What you need to know
- Diablo 4 today launches its second-ever Public Test Realm (PTR), which runs from June 25 to July 2.
- The PTR is an opportunity for players to test the new endgame activity and Uniques coming to the game on August 6, and provide feedback to the development team.
- You'll need to have a Battle.net account to participate, and be playing Diablo 4 on PC.
- The PTR normally starts around 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET however it is available to download right now.
If you thought Diablo 4 Season 4 was a huge change to the game, well Season 5 is about to add a seismic ton of content on top of all of that. As discussed in the latest Campfire Chat, we're going back to Hell in Season 5 with a brand new endgame activity 'The Infernal Hordes' and bunch of new Uniques to farm which will open up build creativity even more than the new Tempering and Masterworking systems have done so far.
The Public Test Realm (PTR) for Diablo 4 is run on a case-by-case basis depending on the magnitude of changes coming with each season, and since we are getting one for Season 5 I predicted the devs were cooking up something great.
The PTR goes live at some point today, as yet unannounced, but generally it happens around 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET. While you wait though, if you've never played a PTR before you can download it right now before the doors open. The new activity, Uniques and bunch of class changes can also be read in full in the Patch 1.5.0 notes ahead of accessing .
How do I access Diablo 4 PTR?
You'll need to own Diablo 4 or have Xbox Game Pass and be using a PC to access the Diablo 4 PTR. It's not currently available for console users. Though in our interview with Rod Fergusson we were told they are looking into console access for the future.
- Open the Battle.net launcher.
- Navigate to Diablo 4.
- In the bottom left corner, select the dropdown and you'll find Public Test Realm.
- Click Install.
- Click Play and select a test server.
- Create a test character or select one of your own existing characters.
- Skip Campaign if you started anew.
- Go to Zarbinzet, there is an NPC at the fast travel point who will boost you to level 100.
If you are an Xbox Game Pass player on PC, you can access the PTR through the Xbox app and follow the same steps above.
- 100,000,000 gold and 1000 obols for each character started in the PTR.
- campaign will be completed.
- mount, skill points and paragon points will be automatically given.
- fog of war will be completely clear.
- Altar of Lilith points cleared.
- random set of rare ancestral gear awarded.
- class system mechanics (e.g Book of the Dead) will be completed.
- paragon glyphs unlocked.
- legendary drop rates will be doubled.
- up to 10 tempering manuals (class specific)
- materials to enter The Pit and Nightmare Dungeons
All of these materials are available per character, so you are encouraged to create different characters and classes to fully test the builds. For the first time, you can also use an existing character of your own from the main game, as the Diablo devs have implemented a character copier for this PTR.
Nothing from the PTR will be carried over to your main game.
What can I test in the Diablo 4 PTR?
Diablo 4 Patch 1.5.0 will include all of the changes we have already seen in Season 4, such as the new Helltides, Tempering/Masterwork systems, and Artificers Pit activity. On top of this, there will now be a brand new activity to complete at endgame, the Infernal Hordes. Face hellishly resurrected enemies from Diablo 2 and return to Hell to farm waves of enemies and earn your chosen rewards and even farm brand new Uniques. You will need to go to Zarbzinet in World Tier 3 or 4 to start the quest; it's called 'Eyes of the Enemy.'
All of the changes were detailed in the last Diablo 4 Campfire Chat but to summarize, you can expect:
- New Unique items for all classes.
- Brand new Legendary aspects to add to your codex.
- Infernal Hordes endgame activity in World Tier 3 and 4.
- More weapon types are now open to more classes, for example Sorcerers can now use one-handed swords and maces.
- 'Uber Uniques' are now officially 'Mythic Uniques' with their own Purple color and unique drop sound.
- Helltide Whisper bounty improvements.
- Bunch of class updates.
All of this, and more can be seen in the Patch 1.5.0 notes and the developer have noted that some things will be missing intentionally as the week goes on so they can individually test certain elements. We will update this guide when we get to access the PTR ourselves with any known issues.
How to provide feedback on Diablo 4 PTR
Diablo 4's Season 5 PTR is only live for one week, but boosting your character instantly to 100 means you can get through a bulk of the content straight away and feedback the results to Blizzard. Player feedback will be instrumental to crafting the final version of the changes which go live to PC and console on August 6.
You can use the in game feedback tool to report issues and constructive feedback to the developers. Press the ESC key to access the 'Report a bug' menu, and use the dropdown filter to select the 'in-game feedback tool'. Alternatively, join the official Diablo 4 forums and provide feedback there.
