HELP US GEAR UP FOR LAUNCH DURING THE DIABLO IV SERVER SLAM - Calling all wanderers! In preparation for the launch of Diablo IV on June 6, we must enlist your demon-cleansing services for one final task: Server Slam. From May 12, 12 p.m.-May 14, 12 p.m. PDT, everyone can come to Sanctuary's defense on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4—along with couch co-op for consoles and cross-play and cross-progression for all platforms—against the armies of the Burning Hells to help us test the durability of our servers.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING SERVER SLAM
Server Slam will give players one final weekend in Hell to experience a fraction of what Diablo IV has to offer, while simultaneously testing the capabilities of our servers prior to launch. The Prologue and entirety of Act I will be your canvas to paint with the remains of slain demons. Fractured Peaks, the first Zone, is yours to navigate as you please. Traverse its rugged landscape as Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, or Sorcerer, unleashing devastating power upon foes, and honing your unique skillset in the process.

Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that Diablo IV is feature complete and has reached a development milestone of being software version 1.0. The official Diablo Twitter account posted a not so cryptic tweet boasting the news: "Diablo IV has gone gold. Can you feel her presence now? See you in Sanctuary. 6.6.23 🔥." The general gaming public will gain access to the fully finished game on June 6, but a select lucky few have been toying with early preview builds over the past months. The last Diablo IV closed beta program attracted plenty of gaming news attention for a technical snafu, wherein owners of a particular NVIDIA GPU model found out the hard way, during D4 playtest sessions, about underlying faults in their chosen silicon - Blizzard is leading an investigation into the matter, with assistance from Team Green.

It is hoped that Blizzard's Diablo team will have all of these hardware melting issues resolved in time for Diablo IV's finalized launch date. In the meantime hardcore fans of the series are encouraged to absorb plenty of preview/marketing material, and go about swatting up on trainer material. Blizzard has uploaded several gameplay guide videos to the official Diablo YouTube channel - the company has enlisted the helpful services of Wudijo, a veteran Diablo streamer, to chaperone viewers through the game's systems.

Diablo IV Inside the Game: Into the Endgame. Join members of the Diablo IV development team as they pull back the curtain on the experiences waiting for you in the endgame. Welcome, wanderer! Over the course of our new Inside the Game video series, we'll sit down with our resident Diablo IV experts—members of the development team—to walk you through elements of the game.

Our second video in this series, Into the Endgame, is an exploration of the many endgame systems players can continue to grow their character's legend through once the Main Quest has been completed. The endless battle between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells rages on as hatred threatens to consume Sanctuary. With ceaseless demons to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons and Legendary loot, this vast world brings the promise of adventure and devastation.

According to dataminers over at Reddit, it appears that Blizzard's Diablo IV might support Microsoft's DirectStorage API, although the developer did not officially announce it. This would make Diablo IV the second AAA title to support this API that should significantly lower loading times on SSD storage. The first title that used DirectStorage was Forspoken. The two files, named dstorage.dll and dstoragecore.dll, suggest that Diablo IV already has support for DirectStorage, or Blizzard is still working on it and it could be available only in the final version of the game.

According to Microsoft, DirectStorage API could reduce the CPU overhead in a game by 20 to 40 percent, when used with an NVMe SSD on Windows 11. Unfortunately, it appears that Diablo IV is also using DirectStorage 1.0 (v1.0.2), just as Forspoken, rather than DirectStorage 1.1 which adds GPU decompression to further speed up the loading process. Diablo IV beta stage is over and the game will officially launch on June 6th on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Xbox S/X. Blizzard already announced that the support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 will be available in the final version, and that ray tracing will be added at a later date as well, so the DirectStorage API could also be on that list.

A combination of the Diablo IV Closed Beta and NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti graphics card is proving lethal for the latter - community feedback has alerted Blizzard to take action, and they will be investigating the issue in the coming days, with assistance from NVIDIA. It is speculated that the game is exposing underlying hardware faults within an affected card, but it is odd that a specific model is generating the largest number of issues. Unlucky 3080 Ti owners participating in the closed beta are said to be experiencing unpleasant or inconsistent in-game performance at best, and BSODs followed by non-functional GPUs at worst.

A Blizzard forumite, ForANge, chimed in with their experience: "My graphics card also burned out. While playing, the fans of my Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti suddenly started running at maximum speed. At the same time, the signal from the monitor disappeared. After turning off the power and trying to turn it back on, I couldn't get it to work anymore. The card is just under a year old. It happened during a cutscene with flowers when they showed a snowy landscape."

NVIDIA has released the latest version of its GeForce Game Ready drivers, the version 531.41 WHQL. The new release provides the best day-0 gaming experience for Diablo IV beta phase, including support for DLSS 2, as well as the same DLSS 2 support for The Last of Us Part I, Smalland: Survive the Wild, and Deceive Inc. The new NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Drivers 531.41 WHQL is also the Game Ready driver for Resident Evil 4 and it adds DLSS 3 support for Forza Horizon 5. Most importantly, it also adds support for the technology preview of Cyberpunk 2077's Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode. The new NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Drivers 531.41 WHQL also adds several GeForce Experience Profiles, as well as fixes several issues.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 531.41 WHQL

Update: Added Open Issues to the release highlights.

Blizzard has released a new gameplay footage from Diablo IV beta as a part of its "adventure with a dev", hosted by Lead Game Designer, Zaven Haroutunian. In the meantime, and as it was expected, another 36 minutes long video from a Chinese player has also leaked online, showing a lot more gameplay.

Blizzard's own video shows the Lead Game Designer, Zaven Haroutunian, slashing his way through a dungeon and talking about what players can expect to see in the beta phase. It is a rather short video from Kor Dragan Barracks, but gives you a nice idea on what went into designing this game and what to generally expect from it.

NVIDIA DLSS has revolutionized graphics rendering, using AI to boost frame rates while delivering crisp, high quality images. GeForce RTX gamers can accelerate performance with DLSS in over 270 games and apps, with another 7 games adding support in March, and today, we are announcing that Diablo IV and Redfall will both launch with DLSS 3.

DLSS 3's Frame Generation multiplies performance in 28 released games and has been adopted 7X faster than DLSS 2 in the first 6 months. DLSS' groundbreaking features, exceptional performance, and ease of integration are key to its rapid adoption by developers. With the DLSS 3 Frame Generation plugin becoming publicly available at GDC for developers, and a DLSS 3 plugin coming soon for Unreal Engine 5.2, it will be even easier for developers to enhance the next generation of games. Keep reading for further details about the addition of NVIDIA DLSS to Deceive Inc., Diablo IV, Forza Horizon 5, Gripper, Redfall, Smalland: Survive the Wilds, and THE FINALS Closed Beta.

NVIDIA Reflex is a must-have in games, reducing system latency so your actions occur quicker, making you more competitive in multiplayer matches, and single-player titles more responsive and enjoyable. Reflex is available in the most popular multiplayer and esports games, is supported on GeForce graphics cards dating back to the 900 Series, and only takes a single click to enable.

NVIDIA Reflex is used by over 20 million players each month, and game adoption is ever increasing. 6 games recently added support, including Dying Light 2 Stay Human, Hi-Fi RUSH, HITMAN World of Assassination, and World of Warcraft, and this month more join the party. So read on to learn about the addition of NVIDIA Reflex to Atomic Heart, Diablo IV, Forza Horizon 5, Redfall, and The FINALS.

Diablo IV, the next generation installment in the genre-defining series by Blizzard Entertainment, will be released on June 6, 2023. Diablo IV will feature cross-platform play and progression on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, plus couch co-op on consoles at launch.

"We are excited to soon be opening the gates to our most brutal vision of Sanctuary yet with Diablo IV," said Rod Fergusson, general manager of Diablo. "We are bringing the darkness of the original game, fusing it with the progression elements of Diablo II and the visceral combat of Diablo III, culminating in the vast, active overworld of Diablo IV, which has been built to be supported for years to come. Players will have more choices than ever before as they battle unspeakable horrors, explore dungeons, collect Legendary loot, and uncover what the return of Lilith, the Blessed Mother, means for the world of Sanctuary."

Blizzard Entertainment announced today that Diablo IV, the next generation installment in the genre-defining series, is debuting in 2023. Blizzard also announced that Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, alongside versions for Windows PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, with cross-play and cross-progression enabled for all platforms. Inside Sanctuary—a realm long embattled by the devastating wars between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells—decades have passed since the events of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, but the world remains plagued by a sinister, corrupting force. And now Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred, has been reborn in the mortal world and is determined to rule over Sanctuary once more.

Joining the battle alongside iconic classes Barbarian, Sorceress, Rogue, and Druid is the legendary Necromancer, the fifth playable character class, which returns with newly designed undead mechanics. Players will be able to utilize the Necromancer's Book of the Dead, an all-new ability for the class, allowing them to dominate the battlefield with deeper customization of their undead army than ever before. Fight with aggressive skeleton Warriors, fast-attacking Skirmishers, sword and board Defenders, or scythe-wielding Reapers. Unleash a litany of spells with Skeleton Mages, imbuing them with shadow, cold, and sacrificial magics. Deploy tanking Bone Golems, health-stealing Blood Golems, and charging Iron Golems. Or sacrifice them all to absorb their power.

Blizzard at this year's BlizzCon 2019 in Anaheim, California formally announced Diablo IV to the world, building on the 2012-released Diablo III as promised, after the company announced a refocus on its existing franchises. According to Blizzard, the game's premise stands as "Diablo IV takes place many years after the events of Diablo III, after millions have been slaughtered by the actions of the High Heavens and Burning Hells alike. In the vacuum of power, a legendary name resurfaces."

Blizzard claimed Diablo IV would have darker, grittier overtones such as in the earlier entries in the franchise, a style that was left somewhat in the background for Diablo III. There will be more blood, there will be more gore, and for now, three classes have been announced that will be your avatars in partaking in violence on Diablo IV: the barbarian, sorceress, and druid. Blizzard has also said some words regarding a technological push in the game, claiming that "This technology is at the heart of everything players will see, hear, and feel — delivering much higher fidelity and a more engrossing experience." No details on what exactly this meant were shared by the company, though. Chek out the reveal and gameplay trailers after the break.