Monthly Archives: February 2023

Diablo IV – Open Beta is Coming!

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Blizzard’s Guide to the Diablo IV Open Beta

Gather around, wanderer. Your desire to combat Lilith’s legions in Diablo IV can be played out during our Open Beta and Early Access weekends—available on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. Those who have pre-purchased Diablo IV will receive Early Access to the Open Beta from March 17–19. On the following weekend, the Open Beta will be available to everyone from March 24–26.

On This Page…

  • Open Beta Focus
  • Early Access Beta Code Redemption
  • Diablo IV Developer Update Livestream
  • Inarius Premium Statue
  • Check Back for Updates

Open Beta Focus

During both the Open Beta and Early Access weekends, players will be able to intimately explore the early game of Diablo IV. This includes a first taste of the campaign via the Prologue and the entirety of Act 1. The first zone, Fractured Peaks, is yours to navigate as you please—stampede through the rugged landscape and cut down demons.

For the Open Beta and Early Access weekends, your character can only level up to Level 25, but you’re welcome to continue ripping through demons until the Open Beta ends. Make your mark on Sanctuary by clearing hellish hordes from dungeons, completing intriguing quests provided by the locals, and amassing powerful loot from fallen foes.

Simply put, this is your opportunity to combat the might of the Burning Hells prior to our June 6 release. With that said, the experience is not finalized and you may encounter performance issues, outages, and come across things that simply don’t work. After the Open Beta concludes, we’ll evaluate all feedback we’ve received and will make changes as needed. We look forward to you experiencing this small taste of what Diablo IV has to offer.

If you have not already pre-purchased a copy of Diablo IV for your platform of choice and want to get Early Access to the Open Beta, visit here.*

Early Access Beta Code Redemption

Do you have a Beta Early Access code** for Diablo IV? It’s time to redeem it! If you pre-purchased the game digitally, Early Access to the Open Beta will be automatically available on the platform you pre-purchased for—no further action is required of you. But for those with an Early Access code, instructions are listed below. More information on how to download the Beta will be available as the Beta draws near.

Redemption Instructions

  • Go to diablo.com/beta and log in or create your Battle.net account.
  • Enter your code and select your gaming platform and region (if applicable) from the drop-down menu.
  • Be sure to check your selections before clicking the Redeem button.
  • A success page will confirm that your code was valid and claimed to the account.
  • For PC players, your account will be flagged for access right away.
  • For console players, a platform-specific code to download the Beta will be emailed to the address associated with your Battle.net account closer to the start of Early Access.

Diablo IV Developer Update Livestream

Our developers are back to shed some light on Diablo IV in the first Developer Update livestream of 2023! On February 28 at 11:00 a.m. PST, join lead world designer Art Peshkov, lead systems designer Meng Song, and game director Joe Shely on the official Diablo Twitch and YouTube channels as they elaborate on the game’s Stronghold and Armor systems, and Open Beta details.

Following the livestream, we’ll post a recap blog highlighting details you won’t want to miss, along with a video on demand of the livestream for you to watch.

Inarius Premium Statue

“I am Sanctuary, and Sanctuary is I! You seek to fight the very world itself when you seek to stand against me.”
-Inarius

Invite the defender of Sanctuary into your home—get the defiant Diablo IV Inarius 26 in Premium Statue. This renegade angel will be available now from the Blizzard Gear Store.

Check Back for Updates

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and we plan to bring the heat! As the Open Beta approaches, we’ll update this blog with additional details, providing an in-depth look at what to expect.

*Actual platform availability and launch date(s) of the Beta subject to change. Minimum Open Beta duration is 2 days. Limited time only. Internet connection required. Battle.net account required.

**Note that your Diablo IV Beta Early Access code can only be claimed once and is non-replaceable.

Original article by Blizzard Entertainment – 18th February 2023. Click here to view.

Diablo Immortal – Brave the Perils of the Fen

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Another Newsround from the DI Team!

Good tidings await, adventurer.

Since our last encounter, many adventurers have found good fortune in Tong-Shi’s Renewal, escaped the recesses of their mind in the Fractured Plane, and tinkered with 36 new Legendary Items to dream up unspeakably powerful class builds. The Burning Hells have much in store for you, so grab your favorite elixir and let’s dive in.

A third wave of Server Merges are coming to Diablo Immortal on February 22. This wave will focus on our servers in the East Asia and Southeast Asia regions, improving the ability for players in these regions to Party up with others regardless of the server they play on. Know that we will continue to monitor player populations across all servers and merge additional servers as needed. Here’s a complete list of all servers that will merge in wave three:

RegionMerging Servers
East Asia維雷克 基德 喬森亞特瑪 多頭蛇 霸圖克馬利杜思 拉庫尼 維拉
Southeast AsiaAnu Blood Raven Zann Esu PethBloodrime Ghirn Yl’niraEnigma Agronix VerathielVasily Nilfur Gillian

For more information on how Server Merge works, please see our previous blog where we announced the first wave of Server Merges.

Also on February 22, we’ll be making some adjustments to Normal Gems. These gems will receive an additional attribute which modifies the base stats of the item they’re socketed into. This change will ultimately provide more uses for Normal Gems; therefore, to maintain the integrity of Wynton’s Grand Market, all Normal Gems will be removed from the market on February 22 during the server maintenance period. All current rules for listing Normal Gems in the market will remain unchanged and these gems can be relisted in the market once the server maintenance period ends. Additionally, we’ll be modifying Hidden Lairs to provide players with additional ways to obtain tradeable gems.

Diablo Immortal will implement in-game text-based Turkish language support after server maintenance on February 8. Now, let’s delve further into this Content Update.

As with previous Content Updates, there will be server maintenance starting on February 7, from 4 p.m.–6 p.m. PST for Oceania, China, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe Servers, and on February 8, from 12 a.m.–2 a.m. PST for servers in the Americas. After the maintenance has concluded, all items mentioned below will be live—specific dates for any content going live afterward are provided below.

Codex

Feature Updates

Perils of the Fen Limited-Time Event

Season 10 Battle Pass: Alchemist’s Admixture

Void Beyond Cosmetic Set

Bug Fixes

Diablo Immortal Developer Q&A Series

Feature Updates

Additional Stash Tabs

The ability for players to have additional storage tabs in their Stash is one of our most requested feature updates. Now, players can unlock up to two additional Stash tabs from within the Stash menu for their character.

The first Stash tab can be permanently unlocked for 2,000 Platinum.

The second Stash tab can be unlocked while you have an active Boon of Plenty and will only provide additional storage space during this duration. If your Boon of Plenty expires, any items stored within this Stash tab will remain there until you withdraw them. Additional items cannot be stored in this Stash tab unless you have an active Boon of Plenty.

Adjustments to Boss Invulnerable Phases

In our previous Content Update, we made a change that removed the invulnerability phases between killing Segithis’ Left and Right Legs. In this Content Update, we are removing or shortening the invulnerability phase duration from many boss encounters, such as the Ancient Nightmare and Glacial Colossus fights. Going forward, we will continue to evaluate the player’s experience in boss encounters and will make additional adjustments as needed.

Developer’s Note: Boss invulnerability phases break the flow of combat, making them one of the most noticeable forms of downtime in a dungeon, but they also allow for storytelling and gameplay pacing. In some cases, we can completely remove an invulnerability phase but in many we need to reduce the overall duration of the phase to ensure the encounter functions ideally. Our goal is to reduce the overall downtime in dungeons, especially during combat, but we don’t want this reduction to come at a cost to players’ experiences. Many of these changes result in only a few seconds saved here and there, but added up, they should be noticeable.

Path of Blood Rewards

Several improvements have been made to the Path of Blood system:

  • Upon completion of a floor, players will now receive gold, experience, and items as a reward.
  • You may now skip directly to the nearest boss floor to your current floor, such as Floor 10 if you have completed Floor 7. If you complete that boss floor, you’ll receive credit and rewards for all skipped floors, the boss floor, and will receive the option to skip directly to the next boss floor.

Developer’s Note: As players continue to flow through the Cycle of Strife, we understand that some players will successfully climb through the entire Path of Blood, only to be forced to slowly trudge back to the top in the next Cycle. While we still believe in the importance of this reset, we wanted to focus on improving the rewards and speed of progression for Path of Blood. This way, those players that wish to breeze through the system can more readily accomplish this feat, while also being better rewarded for their efforts.

Hell Difficulty Notification

Even in a place like Sanctuary, reaching a new Hell Difficulty level calls for celebration. Now, when a player unlocks a new Hell Difficulty level, a congratulations screen detailing the new features available to them will pop up.

Auto-Follow Party Member

By clicking or tapping on a member of their Party, players can now automatically follow that player. Any movement or combat that you manually initiate will interrupt auto-following.

Player Profile Display

If a player is part of a Warband, their Warband’s name can be seen in the Player Profile menu.

Combat Rating Visibility

Combat Rating is an integral aspect of Diablo Immortal. To aid players in easily accessing their Combat Rating, we have moved this statistic to a higher location within the Attributes interface.

Bounty Rewards Increase

Any bounty that previously provided 1.2x rewards will now provide 5x rewards.

Perils of the Fen Limited-Time Event

A dangerous torrent of demonic destruction has flooded the murky waterways of Bilefen, grinding daily life to a sludgy halt. Sanctuary’s citizens who call this precarious network of swamps home are on their last leg—coming to their rescue is imperative.

Channel the arcane energy coursing through your mortal vessel to overcome the Perils of the Fen limited-time event. From February 8 at 3 a.m.–February 16 at 3 a.m. server time, as you complete Perils of the Fen tasks, you’ll receive rewards for your heroics. Racking up enough completed tasks will also unlock milestone rewards for you—a testament to your valor.

Season 10 Battle Pass: Alchemist’s Admixture

“Despite centuries of setbacks and misunderstandings, the alchemist’s creed is unchanged: anything is possible if you are curious enough.”
-Rogue Alchemist

The Alchemist’s Admixture, a new Battle Pass devoted to unwavering curiosity, has been uncovered in Diablo Immortal, and with it, the Season 10 Battle Pass on February 16, at 3:00 a.m. server time. This Battle Pass hosts 40 ranks worth of challenges and rewards, such as Legendary Gems, Crests, Hilts, and more.

The Season 10 Battle Pass only runs until March 16, at 2:59 a.m. server time—begin slaying demons and climbing your way through the ranks today!

Void Beyond Cosmetic Set

The stars are eyes that do not blink for thousands of years. They see all, poring over each being’s soul like pages in a tome. Stars evoke a sense of wonder, serve as a source of light, and can even guide us through confounding places such as the void beyond our understanding.

Allow the cosmos to predict your path through Hell and back—the Void Beyond Standard Cosmetic Set is available in the in-game shop for 1,000 Eternal Orbs.

Bug Fixes

Looking for the newest round of hotfixes and bug fixes implemented for Diablo Immortal? Check here for all-platform fixes and our known issues blog for PC-specific fixes.

Diablo Immortal Developer Q&A Series

Have questions about Diablo Immortal? We have answers. Check out our Diablo Immortal Developer Q&A series for answers to some of the community’s burning questions about the game. We will post a new set of questions and answers periodically.

We’ll see you in Sanctuary!
-The Diablo Immortal Team

To see the original post at blizzard.com, click here. Thanks Blizzard!

EVE Online – Photon UI Full Rollout

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February Update from CCP, Specially Copy/Pasted for you! <3

Original post can be read here. 2023-02-14 – By EVE Online Team

Attention, capsuleers!

EVE Online continues to evolve and invest in the day-to-day experience of its players and its technological foundations to stay on course for a successful third decade in New Eden. This now includes the full rollout of the sparkling new Photon UI, as well as improvements to the multiple overview feature, Tranquility server hardware upgrades, and more!

Also evolving are the fortunes of New Eden’s great empires and EVE Online’s events, moving more purposefully towards a narrative-driven schedule instead of the previously established annual calendar of in-game events. This will be informed by the roadmap for upcoming happenings in EVE, first introduced in the Producer’s Letter.

EVOLVE AND PROSPER

EVE’s user interface has evolved in collaboration with the EVE community, and the anticipated full rollout of Photon UI is here. With an overwhelming 94% adoption among players of the awesome Photon UI which offers a better experience for EVE players, the time was right to make it the default and only UI available.

A single, unified design style streamlines usability, improves learning, and reduces cognitive overload. Removing the old UI will enable faster feature iteration than ever before, and more frequent, easier implementation of updates. There will also be opportunities for new and cool features such as micro widgets to be implemented that would have been impossible with the old code.

Today’s update also allows you to toggle the default state of all compactable windows with a single checkbox, making it much easier to turn on Compact Mode in Photon UI by default for all windows that have that functionality.

In addition, the multiple overview feature has come out of beta and is now standard, with the maximum number of overview tabs increased! There is also now grouping available for overview presets, with added descriptions for the default filters to give players a better idea about each one’s purpose.

Features such as Compact Mode for Photon UI and multiple overviews allow for greater customizability, giving you the ability to tailor it to your specific playstyle. The improvements aren’t done, either, as the interface will continue to evolve and improve, so thanks to all capsuleers for their support and feedback thus far!

Further changes in Photon UI include your wallet balance now being added to the market window, updates to the docking/undocking animated notification, tweaks to item selection highlighting, and more! You can read the patch notes for more details.

Also, as part of the EVE Evolved initiative, the Tranquility live server has undergone some hardware upgrades, adding to the ongoing evolution and investment in EVE’s technical foundations. Stay tuned for a dev blog containing more details in the near future.

AN EVENTFUL FUTURE

EVE’s established calendar of events is also in the process of evolution, sparked by last year’s Uprising expansion as a major step towards regular narrative-driven content updates. As forces gather, tensions mount, and events unfold within New Eden between the four great empires, the exciting roadmap for EVE has a series of thrilling in-game events lined up to get stuck into. Having already gotten off to a strong start in 2023, you can also look forward to more new features, expansions, and huge celebrations throughout the year – including what promises to be an amazing 20th anniversary for EVE Online!

Keep your eyes to the stars as very soon a new narrative arc-related factional campaign will go live in-game pitting the Amarr, Minmatar, Caldari, and Gallente against each other in a tech race that will have seismic implications on the landscape of New Eden. This will set the tone for a year in EVE where some of the events you have come to expect at certain times of year will be replaced by arc-focused events. But don’t worry, instead of attending the Guardian’s Gala, the Angel Cartel have had more pressing matters to attend to. Their shift in focus will play out soon enough!

SINGULARITY OF VISION

In preparation for the upcoming events, and as indicated in the roadmap, you will soon be able to check out the new Direct Enlistment feature on the Singularity test server. This will allow capsuleers to participate in Factional Warfare on behalf of any empire they choose without having to leave their current corporation or alliance to join a militia.

This feature will be rolled out on Tranquility later this quarter, so go ahead and test it out!

FROM THE DIVINE TO THE METICULOUS – EVE STORE OFFERS

With so much on the horizon, now is the time to get prepared and look your best! The brand-new Divinity Pack in the EVE Store is perfect for fresh capsuleers, featuring 1 month of Omega for access to EVE’s best ships and skills, 250 PLEX to sell for ISK or spend in the New Eden Store, 150,000 Skill Points and a standard cerebral accelerator to boost your skill training goals. You’ll also get the stunning Heartsurge SKINs for the Keres and Hyena, plus Men’s and Women’s Obsidian Opulence Jacket character apparel.

Furthermore, the Heart-Shape Pack offers even more opportunity to flex and flaunt, with MCT, 1000 PLEX, 500,000 Skill Points, specialist cerebral accelerator, Heartsurge SKINs for the Kronos, Vargur, Phobos, and Broadsword, plus Men’s and Women’s Obsidian Opulence Jackets and Pants.

Both packs are available until 23 February and can only be purchased once per account.

DESIRE FOR DESTRUCTION – NES OFFERS

You can also lay your affections on two new bundles in EVE’s in-game New Eden Store! The Destructive Surge Bundle features Heartsurge SKINs for the Catalyst Navy Issue, Coercer Navy Issue, Cormorant Navy Issue, and Thrasher Fleet Issue, while the Dreadnought Desire Bundle features Heartsurge SKINs for the Moros Navy Issue, Naglfar Fleet Issue, Phoenix Navy Issue, and Revelation Navy Issue. Both are available only until 23 February, so don’t miss this popular SKIN’s first outing on the new navy ships!

With the player experience constantly evolving and improving, plus captivating narrative-driven events and features on the horizon, EVE’s exciting journey through its 2023 roadmap continues unabated towards forever! Don’t miss a beat and keep your eyes on happenings in-game, as well as upcoming features to test on Singularity, news of the next factional campaign, and be a part of the grand celebrations for EVE’s 20th birthday!

EVE Online is a free MMORPG sci-fi strategy game where you can embark on your own unique space adventure. EVE’s open world MMORPG sandbox, renowned among online space games, lets you choose your own path and engage in combat, exploration, industry and much more. Play the world’s #1 space MMO today! Copyright © CCP 1997-2023