The Diablo IV Server Slam started on May 12. It was an unexpected occurrence, as most of us thought that the Open Beta would be the last of the betas before Diablo IV was released. As before, I made notes about my experiences in the Server Slam on Mastodon. (There are no spoilers here.)
May 12
I have downloaded the Diablo IV Server Slam. It starts at 12pm today. Super excited to play it!
As before, I might post my thoughts about the Server Slam here. I will use #ServerSlam so you can mute this content if you are not interested in it.
#ServerSlam. Just went through a menu of options. It includes the ability to have text to speech, the ability to turn off shaky cam, the ability to have your Diablo IV character highlighted in a color of your choosing and options for color blind players.
#ServerSlam Now watching the cinematic “By Three They Come”
#ServerSlam Character creation gives players plenty of interesting options, including class, gender, hair color and style, jewelry, and tattoos.
#ServerSlam First cinematic features the character I just made.
#ServerSlam. Got right in! No queue. Now going through the first part of the game. New: the NPC speech is now on a box above their heads – not on the bottom of the screen.
#ServerSlam. The ability to sell inferior armor to a vendor is much easier now. Previous betas had the player graying out items they outgrew. It was tedious and difficult to drop.
#ServerSlam. Hit level 10. This version of Diablo IV runs a lot smoother than the previous betas.
#ServerSlam. Just got killed by the Butcher. He is a LOT faster than the Diablo III version.
#ServerSlam. There is a very long quest that starts with two NPCs. One leaves, the other stays. Interesting story line. Today I learned that I could portal back to the nearest town, refill, sell junk to a blacksmith, get the armor I’m wearing repaired – and portal back to the quest.
#ServerSlam. My Barbarian is now halfway through level 18. Picked up a quest where the player character helps a woman find her husband. Can’t find him. My hands are too stiff to play now, so I’m gonna eat and come back to this later.
#ServerSlam. Ate some food and got back into Diablo IV. Hoping to hit 20 soon.
#ServerSlam. Still cannot find the husband the NPC lady who wants my help finding him. Feels very “Mankirk’s Wife”.
#ServerSlam. Hit level 20. Highest level you can get during the ServerSlam. I wonder if my Barbarian is strong enough to fight Ashava with a bunch of other level 20 players.
May 13
#ServerSlam. Took a side quest that took place in a sewer. Interesting story line. Also did a heartbreaking quest on what amounts to a terrible asylum.
#ServerSlam continues, but I am done for now. Later today, I need to learn where to fight Ashava.
#ServerSlam continues today. Everyone who has their Diablo IV character to level 20 can participate in fighting Ashava. First battle starts about 2 hours from now.
#ServerSlam. Now waiting with a small group of players for Ashava to spawn. I expect to die.
#ServerSlam. About ten people showed up to try and kill Ashava. We all died repeatedly. Needed more people. Once Ashava appears, there is a countdown timer. Got Ashava down to two bars – and it ran away. Exciting.
#ServerSlam. Next Ashava spawn is in about three hours. Gonna take a nap now.
#ServerSlam. Back in the game. Slept through opportunities to fight Ashava (again). Currently have a different follower who wants me to help him find his brother. Seeing a pattern.
#ServerSlam. Without giving away any spoilers, my Barbarian met an injured young man in a town. Just ran through a dungeon. Turns out the information found there connects to the injured young man.
#ServerSlam. One more try to fight Ashava. Got about nine people here. I had to run through mobs of monsters to get here. Worst parade in all of Sanctuary.
#ServerSlam. Got two necromancers here, each with plenty of minions. That should help a lot. Especially since level 20 is the max for players in the server slam – and Ashava is level 25, huge, and has a lot of environmental spells.
#ServerSlam. Eight people in the Ashava fight. This group worked very well together, even rushing over to resurrect players that Ashava killed. Got Ashava down to a bubble an a half before she ran away. Proud of this group.
#ServerSlam. There are dungeons that are specific to a certain class. I completed a Barbarian dungeon that included killing vampires.
#ServerSlam. Currently eating food. Next Ashava fight is in about an hour and a half. The last Ashava fight is 9 AM tomorrow.
#ServerSlam I’m just in time for one more Ashava fight. Got about nine people here – 15 minutes before the battle starts. Some people here are in a clan, and others are in another clan.
May 14
#ServerSlam. We killed Ashava!!! I’m super excited that this group really put in the effort and worked well together. Before the fight started, three players in the same clan said they killed Ashava in the Open Beta – and the server crashed and they didn’t get the reward. And now, we all got the award.
#ServerSlam. The reward is a trinket that attaches to your horse after Diablo IV launches (and after you buy a horse.)
#ServerSlam. Next, I’m going to see if I can help the NPC to find her husband.
#ServerSlam. Found Krystyna’s husband. Unfortunately, the quest is glitched and many people online reported about that. There is no way for me to finish this quest.
#ServerSlam. Last chance to fight Ashava. Got about eight people here. I already earned the reward. Am here to help.
#ServerSlam. Pretty sure we had nine people in the fight. Killed Ashava with more than six minutes to go. Got some nice loot.
Overall, I had a really good time in the Server Slam. I am not one who desires getting involved in boss fights, but it was the only way to obtain the trinket that can go on the player’s horse (when Diablo IV launches). What I didn’t expect was that fighting Ashava the Pestilent would be so much fun!
It is my understanding that the Server Slam is nothing like what Diablo IV will be after it launches. I’m looking forward to exploring Sanctuary.