Diablo 4 is breaking sales records, and for good reason: the game turned out to be very good. However, there is a way to make your experience even better. It's all about co-op, which the new hit from Blizzard Entertainment strongly encourages. In this guide, we will describe in detail how to play with friends, whether there is cross-platform play, and how to set up split-screen.
You can easily complete the campaign solo, but we recommend trying out the co-op mode. You can get a lot of impressions, especially when playing different classes. All characters in Diablo 4 have strengths and weaknesses, but in co-op, these nuances can be minimized by the abilities of another hero. Are you good at crowd control? Team up with someone who deals high damage. Love area attacks? Befriend a player who applies various debuffs.
The world of Diablo 4 is initially divided into servers, each hosting several dozen players. They freely move around the map, and you can meet them during your exploration. When you defeat enemies near other adventurers, you get 5% more experience. Interestingly, when winning in a team, the additional experience increases to 10%, which is a significant boost.
However, the strength and resilience of enemies also increase. This can be a problem if you are a newbie, but it is unlikely to bother experienced fighters.
Unfortunately, the game doesn't explain how to make friends, but it's fairly easy to figure out on your own. Open the «Social» tab. Here you can see local players — those on the same server as you — and add friends.
To connect, you will need a BattleTag or email address. Send a request to your friend so they can accept the invitation. Now you will always see when your buddy is online and be able to invite them to your party or join their adventure.
It's important to note that the host's world state matters. If your character is level 20 and your friend's is level 1, it makes sense to join them; otherwise, their story missions won't count, and you'll have to replay them. Don't worry about the difficulty of battles — the game will automatically adjust the enemies' health. Co-op is available for up to 4 players, and you should always consider the weakest player.
You can't access Diablo 4's MMO features until you complete the prologue. Only after reaching the city of Kyovashad will you gain access to «Social» and see other adventurers.
Your identity in the game world is entirely tied to your BattleTag, so it doesn't matter which platform you play on. Cross-gen and cross-platform play work perfectly and do not affect co-op in any way. However, you can still disable them in the settings if you wish.
You might be surprised, but Diablo 4 indeed has split-screen functionality. This incredibly important feature allows you to save money by purchasing a single copy of the game for two players. However, this feature does not work on PC and is only available on consoles. To activate it, go to the menu and connect a second gamepad. The game will automatically prompt you to set up a new BattleTag and either add a character from your version of Diablo 4 or allow you to create a new one.
Traditional screen splitting is not provided; you must always stay close to your companion, otherwise, the character will be automatically teleported to the teammate.
The game features entire PvP zones called «Fields of Hatred». However, even there, you can team up to maximize rewards. It is best to engage in such activities after completing the story campaign. Otherwise, you may face serious resistance.
The essence is that players receive Seeds of Hatred for victories in this area. These can be converted into Red Dust, necessary for purchasing rare equipment. But, as usual, there's a catch. As soon as you start converting seeds, all players in the zone will see your location. By killing you, they will obtain the seeds you've found, effectively taking your reward. The collected dust cannot be taken away, so the main goal is to survive as long as possible.
Important: All players in the «Fields of Hatred» will be of the same level. The required zones are located in the Khejistan area. You can buy cosmetics and equipment for the dust.