Blizzard Hiring Players to Test Diablo 4’s Endgame

Blizzard has announced in a recent developer update that a closed endgame beta for Diablo IV will be taking place soon. While no additional date has been told, the beta will be selecting a large number of players who are familiar with the Diablo series and have spent a hefty amount of time in their endgame content.

With how the launch of Diablo 3 went, it’s apparent that Blizzard is taking cues from all the negative feedback Diablo 3 received during its launch, notably for its weak endgame content.

While those issues have been quelled and as of now Diablo 3 is a genuinely great and fun experience, it’s good to know that Blizzard is taking measures to ensure that Diablo IV won’t succumb to the same pitfalls as early Diablo 3. 

Major Takeaways:

• Closed Endgame Beta for Diablo IV is starting soon. 
• Blizzard will be selecting players who have spent a “significant amount of time” playing the endgame content of recent Diablo games.
• Endgame beta content will include 4 unique game modes: Helltide, Nightmare Dungeons, Whispers of the Dead, and Fields of Hatred.

Here’s how players can access the Diablo IV closed beta test: 

• Open your Battle.net client or the Battle.net website.
• Open Account Settings from the top right corner of the screen.
• Scroll down to the “Privacy and Communications” tab and find the Communication Preferences tab.
• Select the Update button and enable “News and Special Offers from Battle.net”.

After doing this now you’ll just have to wait for Blizzard to send you the e-mail. Players must also ensure they do this before October 11, or they won’t get be able to get selected for the endgame test.

The Closed end-game beta will feature 4 unique endgame-specific modes. These are called Helltide, Nightmare Dungeons, Whispers of the Dead, and Fields of Hatred. The details of each of the modes are given by the developers as follows:

Helltide

This is a new region-wide event that becomes available to heroes only once they have reached World Tier Three: Nightmare difficulty. In Helltide, the servants of Lilith are empowered, having their difficulty increased, but dropping loot worthy of the danger. Her mightiest minions are also out in greater force, and the very ground of Sanctuary as you know it has been morphed by the surge in demonic activity. As you cull the monstrosities inhabiting a Helltide, they’ll potentially drop Cinders, a new currency that can be spent to open Helltide Chests scattered throughout the respective region. These chests boast bountiful boons exclusive to a singular item slot, such as Torso, Legs, or Two-Handed Weapon.”

Nightmare Dungeons

Nightmare-difficulty dungeons in Diablo IV unlock upon locating your first Nightmare Sigil. Each sigil corresponds to a specific dungeon somewhere within Sanctuary. These sigils will add special modifiers to their dungeon, increasing the ferocity of the hell-servants waiting for you inside and providing higher-rarity loot. Through completing Nightmare dungeons, you will recover even more powerful sigils, introducing increasingly death-defying modifications and challenges for you to overcome.”

Whispers of the Dead

Displayed on your map, players will see various Whispers scattered throughout Sanctuary. Complete the associated task and be met with experience, gold, and Grim Favors. The number of Grim Favors you receive from completing a Whisper varies, but once you’ve collected 10 Grim Favors from the dearly departed, they can be exchanged at the Tree of Whispers for a bevy of loot and experience to reward your heroics.”

Fields of Hatred

These designated PvP zones are the proving grounds for players looking to bring renown to their name through blood and zeal. While inside the Fields of Hatred, players can dispatch demons to collect Seeds of Hatred. To make use of these seeds, you’ll need to bring them to the Altar of Extraction where they can be smashed into Red Dust. Be quick to convert your Seeds of Hatred to Red Dust—they are the desire of other players lurking in the zone, and if they are skilled enough to overtake you in combat, your Seeds of Hatred will be dropped.”

All this hasn’t helped when it comes to Diablo IV’s actual development, which has gone through more than its fair share of hurdles over the past years, with numerous key figures in development leaving due to the Activision Blizzard lawsuit. 

On top of all this, a major portion of Diablo IV was leaked to the public earlier this week with a whopping 43 minutes of leaked footage from a test build of the game. Ironically only the second biggest leak to happen this week. Diablo IV’s development has proven to be a rollercoaster, and it doesn’t seem like a fun one either. 

Blizzard itself isn’t seemingly haven’t that good of a time in general, with frequent backlash over the new Overwatch 2 announcements such as locking all upcoming heroes behind battle passes and introduction of a battle pass in the first place hasn’t gone too well with most of the player base. 

While no date has been mentioned as of now, Diablo IV will be launching sometime next year with numerous public betas early next year. The game will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC.