In April, Diablo 4 opened its PTR for the first time, allowing players to test a part of the new content. The developers emphasized during the livestream on May 2 how important this was for Season 4 and the changes.
At the beginning of April, there was the first PTR (Public Test Realm) in Diablo 4. There, players could get a glimpse of Season 4 and some of the changes. The PTR was very well received by most players.
During the PTR, players had the opportunity to provide their feedback on the content. A Diablo expert noted that the game was already “much better” with the changes, but also expressed criticism. He complained that players still had to collect items even though they did not want to use them. After all, one needs the materials obtained from disassembling them.
The developers of Diablo 4 took the community feedback into account and introduced several changes to the game after the PTR, which we can expect in Season 4. They explained during the livestream on May 2 what will be different in Season 4.
The developers are incorporating feedback from the PTR into Season 4
What was the status after the PTR? The new features were very well received by most players on the PTR. Even a small detail made some say: That’s why I’m coming back to Diablo 4. However, there were also some points of criticism. A major point of criticism was the visibility of items with larger affixes, as well as the “fail chance” while crafting.
What will change? Legendary affixes can drop in a “larger” version that is 1.5 times as strong. It was criticized that these items cannot be recognized directly and players still have to pay attention when sorting their inventory.
The visibility of items with larger affixes will be revised. When it drops, you will recognize the item in the future by a star behind the item name. This makes it easier to recognize and find the more powerful items at first glance.
Additionally, the team received a lot of feedback on the “fail chance” (chance to fail) during “masterworking” (completion), a new crafting system in Season 4. This will be completely removed. Lead Live Game Designer Colin Finer stated in the livestream: “We simply removed it. […] Just improve the items with the material costs.”
As for armor in Diablo 4, there are currently different values required for the maximum value of physical resistance. This is related to the monster level you are fighting. Below you can see the comparison on screenshots from the livestream:
Further changes include:
- The new endgame content “The Pit” was simply too easy for some players. This is primarily due to the new crafting and the possibilities for powerful items that result from it. In the future, the Pit will be more challenging.
- Players who complete the Pit in a group will receive all materials for masterworking as a drop, not just the one who opens the Pit.
- The person who opens the Pit receives 100% of the materials, all others 50%.
- The limit for oboluses will be raised to 2,500. You also have a chance at items with larger affixes at the Curiosities Merchant. According to Lead Class Designer Adam Z. Jackson, you might get some of the best items in the game there.
- There has been a lot of feedback regarding glyph XP in nightmare dungeons. This will be increased by 25%.
- There was criticism regarding the materials needed to summon the bosses. Starting from Season 4, you will also receive the materials through random drops, among others at the Tree of Whispers, world bosses, treasure goblins, and the Hellborn. This way, you are no longer “forced” to run the bosses for that.
“Crazy things” are cool – but not for performance
What about the classes? The classes will also receive further adjustments. There were sometimes “crazy things” on the PTR regarding skills. Essentially, the developers like that, but they also have to consider performance.
The Barbarian sometimes spawned so many dust devils that nothing else could be seen on the screen. This is supposed to change. The patch notes state: “The created dust devils have been reduced from 5 to 3. […] The maximum number of dust devils that can be active at the same time is now 15. Dust devils now move faster and dissipate sooner.”
The damage reduction from “Fortify” has been increased from 10% to 15%. Additionally, the health of the druids’ wolves has been increased by 200% and the respawn rate has been reduced by 50%.
You can find more details on the balance and class changes on page 2 in our article about the livestream on May 2 – there you will find the complete patch notes in German.
Overall, the PTR was “super great” for the developers. Thanks to the extensive feedback, they had “more manpower” in the form of testing players. They emphasized in the stream that feedback is always welcome.
No season theme was announced on the PTR because players were supposed to focus on the mechanics. Meanwhile, we know the theme for the new Season 4 and that there will be no special season mechanic, like the Squire companion from Season 3. However, the upcoming changes will remain in the game.
MyMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was able to speak exclusively with Lead Seasons Designer Deric Nuñez and Lead Game Producer Timothy Ismay about the content in Season 4. You can read more about it here: Diablo 4: Season 4 gets a new mechanic for everyone, even if you don’t play the season
