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Diablo 4 Features Over 100 Towns, More NPC Interaction
When Diablo 4 eventually launches, it will feature more than 100 towns and villages and more NPC interaction than ever before. Blizzard revealed Diablo 4 officially last week during BlizzCon 2019, and they showcased everything from cinematic trailers to gameplay. They even let streamers from around the world play and broadcast the demo for fans on the convention's show floor.
Diablo 4 was an incredibly known "surprise" ahead of BlizzCon 2019. The game leaked several times in the year leading up to the convention, with some rumors even pointing towards a playable build coming. One leak in particular correctly revealed that Diablo 4 would feature elements of open world gameplay. Most of those leaks turned out to be prophetic, of course, with Blizzard dropping a ton of confirming information for the title at their convention.
It was at BlizzCon 2019 during a panel on Diablo 4's world and lore that Creative Director Sebastian Stępień shared some specific information about the story and setting in Blizzard's upcoming adventure. First, according to Wccftech's recap, Stępień echoed the notion that Diablo 4 will be dark. He emphasized that the darkness will serve the story and vibe of Diablo, making the experience distinct and unique. In service of that darkness and lore, Diablo 4 will be littered with NPCs from villages and towns all over the aforementioned open world above the dungeons and caverns. Stępień said that the game will have "over 100 villages or places like this [sic]," and that players will have opportunities to learn about the world by discovering the "stories of simple folks" all over.
The massive open world showcased in Diablo 4's gameplay sequences during BlizzCon 2019 is a big change for the franchise. Previously, players would travel to specific areas in each act. There would be a central town that branches off into locations built to play hosts to specific quests and story moments. Each game in the franchise up until this point has had less than 10 towns, so this news about Diablo 4 featuring more than 100 towns and villages marks an obviously dramatic shift. Will the locations all serve as massive hubs hosting events and characters? Probably not, but the number reveals the huge scale and scope of the title.
Blizzard did not share a precise release date for Diablo 4 at BlizzCon 2019. The studio only indicated that the game wouldn't even come "Blizzard soon," a joke that plays on the fact that it takes a long time for Blizzard to push out their software. That long development time has always been a trade-off for quality, so gamers have learned to be patient when it comes to whatever Blizzard's working on.
