Diablo IV’s new endgame event intended for level 100 characters is right around the corner, and will offer a powerful new Glyph as a reward.
In a recent Campfire Chat livestream, Blizzard detailed what all is around the corner for its popular ARPG, detailing the new seasonal Abattoir of Zir event coming as part of Season 2, as well as sharing more information about the game’s upcoming holiday event, Midwinter Blight.
Abattoir of Zir kicks off on December 5 and will be playable through early January, Blizzard said. Only accessible by max level seasonal characters on World Tier IV, the event will see players battling against the forces of evil in a race against the clock. Players will have 10 minutes to defeat a required amount of enemies before challenging the event’s most formidable foes. That doesn’t sound too different from how the game’s Nightmare dungeons work, but there is a key difference: a level-one Abattoir of Zir portal will be even more challenging than a Tier 100 Nightmare Dungeon. There will be 25 different levels of difficulty for Abattoir of Zir for players to overcome, giving min-maxing players a significant challenge to pursue. Dying even once during a Zir run will mean the run is over, and will require players to craft and open up a new portal and try again.
The reward for completing even a single Abattoir of Zir run is a new Glyph, Tears of Blood, which can be upgraded in subsequent Zir runs. The Glyph starts out strong and only gets stronger, granting players a significant amount of increased damage based on the amount of core stats within the Glyphs range on the Paragon Board. Abattoir of Zir will additionally be a great way to level up other Glyphs, as Blizzard revealed that even a successful level-one Zir run will grant 1,000 Glyph XP.
Diablo IV’s other event, Midwinter Blight, starts on December 12. It will make the game’s Fractured Peaks zone a little more festive, and allow players to challenge a new boss, the Red-Cloaked Horror. Along the way, they’ll earn new cosmetic items, a new XP boosting elixir, and even a new Legendary aspect. These new items will still be usable after the event concludes.
Blizzard took time at the beginning of the livestream to address a recent leaked survey, one that some players have viewed as evidence Blizzard may introduce the ability to pay for power in Diablo IV. The survey suggested Blizzard is at least toying with the idea of giving additional stash tabs and early access to new Legendary aspects, Unique items, and new features to those who pay more money for the game’s recently announced first expansion, Vessel of Hatred. When asked during the livestream if Blizzard planned to make it so players could pay for power in Diablo IV, game director Joe Shely definitively said, “No, we’re not,” and that the developer had been very consistent on the issue. He additionally said the team is looking to address concerns around stash space, and that regular players should feel like they have enough space.
Looking further ahead, Blizzard said it has plans for various balance updates at part of Season 3, including more frequent Helltide events, but that more significant updates, specifically revolving around itemization, would be coming as part of Season 4.
Diablo IV Season 2 is currently in full swing, with the game’s Vessel of Hatred expansion, which will introduce a new class and return players to familiar locations from Diablo II, slated to arrive in late 2024.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
