Though players have had an opportunity to tryDiablo 4through its closed beta, this window is about to close. Announced in 2019 on BlizzCon with a stunning cinematic trailer, fans of the franchise have cautiously – yet curiously – kept their eyes open on the game’s development. Blizzard Entertainment provided players with several deep dives into howDiablo 4’s classes, itemization, visual style, customization, and open world all fit into a new vision for the franchise that, unlike its predecessor, didn’t shy away from its dark roots.
FollowingDiablo 4’s delaysover the past couple of years, the game seems fixed on releasing next year on an undisclosed date. With potentially only a year left before launch, it made sense for the developers at Blizzard to ramp up beta testing for the game. To that end, they selectively invited people who were dedicated endgame players fromDiablo 2: Resurrected,Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, andDiablo Immortal. The closed beta forDiablo 4, on top of allowing players to test out classes and combat, specifically had a focus on its endgame content such as Helltides and Nightmare Dungeons.
RELATED:Blizzard Announces Diablo 4 Closed Beta
InDiablo 4’s in-game patch notes, it was revealed that the closed beta was ending on November 18. Players who haven’t been invited yet may have a chance to receive late access, but those who miss out on the fun will have to wait till next year – as theDiablo 4developershave stated that public testing will commence at the start of 2023.
Player reception has been mixed so far, with one of the most common complaints being inconsistent scaling on the endgame dungeons, as well as the difficulty inDiablo 4ramping up too steeply. Thankfully, fixing these problems is precisely why the developers organized an endgame beta, as getting the numbers right becomes easier with more feedback to draw upon. Issues such as Necromancer minions becoming entirely unviable on higher levels are a lot less worrisome than the combat being fundamentally broken or uninspired.
Thoughfootage of theDiablo 4closed betahas been scarce due to the NDA agreement prohibiting the sharing of screenshots and videos, it can be assumed that these limitations will be lifted in next year’s public beta. Furthermore, it is doubtful that the focus of testing will remain onDiablo 4’s endgame, and as such, players should expect to see and experience more of the game’s open world, leveling, and even story as either the Barbarian, Druid, Sorceress, Rogue, or Necromancer a few months from now.
Diablo 4will launch in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
