While Diablo 4 was delayed in fall last year, Blizzard Entertainment appears hard at work on the next dungeon crawling, loot-gathering entry to the popular RPG series. “Appears” is a good word here, because we just got a look at several in-progress locations across the land of Sanctuary.
The March Quarterly Update for Diablo 4 has been published, and it’s jam-packed with gorgeous concept art. The game has “five distinct regions and hundreds of dungeons that you will experience,” according to environments art director Chris Ryder. What’s more, the team is taking “a darker and more grounded interpretation than earlier installments.” Some of the first few screenshots show off a rainy village at night, a tavern lit by a lone fireplace, and a dusty town.
We also get a sample of a few locations. Scosglen Coast is home to settlements that were built to withstand harsh weather and the waves of the sea. The worshipful Orbei Monastery stands tall amongst the Salt Flats, although it’s in a rundown state. Kyovashad is a cold, unwelcoming military settlement that isn’t meant for the faint of heart. These three are displayed in Watch these short videosLike the one below.
The blog post is also dedicated dungeons Diablo 4 has over 150 of. We also get a glimpse of three of these, just like the overworld locations. The Forgotten Places in the World videoAlthough it is not a showcase for one location, it does give us a glimpse at dungeon-delving in upcoming games. The showcase also includes a swampy ruin called Flooded Depths and a druid burial place called Wretched Caves. The latter specifically utilizes new “tile-set transition scenes,” which means you can run through a hole in the wall and find yourself in a totally new, different-looking zone that’s been randomly generated like the one you just exited.
Diablo 4’s new release date has not been announced yet, and Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard shouldn’t have any effect on that one way or the other. Nor should the company’s recent sexual harassment lawsuit settlement the current court fine won’t be of any consequence to a company of that size.
