Diablo IV

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About the Game

Diablo is a series that needs no introduction as it has been around for 26 years. This IP made its debut in 1997 and since then has had frequent support from its creators who not only "support" the series but also expand it by creating games that continue the plot after the previous one. The world of Diablo was very successful which "led" to the creation of various comics and books. The main series consists of three main games Diablo I (1997), Diablo II (2000) and Diablo III (2012). These games have been remastered for the new console generations. The latest release in the series came in the form of Diablo Immortal (2022) which was released on Android and iOS mobile devices as well as PC. The game received mixed reviews, as while the gameplay and graphics were great, the game suffered from microtransactions and created suspicion for the release of Diablo IV.

In 2019 the company announced Diablo IV during Blizzcon which is an event that Blizzard Entertainment organizes almost every year to advertise the projects they are working on or to announce any changes or updates to their live service games, as well as games to be released, and generally to celebrate with their players/fans. The announcement of Diablo IV spread panic as it would be the next big step in the series. In the following years, the company faced various problems such as the 2020 pandemic but also various internal problems which led to the delay of the game for a year. During this period Diablo Immortal was released whose micro-transactions raised concerns about the future of Diablo IV. In mid-2022, Blizzard Entertainment broke its silence and announced that the monetization of the game will be in the form of cosmetics and season passes rather than "item upgrade" (which gives priority to whoever pays for the game). The game's Beta was released in March 2023, and had various issues according to Beta testers, which Blizzard promised to fix before the game's release.

In July 2023 the game was available in the following forms:

Standard
Included the game alone
Deluxe Edition
Included the game,ingame bonusses and seasone pass(1)
Collector's Edition(Burnout edition)
Included the game(digitally), in game bonusses, 2 electric candles with game character designs, cloth map, a pin, artbook

Story of the Game

The daughter of hatred is back and ready for war!!
Blizzard Entertainment's new project takes place thirty years after Diablo III and revolves around Lilith escaping from the exile she was trapped in by her partner Inarious. As a result of the previous titles, the battles between angels and demons weakened the two camps and this helped Lilith to move forward with her plan which involves ending the eternal angel-demon war by invading the two realms with her followers and establishing her in the ruler/leader of all.

As Lilith prepares the army of Nephalem (a species created by the crossbreeding of angels and demons) your hero arrives at a village where he helps the villagers who in turn after helping them ambush him. Before you can escape you are drenched in Lilith's blood in order to join her team. The blood had no influence on your will, but it did give you the ability to look at events that happened in Lilith's presence. Various incidents occur around you and some NPCs which lead to the pursuit of Lilith. Will you be able to put an end to Lilith's plans, or is her hatred enough to hold you back?

While the plot can be described very simply with the sentence "Lilith's return and her thirst for 'revenge'" doesn't mean that Blizzard hasn't taken the appropriate measures to keep you interested in the world of Sanctuary as well as the heroes of history. While the danger of Lilith is there, the screenwriters have also emphasized side characters' stories which are equally important and beautiful. Equally important is the fact that various side quests, character interaction, murals, scrolls, etc. they give us a bigger picture of the world of Diablo.

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Thoughts on the story

I personally enjoy how effective and simple the story was. As mentioned the main idea is very simple but its execution was gorgeous. Although Lilith's threat was always in the background there were plenty of moments that i was wondering where will the story lead for some of the NPCs. Some of them were so well written that i simply didnt want to skip their parts. Although its fair to say that some NPCs dont get as much development as others. The main characters of Lilith and Inarious have a nice back and forth. The story even includes some nice cutscenes and some good plot twists.

Gameplay

The fourth entry in the series keeps the core of the "Diablo games" the same whilst adding minor changes. You start the game as a new adventurer who is of Nephalem descent, a kind of race that was created from the relationships of angels and demons. This crossover allows you to use unreal powers without calling yourself angels or demons. Each of you can change the skin of your hero as the game has a satisfying character customization menu. You can choose your body type (since gender definition is not considered correct by the company), choose your height, your color, and general information about your clothing (hair color, body tattoo, etc.). The specific menu is limited though and that's nothing as there are many types of armor to make your image. You can then choose the class you will play as (Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue and sorcerer) which will affect your gameplay/gamestyle.

After creating your hero the game places you in a ruined area with various enemies. Each area has a mini-map placed on the top right of your screen which has its areas covered by clouds and only when you approach an area will it be revealed on the map. This means that you will usually walk in the unknown until you find the golden sign that symbolizes the main objective. There will be instances especially in Dungeons where you'll be going around the area and after opening the map completely you'll see that there's a little corner you didn't approach that might be the right way. To clarify, the main objective/area will show where it is on the big map, but when you get close to it, that's when you'll have to find out exactly where it is. For example, you will see that an NPC is in an ice area, but when you get to the ice area, it won't show you exactly where it is. Various objectives, statues and dungeons will appear if they are near you. Finally if you pin the location you want to go to, the mini-map will show a red line for you to follow to quickly reach your destination.
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Each region is different from the other but some things are the same. The world of Diablo has a huge population of enemies who will try to end your journey. Depending on the area you are in the enemies differ, from wild bears to zombies or demons etc. When the enemies have a silver base/aura they are usually much stronger than the rest. When you kill someone, you can earn money, equipment (either your own or another class's) and potions that you can use when you're out of life. Additionally, some areas may have mechanics where you have to activate the “event” (eg crystal) which will spawn various enemies in order to survive a certain amount of time. Next, some areas have various traps that you will need to avoid. Last but not least, it should be mentioned that all areas and especially dungeons are randomly generated which means that a dungeon in your game will not be the same as another player's unless you play together.

In the main mission you can proceed alone or with a party of up to four people. As with the older titles the difficulty scale of the game changes based on the size of the party. Your team can consist of all available classes regardless of the fact that a team can only have four magicians/sorcerers. What will play a role is the fact that while you can join with the same classes, a mix party that will include "Tank", "Close range" and "Long range" heroes to be much more effective. Items dropped by enemies (Loot) can be picked up by anyone in the group and can be exchanged with other members. Exceptions are "Legendary items", "Unique items", "Quests items" and "Enchanted items" which will come to you through the "smart loot system". Potions, on the other hand, adhere to the "first come first served" rule, which means that whoever approaches it and does not have a full inventory will get it.

The pursuit of Lilith. Find the clues that will lead you to Lilith, before she destroys the world

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Each hero/class has its own skill trees (hierarchical visual representations of their magical abilities) with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, being more effective at close range but weak at long range. Each hero starts with minimal abilities and the more they "throw" themselves into battle or do missions (main Quests/Side Quests) they gain Exp which will increase their level. Each level-up rewards you with skill points which you can use in the skill trees to unlock new passive and active abilities. Your skills can be placed in the skill slots bar located at the bottom left. Powerful techniques require the use of "class resource" such as mana for sorcerer, fury for Babarian, Spirit for Druid etc. If a player (sorcerer) does not have enough "mana" then he cannot use some of his abilities until he regains power of doing damage or through Mana potions or based on the passive abilities and equipment they have. Each hero's energy source is located under the life you find in your skill bar. Finally, powerful techniques have a cooldown time that prevents you from using that technique again for a short amount of time which will be shown on your screen above that particular technique.

A large part of the game consists of the character build up, half of which you have to find the right skills/abilities that adapt to your own type of game. There are various techniques that do different damage (direct, environmental(AoE)) and other passive which may give you back resources (Mana, Fury etc), or boost the type of attacks (fire attacks + 2% DMG). The other half consists of the choice of equipment. Each piece of clothing besides the change of your appearance, it gives you different Buffs. Some pieces in addition to defense and other status, can strengthen one type of attacks like Lightning magic (Sorcerer). Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions of holding a weapon (Great Sword with shield (Barbarian), Magic Rod or Spell Book/shield with wand (Sorcerer)) which affects your statuses a lot. The appearance part doesn't matter much as you can change the appearance of a piece and do it to look like another you like more approaching the wardrobe in the safe zones.
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Always take care of your equipment.
Each weapon has a durability rating. The durability of a weapon symbolizes how strong it is. When referring to the weapon we mean how much you use it in battle, while when we refer to the armor, the shield, the helmet etc. we mean whether or not you were wearing it during the battle. When the number is low then the piece's buffs do not apply or are dramatically reduced. In the event that the number drops to 0%, the object cannot be used (if it is a weapon) or loses all its attributes. This problem can be solved easily, all you need is to visit the Blacksmith in a village to fix it for you. Blacksmiths are depicted as anvils on the map.

In addition to making your equipment, blacksmiths can upgrade it for you. When you power up a weapon or armor then they give you more damage and defense. To power up the item you need money (gold) and the right materials (materials). The cost of the upgrade depends on the power of the item and its rarity. You can find these materials from the bad guys, from the treasures and also from the Blacksmith through salvage. The salvage option destroys all selected objects and turns them into materials. Rare items will ask you if you are sure about destroying them and will give you stronger/rare materials.

Mounts are the animals that you can ride in battle or to move faster in the world of Sanctuary. Mounts are unlocked relatively late in the game's main scenario as the quest will become available when you complete Act III and start Act IV. To find access to the mounts you will need to visit a main town where the NPC stable is located. When you talk to the NPC he will give you access to a horse and horse armor.

Horses are useful for fast movement as you cover longer distances faster. Also each horse has its own abilities placed in skill slots. These are simple moves like dash, dismount, or dismount and attack the area in front of you. You can find more horses/skins in dungeons or in open world missions. When you find a new animal you should visit the stable and change it.

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Sound and Graphics

Blizzard's new project has a nice dynamic look. Each area is vastly different from the last as the team tried to create a more natural look. To achieve this natural effect they used hand painted textures. Also, a big change is the fact that this world is not 100% procedurally generated like the previous titles which allowed the team to give a different identity (through vegetation, different colors, enemies, etc.) to each area. If the world gives you a dark and desolate image that is mostly inhabited by monsters this is no coincidence, as after the DLC Reaper of Souls(Diablo III) humanity had almost disappeared and the earth had generally suffered.
The game's cutscenes are divided into two categories. CGI (Computer Generated Image) scenes and In-game models. The CGI scenes are top quality and reminiscent of Blizzard Ent at their best. On the other hand the rest of the scenes are simple and have the game models move very little on stage while performing their lines. A big change between IV and older titles is the fact that the game has a more realistic look when it comes to visual effects (especially the Sorcerer). The only problem created by the graphics is when you are in battle and a lot of characters (players, enemies, NPCs, area etc) cause a lot of effects due to attacks and you can't clearly see what's going on.

On the other hand, the team has put a lot of emphasis on the audio area as the game has different songs and tunes reminiscent of Diablo. Most of the actors have nice performances in the area of voice acting which together with the illustration and the melody created a nice final result. The company also added various options to make it easier for as many players as possible through "accessibility features" that have been created to help players with special needs.
Blizzard wanted the sound of Diablo IV to have a noticeable presence in their new project. To achieve this result, the team used a classic method used in Hollywood (1950-1960). According to this method, the group had the microphone stationary connected to a special program and they created sounds with everyday objects such as the creasing of a jacket, the melting of a candle, the sound of a bicycle chain, the peeling of a tomato, etc. According to Kris Giampa (audio director of Diablo 4), during the creation of the game, the team went to various stores (toys, food, clothes, etc.) in order to find what they could use to create sounds or sounds effects. He had also mentioned that they avoided the use of meat for health reasons. The team really liked the result and they are proud of the end result and that it gave them unforgettable experiences as well as knowledge.

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Post Game Content

The game starts when it ends
Usually a game is considered finished when the main campaign ends, in the case of Diablo this is not the case. As in the old games the real experience begins afterwards as all the dungeons and challenges are waiting for you to discover and will give you a more challenging experience. Then there are many side quests from NPCs which you are more likely to leave for after the main campaign. New lvl50 and lvl 70 main Dungeons become available after the end of the main adventure. Also world tiers will become available and increase the level of difficulty so that you will always have difficulty no matter how strong you can become.

Then Blizzard's new project allows PvP (Player versus Player) battles where you will face other players. Unlike areas where you work together as a team, here players turn against each other. These areas are called Fields of Hatred. After finishing the game, you can experiment by creating a new hero class and experiment with it, finding new skills, builds and armory/weaponry. Finally, if the previous reasons were not enough, Blizzard announced that the Seasons that have sustained Diablo III for so many years will return to Diablo IV with new events and prizes.

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Minor Issues/critiques of the game

Diablo IV is the first in the series to be 100% online. Unlike the previous games, it does not have an offline mode and requires a constant internet connection. To be able to enjoy the game one needs to have a satisfactory connection. Being online only means you will encounter other players which will add lag to your game as the servers try to sync. Then, while the game is full price, it has an online store where you can buy various cosmetics and the season pass.
For some it is a big loss that the local coop (couch play) which, while it exists, has reduced the number of players from four to two. This means that if you had plans to gather your party (4) from the previous games and play together as a full party you will not be able to. Additionally, another difficulty for local coop is the Battle net account requirement. Unlike in the past when you simply had to plug the controller into the console and you were ready for your adventure.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Diablo IV is a game worthy of the series which the company played safe as at least on the release date of the game it has not experimented with anything new for its genre. It will leave you happy with your purchase if you are a fan of the series or a general fan of these types of games. The story, although it sometimes feels like it repeats elements over and over again, does not cease to keep the interest high. The main campaign takes around 15-20 (personally 18) hours to finish, emphasizing mainly the main quests. But all diablo veterans know that the game begins when it ends as the post game content is what will keep you in the game. Knowing this, the company has designed many dungeons, side missions, seasons, etc. to "keep" you in the game or to give you a reason to come back. There are a few latency issues but the game has just been released and it is very likely that they will be improved. Each new seasons brought its fair shares of Ups and downs BUT as of now(a year later the game seems to be on a healthy player base)

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