General Gaming Diablo IV - Information Thread, update: "Season of the Construct" announcement trailer (January 23)

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Tune in to Our First Diablo IV Campfire Chat

NEWS.BLIZZARD.COM

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Our first Diablo IV Campfire Chat debuts on June 16 at 11 a.m. PDT. Sit down with members of the development team as they talk about the launch of Diablo IV and more.

 

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On June 6, the gates of Hell flung open and players from around the world were thrust directly into the conflict between Inarius and Lilith. Thanks to you, Diablo IV is now the fastest selling Blizzard game of all time! We want to take the opportunity to express our gratitude directly during our first Diablo IV Campfire Chat.

 

Grab your favorite fiery beverage and join Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson, game director Joe Shely, associate production director Tiffany Wat, and associate director of community Adam Fletcher on June 16 at 11 a.m. PDT. The team will detail our successful launch, feedback we’ve received from the community, and what’s on the horizon for Diablo IV.

 

Visit our official Diablo Twitch and YouTube channels to watch the fun unfold live! Following the chat’s conclusion, we’ll update this article with a video on demand so you can still catch up on the details if you missed them.

 

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

3 hours ago, TwinIon said:

Well, it seems I'd fallen into a classic blunder of fundamentally not knowing how the game works.

 

I started using a build that was very dependent on a certain aspect and imprinted that on my weapon. I didn't realize that weapon DPS does actually affect spell damage, so I didn't replace my weapon for maybe 20 levels because I needed that aspect and didn't have the mats to imprint it on the newer weapons I'd found.

 

I also found out the mat requirements are different for different types of equipment, so I was able to imprint that aspect on my gloves and started to use weapons that are more at level and my DPS shot up instantly. I kinda thought that the game was just getting a bit harder as things went along and I was running into tankier baddies, but no, I was just handicapping myself by not paying attention.

yep. Sadly that can happen. Also the types of mats and amounts of mats changes as the gear score increases too. 
 

when I first imprinted a bunch of stuff I didn’t need any legendary mats. But then by the time I had a legendary mat to imprint a higher level item the required legendary mats had increased. lol 

 

but yeah, eventually the loss in DPS on an item because it is so far behind can’t be made up by the legendary aspect any more. You gain so much more damage or survivability by just equipping a higher level rare item than keeping the low level legendary. 

[atom631]

I really think they way they handled imprinting during the campaign is off. you do these dungeons to get the guaranteed aspect added to the codex of power, but then you cant use them because imprinting an item requires 2 of the baleful fragments. well im in act 5, level 47 and have salvaged probably 6-7 legendaries and have yet to get a single baleful fragment. and they dont drop from anything as far as I can tell (at least in world tier II).  so I dont see the point of doing those dungeons now. either they should have the baleful fragments drop or unlock those dungeons only after you finish the campaign. and if they do the latter, increase legendary drop rate during the campaign so you can play with different items/builds. i also am playing with some lower level gear just because the imprint is very useful or core to my build. 

 

that said, my druid is built pretty damn solid. I can melt elites and have no problem with campaign bosses. the only thing that I find challenging are the strongholds. but elixirs really help for them. 

 

at this point, im pretty much beelining through the campaign since its starting to feel long in the tooth. im eager to do some endgame content. 

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

Diablo 4's bringing big changes to its endgame, but a 'significant majority' of players haven't even finished the campaign yet | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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The frank D4 talk came in the first episode of a new "campfire chat" series of videos from Blizzard.

 

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In the first of a new series of "campfire chats" about ongoing support for Diablo 4, a group of senior Blizzard developers outlined changes coming to the action RPG's endgame—for the few who have reached it already, that is.

 

"First off, the significant majority of our players haven't finished the game yet," explained Diablo 4 game director Joe Shely. "But many of the people who are watching this stream, and our dedicated players, play through content much more quickly and have been experiencing this situation with the dungeons."

 

The "situation with the dungeons" is that Diablo 4's normal side dungeons currently make for more attractive endgame grinding spots than the Nightmare dungeons specifically intended to serve as, well, endgame grinding spots. Blizz wants to make the Nightmares into the repeatable post-game activity they were originally intended to be, and to that end Shely revealed that the team will be increasing Nightmare dungeons' XP rewards, while also making them easier to access, all a part of it being "time for the buffs" in Diablo 4.

 

 

 

Diablo 4 director: 'It is time for the buffs' | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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An upcoming patch will soon buff "many things across many classes," as well as Nightmare dungeons.

 

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The Druid and Necromancer have gotten some buffs, but otherwise Diablo 4's first two weeks have been characterized by big nerfs as Blizzard weakened builds that were outside its "bounds for what is reasonable" and downgraded the best XP farming sites with hotfixes. Now it sounds like things will be swinging the other direction. 

 

A "chonky patch," as associate production director Tiffany Wat referred to it during today's Diablo 4 Campfire Chat, is in the works, and game director Joe Shely says that buffs will be one of its themes.

 

"Our philosophy is to prioritize improving [player] choice by looking at things that are not working and making them better," said Shely on the stream. "Now, it hasn't felt like that in the last two weeks, right? And when I came here today, I was thinking about—I don't have a shirt like this—but I thought about getting a shirt and then writing 'it's time for the buffs' on it. I didn't do that, but it is time for the buffs."

 

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

I just started Act VI last night. So I’m definitely in that majority that hasn’t finished the campaign yet. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Mercury33]

6 hours ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

I just started Act VI last night. So I’m definitely in that majority that hasn’t finished the campaign yet. 

Im still in Act III at level 47 sooooo I’m taking way to long I guess 

[atom631]

well I just finished the campaign. I hit lvl 50 about 2/3rd through the final act, which was really awesome. 

 

overall I really enjoyed the campaign, but I think they couldve shortened the 3/4 mark. maybe combine act IV and V and slim them down, wouldve helped with the pacing. 

 

now….I figured since I cruised the game on WT II without much difficulty, I figured I was ready for the Capstone Dungeon. well, holy fuck is that long, hard and tedious.  I got to the final boss and I wasnt even close. this tells me that I now have to grind WT II to for a while to find better gear and pump the paragon points, which im not really sure im even feeling that. 

 

can you run a group on the capstone dungeon? I def think its do-able if I was in a party. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Level 70+ class build guides:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nublood]

19 hours ago, Mercury33 said:

Im still in Act III at level 47 sooooo I’m taking way to long I guess 

This is me too but I don’t really care. It’s taken me this long to get my build right so I’m good with where I’m at. 

[stepee]

Fuck, too many good games right now. Every time I see this thread I get excited to play more since I loved what I have played so far but Star Wars is finally not crashing and Zelda is gigantic, Street Fighter is addictive and so Katamari. And i’m lucky I’m skipping console FF16 or another damn huge game added to the list.

[Paperclyp]

5 hours ago, stepee said:

Fuck, too many good games right now. Every time I see this thread I get excited to play more since I loved what I have played so far but Star Wars is finally not crashing and Zelda is gigantic, Street Fighter is addictive and so Katamari. And i’m lucky I’m skipping console FF16 or another damn huge game added to the list.

I’m as overwhelmed with new releases as I’ve been in years. I’ll admit Diablo is getting the lion’s share of my time though. 

[jaethos]

I finished the campaign last night. I was lvl 50. I played acts 4-6 yesterday, with the last couple strongholds, finishing up the map discovery and some Lilith shrines mixed in. I'm not actually sure where acts 5 and 6 start, as I didn't notice the screen messages. Overall I enjoyed it, though I think I like Diablo 3 better.

 

 I played through the whole thing on tier 1, so I could enjoy a little bit of a power fantasy, as a sorceress. After that I did my first world boss. I then went and did the capstone dungeon. It was definitely harder, in a damage sponge enemy kind of way, but my build got through it without too much trouble.

 

After doing a helltide and getting a bunch of new more powerful gear, that doesn't really match my build, I'm not sure I want to start the grind. D3 has the only endgame that has ever had me come back to it and I don't know that this grabs me the same way.

[Keyser_Soze]

3 hours ago, Paperclyp said:

I’ll admit Diablo is getting the lion’s share of my time though. 

 

I guess Marisa hasn't taught you anything then.

[XxEvil AshxX]

I'm having a difficult time getting into the campaign, mainly because some of those quests can get pretty long. Anything that requires going into a dungeon makes me check my watch first to see if it have time. I realize that's a 'me' problem but I've never had this problem in a Diablo game before. 

[TheLeon]

17 hours ago, stepee said:

Fuck, too many good games right now. Every time I see this thread I get excited to play more since I loved what I have played so far but Star Wars is finally not crashing and Zelda is gigantic, Street Fighter is addictive and so Katamari. And i’m lucky I’m skipping console FF16 or another damn huge game added to the list.

This is actually why D4 really works for me right now. It’s a game I can play for like 30-40 minutes, do a couple quests, then move onto something else. I like it a lot, but it’s not the kind of game that eats up entire days for me. 

[Paperclyp]

38 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

I'm having a difficult time getting into the campaign, mainly because some of those quests can get pretty long. Anything that requires going into a dungeon makes me check my watch first to see if it have time. I realize that's a 'me' problem but I've never had this problem in a Diablo game before. 

This is probably my primary complaint with the game. With it being online only you really have to commit to a quest. 
 

On the other hand you basically do the same thing no matter what you’re doing anyway so if you have to quit early and redo it no big deal lol

[Dexterryu]

6 hours ago, Paperclyp said:

This is probably my primary complaint with the game. With it being online only you really have to commit to a quest. 
 

On the other hand you basically do the same thing no matter what you’re doing anyway so if you have to quit early and redo it no big deal lol

Might not be as big a deal unless you're playing with people. There are frequent checkpoint/save points so if you DC or just need to exit out for whatever reason you aren't set back too long.

[TwinIon]

I hit 50 over the weekend, finished the campaign and the capstone dungeon, so now I've only just started to dip my toes into the end game. It's interesting stuff to be sure, and it might well keep me playing.

 

The thing that really occurred to me though, after joining some world event and seeing a bunch of random people join in, was just how lonely my playthrough was. For an always online game that instances so many things already, it's rather odd that there weren't more opportunities to play with random people. How isn't there optional matchmaking even for things like the capstone dungeon? I think I read that something like this was coming, but it seems like such an odd thing to leave out.

 

I continue to have trouble evaluating gear. I know what my build needs, but I have no idea what other builds might need, so next time I swap anything I could well regret a lot of my choices.

[Paperclyp]

2 hours ago, Dexterryu said:

Might not be as big a deal unless you're playing with people. There are frequent checkpoint/save points so if you DC or just need to exit out for whatever reason you aren't set back too long.

It seems to really vary. On some things you get popped out at the beginning of like a 20-30 minute thing if you quit early. Other times you hardly lose any progress. I haven’t thought too much about it to figure out the logic there. 

[Chris-]

I play with my wife and we have successfully lobbied two (working on three) people to buy the game and join us, so my experience has been anything but lonely. Crossplay has been a blessing (the two people we convinced play on Xbox and PC, respectively, while we are on PS5).

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

2 hours ago, TwinIon said:

The thing that really occurred to me though, after joining some world event and seeing a bunch of random people join in, was just how lonely my playthrough was. For an always online game that instances so many things already, it's rather odd that there weren't more opportunities to play with random people. How isn't there optional matchmaking even for things like the capstone dungeon? I think I read that something like this was coming, but it seems like such an odd thing to leave out.

I’ve mostly played with a friend and during traversal I’m glad the world isn’t more populated, because I’d hate to have a bunch of people killing all the ads and making the game a boring walk from town to undiscovered area. But I would like more participation in public events. Maybe there is no greater participation to be had at times. 

[TwinIon]

1 hour ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

I’ve mostly played with a friend and during traversal I’m glad the world isn’t more populated, because I’d hate to have a bunch of people killing all the ads and making the game a boring walk from town to undiscovered area. But I would like more participation in public events. Maybe there is no greater participation to be had at times. 

I wasn’t really thinking about more people in the over world, but being able to group up for dungeons if you wanted to.

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

33 minutes ago, TwinIon said:

I wasn’t really thinking about more people in the over world, but being able to group up for dungeons if you wanted to.

yeah that would be nice. Feels like an easy miss to just have the option before you go in. Not unlike what Division would do. One button to go in a different to matchmake. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Added videos to the Level 70+ class build guides post.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Blizzard unveils Diablo 4's Hardcore Lilith statue and it's metal as hell (but also quietly dignified) | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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The statute will be emblazoned with the names of the first 1,000 Diablo 4 players to reach level 100 in Hardcore mode.

 

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Blizzard announced in May that the first 1,000 Diablo 4 players to reach level 100 in the brutal Hardcore mode, and to make the claim appropriately, would have their names carved into a statue of Lilith, the game's demonic villain. Now we've got our first proper look at this massive monument to gameplay grind, and I have to admit that as giant videogame statues go, this one is pretty sweet.

 

The photo of the Lilith statue, spotted by GamesRadar, was shared on Twitter by Diablo global community development director Adam Fletcher. It's big!

 

 

[Remarkableriots]

Whoopi Goldberg ends war with Blizzard Entertainment over 'Diablo IV' game

EW.COM

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World War Whoopi Goldberg has officially ceased — the actress shared a final update on her 'Diablo IV' saga with Blizzard Entertainment.

 

[eventide11]

19 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said:

Whoopi Goldberg ends war with Blizzard Entertainment over 'Diablo IV' game

EW.COM

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World War Whoopi Goldberg has officially ceased — the actress shared a final update on her 'Diablo IV' saga with Blizzard Entertainment.

 

I mean.. Get a PS5 or an Xbox.. Or a PC.. Or mod it to Steam deck. Why would you limit yourself when you make the kind of cheddar that she does 

[Keyser_Soze]

She got a refund too soon

 

New DirectX 12-to-Metal translation could bring a world of Windows games to macOS

ARSTECHNICA.COM

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CrossOver announces early, case-by-case support for Windows' current gaming API.

 

[CitizenVectron]

Beat the campaign at level 41. I don't know...the game is already seeming kind of stale. The campaign itself was boring, and I ended up skipping most of the cutscenes since they look so horrible on PC. I'll give the end game a shot for a while, but it's just not grabbing me. Mind you, neither did D3 until the expansion came out and fixed a bunch of stuff.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1.0.3 Patch Notes:

 

Diablo IV Patch Notes

NEWS.BLIZZARD.COM

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We will continually update this article with all patches the development team implements for Diablo IV.

 

 

 

Diablo 4's first major patch buffs every class but is totally focused on the early game | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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Endgame builds have been largely ignored.

 

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The long-awaited balance patch for Diablo 4 is here with buffs for every single class, but most of the changes target the leveling experience rather than the most popular endgame builds.

 

Many of the buffs in Diablo 4's patch 1.0.3 notes increase the effectiveness of each class' basic and core skills near the top of their skill trees. Barbarians, for example, start with four skills to choose from and all of them will now deal increased damage and generate more of their Fury resource to spend on powerful moves. Likewise, Necromancer's can generate a little more essence resource from their ranged Bone Splinters attack, which should reduce downtime between using costly abilities.

 

In other words, every class should have an easier time generating whatever resource they use and will get more out of spending it. The worst thing in an action RPG is hearing "I'm out of energy!" over and over, so Blizzard has tried to make that early game experience feel powerful before you've got endgame gear.

 

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

I dunno, I’ve seen a couple videos on YouTube where they seem quite optimistic for end game builds. I saw one video where the guy seemed to feel like there could now be as many as 6 viable Druid builds. 
 

it did seem like Necromancer are little disappointed minion builds didn’t get more of a buff. 

[Moa]

The changes seem good, nice QoL stuff for end game and making basic attacks feel more impactful. I think Blizzard has done a good job implementing easier changes while communicating their intent to address bigger issues with season 1. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

 

 

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A deviant form of Lilith’s sinister machinations has given birth to a new threat, Malignant Monsters. These decaying abominations roam Sanctuary in a frenzy, mindlessly attacking anyone in range without hesitation. Wanderers will investigate this mysterious malady in a new Questline with the help of Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light, who also trains you to capture the Malignant Hearts fueling these foul beasts and convert them into build-altering powers. The malignancy that’s taken hold of the Burning Hells’ armies cannot remain unchecked—you must snuff it out at the source before all of Sanctuary becomes its thrall.

 

Diablo 4 Season 1—Season of the Malignant details | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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The Season of the Malignant will have us socketing cursed hearts into our gem slots when it starts this month.

 

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What gameplay changes are coming in Season 1?

 

The big picture: a "festering curse" has infected Sanctuary, turning enemies and humans alike into "bloodthirsty fiends" and adding new "Malignant" items. There's a new side story quest line centered around combating this curse, led by a new character named Cormund. The story takes place after the main Diablo 4 story, and if you've already finished the campaign, you can skip it with your seasonal character to jump right in. (Otherwise, you'll have to play through the campaign on the seasonal realm to get the the new stuff.)

• Elite level monsters will have a chance to spawn as a "Partly Corrupted" variant and drop a Malignant Heart, which spawns an even more powerful "Fully Corrupted" of that enemy before you can claim its heart.
• There are 32 total Malignant Hearts with special effects that socket into jewelry like a gem would, but are ultra powerful, allowing for "stupid, new broken builds."
• Jewelry and Malignant Hearts during the season each have three possible colors that need to match for them to be paired together.
• Malignant Tunnels around the world will be a place to farm for Malignant Hearts with a higher rate of infected enemies.
• The Season Journey menu includes chapters with objectives and completion bonuses for the season.
• A new boss Varshan the Consumed will be lurking in Malignant Tunnels.
• The season will bring 6 new Unique Items and 7 Legendary Aspects