Diablo IV Gets Quarterly Development Update

Blizzard Entertainment published the first in a series of quarterly update posts on the upcoming Diablo IV. This first edition features information from Lead UI Designer Angela Del Priore and Senior Encounter Designer Candace Thomas, who provide details on the UI, controller support, and monster families.

The development team has been making some adjustments to the UI based on feedback from the game’s announcement videos and demo. It is also making sure that players will be able to reassign numerous elements of the controls, including letting players separate the moving and attacking actions and allowing any skill slot to be rebound to a different key. Diablo IV will include two-player local co-op, and the studio is looking at improving the UI experience in co-op compared to that from Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.

Monsters in Diablo IV are grouped into families, such as the Fallen and the Drowned. The Cannibal family is said to be made up of a former tribe of barbarians that have spread out from the Dry Steppes. There are four member monsters within the family, which features no ranged enemies by design. Two standard melee-type foes use the greatsword in sweeping frontal attacks or the lightweight halberd to leap at players from a distance. Meanwhile, the bruiser uses spiked clubs to stun players, while dual-axe-wielding swarmers aim to overwhelm with quick successive swings, and the two can be deadly in combination.

Diablo IV is being developed for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, though no release window has been announced. The game is set many years after the events of Diablo III. Three character classes have been revealed so far: the Barbarian, the Sorceress, and the Druid.