Diablo IV Itemization and Best Practices Headlines Quarterly Update

Another quarter of the year is over, so here’s another quarterly update from Blizzard’s Diablo IV team. This update to the Demon RPG focuses on several important topics, such as itemization and final game progression.

It’s important to keep in mind what’s going on within Activision Blizzard right now with regards to the ongoing assertion of workplace culture. The ongoing action against the company by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) is a reported harmful workplace culture action. Most of the lawsuits focus on “violations of national citizenship and equal pay laws,” especially regarding the treatment of women and other marginalized groups. If you would like to learn more about the proceeding so far, including the details listed in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, please see the previous scope here.

As always, Blizzard releases these updates to Diablo IV every few months, and the full blog for this version can be found right here. First the item is in the menu, +Skill stats go back to the series. It was only a matter of time before we saw the gear affecting the ability tree as the class skill points came back. In other words, you can raise the rank of a class skill through a weapon or armor, increasing your proficiency in spells or attacks, and sometimes you can use skills at a much higher level than usual.

Moving on, for entries, the blog reiterates the importance of legendary entries in the grand scheme of class building and final game progression. Legendary stats are now set to appear in different item slots instead of one, allowing for greater customization possibilities. A new vendor called the Occultist allows players to take skills from one Legendary item and transfer it to another. Below you will find a barbarian ax with all stats and essences that can be enchanted on other gear.

While we’re talking about customization, Diablo IV’s final game will have a completely overhauled Paragon system. A player called the Paragon Board unlocks this feature at level 50. The goal is to fill the tiles as your character gains Paragon experience. You’ll initially start with the center tile of the board and ask for a tile adjacent to an already filled tile, like the license plate in Final Fantasy XII. Some tiles are marked as rare or magical, and some sections are changed to glyphs. Once the charged tiles reach the “gate” at the edge of the board, you can attach new and unique boards with unique Legendary tiles to continue building your character the way you want.

Rounding out the quarterly report is a fascinating in-depth analysis of the game’s visual effects. There is a lot of detail in the studio’s visual philosophy and explanation of how and why things look the way they are. If you’re digging into the technical analysis, take the time to read that section and watch the accompanying video.

Here’s what Diablo IV is scheduled for this quarter. A lot of progress is being made, but recently it was revealed that Diablo and Overwatch could go further than previously anticipated. We will have to wait patiently for more updates. I know one of them is only a few months away.