Diablo IV: Characters, Mounts and Talent Tree Explained

Everything You Need to Know About Diablo IV!

When you think of hack and slash, Diablo is one of the first games that comes to mind, and its latest entry is here. The fourth game in the Diablo series, ''Diablo IV,'' was announced at BlizzCon on November 1, 2019, but there is still no word on a release date. The game is expected to launch on PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox platforms in 2021. However, it's still unclear whether iOS users will be able to play the game. Without further ado, let's take a look at the game and its features.

Diablo IV Characters and Features

As we noticed in Diablo III, the Diablo team isn't too keen on adding a lot of variety to the character roster. They're not big fans of major changes on that front. Even the new characters introduced in Diablo III were mashups or renamed versions of characters from the previous game. (Like Diablo III's Demon Hunter being a mix of the second game's Assassin and Amazon, or the second game's Paladin returning in the third game as the Crusader.) Sticking to that same approach for Diablo IV, the Diablo team is once again bringing back characters from the second game. In this game, we'll be playing as (from left to right) the Barbarian, Sorceress, and Druid. The Barbarian will be the favorite of those who want to cut down their enemies in melee as always, the Sorceress will suit those who want to finish off enemies from a distance using elemental magic, and the Druid will appeal to those who want to unleash the power of nature on their enemies by transforming into a wolf or a bear. The Druid can also use a bit of magic, presumably so it can appeal to both playstyles.

What's New in Diablo IV!

Diablo IV Character Customization:

One of the standout new features in Diablo IV is ''Character Customization.'' Unlike previous games, there are now several options for customizing your chosen character beyond just gender.

Diablo IV Mount:

In Diablo III, certain skills got features added to them to cut down travel time between locations. However, we often couldn't fit those skills in alongside the other skills we needed. Because of that, traveling became a chore. Diablo IV is adding a feature that will save us from that hassle: mounts!

Having paid a bit more attention to customization in this game, the team has given mounts the same care. You'll be given options in-game to change your mount's appearance.

Diablo IV User Interface (UI):

In every game in the Diablo series, we're used to seeing health on the bottom left of the screen, the character-specific resource for using skills on the bottom right, and character abilities in the middle. This time, though, things are a bit different. The user interface in Diablo IV has also been changed, using a layout different from what we're used to seeing.

Diablo IV Talent Tree:

One of the new features added to Diablo IV is the talent tree! While this feature might seem a bit confusing at first, it's actually a nice addition made to add variety to how your character plays. We're looking at a tree similar to the talent tree found in older versions of World of Warcraft, another Blizzard game. So how will this feature affect our game, how will it add variety? Well, the talent tree will determine which skills we use on our skill bar and which skill type we lean into, helping players create more of a character they actually want. Take the Sorceress, for example; as we mentioned earlier, the Sorceress can cast spells using the power of the elements to freeze, slow, burn, and strike enemies with lightning. The talent tree helps us develop our skills in whichever direction we want to become that kind of Sorceress. If you want, you could focus purely on burning your enemies, or you could taunt them by constantly freezing and slowing them while watching from a distance.