With open beta early access for Diablo 4 available to preload for those who pre-ordered, Blizzard Entertainment has revealed some more details about Ashava. The World Boss is available on March 18th and March 25th at 10 AM, 12 PM and midnight PDT during the open beta and requires several players to defeat it.
In a new PlayStation Blog post, lead encounter designer Jason Bentley breaks down the core pillars of designing a World Boss. Everyone should be able to contribute; it should be doable for every player; the World Boss should be replayable; and Stagger, while helpful, is never mandatory.
From concept to character models and refining attacks in-game, the developer wants a World Boss’s attack to cover a large portion of the field. Some abilities, called spectacle abilities, cause significant damage while clearing space. Of course, there are other kinds of attacks, and some locations may prove challenging. Ashava, for instance, can control different parts of the map with poison and by leaping around.
Early access for Diablo 4’s open beta runs from March 17th to 19th, while everyone can access it from March 24th to 26th. The game is out on June 6th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.
