
After the events of previous games, the forces of demons and angels have been depleted, allowing an opening for her to establish power in Sanctuary.

Cultists have summoned the main antagonist and daughter of Mephisto, Lilith. Set in the Diablo series’ world of Sanctuary, Diablo IV takes place following the aftermath of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. The game cannot be played offline and will require an internet connection.

Microtransactions are included in the form of cosmetic items. Limited-time seasons return to the game, which alter legendary powers to shift the meta-game. The auction house, a feature removed in Diablo III as it bypassed the game’s concept of gear-progression, was removed. In an interview with lead game designer Joe Shely and senior producer Tiffany Wat, it was revealed that trading and crafting will be available in the game but will be limited to resources outside of the most powerful items. These two items combine to form a runeword that then can be applied to an item. Conditions runes describe the situations under which the effect runes will be active. Effect runes describe the additional effects. They are split into two groups: condition runes, and effect runes. These items allow players to upgrade selected items with additional effects. Gear can be further customised with runes and runewords. The rarest items have unique effects that alter more than just the character’s parameters. Weapons and gear have increasing rarity which are a general indicator of their power. Ancestral Power increases the chance of effects being applied to another entity. Angelic and Demonic Power alter the duration of beneficial and negative effects respectively. Defensive stats include elemental resistance and defense which increase how much damage can be taken. Diablo IV introduces three new attributes: Angelic, Demonic, and Ancestral Power.

Offensive attributes include attack and critical chance which increase damage output. The playable character’s effectiveness in combat is determined by their attributes and their boosts from equipped items. In order to achieve this, the plot revolves around the simple folk of Sanctuary rather than “politics, kings, or another high-fantasy theme.”

To differentiate between them, they have unique silhouettes, stances and weapons.Ĭreative director Sebastian Stepien explained that the goal was to create a more “grounded” story than Diablo III. Each family contains different archetypes that hold different roles allowing for synergies of specialty abilities between family members. Enemies are split into monster families which are defined by a theme, combat style, and their location. This concept is used to progress through the story and quests. Enemies are fought using different character class skills which can be customized by equipment and talent trees. The core formula for the series’ gameplay revolves around gradually obtaining stronger equipment by defeating increasingly difficult enemies.
