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Diablo 4 developers used a screenshot of the Crypt from the original game to design one of the dungeons in the upcoming action-RPG.
Diablo 4's early beta access, available to those who've pre-ordered the game, kicks off today, March 17 and runs until March 20. With the beta about to get underway, Blizzard has shared new gameplay footage of the highly anticipated fourth instalment in the Diablo series, giving fans an insight into the game's creation as well as an idea of what to expect when they go hands-on.
The video, titled Adventures with a Dev, shows Diablo 4's lead game designer Zaven Haroutunian, battle their way through an area known as the Kor Dragan Barracks. According to Haroutunian, when creating Diablo 4, the team wanted to ensure that it truly felt like Diablo, and one of the ways it did this was by building a dungeon based on a familiar location from the first game.
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"We're not in it right now, but one of the first dungeons that we ever built, the first tilesets we ever made, was actually the Crypt," Haroutunian explains. "We were like, 'Okay, how do we make sure this feels like Diablo?' So, what we did is we went and played Diablo 1. Played through the Crypt. Took a screenshot of what that environment looked like, and then made it in this engine."
The similarities don't end with the original Diablo, though, as the studio looked at each of the series' previous entries for inspiration when making the latest game. For instance, the Kor Dragan Barracks was partly inspired by Diablo 3's Ruins of Sescheron. "We loved it when we made that," Haroutunian says. "We wanted to do something like that again." As Diablo 3 fans will no doubt recall, this location was home to a multitude of devastating traps, from spiked floors to giant bladed pendulums.
If you've not pre-ordered Diablo 4 and, as such, don't have an invite to the Early Access Open Beta taking place this weekend, never fear, as another beta is being held next weekend, March 24 to March 27, and this one is open to everyone. Check out our when is the Diablo 4 beta guide for more information on timings for both. Additionally, our how to access the Diablo 4 beta will give you all the details you'll need to get involved.
Blizzard's video isn't the only new Diablo 4 footage doing the rounds at the moment, as 34 minutes of high-level Diablo 4 gameplay has leaked online.
