On May 14, Diablo 4 will welcome an important Season 4 in more than one way. We were able to chat with two of its developers and ask them a few questions about the major changes to come.
Our interview took place with Joe Piepiora, associate director of the game, and Colin Finer, lead designer of the online part. We therefore returned with them to the many contributions that await the heroes of Sanctuary as part of Season 4 “Re-energized Loot” coming to Diablo 4. This intends to profoundly change many of the game’s systems. things, the developers launched a PTR (Public Test Server) at the beginning of April, on which we were able to test the said changes. With all these elements in hand, we were able to speak with these two developers to see what their expectations are around Season 4 and what lessons they were able to learn from the feedback from the players who participated in the PTR.
A very important Season 4 for Diablo 4 and its developers
Given the stakes behind this famous Season 4, nicknamed the “Season of Reinvigorated Loot”, it is awaited by the game developers with as much excitement as fear. It is in these terms that Joe Piepiora and Colin responded to the first question of our interview: “ How are you feeling, individually and collectively, as we approach this major Diablo 4 Season? “.
Launching the very first PTR on Diablo 4 was an exciting and encouraging experience for us. This allowed us to gather a lot of feedback. But only a few players have tested these upcoming changes. So I’m personally very excited at the idea of all players being able to access what we’ve been working on for Season 4. Regarding the team, we are naturally very busy to ensure that its deployment is done as quickly as possible. possible conditions.
Joe Piepiora, Associate Director of Diablo 4, on his feelings about the impending launch of Season 4.
I also can’t wait for Season 4 to be available to everyone and see what crazy builds they can come up with with the big changes coming. I personally had a lot of fun playing it at work and at home in preparation.
Colin Finer, chief designer of the online part, on the same subject.
Remember that the Season of “Reinvigorated Loot” intends, as its name suggests, to propose profound changes in the loot and crafting systems of Diablo 4. On the one hand, we will recover less loot by slaughtering demons, but this one will be of much higher quality and above all much clearer in the presentation of its sheet. On the other hand, crafting will further strengthen these higher quality items, adding ever more powerful legendary effects and unique affixes to push our character’s build to new heights. The PTR was used by the teams to refine the basic proposal, thanks to the numerous feedback collected by the developers. This was precisely our next question: “ What lessons have you learned from the PTR, and do you have any examples of changes you plan to make from your first draft? »
We have redesigned the improvement of a piece of equipment at the blacksmith [qui permet d’améliorer jusqu’à 12 fois les statistiques de celle-ci, ndlr]. At first it might fail after several improvements. PTR players found it frustrating to waste their resources unnecessarily. We have therefore removed this probability that the improvement will fail. In exchange, however, we have increased the resource cost of this feature.
Joe Piepiora regarding the changes planned before the launch of Season 4 following player feedback on the PTR.
We studied game and server performance. We were thus able to observe that, with some builds made possible thanks to the new features of Season 4 of Diablo 4, certain visual effects appeared excessive. So we want to make sure that the servers are running smoothly and that players have a smooth experience. As a reminder, we will be holding a stream on May 2, where we will go over all the upcoming changes in more detail. There are about 30 pages of text, from memory, including some changes thanks to feedback from the PTR.
Colin Finer on the same subject.
Revitalization as the main watchword
In Diablo 4, each Season came with a specific theme. We were trying to find out what theme and mechanics would be considered for this one, apart from the idea of “Re-energized Loot”. While they did their best to save the major surprise for the upcoming stream on May 2, we were still able to collect a few keywords that will speak to fans about the lore of the game.
Each Season of Diablo 4 is an opportunity for us to develop both the story and the mechanics. Season 4 is somewhat different, as it is primarily a major overhaul for the base game. Whether it’s loot, crafting or endgame [nous reviendrons sur ce point juste après, ndlr]we want everything to be more engaging. There will therefore not really be any specific seasonal mechanics here, given the enormous work done on the game’s systems to make it more fun and satisfying than ever in its central aspect: obtaining the best possible equipment.
Joe Piepiora on the specific theme of Season 4, very different from previous Seasons of the game.
Season 4 will be accompanied by a story: players will have the opportunity to help the Iron Wolves, a well-known faction of Kehjistan in Diablo 2 and 3. They are engaged in a long-term fight against the Infernal Waves [l’une des premières mécaniques endgame du jeu de base, ndlr]. These have also received a major improvement in the upcoming Season. By helping the Iron Wolves, you will increase your reputation with them, with great rewards, such as very powerful loot which will give a serious boost in your progress towards level 100, the maximum level. . We have also added beautiful things to each level of the Seasonal Journey. In particular, you will be able to collect pieces of equipment specific to a given build of your class, to encourage you to test the numerous and profound improvements that we have implemented in the base game for Season 4.
Joe Piepiora regarding the story that will be told in Diablo 4 Season 4.
Thus, players will be able to reconnect with the Iron Wolves, a faction currently relatively little represented in Diablo 4. Speaking of Infernal Waves, Season 4 will also be an opportunity for Blizzard to make further significant changes to the endgame of the game. This had until now been a bit too limited, in the opinion of the players. A new mechanic will therefore make its debut on May 14: the Artificers’ Pit. This will work more or less like the Upper Rifts in Diablo 3. It will involve eliminating demons before a time limit, in order to make the boss of a random dungeon appear and eliminate him. This will grant us high-quality loot, as well as essential resources to improve our equipment.
We had fun developing this mechanic by learning from previous games like Diablo 3. The Rifts were fun in that game, and the Pit will be fun in this one. We have thus laid a solid foundation, on which we can subsequently continue to add other stones to gradually develop the building. This is also part of our desire to make the endgame ever more engaging. Until now, we mainly considered the endgame as a journey, a reward after climbing to the maximum level. But the players devoured the game so much and progressed so quickly that they found themselves hungry when they reached level 100 in the endgame. Season 4 and the Pit are therefore an opportunity for us to continue developing this major part of Diablo 4, in addition to the Uber Bosses added in previous Seasons. Note also that, to improve your equipment, you will need different resources, some being specific to given endgame activities such as the Infernal Waves or the Pit. This is how we imagined the endgame system as a whole, to diversify the overall experience according to the players’ objectives at any given time..
Joe Piepiora during our interview about the Artificers’ Pit coming to Diablo 4 Season 4.
We have drastically increased experience gain in general in Diablo 4, and especially on the Nightmare and Torment difficulty levels. We really want to encourage players to reach level 100 to really push the limits of the additions made in Season 4. We find it all really fun, and the PTR participants seemed to agree, based on their feedback. Furthermore, during your leveling up, you will be able to collect extremely powerful objects which will allow you to “play the game” for a time, and which you can even keep once you reach level 100. From level 15, you will have access to to new crafting options. You will then have a first glimpse, albeit limited, of the contributions on this point to the base game. These will allow you to greatly improve your equipment to be better prepared for the Nightmare and Torment difficulty climb. Note that the increased experience gain is now part of the base game and is not specific to Season 4.
Colin Finer on changes to leveling and endgame in Season 4.
What future for Diablo 4 after Season 4?
Although our interview was mainly focused on Diablo 4 Season 4, we also asked for some clarification about the future of the game beyond that. Naturally, Joe and Colin once again wanted to keep a few surprises. But the general consensus is that this Season is an opportunity to add a new framework, a healthier foundation on which to evolve the game over time, both in leveling up and in progression towards the endgame. .
In addition to the Seasons, remember that Diablo 4 will welcome its first expansion this summer: Vessel of Hatred. Unfortunately, we don’t have any juicy information on this subject, other than a little tease from Joe. “ I can only say that the first expansion of the game will add lots of exciting new features. But this is only one element in the larger set of our plans going forward. “.
To conclude this enriching interview, we asked Joe and Colin a question on your behalf: “ Do you have any final words for our readers across the Atlantic? »
We hope you’ll come back and try out the new features added to Diablo 4 Season 4. This is an important element for us and a rebirth of sorts from the feedback we’ve received since the game launched in June 2023. So we’re very excited about what we have prepared for you, in what will serve as an excellent foundation for the future.
Joe Piepiora to your attention, as a conclusion to our interview.
Let’s hope that Season 4 will live up to the expectations of the developers, but also of the players. Can Diablo 4 truly be reborn thanks to this profound overhaul of the systems that make up the heart of Blizzard’s flagship hack’n slash? Response begins this evening at 8 p.m. during the official announcement stream, and especially on May 14 when the new Game Season will be launched.
