Diablo 4 quarterly update reveals environmental art and randomized dungeons

The first 2022 quarterly update for Diablo 4 is now here. This is definitely some sweet news right after their recent update on Diablo Immortal.

This time around, Art Director Chris Ryder, Associate Art Director Brian Fletcher, Associate Lighting Director Ben Hutchings, Lead Exterior Environment Artist Matt McDaid, and Lead Props and Interactives Artist Chaz Head share how they approach each of the distinct areas in Diablo IV and how they came together to form the immersive environment art. You can check out the official blog for all the details.

For the first time in the series, Diablo 4 features a shared open world with 5 zones to explore. From the Dry Steppes to the Scosglen Coast, to the glacial ridges–each area has been carefully handcrafted by the Diablo Art and Design teams. Dynamic props breathe a sense of life into the architecture and terrain of each area. The environments are filled with interactable and breakable props as the team has pushed for more realistic and variable destruction.

By far, the darkest and most grounded of the series, Diablo 4 prioritizes a believable atmosphere over a realistic one. To do this, the team established two foundational pillars to filter concepts, locations, and implementation: “old masters” and “a return to darkness”.

In turn, a controlled use of detail and color palettes give the environments a distinct visual style. Weather and physical lighting aplay a larger role in creating the dangerous, eerie world of Sanctuary and allows the atmosphere to feel more tangible.

Diablo 4 also features over 150 randomized dungeons utilizing a combination of “handcrafted and procedural creation.” To make dungeon creation effective and flexible, the team set out to create a variety of tile-sets that could be cleverly reused and paired with different props, interactives, and lighting. By all means, this is the kind of update that we need from the Diablo titles of old–and things are looking pretty good moving forward.

For any updates on Diablo 4, you can stay up-to-date via their official website and their press center hub.