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Diablo 4 quarterly update shows off gorgeous, gory character art

by Robin Bea
Updated: 
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We still don’t know when Diablo 4 will see the light of day, and now Blizzard is making the wait even harder with the anticipated game’s latest quarterly update.

This time, Diablo 4’s art team takes center stage to show off the gorgeous and gory character art behind player characters and the horrifying beasties they’ll be slaying by the hundreds.

Everything seen here is still a work in progress, but art director John Mueller says, “at this point the work is a very good representation of what you will see when the game is in your hands.”

Diablo 3 caught a lot of flak for its “cartoony” visuals. For Diablo 4, Blizzard is embracing a more realistic art style.

Mueller says Diablo 3’s pre-rendered cutscenes are a “touchpoint” for Diablo 4’s in-game graphics.

Many of Diablo 4’s cinematics will be rendered in-engine. This image of the fiend Lilith is taken from one.

Since cinematics are rendered in the game engine, you’ll be able to see your own character up close for important story beats.

That’s good news, because Diablo 4 is aiming for more character customization than ever.

At character creation, you can customize your character’s look, from skin tone to hairstyle.

Unlike Diablo 3’s gender-locked classes, each class in Diablo 4 will have two body types to choose from.

Once the action kicks off, you can customize your look further with the equipment you give your character.

Armor pieces can be dyed, with color limitations to make sure every bit of metal, leather, and cloth looks like it would in the real world.

Of course, Diablo 4 plays from an isometric point of view, so no matter the level of detail, everything needs to be readable from an overhead perspective.

That includes the game’s monsters, which look like some of the most grotesque creations in Diablo history.

Game director Luis Barraga says the next quarterly update will focus on sound design and Diablo 4’s endgame.

In the meantime, you can check out Diablo 2 Resurrected when it’s unleashed September 23.

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