Blizzard seems to be learning. After a poor season 3 and many upcoming changes in season 4, the same is apparently being thrown to the masses in advance on a public test realm.
Somehow Blizzard doesn’t manage to really get Diablo IV complete. After a strong Season 2, there is again a lot of frustration in Season 3, the players are dissatisfied and now Blizzard finally seems to realize that it doesn’t work without the community.
The upcoming Season 4 seems, at least according to statements in a stream, to bring with it many more changes and modifications than Season 2 and apparently Blizzard wants to subject it to an extensive playtest first. Fans have long been demanding that Diablo IV, like other titles, get a PTR on which future updates are first tested in order to get feedback from the community and at least with Season 4 this will now happen.
However, this will not be a permanent situation, but will depend on the scope of the respective updates. “It depends on the scope of changes we have, but we are definitely planning a PTR for Season 4,” said Adam Fletcher, Associate Director of Community. A date for the PTR and what to expect in Season 4 will be announced in another stream in “a few weeks.”
What awaits us in Season 4 is still uncertain, but Blizzard is apparently planning massive changes to the loot system. The aim is to increase the value of items, regardless of whether they represent an improvement for the player or not, which could possibly indicate a new crafting or upgrade system.
There will also apparently be drastic changes to the Necromancer’s minions. “The Minions are one of our top priorities to make them feel really good,” says Adam Jackson, Lead Live Class Designer. “We’ll be adding a lot in Season 4 in addition to the changes coming with next week’s mid-season patch.
Diablo IV now has a launch date on Xbox Game Pass on March 28, 2024.
