Blizzard have shared both the opening cinematic and the beta periods for Diablo IV.
As reported by Video Games Chronicle, consumers who pre-ordered the game get the very first dibs, with a beta period from March 17 to 19. And then, a second beta open to all players will be live from March 24 to March 26.
The beta will not have a time limit, and you will be able to play until you hit level 25. This will get you through most of the game’s first act.
We also got a little taste of said first act as Blizzard also shared the opening cinematic for the game. A narrator explains the scenario for the game. Sanctuary was build as a neutral ground for demons and angels to peacefully coexist, and not really for humans.
The Horadrim, who we originally knew in the Diablo franchise as the order of mages who assembled to defeat the Prime Evils, have also, in the bigger picture, acted to keep humanity safe. At the time of the game they are ‘a husk of what they once was’, leaving humans open to the dangers of the return of both Lilith and Inarius, as they reopen old wounds about the nature of Sanctuary.
The cinematic itself shows a man of African descent, making his way through a cold wasteland. In the dark, his horse hears noises and is afraid. It runs into the darkness where it screams.
Later, the man is shown entering a cave for refuge from the cold. He has a dream of an unidentified creature. The skin of this creature’s face has been torn away, and in its place are a pattern of sigils etched into its skull. The man wakes up to the outside of the cave.
Longtime Diablo players know this man may not be the player character, as the introduction of these games sometimes lets us see things that happen before the player character steps in. However, character customization is a new feature for the franchise that is being introduced in this game as well.
So it may be that when we create our own characters that we will also see them terrified by nightmare beasts in their sleep.
It will be interesting to see if this is an entirely original NPC with their own story too. There is definitely a lot more story that needs to be told about Diablo IV.
Diablo IV will be releasing on June 6, 2023, on PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows. You can watch the opening cinematic below.
