Diablo IV is just around the corner and chances are you already have it pre-ordered. In fact, there are many incentives to do so. Between the pre-load, the possibility of playing it a little earlier than the rest of the mortals and the very fact of being assured that you will be able to enjoy it from the very minute it is available, Blizzards has given us plenty of reasons to want to make our reservation of one of the most anticipated games of the year.
Now, all of this can get confusing. That’s why we’re here today. To guide you through the jumble of dates, facts, and to-dos that is Diablo IV’s release. Here we’ve compiled all the information you need to enjoy Diablo IV from minute one without having to worry about anything more than pre-ordering it.
When can you start pre-downloading Diablo IV?
If you want to make sure that you will not have any problem to play Diablo IV at its release, the best thing you can do is to pre-download the game. The possibility to pre-download the game will start on May 30 at 13:00, Spanish time. How to do this will differ subtly between PC and consoles. On PC you will only need to enter Battle.net, go to the games section, search for Diablo IV, select the final version and click Download. On PlayStation and Xbox you will have to enter their respective stores, search for Diablo IV and start the download there.
When can I start playing?
When you will be able to start playing will depend entirely on which edition of the game you have purchased. If you bought the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition, you will have early access that will allow you to play four days before the game’s official release, on Friday, June 2. If you bought the normal edition, you will have to wait until the official launch day, Tuesday, June 6. In both cases, the launch time in Spain is not considered midnight, as usual in these cases, but one hour later, at 1:00.
In short, you will be able to play Diablo IV as of these dates depending on the version of the game you have purchased:
- If you have the Deluxe or Ultimate Edition: Friday, June 2 at 01:00 a.m.
- If you have the normal edition: Tuesday, June 6 at 01:00 a.m.
Which nVidia drivers do you need to download?
NVIDIA, to ensure that the launch of Diablo IV goes as smoothly as possible, released on May 30 drivers specifically designed to improve the performance of its cards with Diablo IV. Although in principle the GeForce Experience application should update automatically or at least alert you that you have a new update available, if this is not the case, the drivers you need to download are the GeForce Game Ready 535.98 WHQL. With that, you will have your computer ready to play Diablo IV with the experience that NVIDIA has been refining for its users.
What’s up with PvP?
A lot of people are going to dive headfirst into PvP in Diablo IV and it’s normal. It has been part of the experience of playing Diablo for many years and it is normal that it is an intrinsic part of the experience. Now, Blizzards have already warned that this will not be honorable combat, but real carnage where we can expect the worst to happen and where people should go in knowing that people are not going to fight fairly.
That said, if you want to fight in player vs. player battles you will have to head to specific areas of Sanctuary called Fields of Hate, where players will be able to battle against each other to proclaim themselves the strongest. In any case, a word of warning. In Diablo IV’s highest difficulty mode, death is permanent, and that doesn’t change in the Fields of Hate. Therefore, if you want to avoid getting an upset, do not go into these places unless you are very clear about the consequences of your actions. And that nobody there thinks to play fair.
Do I have to checkout once I have purchased the game?
Diablo IV is intended as a game as a service and weight means that, to have all the content that will be released, we will need to go through box. With periodic battle passes, the first one in early June, and with content that advances the campaign every three months, the game will have a progression of 27 free and 63 premium categories. Thus, there will be three battle pass modes, divided between free, premium (which gives us access to premium rewards) and accelerated (which gives us access to premium rewards with 20 levels already completed and a gift gesture).
In summary, the price of each of the battle pass modalities is as follows:
- Battle Pass: Free; only access to 27 rewards from the reward tree.
- Premium Battle Pass: 1000 platinum, equivalent to 9.99€ ; gives access to the 90 rewards of the reward tree.
- Accelerated Battle Pass: 2800 platinum, equivalent to 24.99€; gives access to all 90 rewards in the reward tree, with 20 rewards already unlocked and a gift gesture.
Conclusion
With this you already know everything you need to know to enter Sanctuary without fear. All that’s left is to get ready and enjoy Diablo IV.
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