Diablo 4 will actually let you customise your character's face
Your rogue needs to be ready for their closeup
Diablo 4 is still an unknown amount of time away from launch, but Blizzard are keeping up with their quarterly blog posts digging into details about the next big hack 'n slash RPG. Up for show and tell this time is Diablo 4's character customisation, which there sure is going to be a heck of a lot of for a game largely played looking down at the top of your own head. That's because Blizzard are planning some flashy "cinematic" moments with your very own character, they say. Don't forget to dye your armor while you're at it.
You'll be able to express your character through a bunch of different armor choices, of course. Blizzard say that, unlike previous Diablo games, you'll also be able to go into a decent amount of detail with their faces. They gave quite a list of features that you'll be able to customise about your character in Diablo 4.
"You will be able to change the face of your character, the hairstyle, the facial hair (beards and eyebrows), and add jewelry (nose piercing or earrings), makeup, and body markings such as tattoos or body paint. You will also be able to change the color values of your character’s skin, eyes, hair/facial hair, and body markings. Some elements will be class specific, to support the classes’ unique backgrounds, but many will be shared between classes allowing more possibilities to mix and match."
It's not a list that rivals some of the most impressive modern RPG character creators, but it's quite a lot for Diablo. Why all that facial detail for a game where you're usually looking down on yourself?
Blizz say that there are a lot of places you'll see your character, such as the character customisation screen, your inventory, and social menus. Your personal character will also show up in some of Diablo 4's snazzy cinematics too.
"In previous Diablo games, the high fidelity cinematic story moments were all pre-rendered," they say. "We will still have those amazing cinematic moments from Blizzard Animation, but now we also have cinematic moments that feature your character up close, rendered in our game engine."
The rogue class announcement trailer up there, for example, Blizzard say "was created entirely in our game engine".
Blizzard go over a couple other areas in this quarterly update. They talk a bit about monster designs, the game camera, and dyeing armors. In particular, those big chunks of dyed fabric are giving me aughties MMO flashbacks. In a way that makes me miss them a bit, I mean.
You can catch the rest of the details in their June quarterly update post for some extra screenshots and videos of customising your own character.
Blizzard haven't been shy about showing off Diablo 4 development even though they've not announced a launch window. They've previously given a look at the Diablo 4 skill tree, its varied overworld, and . a lot of Barbarian smashing and
We don't know yet when to expect Diablo IV's launch, but the latest indications from Blizz suggest no earlier than 2022.