After a very successful Open Beta session last month, Blizzard recently announced that Diablo 4 has gone gold. This means the fourth instalment of the dark fantasy action role-playing game is almost ready to drag you back to Sanctuary and have you spending countless hours in it.
However, before that happens in June, Blizzard will hold a Server Slam from May 13, 3 a.m. to May 15, 3 a.m. SGT (May 12, 12 p.m. to May 14, 12 p.m. PDT ) and this time, you will be able to join in on the demon-slaying fun on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. This session will even support cross-play, cross-progression for all platforms and couch co-op for console gamers.
At this point, you probably know the Fractured Peaks better than the town you live in. | Blizzard
This Server Slam is mainly to help Blizzard ascertain the durability of their servers and to truly get them ready for launch. Hopefully, Blizzard and its player base will not have to face the same login issues that plagued Diablo 3 at launch. For this Server Slam, you will have access to the Prologue and the entirety of Act 1. Fractured Peaks, the first Zone, will be open to you to navigate as you please. Of course, all six classes, the Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue and Sorcerer and their skills will be at your disposal.
While this sounds very similar to the Early Access and Open Beta weekends, here are some things to take note of during the Server Slam:
- Any character progress made during the Early Access and Open Beta weekends will not carry over to Server Slam. Additionally, any character progress made during Server Slam will not carry over to launch.
- You will be able to level up your characters to Level 20, after which you will cease to gain Ability Points, but can continue to slay demons and earn alluring gear.
- The Legendary Item drop rate has been altered to reflect the drop rate that will be present in the launch version of Diablo IV.
- The version of Diablo IV available during Server Slam will include all the bug fixes and updates detailed in our Open Beta Retrospective blog.
Blizzard promises that the battle with Ashava will be a challenge even at level 20. | Blizzard
At least you will earn quite a nifty-looking trophy for your trusty steed. | Blizzard
For an added challenge, you will also be able to go toe-to-toe with a challenging new foe, Ashava, “a lumbering behemoth with two razor-sharp arm blades, scales stronger than plate mail, and hell-bent on ripping through all who interrupt her quest to bathe Sanctuary in poisonous bile.” You will be able to combat Ashava from May 13 starting at 12 a.m. SGT and every three hours thereafter until the final spawn on May 15, 12 a.m. SGT. (May 13, 9 a.m. PDT until May 14 9 a.m. PDT).
By defeating Ashava with a level 20 character, you will be able to earn a new reward, the Cry of Ashava Mount Trophy. On top of that, rewards from the Early Access and Open Beta weekends will be reactivated so the more demons you kill, the more tokens of valour you will receive, which you will receive when Diablo 4 fully launches. Thankfully, if you have earned these rewards before, you will not need to earn them again.
These are the rewards you can earn during the Server Slam:
- Initial Casualty Title: earned by reaching Kyovashad with one character.
- Early Voyager Title: earned by reaching Level 20 on one character.
- Beta Wolf Pack Cosmetic Item: earned by reaching Level 20 on one character.
Looks like Diablo 4 is heating up to be a very good game. | Blizzard
The last piece of good news is that you can download the Server Slam before May 13 as the Early Download begins on May 11, 3 a.m. SGT (May 10, 12 p.m. PDT). Here are the directions on how to download Server Slam for your preferred platform:
PC
- Launch the Battle.net client. If Diablo IV is not already in your Favorites bar, you can add it by clicking on the + icon. Alternatively, you can find Diablo IV by accessing the All Games page. You’ll see Diablo IV at the top of the list.
- Once you get to the Diablo IV Game Page, click the dropdown menu under Game Version and select the Diablo IV – Server Slam option. Click the blue button that says Install. The game will begin to install, and once it’s available, click Play to Launch.
Xbox
- Launch the Xbox Store and search for Diablo IV–Server Slam. Select Download.
PlayStation
- Launch the PlayStation Store and search for Diablo IV–Server Slam. Select Download.
For those that still have the Diablo IV Open Beta downloaded:
- Once the Early Download period begins, an update will be available for you to download. After Server Slam starts, you can begin your journey into Sanctuary.
Until then, you might want to plan out your build by using the super handy Planner Tool.
