That was fast. A few days ago it was announced that Diablo 4 is now with external alpha testers. And today the web is already teeming with leaked images from exactly this version. Several screenshots and videos are currently circulating online, revealing previously fuzzy details on loot distribution and difficulty levels, as well as some new insights into the character editor.
The former in particular is now causing a great deal of discussion in the community. It’s not just about the sense and nonsense of the loot distribution itself, but above all about its effect on planned mechanics around trading with other players.
These are the new details
Before we turn to the discussions on Reddit and Co., let’s first look at the new information. The leaks consist largely of screenshots from around the beginning of the game. Here you can see primarily images from the character editor. A few of those scenes can be seen here, for example.
But there have also been official gameplay scenes for a long time, for example in this trailer:
4:44
Diablo 4 reveals five minutes of brand new gameplay and release timeline
We now know about the difficulty levels
At least in the playable alpha version of Diablo 4, the testers initially have the choice between two different levels of difficulty. Since Diablo 4 is a shared world, these difficulty levels are called World Tiers. These are the well-known descriptions of the difficulty levels:
- World Tier 1 – Adventurer
- Suitable for Diablo newbies and anyone looking for a simple challenge.
- Enemies are easier to defeat.
- Only average good items are dropped.
- World Tier 2 – Veteran
- Recommended for Diablo veterans who like to challenge themselves.
- Enemies become more of a challenge.
- Better items will drop.
- There are more experience points and gold.
In addition to the world tiers, there will also be setting options for the Tutorials give. There are two options to choose from in the leaked images. Either you decide for more hints or for less. You know that from many other games.
Also a optional hardcore mode can be seen in the screenshots. This simply belongs in a Diablo and means that your heroes always die permanently. A death will result in the deletion of the entire character.
The difficulty of Diablo 4 does not always result from the degrees of hardness. There are also special activities like dungeons or these world bosses that are supposed to be particularly challenging.
We now know that about loot distribution
Also on Reddit is a thread started, which talks about new details about the loot. Here, however, the source situation is questionable. The person who created the thread speaks of a leak from an alpha tester. However, the source is not referenced anywhere in the entire thread. Here it is claimed that it will be in Diablo 4 again Smart Loot
will exist and that trade will be restricted.
However, neither is an exceptionally big surprise. Blizzard already addressed restricted trading when Diablo 4 was unveiled, and Smart Loot was already used in Diablo 3.
What is Smart Loot?
Smart Loot is an item drop mechanic that adapts to your class. So if you play a druid, you will get more items that benefit the druid. This mechanic did not exist in Diablo 2.
What does restricted trading mean?
Diablo 4 restricts which items you can and cannot trade with other players. Thus, it is possible to trade low-quality items with others without any problems, while more valuable items are available for trade only once or not at all.
You can find out how the item distribution is also planned in our overview of the item system:
more on the subject
Diablo 4: Items become less important, but hunting should still motivate
This is currently being discussed
All this information about the loot is currently worrying the fans for heated discussions. One side thinks Smart Loot is a good idea, while others want it like Diablo 2. The exact details of Smart Loot are also exchanged. After all, it makes a difference whether 80 percent of the loot is for my current class or 50 percent.
These are the arguments for Smart Loot:
- There are fewer items that the current character can’t use.
- Soloists don’t have to delve too deeply into trading with other people and can focus on building their chosen class.
These are arguments against Smart Loot:
- A strong item intended for a different class encourages you to try that class. This will more naturally encourage players to experiment a bit.
- Lots of items for other classes also increase interaction between players. This promotes community spirit and stimulates trade.
In addition, the restricted trade is also discussed. The fact that trading with very powerful items has to be avoided is what causes displeasure among some Diablo fans. After all, worse items are practically useless in retail.
There is even more up-to-date information on the status of Diablo 4 in our big preview.
What do you think about that? Do you think Smart Loot is a good idea, or should the system be reconsidered before release? Write us your opinion in the comments!
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