An ancient evil threatens to engulf Sanctuary in darkness, and new heroes have been called upon to face challenges the world has never seen before.

True to the franchise’s roots, Diablo IV will deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomized dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play, Diablo IV will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges . . . or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.

In Diablo IV, players will attempt to bring hope back to the world by vanquishing evil in all its vile incarnations—from cannibalistic demon-worshipping cultists to the all-new drowned undead that emerge from the coastlines to drag their victims to a watery grave. For the first time in the series, Sanctuary will be a contiguous, seamless landmass comprising diverse regions ranging from the burning desert of Kejhistan, to the verdant werewolf-infested forests of Scosglen, to the harsh and rugged wilderness of the Dry Steppes.

Earlier Blizzard today held a Campfire Chat that sliced into our first seasonal endgame event Abbatoir of Zir, and foreshadowed chills yet to come in Midwinter Blight.

Associate director of community Adam Fletcher sat down with game director Joe Shely and associate game director Joseph Piepiora for a look into the new Abattoir of Zir, as well as updates about the first limited-time event Midwinter Blight and future quality-of-life updates. We visited the frozen lands of the Fractured Peaks to show the Frigid Husks and Blightfiends now permeating the land in tribute to the Red Cloaked Horror. We also confirmed there will changes to itemization arriving with a future season next year and answered questions from players in a Q&A session at the end of the stream.

RECAP

• Prepare yourselves for the hardest challenge yet to come in Season of Blood with the new Abattoir of Zir. Starting December 5th, this endgame pinnacle dungeon will give you 10 minutes to slay all enemies and defeat Lord Zir’s loyal Bloodseekers. Upon success, you may descend further into the Abattoir, but each new tier will provide a more harrowing challenge. The Tears of Blood Glyph is essential to conquering the various profligates dwelling in the Abattoir. Brand new gameplay footage from Abattoir of Zir was shown during the livestream.
• A new horror lurks in Fractured Peaks in Midwinter Blight, a limited-time event beginning on December 12. Become the hero of Midwinter by defeating new monsters, completing quests, and earning event progress. You can also decorate the Midwinter Square with your bloody trophies to bring hope to the people of Fractured Peaks. But be careful, a dangerous creature known as the Red Cloaked Horror stalks the lands with its Blightfiend underlings.
• Itemization updates will be coming to Diablo IV. These updates, based on feedback from the community, are planned to go live in the fourth season next year and we will share more information in the future.

Season of Blood - Abattoir of Zir

On December 5th, descend into a most brutish challenge from Zir himself. For those wanderers that have already completed the Season’s Journey, this endgame pinnacle dungeon challenge awaits you. You will have 10 minutes to slay the horrors within and defeat Zir’s loyal Bloodseekers to succeed. On completion of each trial, an even more difficult challenge awaits…

Prepare for the Abattoir

Ready your blades, review your trusted incantations, and muster all your strength before entering the Abattoir of Zir. In World Tier IV, this challenge serves to test the most formidable wanderers of Sanctuary.

Players must have completed all Chapters of the Season Journey first, before flaying adversaries in the Abattoir of Zir. Once completed, you’ll unlock a recipe to craft a Bloodforged Sigil. Craft this at the Occultist to spawn the Visceral Channel in Ked Bardu which grants access to the Abattoir.

The Abattoir will be the hardest challenge you’ve seen in Season of Blood—the viscera will rain from above as you fight as fast as possible to staunch the Zir’s legions in this pinnacle dungeon. You will only have 10 minutes to clear enough enemies to summon the final Bloodseekers, and slay them to emerge bloodstained and triumphant.

Upon successfully completing each tier of the Abattoir of Zir, you’ll gain a recipe to craft the next tier’s Bloodforged Sigil. Completing the first tier of Abattoir of Zir unlocks the Unique Glyph: Tears of Blood.

Tears of Blood Glyph

The more you thirst, the more you will understand. The Tears of Blood Glyph is essential to conquering the various profligates dwelling in the Abattoir.

A high price is demanded for a Glyph of such strength. The Tears of Blood Glyph requires significantly more experience to upgrade it compared to a typical Paragon Glyph. Fortunately, delving deeper into the Abattoir of Zir can net tremendous sums of Paragon Glyph experience in return.

Descend to new Depths

The first level in Abbatoir of Zir is similar in difficulty to a level 100 Nightmare Dungeon. From there, endurance and cunning must be utilized for the vampire entrails to mark the evidence of your progress. Each new tier strengthens the Monsters that await, which only increases each time you descend further into the Abattoir.

The Bloodforged Sigil and Abattoir of Zir both go to Level 25, each increasingly more difficult than the last. Ready yourselves wanderer, you have much to see…

Diablo IV is developed using modern technology that pushes the franchise to dark, new depths. This technology is at the heart of everything players will see, hear, and feel—delivering much higher fidelity and a more engrossing experience. It opens up countless possibilities for the Diablo series, from smooth character animations, such as the Druid’s fluid shapeshifting, to the seamless, vast overworld players will travel across in search of the next loot-filled underground dungeon. Ultimately, Diablo IV grounds players in a grittier and deadlier world.

Diablo IV is available for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC (Steam).