Diablo IV just got a gothic horror-themed live-action trailer, ahead of its release on June 6. The latest ad campaign, dubbed ‘Saviors Wanted,’ is shot by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and co-directed by Kiku Ohe, capturing the fear and conflict plaguing the lands of the Sanctuary. In this twisted place brimming with monsters, the High Heavens and Burning Hells wage destructive battles, leaving its inhabitants in turmoil. Diablo 4 officially went gold, late last month, suggesting that it is ready for shipping; and more recently, underwent a Server Slam open beta event where the Legendary loot drops were adjusted to reflect the day one version.
The live-action trailer for Diablo IV essentially serves as a tour of tragedy, starting with a wide shot of an aged man mourning over a stretch of dead horses in the icy tundras of Sanctuary. “Whatever you can do. We beg you,” he pleads, turning to the camera — essentially speaking to the players who would save their lands from ruin. It then continues cutting back and forth between cries for help from other poor unfortunate souls and epic shots of our heroes fending themselves against hordes of demons. The heroes, of course, represent the five classes in Diablo IV — Barbarian, Sorcerer, Druid, Rogue, and the new Necromancer, who can summon and command corpses to perform their bidding. The trailer ends with a shot of Lilith, the Queen of the Succubi, emerging from the skies — waging war against her bitter enemy angel Inarius and in the process, rule over Sanctuary once more.
“Working with Blizzard, we had the wonderful opportunity to bring the dark, thrilling and imaginative world of Diablo IV to life,” Zhao said in a prepared statement. “Diablo fans are very passionate, and many have been with the game for over two decades. We want to do right by the fans, honour the game’s rich lore and visceral world-building while evoking the strong emotions the players feel while immersing in the game.” As mentioned before, Zhao won the Oscar for directing 2020’s Nomadland, which also bagged an award for Best Picture and Best Actress (Frances McDormand), that year. The filmmaker then branched into blockbusters like Marvel’s Eternals and is now attached to direct an adaptation of Hamnet, which imagines the story of Agnes, William Shakespeare’s wife.
Last month, Blizzard Entertainment detailed Diablo 4’s endgame progression, noting how it plans to keep you hooked for hundreds of hours after the main story is done. It begins with a Capstone Dungeon that lets you do repeated runs — in rising difficulties — so you can collect a whole variety of loot and continue getting stronger. Nightmare Dungeons are returning as well, letting you pick one out of 120+ dungeons in the Sanctuary and turn it into a harsher playfield. These can be activated by finding a Nightmare Sigil, which adds difficult objectives, increased enemy count, and portals that pour out monsters from other realms. Unfortunately, you have no control over when the portals open up, so be prepared.
Diablo IV releases June 6 on PC (via Battle.net), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Early access for Deluxe and Ultimate edition pre-orders begin on June 2 in India/ June 1 in the US.