New accessibility-centric navigation features have been confirmed for Diablo 4, though they won’t go live until Season 6.
Traversing Sanctuary’s massive map in Diablo 4 can prove a slog given the distance between some points of interest, quests, and the like.
While the pin function helps in many respects, players have long requested the addition of quality-of-life features such as a map overlay. But Game Director Joe Shelly previously said the team would rather focus on improving the minimap and pin system.
Work-in-progress features in the Season 5 PTR indicate Blizzard has indeed spent time refining navigation, specifically targeting adjustments that most benefit players with disabilities. But others may also find the upcoming changes worth activating.
Wowhead reports the PTR, which ends on Tuesday, July 2, includes incomplete accessibility features for navigation. Though they’re included in the Season 5 test, these new additions won’t become available in-game until Season 6 and Vessel of Hatred arrive on October 8.
Players will be able to access Diablo 4’s new navigation features via the Options menu’s ‘Accessibility’ tab.
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Beneath it will sit the ‘Navigation Assist’ section, housing the ability to Auto-Pin New Quests, as well as enable Audio Navigation Assistance and HUD Compass changes.
The Auto-Pin Quests functionality will automatically place a pin on the map whenever players select a quest from the Journal. Like the current custom pins, the minimap will draw a line that directs players to their planned destination.
Audio Navigation Assistance will activate spatial audio pings meant to guide users toward pins placed on the map. According to Wowhead, the feature will let players tweak the ping’s volume and interval to their specifications.
Lastly, the Compass will encircle the player in an aura whose arrow points them in the direction of a pinned destination. Other options like changing the arrow’s color should help ensure the HUD element is visible at all times.
Combined, all three of these additions will make the trek across Sanctuary a bit easier to follow, yet it’s unclear if they’ll work inside Diablo 4’s dungeons.