity over and over to develop their hero. Instead, it feels like Blizzard is trying to entice players to gravitate between different types of endgame content — all of which boast worthy rewards in the form of tasty loot catches.

And that’s really our main takeaway from our time with Diablo 4’s lead developers. Blizzard is clearly trying to create a relatively broad array of endgame activities in the hopes that variety keeps things fresh. And to top it all off, the team is promising long-term live service support.

Ah, scary words. But Blizzard seems to have big plans for additional content and updates. We were told that alongside dedicated seasons—each hosting their own challenges—Diablo 4 will benefit from regular improvements and adjustments as part of its live service model. We get the distinct impression that Blizzard wants to treat it like an MMO, and while the developers were hesitant on the subject of DLC or expansions, the team sees Diablo 4 as a platform that’s always evolving.

What this actually means for the game’s weeks, months, years, we’ll obviously have to wait and see — but as its endgame promises confirm, Blizzard’s excited to be crafting an ambitious new direction for Diablo. feeling

There’s no doubt that Diablo 4 has our attention after joining this final game discussion, but what do you make of its plans? How are your Diablo 4 hype levels holding up as we approach its June release date? Start planning your hero’s endgame abilities in the comments section below.

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