Blizzard’s Diablo 4 open beta this past weekend seems to be for the most part a success. Despite some issues, here is a brief description of the game.
Diablo 4
You control one of five classes including Barbarian, Sorceress, Druid, Rouge, or Necromancer. As the player, you will be completing quests as you track Lilith, a character banished from Diablo 3. Lilith returns in Diablo 4 to cause chaos throughout the world of Sanctuary.
With the fourth installment in the franchise releasing in June, Diablo 4 is described as an action RPG. However, the newest installment has a bit of an MMO feel. You will encounter other players during certain events throughout your journey, which is a first in the Diablo series.
The Good
The open beta gives access to all five character classes, allowing the players to try different characters throughout the four days. Players are allowed to play through the first act and reach level 25.
All characters and NPCs are well-voiced, and the cinematics and graphics are stunning. I tried the beta on PS5 with very few issues.
The Bad
Some players experienced connection issues, as well as character unbalancing and long queue lines. Some reports show that players waited hours during peak times. PC players reported optimization issues and gameplay frying their video cards. However, Blizzard released a patch before the open beta to solve many of these issues that also happened in the close beta the weekend before.
The character creation offered a handful of presets with very little customization. The dodge mechanic offered little in the way of dodging, allowing the player to only dodge once or twice before being on a cool down. This made combat frustrating at times and made the player rely on healing rather than dodging.
The Unknown
Much is still unknown with Diablo 4. The full game will include mounts, clans, crafting and end-game activities, none of which were available to try in the beta. There is much speculation of what, if any, changes will happen for the full game release. A change to the normal Diablo formula, like an MMO feeling, could be welcomed by some players and hated by others.
Final Thoughts
What did you think of Diablo 4 beta? Did the beta change your mind for better or worse? Will you now be pre-ordering the game? Do you have more concerns now after playing the beta? As Diablo 4 approaches release, will these issues be addressed? Let me know in the comments below what your thoughts are.
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