Diablo 4 Developer Update - Liveblog Summary

Diablo IV Posted 2023/05/10 at 12:35 PM by Jezartroz

Diablo 4 Server Slam

The download for the Server Slam weekend will go live at the end of this livestream
The level cap for Server Slam Weekend is 20
Beta rewards such as the Beta Wolf Pack will carry over from platform to platform, but Early Access is locked to the console it was purchased for

Seasons in Diablo 4

The goal is that post-launch content will arrive in mid to late July, to give enough time for players to enjoy the campaign
Four seasons per year, one per quarter, and each Season will have a distinct theme
Seasons will feature Seasonal Questlines, which won't expand on the Campaign narrative of Diablo 4 - that content will be saved for expansions. These Seasonal Questlines will guide players on the themes and mechanics of that particular Season
An example theme is Zombies, although Season One will be discussed more after launch
Seasons want to introduce fresh gameplay to give incentive for different character builds; these changes are temporary and will be retired at the end of their respective seasons
Seasons are taking long term progression into account, using things such as the Season Journey mechanic from Diablo III; large rewards are given at the end of each "chapter", including new Legendary Aspects
Players will have to recreate and re-level their characters each season, however there is a non-seasonal Evergreen mode where characters do not reset
After completing the campaign, new characters will have the opportunity to skip the campaign, even in Seasons
Once Mounts are unlocked, they are unlocked permanently for all characters and all levels
Stat bonuses from Altars of Lilith are permanent unlocks, however the renown bonuses for finding them are not
Seasons will be how Quality of Life updates are introduced into Diablo 4
Seasons will have Aspirational Challenges, building on the endgame to keep things fresh - such as Bosses and Dungeons
Balancing will take place throughout each Season to prevent one spec or class from becoming so powerful it is the default
Diablo 4 will not have a leaderboard in Season One and Season Two - but it could come back after

Battlepass in Diablo 4

Battlepass is progressed by earning Favor: through the Season Journey and also leveling up and playing
Three levels: Basic, which is free, Premium, which is about $10 USD, and Accelerated, which is about $25 USD
Season Blessings are meant to help players through the Battle Pass process
There are level requirements on the free track of the Battlepass, because this is the only track that affects the player and power
Premium and Accelerated tracks are cosmetic only
There are 90 total tiers in the Battlepass, 27 from the free track and 63 from the Premium pass
Seasonal mounts, mount armor, and player armor sets are all examples

Customizations

The cosmetic shop offers different "fantasies" for your character and class
Examples are "Thunder Goddess" themes for Sorceress or a Barbarian who wears the skulls of their enemies
There will be "regional" looks related to each zone
Shop cosmetics aren't one solid set - each piece can be mixed and matched with other pieces

Q&A

There will be no Battlepass pre-Season One, but there will be a rudimentary shop
Shop cosmetics will be class restricted, but account unlocks
Purchasing the Premium pass late will retroactively apply favor
You'll unlock your mount around level 30, depending on how quickly you play through the campaign
Altars of Lilith will be in static locations - they will likely not move
The shop is personalized - items will swap out roughly once per week, but items will rotate back into stock
When a Hardcore character dies, the Season Journey progress is retained but any character based progress is lost
Some mounts, trophies, and titles are from completing achievement-style rewards

Comment by schmilblickShamelessly talking about the battlepass for a 70$ game.Comment by IceWolfDKEh, who cares about the free battle pass. I dont mind subbing to the 10$ premium battlepass. But 25 for the accellerated is a greedy cashgrab option.

Im not in a hurry to stop playing to play something else, so the accellerated will never be an option worth considering.Comment by Whatdoyouwantwell 25$ battle pass was awfull surprise.Comment by Tharidhttps://i.imgur.com/hKemYtE.png

It's a legit P2W. It should be a joke. WTF it is?Comment by IceWolfDKhttps://i.imgur.com/hKemYtE.png

It's a legit P2W. It should be a joke. WTF it is?Comment by Wrackswell 25$ battle pass was awfull surprise.Comment by tmptfatehttps://i.imgur.com/hKemYtE.png

It's a legit P2W. It should be a joke. WTF it is?Comment by IceWolfDKhttps://i.imgur.com/hKemYtE.png

It's a legit P2W. It should be a joke. WTF it is?Comment by DirtySykoNormalize Battle Passes that do NOT expire!

I don't mind spending $10 on some extra content, but I don't want to LOSE out on that content and money spent because I didn't play during an arbitrary time period that is used as psychological trap. Battle Passes benefit the publishers more than the gamers, and it shouldn't be that way.Comment by khazaxShamelessly talking about the battlepass for a 70$ game.Comment by deathcrushI hope they don't bring these battle passes to WoW...Comment by SmDshkawell 25$ battle pass was awfull surprise.Comment by VSozonovI hope they don't bring these battle passes to WoW...Comment by TysTeaShamelessly talking about the battlepass for a 70$ game.Comment by FeigrWith all the talk about seasons I was hoping they would say more about the eternal realm. I feel that those of us that are not interested in seasons need a bit more info on exactly what is and is not planned to go to the eternal realm. They said that uniques were going into eternal realm after a season, but will any season features also be implemented? If not there is the risk that the eternal realm might feel stale after only a year or two.