Diablo IV 'Developer Update Live Stream - February 2023' summary

During the Diablo IV Developer Update Live Stream, the team shared some additional information regarding the upcoming Early Access and Closed Betas, as well as details related to the Armor System and Strongholds.

In mid-February, during IGN’s Fan Fest, it was revealed that the Early Access Beta would take place on the weekend of March 17th through March 19th, and that the Open Beta would take place on the following weekend, March 24th through March 26th. Today, we learned the exact times that each Beta would become available and when servers would shut down.

Diablo IV Early Access Beta
Start Time: 9:00am PST on March 17th
End Time: 12:00pm PST on March 20th

Diablo IV Open Beta
Start Time: 9:00am PST on March 24th
End Time: 12:00pm PST on March 27th

This gives players a little over three full days to participate in each playtest.

As a reminder, the Early Access Beta is only available to players who have pre-purchased any version of Diablo IV, while the Open Beta will be available to everyone, regardless of whether you have purchased the game or not. Both Beta tests will be available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

While players will have access to the Barbarian, Rogue, and Sorcerer classes during both Beta tests, the Necromancer and Druid classes will be exclusively available during the Open Beta only.

Early Access Beta Classes

Open Beta Classes

During the Beta period, players will be able to access all of the content available in the Prologue through Act I. Characters will have a level cap of level 25, and players will be able to create up to 10 characters per account.

There will also be one World Boss available to fight during these Beta sessions. Players will be able to take on Ashava, in a group of up to 12. This World Boss will be scheduled to spawn four times during each Saturday of the Beta tests. Ashava is a level 25 World Boss, so come prepared.

The developers confirmed that a preload of the beta will be available approximately one week before they open the servers. This will allow for a smoother download, and an easier entry into these beta servers.

All Beta players will also have the opportunity to receive in-game rewards that will carry over to the full release of Diablo IV:

• By completing the campaign and reaching the major hub of Kyovashad, players will receive the title of ‘Initial Casualty’.
• By reaching level 20 during the Beta period, players will receive the title ‘Early Voyager’, as well as the Beta Wolf Pack cosmetic item.

On the first day of Open Beta, March 24th, Diablo will be holding a Community Live Stream event, in which content creators will team up with the developers to play together and discuss some tips and tricks.

Finally, this Developer Update Live Stream showcased a new piece of content featured in Diablo IV, called Strongholds. Strongholds are instanced areas of the game filled with monsters, loot, and bosses. Once a Stronghold has been completed, it will become a shared space that will open up additional pieces of content, such as side quests, dungeons, or towns that will become populated by friendly NPCs.

Watch the full livestream VOD here or read the official blog post here.