During its “What’s Next” presentation for Diablo 4, the development team at Blizzard dropped all kinds of details on the Rogue class and its specializations. However, it also discussed the actual world, and what players could expect from it. Exploration is a big thing as players will venture out and find unique areas, solve puzzles and defeat monsters for rewards like mounts.

These mounts can also influence how you play since some can travel faster. You can also customize them with horse armor and trophies. Camps see players venturing to monster strongholds and essentially reclaiming them for the people of Sanctuary. Once a camp is established, a new waypoint becomes available along with new vendors, quests, possible dungeon entrances and so on.

Player vs. Player combat takes place in special areas called Fields of Hatred. They’re optional and involve collecting Shards of Hatred, either from downed players, monsters or events. Much like The Division’s Dark Zone loot, these Shards are impure and must be purified in an event to convert into currency. However, everyone nearby is informed of the purification and can kill the player to steal their Shards.

Hilariously, you can even betray your friends and steal their Shards. Continuing to act in this unsavory way will confer the Vessel of Hatred status, which allows everyone to see you and collect a bonus on taking you down. Surviving during this time will provide a big reward for players.

Once purified, the Shards can be sent on new costumes, weapons, mounts and so on. None of this is more powerful than what’s available in other areas of the game but it’s a good source of rewards for PvP players. And yes, you can collect ears that have the names of players killed.

Diablo 4 is currently in development for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Following its reveal of the Rogue as the next class to join Diablo 4, Blizzard Entertainment’s development team went into more details on how it would differ from other classes. In this case, the Rogue gets Specializations, namely Shadow Realm, Exploit Weakness and Combo Points. Shadow Realm sees the player become immune for 1 second and drag targeted enemies into the Shadow Realm for five seconds. The player is unstoppable during this time and deals 50 percent more damage while being in stealth.

Exploit Weakness sees all hits against exploited enemies turning into critical strikes and dealing 60 percent increased damage. Enemies that can be exploited have an icon over their head – attacking at that time activates the ability. Combo Points has basic attacks accruing combo points which activate additional effects for different spender abilities (like shadowy archers that fire additional projectiles).

Earning these Specializations means taking on quests for World Groups like Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye and Remnants of the Order. These unlock the Specializations which can be mixed with other play-styles like melee and ranged for different benefits. It’s exclusive to the Rogue class, sticking to the developer’s goal of having something unique to each class. Of course, players can also customize the Rogue’s physical appearance as well with a variety of hair-styles, skin tones, tattoos and so on.

Diablo 4 is in development for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Blizzard Entertainment also announced Diablo 2: Resurrected, a remake of the base game and Lord of Destruction expansion for previous and current-gen consoles. It’s out later this year and sports improved visuals along with cross-progression.

Back at BlizzCon 2021, Hero Missions were mentioned for Overwatch 2. These were noted as a means of leveling up one’s character. At BlizzConline 2021, the development team provided new details on the same. New enemy units are one thing but these missions will also have new technology and provide “hundreds” of new assignments that span the globe.

Different objectives, multiplayer maps that have been expanded into never-before-seen routes and a “living environment” have been noted but combat is also being made more “exhilarating.” Heroes have more extensive skill trees this time and veer closer to RPGs with different specializations and builds. Of course, slight new story detailed were provided like how the second Omnic Uprising would be showcased and the aftermath of Zero Hour.

A branching dialogue system was mentioned along with “lore-rich new maps” and several choices for players to make. But overall, we’ll learn more about each character’s current situation and their role in the crisis. Overwatch 2 is currently in development for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Switch – stay tuned for more details from BlizzConline 2021.

Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch 2 sadly didn’t get a release window at BlizzConline 2021 but the development team revealed tons of new details for it. Redesigns for Widowmaker, Pharah, McCree and Reaper were revealed, along with some new maps like New York and Rome. Various graphical improvements have also been made for all the different maps with new features like sandstorms and blizzards playing a role.

In terms of PvE, some new skills for each character – like Soldier 76’s Biotic Field moving with him and damaging surrounding foes – were revealed. We also go a look at some new foes like Elite Grunts; The Breacher, which detonates a bomb after a short delay; and The Puller which draws players in and attacks at close range. Hero Missions for leveling up different abilities along with extensive skill trees were also shown.

In PvP, tanks are being slightly reworked to act more as brawlers while healers become more self-reliant. To that end, passives are being introduced and include benefits like knockback reduction for tanks, movement speed bonuses for DPS heroes, and auto-healing for supports. Changes like two Firestrike charges and charge cancellation for Reinhardt were also confirmed.

Check out the full behind-the-scenes update below for more details. Overwatch 2 is currently in development for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Along with announcing Diablo 2: Resurrected, a remake of the 2000 action RPG and Lord of Destruction, Blizzard Entertainment showcased a new trailer for Diablo 4. As the rumors noted, the Rogue class was finally revealed. Check out its gameplay below (complete with an uncomfortable number of ears).

The Rogue is very much akin to the Demon Hunter from Diablo 3. Along with close-ranged daggers and swords, which can dish out combos, she can also utilize poison for slaying foes. Ranged attacks with bows are also possible and Shadow Magic also appears to be in effect. Overall, there seems to be a decent mix of styles for players to specialize in.

A release window wasn’t mentioned but we may hear more about it at the game’s dedicated panel. Diablo 4 still in development for PS4, Xbox One and PC though. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements from BlizzConline 2021 along with more details on Diablo 2: Resurrected.

The rumors are indeed true – Diablo 2 is indeed being remade. At BlizzConline 2021, Blizzard Entertainment and Vicarious Visions revealed Diablo 2: Resurrected, a remake of the base game along with the Lord of Destruction expansion, releasing in 2021. Check out the announcement trailer below.

Along with the original graphics, players can switch to the new fully 3D visuals. These support up to 4K resolution and have dynamic lighting, physically based rendering and improved animations and effects. All cinematics are being remade entirely while Dolby 7.1 is being supported for the sound. The core gameplay remains intact with improvements like a shared stash added in.

Diablo 2: Resurrected is out this year for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Battle.net. It will support cross-progression across all of these. Technical alpha test sign-ups are currently live now but only for PC players. Stay tuned for more details from BlizzCon 2021 shortly.

Blizzard seem to have some big plans in place for BlizzConline, which kicks off in some hours from now, and updates on the likes of Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are pretty much guaranteed. Before the show goes live though, it seems some of Blizzard’s plans have begun leaking. In fact, Blizzard themselves may have prematurely spilled the beans on which might be a big reveal.

As reported by Wowhead, Blizzard recently sent out press kits earlier than they were supposed to, mistakenly unveiling plans for a major addition to World of Warcraft Classic, with Burning Crusade – the MMORPG’s first major expansion from back in 2007 – reportedly getting the same classic treatment that the base game got a couple of years ago.

“Journey through the Dark Portal once again in World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic,” the message accompanying the press kit reportedly reads. “Originally released in January 2007, The Burning Crusade summoned the heroes of Azeroth to the shattered and fel-scarred realm of Outland to stop an invasion of the demonic Burning Legion. In 2021, Blizzard Entertainment’s recreation of the first World of Warcraft expansion will give players from around the world a chance to return to Outland as it once was to relive an era of timeless adventure—or experience what awaits beyond the Dark Portal for the first time.”

Other BlizzConline announcements have also leaked recently, including a new class for Diablo 4, and a remaster of Diablo 2 that is supposedly launching later this year.

BlizzConline kicks off at 2 PM PT later today. Stay tuned for all the updates from the event.

Along with apparent details on Diablo 4’s announcements at BlizzConline 2021, leaker PracticalBrush12 also shared information on Diablo 2 Remastered. Though previous reports have indicated it to be a remake, it was noted here to be a “remaster.” “The original game literally runs under the new 3D 60fps graphics engine so that means the gameplay is identical!”

Like with Starcraft Remastered, players can switch between the original and new visuals at will. Audio and cinematics are being remastered while features like a shared stash, auto gold pickup (which can be toggled) and advanced stats summary are also included. The remaster will support controllers and is planned to release on “all major consoles”, including the Nintendo Switch.

Other improvements include dynamic lighting, though it will still be as dark as the original, and cross progression (which seems to indicate a release on previous and current-gen consoles). Online play isn’t forced and there will be a technical alpha to sign up for. The game apparently slated to release this year.

Once again, take all this with a grain of salt, even with the leaker’s recent record. BlizzConline 2021 starts today at 2 PM PDT so stay tuned for more details.

BlizzConline 2021 starts later today but the leaks continue to flow. PracticalBrush12, who most recently leaked details on Monster Hunter Rise’s newest trailer, has provided new information on Diablo 4 and Diablo 2 Remastered. For the former, they confirmed that the next class to be revealed is the Rogue who will use bows, swords, daggers and crossbows while possessing high mobility.

Other details include makeup, tattoo, skin and hair color customization for one’s character and class specialization being tied to the faction one supports. Class quests are done in the open world. It also seems that item drops will reflect the locations they drop. For example, a sword that drops in the desert will be a scimitar but in the north, it’s a broadsword.

Horse customization is also confirmed and you can also “conquer” monster camps “for the people” (the details on this aren’t clear). Player vs. player combat has an interesting new mechanic. The currency for it, which can be used to purchase cosmetics, is collected by killing monsters. However, it’s in an impure state. Purifying it allows others to kill you and steal the shards for themselves.

No details have been provided on a beta test or release. As always, take the above information with a grain of salt. Diablo 4 is currently in development for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

BlizzConline 2021, Blizzard’s digital showcase to replace its traditional physical event, takes place on February 19th and 20th. Though we know which games to expect – like Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 – the official schedule is out now, providing more details. The show starts at 2 PM PT on February 19th with the Opening Ceremony.

At 3:10 PM PT, unique showcases will air on six different channels. Overwatch 2 will have a 40 minute long presentation that goes behind the scenes, followed by a panel with “The Voices of Overwatch” at 3:50 PM PT. Diablo 4 has a “What’s Next” panel at 3:10 PM PT followed by a Developer Roundtable at 3:50 PM PT. On February 20th at 12 PM PT, there will be an hour long Q&A for the action RPG.

Though both titles could receive significant new details, a release date shouldn’t be expected especially with Activision Blizzard confirming that neither will release this year. There are quite a lot of Community Showcases and other panels to look forward to though. Unlike previous BlizzCon events which required a Virtual Ticket, all of this will be free to watch. Stay tuned for more details and updates as always.