In June 2023, Diablo 4 was released, the great hope of millions of fans worldwide. The legendary series has stood for action and fun for over 20 years. Nevertheless, the launch was tough back then. Now a year has passed, and MeinMMO editor and Diablo expert Benedict Grothaus takes a look at what was, what is, and what will come.
Since I started working at MeinMMO, I have hardly experienced a game that had as much hype as Diablo 4. After the disastrous drought with Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon 2018 and the sexism scandal, Blizzard fans were finally looking forward to something again.
The release was gigantic. You probably didn’t notice it at all, but in our editorial office, hell was going on, more or less literally. Back then, I wrote, analyzed, and played Diablo with my whole team daily.
However, only a few weeks after the release, problems arose. What many fans initially dismissed as an issue for hardcore gamers eventually reached everyone: Diablo 4 simply has too little endgame content.
People became bored, and the developers themselves said: If you’re no longer interested, play something else. Today, Diablo 4 is a completely different game. But the journey there was rocky.
My conclusion after the test back then may have been a bit too optimistic. I never thought Diablo 4 was bad, but only now is it as good as I want it:
Not good, not terrible: Diablo 4 has lingered in limbo for months
After the initial infatuation with Diablo 4, joy suddenly turned into skepticism and anger. Fans were upset because Blizzard did too little with the really good framework:
- The graphic design is top-notch; no other action RPG looks as good right now.
- The gameplay is excellent; each class plays uniquely, and the skill design perfectly matches every class fantasy.
- The story is, as expected from Blizzard, captivating. Lilith as the main antagonist and the appearance of Inarius in the campaign especially excited old fans.
The problem is: there simply wasn’t enough to do to spend meaningful time in the game. Trading was restricted to inferior items, farming was hardly possible, and Nightmare Dungeons were the only real content at that time.
With Season 1, there was too little new content. A few new items and gems that were very tedious to collect. The devastating criticism after 3 months: Diablo 4 has problems with basic content. The next two seasons were supposed to be better:
- The Blood Harvest from Season 2 was very popular, but established systems slowed players down.
- Season 3 started with many problems and was only completely fixed weeks after launch. Players demanded to keep the new content permanently.
In between, there were repeatedly balance patches that often caused annoyance. I personally noticed how often my desire to play waned. Until now.
Season 4 has completely changed the game:
Season 4: The turning point for Diablo
Since May 2024, Season 4 has been running and has completely transformed the game. The entire loot system is now different, leveling is faster, and there’s plenty to do in the endgame:
- If you want to level up or need loot, go into the improved Hell Flows and smack the demons and Blood Maidens.
- If you’re directly hunting for Uber Uniques, fight the big endgame bosses in their “Tormented” version at level 200
- If you want to upgrade your top gear or just try to be the best, go into the Pit and try to reach ever-higher levels here – Or challenge Lilith.
Just by hanging around in the Hell Flows, time passes more quickly. The hunt for better loot feels rewarding again, especially through the new crafting system: Almost every item has a chance to become an upgrade or even a God Roll.
Since the release, I’ve been following social media and forums about Diablo 4. Never has Reddit been so positively inclined toward the game. The months before, it was no fun to visit the Diablo 4 subreddit and look around: only complaints and hate.
Today, there are dozens of posts from people, excited about loot and showing off, fruitful discussions about content, or wild speculations about the future. Some are even considering canceling their wedding to spend more time playing.
It’s fun to play and work on Diablo again – and it feels good to be a fan.
Vessel of Hatred is the right way forward
The developers have already said that Season 4 is not just a new season, but lays the foundation for the future. Therefore, almost all content is not seasonally bound but also available for the Eternal Realm.
What I know about the future gives me hope that the path taken will continue and Diablo 4 will only get better. So far, it looks pretty good. The first expansion Vessel of Hatred has a lot of strong content:
- the new class Spiritborn, which I will get to play already on July 11 at Blizzard in Irvine, California
- Kurast and Nahantu as new areas with a certain nostalgic flair and the possibility of bringing back really annoying enemies
- NPC companions, a kind of co-op dungeon for the endgame and revisions for all classes including new skills
- and of course more story around Mephisto and – hopefully – a bit more about Lilith
The intro to Vessel of Hatred is already grand – and even brutal for Diablo:
I don’t want to speculate too much about the future, but I see that the upward trend continues and at least the right things are being targeted. If Blizzard stays on course here, it can only be a good thing.
After a turbulent year for Diablo 4, it finally looks like the game has recovered. That would be fitting: Diablo 3 also became a game that everyone loves today with Reaper of Souls. Even critics find good things to say in a tough analysis: One of the biggest critics of WoW analyzes Diablo 4 – Explains why much feels unfinished
