Recently we had the chance to play through the first Act of Diablo IV's sprawling cinematic but not entirely linear campaign. Although we were limited to a single biome/zone and got nowhere near the endgame, Diablo fans will be pleased to know that you can immediately jump into the action RPG with the difficulty cranked up.

And yeah, there's a Hardcore option (which was greyed out in the preview build) that offers that one-life and that's it mode for players that want every second in the new open world Sanctuary to be tense and full of danger. Hardcore mode and creating a Hardcore character is a staple of classic Diablo so it's great to see it return in Diablo IV.

Related: Diablo 4 Hands-On Preview - Stay Awhile and Listen

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Diablo IV's difficulty modes are called World Tiers, which you can think of as Diablo III Torment levels or the additional difficulty levels of Diablo II.

Increasing the World Tier offers more challenges, tougher monsters, more experience, and better loot. Jumping into the game for the first time you have the option of playing in World Tier 1 or World Tier 2 - the latter offering challenging combat and tense boss battles. Taking on the open-world Strongholds to create new little safe zones with camps, in particular, feels a lot more difficult in World Tier 2 versus the default difficulty.

Naturally additional Tiers can be unlocked when you get further into the game, with Blizzard noting previously that there will be specific tasks or specialised dungeons to complete to prove you're ready to tackle the next World Tier. Some of the rarest loot in the game will be limited to higher World Tiers too.