With Diablo IV, Blizzard aims to renovate Sanctuary’s perilous hellscape. Five explorable regions of the world – Kehjistan, Scosglen, Fractured Peaks, Dry Steppes and Hawezar – offer their own flavor of terrain, culture, quests and of course monsters. Blizzard will do its best to ensure these areas are not only enjoyable for players to explore, but also have more narrative coherence and a stronger sense of location.
Diablo veterans had explored areas of Sanctuary before, but this time they weren’t just areas with a single note highlighting a single climate or element, such as snow or desert. . Each of them is biodiverse in its own right, with many biomes and threats unique to them. These realms also blend together more naturally; such as the lush green color of one area gradually withering into the arid brown of a dry canyon in another. The villages and their inhabitants better reflect the cultures and stories of their local areas, reinforcing the sense that the regions are like self-contained worlds filled with history, both new and new. and old. We spoke with Blizzard to get an overview of what these regions have to offer, including video clips highlighting each of them.
Kehjistan
Kehjistan
This arid land draws its visual inspiration from the Middle East and the Mojave Desert. Once a prosperous civilization, it now lies in ruins buried under dunes dotted with oases and teeming with threats like giant scorpions and plenty of bandits. Kehjistan (along with Hawezar) is also home to the Truine Cultists, a faction previously only mentioned in lore that first appeared in a Diablo game. For Diablo III fans, Blizzard says players will get to see how Caldeum, the capital city, has evolved in the years since the events of that game. While the team doesn’t want to spoil the plot details surrounding such an important campaign milestone, it does indicate that the situation has gotten worse.
Scosglen
Scosglen
Inspired by the highlands of Scotland, this wet but scenic locale is great for those who enjoy rolling hills and white sandy beaches. You’ll have to keep an eye out for the countless drowned, undead souls that have perished at sea, roaming Scosland’s shores, including an exceptionally large population guarding an abandoned lighthouse at the summit. continent.
“Finally, there’s a giant drowning creature, almost Queen if you will, called the Sea Hag,” says mission designer Madeleine James. “And she was, like, three times as big as all the other people who drowned, and it was like this, a mass of body parts that were almost swollen, and that was a really interesting enemy. when seen at the end of that time.”
Scoglen serves as the home for their nature-loving, shapeshifting drug class, their university, and a storyline tied to the Fort, events centered on the Diablo IV collaboration . A faction known as the Knights of Penance has also made a place for themselves here, along with numerous werewolves and giant spiders. The already harsh and dangerous area of Shrouded Moors from Diablo III has been renamed Blood Moors, a not-so-subtle sign that the region’s fortunes have somehow plummeted even further.
Hawezar
Hawezar
Every good RPG needs a poison swamp, and Hawezar has spades. Blizzard has made the swamps of Florida and the swamps of Europe the base and created the area with poisonous flora and fauna that will surely make adventurers sick. Perhaps the most repulsive enemies that reside here are the Nangari, new snake-like enemies whose bodies are full of human appendages and multiple heads. “They look really weird,” said Harrison Pink, senior mission designer and area supervisor.
Hawezar was partially occupied by soldiers representing the Zakaru Order, a religion of light, who traveled to the area in search of a sacred site. That expedition was unsuccessful, so the crusaders, some of them disillusioned and disgruntled, settled in the town of Zarbinzet. In addition to seeing these armored crusaders patrolling, players will discover some of Zakarum’s old fortresses that are partially tilted and sunk into saturated ground.
Broken peak
Broken peak
This frigid region is home to the religious – and brutally draconian – authority known as the Church of Light. Loosely based on the Carpathian Mountains, residents who can endure the unbearably cold temperatures of the Fractured Peaks (some parts trapped in blizzards) can feel comfortable living under its protection. Cathedral of Lights – as long as they keep the best attitude.
“They have a big pyre in the middle of one of their cities where they burn sinners, and that’s completely normal and fine for them,” Pink said.
Other parts of Fractured Peaks are not permanently frozen. The warmer areas are covered with melted snow, which in turn creates waterfalls that flow into the marshy waterways of the Hawezar. In a key campaign mission, the player visits Alabaster Abbey, the heavily guarded fortress of the Cathedral of Light nestled high in the mountains. Players embark on a bone-chilling pilgrimage to get there and prove their worth. During that climb, there is a high chance that you will be knocked down by Khazra, AKA Goatmen using ice magic.
dry steppe
dry steppe
Dry grasslands and cliffs make up this area, nestled between Scosglen and Fractured Peaks. Featuring lava rivers, white sand beaches and multicolored geothermal lakes inspired by Yellowstone National Park, it’s not the most hospitable site, but a group of barbarians managed to settle it. here after their old home, Mount Arreat, was destroyed. As for threats, cannibals terrorize caravans transporting precious water to towns, so expect to see groups of mercenaries protect these transports from attacks. labour. The dry savanna also has a salt biome where humans have dug deep into the Earth, which Mueller points out isn’t the best idea in this world while teasing a broader story for humans. play discovery.
While the campaign functions as a round-the-world adventure across all of these regions, Blizzard says the side quests will mostly be localized. Don’t expect to take a quest in Hawezar that ends at Fractured Peaks. Side quests focus on unraveling each region’s stories and hardships, giving players insight into the daily lives of their inhabitants to complement the wide campaign narrative. bigger. Dungeons have specific tile sets that reflect their respective regions, and certain monster families in each area use a specific element. For instance, will see more lightning-based enemies occupying drier areas.
Diablo IV may be a return to the dark tones and aesthetics of the first two entries, but Blizzard knows its world can’t be one of perpetual sadness. Incorporating different art directions in each area creates a more diverse Art Sanctuary, where players will feel inspired to step into no matter how dangerous the danger is.
“It can be very easy to fall into that dark and murky hole all the time,” says Pink. “But if you don’t have a few glimmers of life, a few glimmers of hope, and characters you can really care about, then you’re thinking, ‘why would I go to great lengths to save Sanctuary from Lillith if things are so bad. time?’ So bringing you some real human sparks that you can join as a player to connect emotionally is super, hugely important to us with as a team.”
Diablo IV launches on June 6 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Players can join early in the open beta that runs from March 24 to 26.
