The new expansion for Diablo IV is approaching and with it another season. Blizzard is staying true to the new system and is initially bringing the upcoming update to the test server.
After the extensive restructuring of the loot and item system last season, Blizzard still has other areas of work to do in Diablo IV and you will soon be able to try out some of them for yourself. From September 4th to 11th, you can put the new update through its paces on the PTR, the public test realm, and with your feedback, help ensure that Blizzard doesn’t screw up the upcoming update.
The upcoming update will be a major overhaul of Diablo IV’s progression system, on a similar scale to the changes to the loot and item systems. This includes updates to the Paragon system, new difficulty levels, new class skills and passive skills, the introduction of rune words, and a group finder tool.
The changes are intended to make it possible to reach the endgame faster, among other things. The Paragon system is being completely redesigned and will only be unlocked from level 60 onwards, meaning you will have ten more skill points available when leveling than before. The world levels have been converted into difficulty levels, a new way of controlling challenges and rewards. The first four difficulty levels – known as standard difficulty levels – are Normal, Hard, Expert and Remorseful. The classes also receive one active and five new passive skills each.
New to the game are Runewords. There are two types of runes you can find in Sanctuary: Runes of Ritual and Runes of Invocation. Runes of Ritual specify actions you must perform to trigger them, and Runes of Invocation grant you a powerful effect when you fulfill the trigger. Runewords are scheduled to hit the PTR on September 6th.
Finally, the game will get a group finding tool to create or find a group for various activities in Sanctuary, including the Nightmare Dungeons, the Dark Citadel, and the endgame bosses. So it sounds like there is a lot going on in Diablo IV. The complete patch notes for Update 2.0 for the PTR you can also see in the current Diablo blog.
Of course, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred was also part of Gamescom, with a new trailer and the announcement of Mercenaries!
