Currently, you can test Season 6 and Vessel of Hatred on the official PTR of Diablo 4. Two experts have looked at the new features and provided their feedback on it. The game is intended to be harder, but the experts find it still too easy.
This is what you can test right now:
- Until September 11, the PTR for Season 6 and Vessel of Hatred is ongoing, where you can test new content. Among other things, you will find new difficulty levels, a new level system, runes, and revamped items.
- Blizzard has revised the endgame content and essentially swapped the function of Nightmare Dungeons and the Pit. The Pit is then used to unlock difficulty levels.
- Monster levels are no longer displayed; your level always corresponds to the difficulty level you are playing on – just like the content and the open world itself.
Previously, the world levels in Diablo 4 were often criticized. World level 4 no longer offers players at high levels a challenge, unless they specifically seek harder content. However, the open world is uninteresting for many.
What’s up with the harder levels? With the new difficulty levels, Blizzard aimed for players to be able to control their challenges and rewards. They noticed that many players enjoy increasing the levels of enemies with the “tormented” versions of the bosses and the “Desecrated Mind Cage” (via Blizzard).
After the initial difficulty levels come the Torment levels, which are ultimately supposed to determine the difficulty in the endgame. Monsters have the level of the difficulty level, and the higher the Torment level, the more your armor and resistance values are reduced. The highest level is Torment 4 – but experts say: Anyone can “crush” that with a strong build.
“You will just crush the game”
This is what the experts criticize: In a YouTube video, Diablo expert Raxxanterax states that the goal for the “Blasters” in Diablo 4 is to rise from Torment 2 to Torment 4. However, the grind is much easier than Blizzard has announced, says the expert.
He mentions that he essentially breezed through to Torment level 4 with bad gear and missing aspects and glyphs.
On Torment 4, Raxxanterax then faced the “tormented” version of the Beast in Ice and also Lilith, the toughest boss in the game. Although he managed to defeat the Beast in Ice, the battle took a long time, and he died a few times, reports the Diablo expert. He had no chance against Lilith. Even before, even OP builds failed against the tough boss.
In his opinion, unlocking the Torment levels is not representative of what the world of Torment level is like. But that is just right, believes Raxxanterax. He says: “You get the key to the castle and may enter, but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to clear it – at least you can try.”
With Vessel of Hatred, rune words and mercenaries come into the game, which additionally support you in combat. Raxx notes that he obviously missed that while testing, as well as good gear. He says:
But since I didn’t have so many things – low item level, little armor, no additional five ranks of aspects, no rune words, no mercenaries, no completion, no proper hardening – the list is endless. But once you have all that, I am 100% sure that the game’s Blasters will absolutely dominate Torment 4. You will just crush it.
Raxxanterax thinks that the journey to the Torment levels and especially the endgame should be harder. Torment 2 to Torment 4 are intended as a significant incentive, but anyone who invests an entire day and plays a strong build can reach Torment 4 on the first day – or at least quickly farm in Torment 2 or 3, says the Diablo expert. That would not be a big difference from the current world levels.
At the current time, however, it is unknown how difficult the new content, such as the coop dungeon, will be. The expert says: “Maybe they are so difficult that everything else is fine.”
Also, Diablo expert wudijo explains in his YouTube video that the progression to the higher Torment levels is too easy. He says it seems that the difficulty adjustments are not really difficult enough. wudijo hopes that there will be another Torment level, or that the gaps between levels will become larger. This would provide a more sustained progression, which he believes is currently lacking.
Experts praise the item system and the waypoints
Is there also praise for the changes? Both experts praise the new content, as well as changes to existing content, and list some aspects they find good:
- Torment 1 is very accessible; according to Raxxanterax, any player can reach that level. He thinks it is good that this is the case, as you get strong items there and thus no one is prevented from obtaining “divine items” or enjoying the game. Even if you only play at that level, you can do and get everything.
- The waypoints are more rewarding and a good option for leveling.
- The adjustment of the Pit is better; you don’t spend 20 minutes anymore fighting the boss.
- The group finder works well. However, Raxxanterax thinks it would be practical to save past searches to restart them directly.
- The crafting system Hardening is better. However, the UI seems confusing, and one takes too long to find (used) recipes, says Raxxanterax.
- He thinks the rune words make a difference in the game, but there is still room for improvement. The runes are too weak and need to be improved.
- wudijo praises the new item system. He appreciates that there are no sacred items anymore and that legacy items drop less frequently. This ensures there is always something to do and farm.
In his video, Raxxanterax criticizes that there is still no cow level – “people want to kill cows.” With Vessel of Hatred, there are apparently new breadcrumbs on the long path to the goal. Because: Data miners have found some items in the game data that could fit.
Raxxanterax also notes that he likes the new character selection, but he would also like to see the campfire there. It means something to him as he has been playing Diablo since childhood. He wants to see how the classes sit next to each other by the campfire. The change is also being discussed in the Diablo 4 community: Diablo 4 removes a small detail that became legendary through Diablo 2, disappointing fans: “Over 20 years of nostalgia”
