At the latest Xbox and Bethesda showcase, early footage was shown of the promised open world mechanic that Diablo 4 is going to use to shake up the Diablo franchise even more than its predecessors. While the franchise has been evolving rapidly since its inception back in 1997, Diablo has always stuck to a linear, somewhat railroaded progression system. With Diablo 4 veering away from its tried-and-true roots, it may be just the departure needed to please both sides of a divided fan base.
If Elden Ring's record-breaking sales proved anything, it's that pivoting away from a classic formula can be a recipe for success. While there were doubters when FromSoftware announced its desire to move from a linear structure to an open-world, the change played a massive part in creating a more accessible, and, by extension, more successful game. While Diablo has long been a more accessible experience than the Soulsborne games, a major shift could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Diablo 4's Open World System Compliments A More Player-Focused Adventure
With the advent of a character customization system in Diablo 4, the title is already preparing players for an adventure that is more centered around their experience than in previous games. Like in Diablo 4's predecessors, players will still choose from a handful of premade templates, but fans will now be given the ability to customize their characters for the first time. The result is that players will not feel as though they are following along with the story of an anonymous Warrior arriving in Tristram or a Sorceress arriving at the Rogue Encampment, but instead, they may now feel as though they are crafting their own narrative in the Diablo universe.
A perfect compliment to this more player-focused approach is Diablo 4's new open world system. This approach presents limitless opportunities for players to progress through the game in any fashion that they wish and, in a sense, puts them in control of the story. If the title implemented a character customization system without an underlying open-world concept or vice versa, the player-focused feeling would be diminished. Now, not only is the character designed more to a player's taste, but they can also take that character through the story in whatever way they desire.
Diablo 4's Open World Offers More Interaction Than Ever Before
PvP has always been an integral part of the Diablo franchise, but Diablo 4's open-world concept only further facilitates that competitive aspect of the series. With Diablo 4 including PvP zones, players will be able to easily opt in or opt out of the carnage. However, while engaging in PvP combat, players performing especially well will be flagged as "champions" which will designate them as targets for other players. Since Diablo 4's PvP experience will include players dropping their loot, players marked as champions will have to fight to protect their hard-earned rewards.
On the opposite side of the coin, Diablo 4 will facilitate a cooperative experience more easily than ever before. With the inclusion of eight-player world bosses in Diablo 4, there's more incentive than ever to team up and tackle demons together. Additionally, there are around 150 dungeons scattered around the open-world of Diablo 4, as well as the ability to convert conquered areas from a demon-infested hive to a place where merchants can meet up and aid the player in their quest.
The open-world feature is arguably most important for the end game experience in Diablo 4. While previous titles struggled to offer more than simply item grinding and beating the game on subsequent difficulty modes, Diablo 4 can bolster its end game content with new world bosses, dungeons, and other open-world-based events.
Diablo 4 will launch in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
