Blizzard Entertainment Announces Diablo IV Server Slam

Blizzard Entertainment announced that Diablo IV will hold a special “server slam” event from May 12 at 12 PM PST / 3 PM EST to May 14 at 2 PM PST / 5 PM EST.

As the name suggests, the event is designed to see what the servers can handle ahead of Diablo IV‘s June 6 release. This is a great test to see, as the beta suffered from a fair amount of issues, and it would be nice to see the initial launch go smoothly.

While the event has little for those who played the beta, Blizzard Entertainment detailed what to expect for anyone interested in participating.

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.

For those who played during our Early Access and Open Beta weekends, these details may seem familiar—however, there are a few nuances we’re ushering in with 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.
• Players may level up their 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.

Fractured Peaks is not only teeming with danger for you to vanquish, but a variety of activities to Level up your character with. Visit Kyovashad to repair and purchase new gear, upgrade your healing potion, access the Stash, and much more. There’s also both Main and Side Quests to experience Sanctuary’s rich story, World and Legion Eventsto exercise your martial prowess, and Dungeons to amass gear from.

Overcome Server Slam’s Biggest Challenge: Ashava

Steel yourself before one of the Burning Hells’ most fowl machinations, Ashava. She’s 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.

Because your characters can’t surpass Level 20 during Server Slam, felling her will be quite the monumental task.

Here’s when you’ll have an opportunity to combat Ashava during Server Slam:

• May 13 starting at 9 a.m. PDT and every 3 hours thereafter until the final spawn on May 14 at 9 a.m. PDT.

EARN SERVER SLAM REWARDS AS YOU PLAY

Felling the pestilence spewing Ashava comes with a new earnable reward, the Cry of Ashava Mount Trophy. We’ve also reanimated rewards from our Early Access and Open Beta weekends, giving players another chance at earning these tokens of valor by spilling demon blood. Players who unlock these rewards will receive them once Diablo IV launches.

If you previously earned any of the below rewards from the Early Access and Open Beta weekends, you DO NOT need to earn them again.

• 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.
• Cry of Ashava Mount Trophy: earned by defeating Ashava with one Level 20 character.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD SERVER SLAM

There’s no need to wait until May 12 to begin your download of Server Slam! Early Download for this experience starts on May 10 at 12 p.m. PDT. See the directions below on how to download Server Slam for your platform of choice.

If you do not have the Diablo IV Open Beta downloaded:

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.

Note: An Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscription will not be required to play Diablo IV during Server Slam in most regions. In Germany, a PlayStation Plus subscription will be required due to rating requirements. Once Diablo IV launches, an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscription will be required to access some of the game’s multiplayer features.

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