Diablo 4 is quickly approaching its summer launch, and a lot of anticipation has gone into its marketing. Much of that marketing has included cinematic promotions that give a taste of what to expect from Diablo 4’s narrative, but thankfully fans will get a bunch of hands-on time with the game themselves in only a matter of weeks through a handful of beta periods.
Diablo 4 is the latest action-RPG installment in Blizzard Entertainment's acclaimed franchise, and there are five confirmed character classes: the Barbarian, Sorceress, Druid, Rogue, and Necromancer. In terms of when fans can get their hands on Diablo 4 and try out these characters, multiple beta weekends have been announced for March that will serve as important feedback for developers with rewarding incentives.
Diablo 4 Has Two Beta Weekends in March 2023
Blizzard recently offered a rundown on what players can expect this month, confirming that Diablo 4 will have an Early Access beta weekend and an Open Beta weekend from March 17 to 19 and March 24 to 26, respectively. The Early Access weekend is only available to fans who have pre-ordered any edition of the game, giving them an exclusive weekend to test the waters before the Open Beta breaks open the experience for everyone.
Thanks to Diablo 4 being cross-platform, both betas will be available to fans on all platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. These weekends include the same content, meaning fans who purchase entry into Diablo 4’s Early Access weekend merely have time in advance; though the Early Access weekend will only allow make Barbarian, Rogue, and Sorcerer classes playable.
The Druid and Necromancer will be added during the Open Beta period. Diablo 4’s beta weekends will let players explore its prologue and Act One, a sizable chunk of the game that takes place within a zone called Fractured Peaks. Here, players will hit a level cap of 25 if they are diligently trying to progress their beta character, though they can continue pillaging dungeons and completing quests after that cap is hit.
Diablo 4 Beta Reward Incentives Include Cute Wolf Accessory
Talk about a Diablo 4 world boss has been shared with few details beyond the fact that it can be encountered at certain times during each beta weekend, dropping valuable loot. It should also be noted that the progress players put into their characters throughout these weekends will be preserved between betas, but will not carry into the final game.
Players who play both weekends, creating up-to 10 characters, will not have a head start in June. Instead, three rewards will be transferable to Diablo 4 at launch: an “Initial Casualty” title, earned when a character reaches Kyovashad; an “Early Voyager” title, earned when a character reaches level 20; and a Beta Wolf Pack cosmetic item that gives players a pouch on their back holding a napping wolf cub, also earned when a character reaches level 20.
This cosmetic item alone should be a strong incentive to play through either weekend’s beta and hit level 20 for certain players. The cosmetic is animated to show the cub’s ear twitching and its head shaking as it peacefully sleeps, demonstrating that many other cosmetics in Diablo 4 could potentially feature an animated accessory as well. However, others will certainly just be excited to get their hands on the upcoming action-RPG after so long.
Diablo 4 launches June 6, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
