Eleven long years have passed since the release of the controversial Diablo 3. Last year’s spin-off, subtitled Immortal, which was released on PC in addition to the main mobile platforms, did not meet long-time fans of the cult series. . There is nothing to be surprised about here, because Diabla Immortal’s business model is actually the pure definition of the so-called Pay to Win (you buy power in the game with real money). Players pin their hopes on the release of the fourth part in June, which we in the editorial office started on the occasion of open beta testing. This happens in two stages. This weekend (March 17-20) and next weekend (March 24-27). To access the first date, you must have a Diablo IV pre-order, the second weekend is open to absolutely everyone. The entire first act, the Shattered Peaks zone, is available in the beta, and the level cap is set at level 25. Three professions can be tried during the first term: Barbarian, Sorceress, and Rogue. On days from 24.3. until 27.3. The Necromancer and Druid will be added to those mentioned. Was it worth our return to the world of Sanctuary over the weekend? Will we see a worthy continuation of the cult duet? Sharpen your swords, draw strings and dust off ancient scrolls. Lilith calls for a word.
Dark spectacle
After an agonizing Friday afternoon launch where I had to queue for about an hour to connect to the servers, only to have the game give me an error message a few times, I finally got to character selection. In Diablo, I’ve always played Barbara the most, so there was nothing to think about. At first glance, I was impressed by the editing options when creating your character. There is nothing revolutionary about this, but I see it as a nice change from previous iterations. After a few minutes of aiming for a shiny bald head and thick beard that would hide half of my Sunday lunch without a problem, I set off on my adventure. The vast majority of cutscenes use the game engine directly and are not pre-rendered films. So the main character is exactly the same as you dreamed about him in the editor. Big plus for diving.
The vast majority of videos use a game engine.
As soon as the demo ends, nostalgia kicks in. The atmosphere is dark, depressing and gloomy. This is how I imagine Diablo. This is a clear step in the right direction compared to the overly colorful third volume. The first act, available in the beta, takes place in the cold region of the Fractured Peaks. So there will be no shortage of snow and mountains. In addition, during the game day and night are replaced. This leads to even more involvement in the game. Big. The audio-visuals are really good for the genre, as are the voices of the characters. The soundtrack moves in the same rhythm as the overall atmosphere, and everything complements it perfectly. Watching Diablo IV is a pleasure. As for the optimization of the game, then I’m a little confused. For me, the game was stable enough at maximum settings (composition: Ryzen 5600x, RTX 3070Ti, 32 GB of RAM) at 1440p and DLSS quality. Constant freezes on compilation caused frequent texture loading, shocking crashes, and framerate drops from around 150 to 50 fps, for example, which you can actually tell on a 165 hertz monitor. All issues were resolved after lowering the texture settings from high to medium. So I’m suspecting a memory leak, possibly low VRAM on my 3070Ti (8GB). We hope that these problems will be solved by the release.
Slow down adventurer, slow down
Compared to the trio, the new part is significantly slower. This applies mainly to fights, which now look more attractive. You don’t fly around the map like fireballs, and during the boss fight you have to think and act tactically. Two difficulties are available in the beta – normal and veteran. I didn’t want to linger on the first one mentioned because I like the challenge. So the choice fell on a veteran. It really depends on which of the three currently available characters you choose. Unfortunately, the Barbarian is completely unbalanced and deals only minor damage compared to the Sorceress and Rogue. He’ll want to work it out before release. While Barbara is known to need some really finely tuned hardware and builds compared to others, such a huge difference can be discouraging. After all, no one likes to “prick” the Fallen for twenty seconds, when five is enough for other professions.
Two difficulties are available in the beta.
These facts made the boss fights quite a challenge. Not that I mind, but when I tested the Sorceress, the passage of the first act was several times faster. I’ve only gotten a little familiar with Rogue so far, and I’m planning on giving it a good try. Bosses finally have the right mechanics and can both torment and surprise. For example, if you’ve played Lost Ark, you can imagine this. Big plus for me. It’s possible, even likely, that we’ll see ultra-fast endgame dungeons and caves again, but the slower pace is good for the game in my opinion. However, at level 25, you cannot predict the future.
Welcome to the open world
Diablo IV takes elements from the MMORPG genre. Personally, I applaud this as I’m a die-hard online RPG enthusiast, but I’m pretty sure some players won’t like it. Scattered around Sanctuary are side quests, dungeons, world events, and big bosses for up to twelve players. Also new is the non-linear campaign flow, where you can choose the sequence of actions (cannot be tested in beta). Later, the player must also reach a vehicle, such as a horse. Overcoming the terrain in terms of climbing, jumping and handling will meet you at every turn. Also new is the so-called dodge – a trick that allows you to dodge enemy attacks. I hope I’m not biased, but a lot of things very strikingly remind me of the already mentioned Lost Ark. However, such a generalized formula cannot be applied to the genre itself, since there are limited procedures for solving this problem. You will also meet other players, both in the cities and while wandering through the desert. Fortunately, this is not an intrusive element, but rather complements the live impression of the world.
Hello Lilith
I never saw the story of the third Diablo in a positive sense, but as a generic tale of the chosen one, who alone can save the world. But this time, I have to admit that even though it’s only the first act, the creators have caught my attention. Dark Lilith is being called back to the world she helped shape. She is trying to lure followers from among the common villagers under her inhospitable-looking wings, and her plans are unclear. I don’t want to, and really can’t, reveal the plot any further, since the first act is only the beginning, but initial impressions of what is happening on the screen are purely positive, and I am curious to see where our steps go. adventurers go. The bar isn’t set too high, so maybe it will work this time.
New and old systems
Blacksmith, mystic, jeweler. We will meet all these old acquaintances in the four. The details of the game are still not entirely clear, but I felt that the legendary items were dropped too often. Maybe it’s just a specific setting for testing, but if it stays that way, then I’m not very happy. On the contrary, I appreciate the new potion system. Instead of one long cooldown, you now have a so-called charge for potions. You start with four, but if you complete the content on the map, you will be rewarded, among other things, with an increase in the available “health kits”. In this way, it is possible to strategically plan and use the system, for example in the aforementioned boss battles.
Legendary items dropped too often.
If you’re familiar with World of Warcraft’s glory system, then you’ll find something similar in the new Diablo. For completing the map, you get fame points and subsequently rewards in the form of skill points, titles, gold or experience. So there is still a lot to be unlocked in the game. The map is directly littered with side dungeons, for the passage of which you get power for this profession, which can then be realized in equipment. Unfortunately, dungeons overwhelmingly use a repetitive layout and soon become somewhat repetitive. I see this as a big and significant disadvantage. Either way, you won’t get bored wandering around Sanctuary, there’s always something to do here.
Console version impressions
Back in 1998, I was involved in a wild debate about whether the first part of the Diablo series was better played on a computer or on a console (the game was released for the first PlayStation console). It’s mostly a matter of habit – if you’ve played the series hundreds of hours in the past on one of the platforms, you probably won’t want to switch. As someone who regularly jumps between all platforms, not just for work, I can’t help but feel that controlling Diablo on a controller is simply more convenient – because you control the movement of your character directly, and not just indicate with the cursor in which direction he is going to disperse In addition, Diablo IV expands the physical aspect of your character and their attacks (more accurate hitboxes compared to animations, etc.) so you can feel even better that you are really interacting with enemies and the environment.
Of course, controller vibrations are also part of the experience, though I didn’t notice much use of haptic feedback while playing on a PlayStation 5 with a DualSense controller. However, the game runs great on the console, according to the developers, it’s uncompromising 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. The only slowdown I noticed was intermittent stuttering when quickly moving between areas of the map, but I’m assuming this is a problem with the game itself, regardless of platform. The UI is a lot like Diablo III, so it’s definitely TV-friendly (you also have the option to enlarge fonts, etc.). Last but not least, it’s worth mentioning the ability to play the game on console in local couch co-op, which is only available on console versions.
Martin closed
Let it be June
After visiting Diablo IV over the weekend, I can say that I am mostly satisfied. The ARPG genre has always been close to me, and since I love MMORPG games, I also welcome the online elements that the creators decided to add. The atmosphere is great, the same goes for the audio-visual effects. Surprisingly, the story interested me more than I expected, and I’m curious to see which direction it takes. I’m worried about my pet Barbara because he seems very weak compared to the others. But we definitely have to balance, so I’m not going crazy. My biggest regret is probably the dungeon layout, which is heavily stereotyped, and I dare not say if that will change in later acts. Maybe. If you don’t want to buy a rabbit in a poke and are still hesitating after reading our impressions, I highly recommend you try the second open beta test date next weekend (Friday March 24 at 10:00 AM BST). ). But get ready for a real queue, the onslaught will be huge. After that, it remains only to wait for 6.6., when the final version of Diablo IV will be released on our screens. I’m really looking forward to it, it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun.
Source :Indian TV
