The Diablo IV team has shared an update on the coming closed beta, which will be all about endgame.
Beta is coming and it will be playable on PC, Xbox series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 with full cross-play and cross progress for those invited to the beta. The entire closed beta will be under NDA, and participants will be unable to share anything about the content. In order to be considered, they will use gameplay data to determine who to invite, with a focus on those who spent a lot of time in endgame on Diablo 3 and Diablo II: Resurrected.
There's also a new video from the game director, Joe Shely, and the franchise general manager Rod Fergusson, covering all things endgame closed beta.
There are a few reasons the team chose to focus on endgame:
“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,” reads part of the announcement.
This announcement comes at a time when Diablo IV has allegedly had some leaks from the alpha, so announcing a narrowly-focused beta with very specific invite criteria may be one way of handling security.
As a result, this will let the team collect player data and feedback, but with a particular focus. Available content includes already-announced features Helltide, Nightmare Dungeons, Whispers of the Dead, Fields of Hatred, and Paragon Boards. The announcement contains a rundown of each of these features, in case you need a refresher. Paragon Boards are a post-50 character progression system. As you earn experience you'll be able to get Paragon points, which you can then spend to unlock tiles, sockets, and even more Paragon Boards so you have a lot of customization options beyond the level cap progression.
Read the full post over at Diablo IV.
