Diablo IV’s next expansion The release date is not far away, with the official release date set for October 8, 2024. However, before that happens, players will get to experience Diablo IV on the PTR (Public Test Realm) from September 4 to 11. In this PTR version, players will get to experience the new character progression, which has undergone a lot of changes. There are also major updates to the loot system, such as the Paragon systems and new Difficulty Levels.

Those who choose to join the PTR for Diablo IV will be able to experience new Class Abilities, Passives, and the new Runeword system. If you find yourself struggling in solo play and don’t have anyone to play with, Diablo IV will now feature a Group Finder tool, allowing you to team up to defeat bosses and tackle dungeons together.

If you’re curious to learn more about the Diablo IV PTR, today, the game’s developers sat down during Campfire Chat to discuss the upcoming changes and what players can expect from the PTR. The VoD is available to watch on the official Diablo YouTube channel, where you can watch the in-depth conversation that lasts over two hours.

Don’t panic if you don’t have the Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred expansion, as you don’t need it to be able to participate in the bloody fun of the Diablo IV PTR, unless you’re noticed by Blizzard. However, you will be able to try out the new features that are coming to both the base game and the upcoming expansion.

If you try out the PTR, you can level up to max level and get all the bonuses from the Altar of Lilith to help your character in the campaign. The most important experience of playing the Diablo IV PTR is utilizing Runewords, one of Diablo IV’s newest features. There are two types of Runes called Ritual and Invocation, and you can use them to make your character more powerful.

Ritual Runes specify the actions you need to take to trigger the Runes to work, while Summoning Runes give you a powerful effect once you’ve taken the actions to trigger it. The changes on the PTR are huge, with plenty of new fixes and improvements for players to explore and provide feedback on. This includes a new ability that each class will receive, which could change builds and rotations exponentially.

THE blog post on Blizzard’s website, which details all the hotfixes and adjustments made to each class, provides more minor details.