Diablo 3 was seasonal but starting over each time was less grueling because its campaign is considerably shorter than those of Diablo 2 and Diablo 4. Diablo 2 didn’t have seasons but did force players to start over from way before the endgame, all Diablo 4 is doing is institutionalizing this on a regular basis. With seasons making players go through the entire ordeal again, it's becoming clear that Diablo 4 was inspired by Diablo 2 to its detriment. The player base had dipped by over 10% in the first month even before this update. Players are already quitting as the Season 1 patch makes the game even slower. I dreaded making another character to test builds out and indeed wouldn't have done it were it not my job.

My Sorcerer builds that used Frozen Orb and Fireball didn’t look or feel that different and the damage numbers were roughly the same. I changed builds many times to keep the monotony from setting in and found them all somewhat interchangeable. I've been playing Diablo 2 Resurrected since launch and immediately found that Diablo 4 was more of a direct sequel to that than Diablo 3 ever was.īut some 30 hours into the lengthy Diablo 4 campaign, the strangest thing happened: I found myself missing Diablo 3. The tone and lighting are dark, the gameplay is slower and more methodical, and the skills are much simpler, upgrading by tiny increments instead of dramatically altering the skill itself. To this end, the development team undeniably succeeded. What I do want to do is acknowledge that the reception of Diablo 3 was harsh so harsh, in fact, that in the buildup to its release, Blizzard wouldn’t stop going on about how Diablo 4 would be a reversion back to Diablo 2. I also don't want to downplay what makes Diablo 2 so incredible.

My goal is not to whitewash the mistakes made in Diablo 3. I want to make something clear right away: Diablo 2 is one of the best games of all time and Diablo 3 is a flawed sequel. While Diablo 2 and Diablo 4 offer a consistently dark and somber storyline, Diablo 3 provided moments of true triumph and emotional highs and lows, which made the overall experience more enjoyable and dynamic. Diablo 4's attempt to return to the dark and methodical tone of Diablo 2 has succeeded, but it has left players longing for the faster-paced and more creative gameplay of Diablo 3.ĭiablo 4's lack of build diversity and slow progression in terms of skills and gear upgrades has made the endgame feel drawn out and monotonous, unlike the excitement and variety found in Diablo 3.

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