On the heels of a successful beta, Blizzard has been candid regarding its thoughts on Diablo 4 bringing the series to new heights. Given that the game borrows heavily from the fan-favorite Diablo 2 while also implementing many of the quality of life features and combat flow of Diablo 3, Diablo 4 has potential to be the largest and most immersive title in the legendary dungeon-crawling series. With Diablo 4's sprawling open-world and day/night cycle similar to that found in Diablo 3, the implementation of a mechanic from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild could bring significant challenge to the world of Sanctuary - The Blood Moon.
Appearing in the red-tinged sky of Hyrule on nights with a full moon, the Blood Moon is an eerie and unsettling environmental mechanic from Breath of the Wild that sees enemies resurrected from the grave and being given boosts to aggression and power. One of the more stressful aspects of the Blood Moon is its inability to be predicted except for occurring at a specific lunar phase. With Diablo 4's switch to an open-world that players can traverse freely with "jump in, jump out" co-op and specific nighttime events, inclusion of a Blood Moon-style mechanic would be a boon for players seeking extra challenge.
An Unpredictable Day/Night Cycle Would Ratchet Up Tension to Diablo 4's Own Blood Moon
If the game's recent beta is any indication, Diablo 4 will feature a similar day/night cycle to the one found in Diablo 3 that doesn't follow a typical in-game clock but is instead tied to completion of quests and entering or exiting dungeons. The unpredictable nature of the game's diurnal invites the possibility of a Blood Moon-style mechanic being used as a random in-game world event. Sanctuary in Diablo 4 is already a world that has an underlying sense of dread and this unease would only be exacerbated by the looming threat of reanimated foes as darkness falls.
In addition to helping to underscore the game's horror elements, these events could also spawn specific buffed enemy types or unique world bosses that only appear during an environmental affect akin to the Blood Moon. Similar to how Chris in Friday the 13th Part III struggles to get her keys to the van out in time to escape her fate at the hands of Jason Vorhees, players frantically scrambling to get inside a dungeon or town at the first sighting of a Blood Moon would add true terror to the Diablo experience.
In Diablo a Greater Challenge Equates to Greater Loot
Not all hope would be lost in the crimson darkness of the Blood Moon however, as greater foes drop rarer and more elusive loot in the world of Sanctuary. The inclusion of a Blood Moon event in the world of Diablo 4 incentivizes players looking for a greater challenge and hoping to extend the game's playability to venture out into the night. Certain enemy types that spawn during these events could even require certain party compositions, adding a dash of MMORPG strategy to the encounters and encouraging players to consider what classes to bring on these challenging hunts in search of the ultimate gear loadout.
The Diablo 4 team at Blizzard have outlined what players can expect in the endgame and one of the primary reasons to keep exploring Sanctuary past the main story quest is to hunt for an ever stronger pool of loot through challenging boss encounters and world events. While an environmental mechanic similar to Breath of the Wild's Blood Moon might spell doom for players still early on in their quest, it could become one of the main draws to keep playing Diablo 4 with friends as players search for encounters that test their skill and give them reason to continue the hunt long after Lilith has been slain. When the Blood Moon rises it's dangerous to go alone, but in Diablo 4, fans won't have to.
Diablo 4 releases June 6 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
