Generally, when it comes to ARPGs like Diablo or Path of Exile, players spend the vast majority of their time in the endgame. For fans of the genre, the hours of grinding through a story campaign is just practice. The endgame is the reward, where dozens or hundreds more hours are spent min-maxing characters. Blizzard knows this and is preparing Diablo IV to have endearing endgame content right at launch — and it wants you to play some of it in a closed beta. However, it only plans on inviting those with a lot of previous Diablo endgame time under their plated belts.
In a new blog post, Blizzard explains that the upcoming ‘Closed End Game Beta’ will only allow invites the the grind fiends. Those who have “recently spent significant amounts of time playing the end-game experiences of Diablo II: Resurrected and Diablo III” are the only ones eligible for the invite. If you’re a more casual ARPG enjoyer, then you’re probably out of luck.
Those min-maxing masters lucky to be chosen for the beta will play through a handful of experiences in the Diablo IV endgame. There’s Helltide, a “region-wide event” that occurs after reaching World Tier Three in Nightmare difficulty. You can also experience Whispers of the Dead, the Fields of Hatred, the Paragon Boards, and a beta boss.
Grind for the grind
Since the endgame beta for Diablo IV is closed, don’t expect to talk about it if invited in. Blizzard confirms that it’s “confidential, meaning players invited will be unable to publicly talk about or share their gameplay experience.” Not that such rules have stopped people before. The beta will give folks a chance to tell Blizzard what they like or don’t like about the endgame. And, hopefully, we’ll get a much better experience out of it. I mean, surely it must be better than Diablo III‘s endgame. Right? Right.
For more information on the beta and how to throw your hat in the ring, check out the blog post in full. You can also view the video above, in which Game Director Joe Shely and Rod Fergusson, franchise general manager, discuss the beta.
