Blizzard shared its latest quarterly update on Diablo IV and it is full of all sorts of goodies. Most importantly, we get a glimpse at the game’s skill tree which is looking pretty fantastic. In addition, the developers shared a deep dive into the Sorceress Enhancement System which is a class-specific arsenal system made just to power up the Sorceress class.
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Diablo IV Skill Tree
First, we have the new Diablo IV skill tree. For starters, Blizzard has built a creative way to deliver the experience to players in a unique Passive and Skills branch system. The developers describe the tree to include the skills and skill upgrades on the branches and powerful passive effects in the roots. It is one stylish tree if you ask me.
In Diablo 4, the upper Skill section is where players will spend their Skill Points earned while levelling up. These skills are attacks and abilities and later down the branch, players unlock additional functionality for that said skill. An example skill set was provided in the form of Charged Bolts.
- Charged Bolts Skill – Release 6 bolts of lightning that course around in an erratic pattern dealing 18-22 damage each
- Charged Bolts Upgrade Node – Created an additional bolt
- Ball Lighting Skill – Conjure a ball of lightning that slowly moves forward, zapping enemies for 25-31 damage
- Ball Lightning Upgrade Node – Collapses into a Crackling Energy at the end of its path
The Diablo IV skill branches include passive points as you level and unlock the skills. These points are then spent on the roots which unlock passive effects. These passive skills also have ranks to them which stack as you spend passive points on the nodes. An example of a Passive Skill;
- Overcharge Passive Skill – Critical Hit Effect: Lightning damage has a 3% chance to create Crackling Energy Crackling energy then gives 25 mana when a player moves near it.
Blizzard claims that players won’t be able to fully upgrade every node in the Diablo 4 Skill Tree. The developers are working on a 30-40% completion rate by the end of the game. This way players will have a very distinct character which they build throughout their playthrough.
Sorceress Enhancement System
Blizzard has developed a unique enhancement system for the sorceress. This system seems to allow the class to stand out on its own by modifying skills and abilities. Keep in mind that all classes will feature a similar system. Blizzard claims that unlocked skills can be placed in two locations in this system. One is an active skill slot and the other an Enhancement slot. By placing a skill in an enhancement slot, players will no longer be able to use it as an active skill. However, characters gain special bonus powers from this enhancement slot instead.
An example was given with the Meteor Skill. By using it as an active skill, players can control where these meteors fall. By using it as an Enhancement Skill, players cannot control its fall but they will collapse onto enemies periodically without the need to cast it.
That is all Blizzard shared on Diablo 4 during the update. However, the company claims the next update will focus on the itemization changes coming to the game. Hopefully, we can look forward to this news before the end of the year.
