In Diablo 3 started Season 21 a few days ago. This content shows MeinMMO editor Patrick Freese once again that it is time for a new chapter in the Diablo series.
The new Season 21 in Diablo 3 has only been running for a few days and I’m already not enjoying it anymore. For me, the new season feels once again like a daily quest. One that you somehow take along while actually waiting for something much bigger. Something new. Something like Diablo 4.
But what makes the current season in Diablo 3 so dull that I wish for a new game? I would like to show you that here.
What’s happening in Season 21?
This is new: In recent months, Blizzard developed new sets for each class from Diablo 3. Per season, two to three new sets were added to the game. This trend seems to end in Season 21, as with the two newest sets for Demon Hunters and Necromancers, every class now has a new set.
Additionally, there is a new seasonal theme that triggers an AOE spell every 90 seconds. Characters spit out lightning or meteorites fall from the sky. This theme seemed cool, but it got annoying shortly after the start.
I always return to the new seasons, digging through the builds of the tier list and trying out what the meta has to offer. I quickly clocked over 1,000 play hours. But I think this horse has been ridden long enough – We need something new!
Apart from that, everything is as usual. New starter sets, a few new cosmetic items, but also a few old ones – that are being distributed again now. Players start at level 1, play the best classes and builds from the Season 21 tier list and storm up the leaderboards.
While the past seasons have surprised me with new seasonal themes or enticed me with cool pets as rewards, S21 only triggered a misfire in my cylinder of luck. It was briefly loud, but then disappeared quickly again.
This is the problem: A similar seasonal theme as in Season 21 has occurred before – but it wasn’t annoying, rather quite good. The new set for the Demon Hunter plays like a whirlwind Barbarian. Gameplay-wise, Diablo 3 seems to be trapped in its shell and can’t deliver anything more than a new season every three months. And then it’s just exactly the same in red, in blue, in green, and if you will, also in yellow. But I want something new.
I can repaint my motorcycle and enjoy riding it. But the riding experience doesn’t change. And after almost 8 years, I’m longing for a change. Give me a new machine to break in finally. I have the feeling that the team is running out of ideas for Diablo 3 – And Season 21 clearly shows that.
That’s why Diablo 4 is the solution
I always loved Blizzard for being creative. For experimenting. Trying things out and then scrapping them when they don’t turn out cool (shoutout to the real-money auction house from D3).
I have the feeling that Diablo 3 is just stuck in a shell from which it can’t break free. On one side, this is due to the code of the eight-year-old game, which eventually reaches its limits. On the other side, it’s also about how many resources Blizzard puts into such an old game. The well-known streamer Quin69 explains in November 2019 that there is exactly one person responsible for balancing in Diablo 3. Uff.
What Diablo could benefit from is a new playground. A way to implement all the creative ideas of the developers without being too trapped in its old shell. Plus a strong team on standby that can develop features and implement ideas with passion and manpower. All that I hope for from Diablo 4.
What do we know about Diablo 4? Blizzard provides the community with quarterly updates on how the development of Diablo 4 is going.
So we now know about the multiplayer of Diablo 4 that
- World events are waiting for you
- cities serve as social hubs
- trading with other players is allowed
- certain zones offer the possibility for PvP
- you can inspect other players and their builds/equipment
- the story can be completed alone or with up to four players
Additionally, the developers at Blizzard have adjusted the way stories are told in Diablo 4. They want to avoid pulling you out of the game world too much during storytelling.
Just the idea of experiencing the Diablo atmosphere in a new guise. Having the new features in hand and trying them out for yourself … and then looking back at Diablo 3 in its current condition. Yes, I would simply say that it’s time for Diablo 4.
I can already imagine that many of you will write in the comments, “This has been the case for me for 3 years.” But Diablo 3 has actually managed to win me back again and again so far and sweetened the waiting time for the new part of the series. Until now.
Even if the release is probably still a bit far off. Diablo 4 just sounds like a lot of old-fashioned fun in a new guise and I am more than ready to finally try this out.
