This past week, reports were shared that Blizzard had officially begun a “Friends and Family Alpha” forDiablo 4. This alpha test would go beyond employee-only testing and would invite trusted friends and family members to play the current build ofDiablo 4, but only under strict NDA. NDA’d test leaks are infrequent, particularly when only “trusted” individuals are invited, but it seems some players are anxious to shareDiablo 4info with the public.
The most prominent leak features several screenshots taken from theDiablo 4alpha’s opening menus. The user interface is clearly using temporary assets, but there are some intriguing revelations nonetheless. The most prominent confirmation is the return ofDiablo 3’s seasons, as one gameplay option allows players to create a character partaking in the current season’s competitive progression race. Seasons typically have unique equipment and exclusive rewards available, with characters and content only moving to the regular game after the season’s completion.
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Other reveals within theDiablo 4alpha’s menus are less clear regarding whether they’re finalized features or not. For example, there’s a look atDiablo 4’s character creation system, but it may just be a portion of what will be available. The four menus shown forDiablo 4character creation include “Face & Body,” “Hair,” “Accessories,” and, “Color.” These options are what’s shown after choosing the masculine Barbarian.
Two other interesting features seen in theDiablo 4alpha’s menus include an optional tutorial and a difficulty menu. The tutorial offers the player two options, “More Guidance” and “Less Guidance.” More Guidance will offer the player in-depth tutorials and is recommended for newDiabloplayers. Less Guidance will only offer “minimal” direction and only for newDiablo 4features.
The difficulty options are intriguing, to say the least. Two difficulty options are provided for the player once they’re done creating their character. There’s “Adventurer - World Tier 1” and “Veteran - World Tier 2.” The first is recommended for new players and those who want a light challenge. Enemies are noted as easy to defeat, while loot rewards are “average.” Veteran difficulty is for a challenge and grants not just better loot drops, but also increased XP and gold.Diablogamestypically feature at least three difficulties: Normal, Nightmare, and Hell.Diablo 3then added Inferno, and later 13 tiers of Torment. It’s possible, or even likely, that more difficulties will be available upon campaign completion inDiablo 4.
This obviously isn’t the most productive way to learn aboutnewDiablo 4features. For more specific information,Diablofans will have to wait for Blizzard’s quarterlyDiablo 4reports. Still, for those hungry for any bit ofDiablo 4information available, it seems that leaks may be coming more frequently.
Diablo 4releases in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
