Highly anticipated: If you can’t wait to get your hands on Diablo 4, the betas are only available this weekend. Blizzard has scheduled two trial periods in March for players to get in on some hacking and slashing. Of course, you won’t be able to access the full game, but Bliz outlines what to expect.
Diablo 4’s first beta week is March 17-19. This trial is considered “early access,” so it’s only open to those who pre-ordered the game. The second stage is the weekend of March 24-26. This beta is open to everyone, including pre-orders. So it also serves as a small boon for those who have faith in Blizzard delivering a good game. They got little time in the limited but ample Sanctuary region.
The Sanctuary area open to beta testers is the rugged terrain of the Fractured Peaks. This region is located far to the east, near the Dry Steppes. It is northeast of the Caldeum map in D3. According to legend, the residents of the mountainous area do not dare to go out at night because of the cold and heavy demon activity.
The bad news is beta players are limited to the Fractured Peaks map. The good news is that’s where the Prologue and Act I take place, and players are welcome to complete both of these story modes if they have enough time in a week.
Bliz has limited Early Access players to only three of the five classes – Barbarian, Rogue, and Sorcerer. However, next week, when the open beta starts, the devs will unlock Druid and Necromancer for everyone to play. Players can use each character as much as they want but are limited to level 25. After level capping, you can still romp around the map but won’t gain experience.
Blizzard suggests creating a new character (up to 10) after capping to find your favorite because beta characters cannot be carried over to the finished game. Early Access players can move their builds to the open beta. However, everyone will have to start with Diablo IV fresh at launch, which is fair since it has the obligatory multiplayer element.
Like D3 and Diablo II: Resurrected, D4 retains its multi-player co-op mode. Couch co-op and online modes are in beta with some stipulations.
When setting up a couch co-op session during the Early Access weekend, only one player needs to pre-order the game. Your partner just needs to have a Battle.net profile. All users must link a valid BN account when playing on consoles.
For online four-player co-op action, everyone in the party must have access to the beta, meaning only pre-ordered players can participate in the first trial period with one exception. Those who start a couch co-op session can join parties of four players with room for two, though the fourth wheel has early access.
Benefits come to those who fight together. Blizzard has a giant “world boss” that will wander around at “chosen times” during the betas, where all parties can come together to defeat this powerful beast. If you kill an enemy while close to another player, you get a five percent experience bonus. The benefit jumps up to 10 percent when near a member of your party.
While you won’t be able to carry your characters through the entire game, you can earn some rewards during Diablo IV’s transfer trials through your Battle.net account. The first is the Initial Casualty character title that you can win by going to Kyovashad with at least one of your characters. The Early Voyager title and the Beta Wolf Pack cosmetic item will come to those who reach at least level 20 in any of their builds.
For PC gamers, you should be sure that your specifications are up to par.
Settings to run Diablo IV Open Beta at 1080p native resolution / 720p render resolution, low graphics settings, 30 fps:
- Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-8100
- Memory: 8 GB of RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon R9 280
- DirectX: Version 12
- RECORDING: SSD with 45 GB available space
- Internet: Broadband Connection
Recommended Specifications for PC:
- Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4670K or AMD R3-1300X
- Memory: 16 GB of RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 470
- DirectX: Version 12
- RECORDING: SSD with 45 GB available space
- Internet: Broadband Connection
Of course, console players can just play without worry.
Beta Wolf Pack cosmetic item
Again, the Diablo IV beta periods are March 17-19 and 24-26. Check your PlayStation, Xbox, and Battle.net storefronts for live download links during those dates. The full game will launch on June 6, with an Early Access period starting on June 2 for those who pre-ordered the Ultimate or Digital Deluxe versions.