Diablo 4 is getting an open world, but…
Diablo 4 will not be Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is how the developers of the upcoming Blizzard role-playing game describe its open world, for which they want one thing above all: do not raise false expectations. According to them, the open game world of Diablo 4 offers a lot, but not unlimited freedom.
Diablo 4 should still tell a very specific story that has a clearly defined beginning and an equally clearly defined end. This is revealed by Diablo boss Rod Fergusson and game director Joe Shely in a freshly published Interview mit IGN. We summarize for you the most important information about the open game world of Diablo 4.
Incidentally, Diablo expert Fabiano has very specific expectations of the latest part of the role-playing series. You can find out in his detailed analysis which five things Diablo 4 absolutely has to do in his eyes:
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How Diablo 4 wants to unite story and open world
What the open world means for Diablo 4: With its game world, the developers of Diablo 4 are daring to do something new: For the first time, Sanctuary is not divided into individual zones, instead you are free to explore the entire game world. So you can travel seamlessly (on foot or on a mount) from the burning deserts of Kehjistan to the corrupted swamplands of Hawezar – all without loading screens.
On your journey, of course, all sorts of side quests and occupational therapies are waiting left and right to keep you happy. For example in the form of abandoned buildings in which monsters, demons, bandits or worse have nested after the events of Reaper of Souls.
Anyone who has freed these buildings of their unwanted inhabitants should even be able to observe how people are spreading there again when they return later. This should give players the feeling that their actions are actually changing something.
Incidentally, Diablo 4 also uses a shared world principle in its open game world: On the way you can meet other players and with their help even bring big world bosses to their knees – but exceptions are story missions and dungeons.
Diablo 4 – View Screenshots
What the open world doesn’t mean for Diablo 4: Despite an open game world, fans should not count on unlimited freedom – as Rod Fergusson and Joe Shely never tire of emphasizing in an interview with IGN. In concrete terms, this means that Diablo 4 is not based on a completely organic open world such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild puts.
Instead, the open world of Diablo 4 would allow a certain non-linearity, but the beginning and end of the story are clearly predefined. During your journey through the game world of Diablo 4, you can be distracted by all sorts of things that go beyond the golden path
Why a world? Micha was able to talk about this with the developers of the role-playing game at Blizzcon in 2021. It’s best to take a look at the following interview and what Micha was able to find out:
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Diablo 4 is going in the right direction, but why the open world?
It’s obviously very important to Fergusson and Shely not to give fans false expectations of the open world and the freedoms it brings. According to the developers, the principle of an open world in games is more of an illusion anyway: While players want freedom, they also want to be told where to go
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By the way: Ann-Kathrin has hopes for the open and shared world of Diablo 4 – but also her fears and worries. You can find out what she expects and learns from the game world of the Blizzard role-playing game in her detailed video column:
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Please Diablo 4, Don’t Make Your Open World MMO Hell – Column on Blizzard’s Action RPG
What do you think of Fergusson’s and Shely’s statements regarding the open world of Diablo 4: Are you reassured by the developers’ forecasts or would you have expected more from the big innovation? Let us know in the comments!
