Developer Update: Closed End Game Beta Draws Near
At the 2022 Xbox Games Showcase we foretold Lilith, the Blessed Mother’s return. As we march forward toward releasing Diablo IV in 2023, we’ve reached a momentous milestone—allowing community members to participate in testing early versions of the game and provide feedback. Our Closed End Game Beta will be the first of a few opportunities for select players to experience some of what Diablo IV has to offer. Players will be invited to test Diablo IV’s robust end game offerings using specific gameplay data. Additional details explaining what types of players are being invited, and how invites will be sent out are communicated later in this blog.
This Closed Beta will be confidential, meaning players invited will be unable to publicly talk about or share their gameplay experience. Additionally, the Closed End Game Beta will be playable on PC and Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 consoles—cross-play and cross-progress for all platforms will also be supported.
For a quick look at what’s to come during the Diablo IV Closed End Game Beta, watch the video below from game director Joe Shely and franchise general manager Rod Fergusson.
We have decided to focus the Closed Beta on Diablo IV’s end-game offerings for a few reasons. The full story of Lilith’s return to Sanctuary is not something we would like to spoil prior to release—players will experience a post-campaign Sanctuary during the Closed End Game Beta. Also, for many, the end game is their favorite aspect of Diablo—we want to ensure it feels satisfying, and with no shortage of challenging variety to experience across many, many demon-slaying gaming sessions. To achieve this, we’re collecting community feedback early so that it may be integrated into Diablo IV prior to launch. Players who are selected to participate in the Closed End Game Beta will have the ability to provide feedback between bouts of cutting down demons through an in-game feedback tool.
Now, here’s a run-down of the end game offerings included in the Closed End Game Beta: Helltide, Nightmare Dungeons, Whispers of the Dead, Fields of Hatred, and Paragon Boards. Take stock of the skills and knowledge you cultivate from playing through these features, you’ll need every tool at your disposal to defeat the Closed End Game Beta’s boss!
Journal
Closed End Game Beta Offerings
Helltide
While roaming Sanctuary on foot or atop your trusty steed, be aware of your surroundings, for you might find yourself caught in a Helltide. This is a new region-wide event that becomes available to heroes only once they have reached World Tier Three: Nightmare difficulty. In a Helltide, the servants of Lilith are empowered, having their difficulty increased, but dropping loot worthy of the danger. Her mightiest minions are also out in greater force, and the very ground of Sanctuary as you know it has been morphed by the surge in demonic activity.
As you cull the monstrosities inhabiting a Helltide, they’ll potentially drop Cinders, a new currency that can be spent to open Helltide Chests scattered throughout the respective region. These chests boast bountiful boons exclusive to a singular item slot, such as Torso, Legs, or Two-Handed Weapon. But be wary in hoarding your Cinders—should you fall in battle, they’ll drop and must be reclaimed.
Nightmare Dungeons
We’ve crafted a difficulty of Diablo dungeons straight out of your nightmares. No, really! Nightmare-difficulty dungeons in Diablo IV unlock upon locating your first Nightmare Sigil. Each sigil corresponds to a specific dungeon somewhere within Sanctuary. These sigils will add special modifiers to their dungeon, increasing the ferocity of the hell-servants waiting for you inside and providing higher-rarity loot. Through completing Nightmare dungeons, you will recover even more powerful sigils, introducing increasingly death-defying modifications and challenges for you to overcome. As you progress into higher and more challenging World Tiers, new Nightmare Dungeons will become available for you to explore.
Whispers of the Dead
The Tree of Whispers has a few loose ends to tie and needs your help settling the score. Displayed on your map, players will see various Whispers scattered throughout Sanctuary. Complete the associated task and be met with experience, gold, and Grim Favors. The number of Grim Favors you receive from completing a Whisper varies, but once you’ve collected 10 Grim Favors from the dearly departed, they can be exchanged at the Tree of Whispers for a bevy of loot and experience to reward your heroics.
The types of Whispers a player sees on their map rotate frequently, with new ones becoming available throughout the day for you to track. Each Whisper will offer both a different set of rewards and experience for completing it.
Traditionally, the Whispers of the Dead system does not become available to players until after completing a specific chapter of the Main Questline. For the Closed Beta, players will be able to engage with this system right out the gate.
Fields of Hatred
Born from their contempt of mortals, Mephisto has cursed specific areas of Sanctuary, transforming them into deadly Fields of Hatred. These designated PvP zones are the proving grounds for players looking to bring renown to their name through blood and zeal. While inside the Fields of Hatred, players can dispatch demons to collect Seeds of Hatred. To make use of these seeds, you’ll need to bring them to the Altar of Extraction where they can be smashed into Red Dust. Be quick to convert your Seeds of Hatred to Red Dust—they are the desire of other players lurking in the zone, and if they are skilled enough to overtake you in combat, your Seeds of Hatred will be dropped.
Going through the trouble of transforming Seeds of Hatred into Red Dust does have its merits. Red Dust will not be lost if you are felled. It can also be spent at the PvP Cosmetic and Mount Vendors for ornamental rewards. Will you be able to forge a name for yourself in these tainted lands?
Paragon Boards
Upon reaching level 50, the Paragon Boards, an end-game character growth system designed to empower your hero, unlocks. As your hero earns experience, they will receive Paragon points. These points can be spent to unlock new tiles, Sockets, and even additional Paragon Boards to further customize your hero and ascend to new heights of power!
For a more in-depth look at the Paragon Boards system, check out our Diablo IV Quarterly Update—December 2021 blog.
Who Will Be Invited?
Ensuring that Diablo IV’s end game provides the type of thrilling, ever-evolving experience we have set out to create is paramount for the team, and something we cannot determine on our own. We need experts, perhaps even players such as yourself.
Specifically, we’ll be using gameplay data to invite a limited number of Diablo players who have recently spent significant amounts of time playing the end-game experiences of Diablo II: Resurrected, Diablo III, and Diablo Immortal. If you believe you fit the requirements to be one of the selected players, you can help ensure our invitation to the Closed End Game Beta reaches you by following the steps below**:
- Visit the Battle.net website or open the Battle.net launcher.
- Click your username that’s displayed in the top right-hand corner of the screen and click “Account Settings” or “View Account” depending on the platform.
- Click the “Privacy & Communication” menu option then scroll down to “Communication Preferences.”
- Click the “Update” button and make sure the “News and Special Offers from Battle.net” option is enabled*.
The steps detailed above must be completed by October 11.
*Please note that you may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time. Follow the directions above to uncheck the “News and Special Offers from Battle.net” box. Alternatively, you may click the “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of our emails.
Following the above steps will allow us to send an invite to your provided email if selected. In the event you are selected to participate in the Diablo IV Closed End Game Beta, you’ll receive an email invite from noreply@e.blizzard.com containing further instructions.
If you have not received an email invite to the Diablo IV Closed Beta by November 18, then you have not been selected to participate. But don’t fret, public testing phases will begin early next year. To stay up to date on the newest Diablo IV information, check out our news page and follow @Diablo on Twitter.
We’ll see you in Sanctuary,
-The Diablo IV Team