It’s finally here: MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was allowed to play the long-awaited Diablo 4 and finally report on what it was like. How much MMO is in it? How difficult is it really? And what’s in the controversial shop?
I was able to play for 10 days and had to wait just as long after the end of the pre-launch of Diablo 4 until I could play again. A very long time after the experience, because I really want more.
After the two beta tests and the quite positive server slam, Blizzard invited MeinMMO to play Diablo 4 before the release to give my opinion on it. For the first time, I could test the entire game in full.
In total, I spent about 30 to 40 hours in the test. How much exactly it was, I don’t know, because now and then… my sense of time got a little lost. Just doing that dungeon there, the side quest here looks interesting too. And can’t I improve my gear a bit?
During that time, one thing stood out to me over and over again: I know many features from MMOs, having seen them in World of Warcraft already. And together, Diablo 4 is a lot more fun. But how much is it really?
We played a later version than the one from the tests. The preview report contains no spoilers for the story.
Not an MMO, but …
After the big uproar that Diablo 4 was supposed to be an MMO, the devs clarified in 2020: “This is more of a philosophy” and precisely this attitude runs through the entire game.
I played most of the time alone. Even in the controversial shared world, because there weren’t that many other testers. But it really struck me there how much Diablo 4 relies on MMO.
Only about half of the events could I “master” solo, meaning: complete additional objectives. It simply doesn’t work alone because you would have to split up to defeat the enemies at different locations. Special endgame content like hell floods and invasions were practically impossible. These are particularly tough areas in the endgame: during the hell flood, monsters are strengthened in an area and drop a new currency with which you can open chests. If you die, you lose half of the collected crystals. Invasions are large events divided into several phases that are announced globally on the map.
Additionally, I may add that I played as a druid the formerly worst class, which feels much better in the new version. But even colleague Maik Schneider had problems with his admittedly weaker necromancer. Even with the sorceress, who usually mows everything down easily, I later couldn’t complete the events.
Solo, the bosses wipe the floor with me
This MMO feeling became most apparent when jumping from world tier 2 to world tier 3 – that is, from “Veteran” to “Nightmare”. A special dungeon must be completed on tier 2, which I don’t want to go into further for spoiler reasons.
The dungeon itself was tough but doable. The final boss then showed me the door again, and several times. After about an hour, I gave up and, a bit sheepishly, asked my colleagues from GameStar and GamePro, who were also busy with their reviews over the last few days, for help.
At least GamePro colleague Kevin Itzinger had the same problems with his huntress. We teamed up, brought in another tester (who was much better equipped), and mastered the dungeon. Well… we let ourselves be carried through, as MMO noobs do.
Shortly afterward, the colleague even pulled us through “Nightmare dungeons,” the hardest endgame content in the game. Here, the many dungeons get new mechanics, mobs gain new abilities, and it gets tougher across several levels – up to level 100. We were on level 4.
“Pulled” because he really did all the work. We mostly lay dead aside and watched. I at least; colleague Kevin was more cautious. But I know such scenes from WoW when you do your friends a favor.
Would it have worked alone? Certainly. But that would have taken a lot of time, a lot of grind and preparation. The purists mentioned in the title are into that. I only to a certain extent. If I keep breaking my teeth too often, I ask for help, and that works great in Diablo 4.
Now tell me: is it Pay2Win?
The question still concerns many fans: is the monetization of Diablo 4 actually fair? As of my current knowledge, I can say: No, it is not Pay2Win.
In our test version, the shop was not implemented. However, we received some screenshots from Blizzard, promising that these are the contents that can be purchased in the shop. Only cosmetics are visible there, no boosts, no items.
Everything is, according to my current information, purely optional. Anyone who pays 70 euros for the game gets all the content except for the battle pass. However, those who want to pay more can expect pretty hefty prices:
- the premium currency Platinum costs between $1.99 (200 Platinum) and $99.99 (11,500 Platinum), as is typical in shops, tiered
- skins are available as a single item or in bundles
- the costs currently range from 800 to 2,800 Platinum (around 8-28 euros)
- certain bundles are available for direct cash purchases
For skin fetishists like me, this will get expensive. So far, however, I actually haven’t found anything in the shop that looks better than the transmogs available in the game. Especially the sets from Scosglen and the Fractured Peaks I find outstanding.
Transmog works very easily in Diablo 4:
Conclusion: Diablo 4 is an MMO, but still a Diablo
Where I enjoyed playing Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 alone, I would always reach for a group in Diablo 4. Not only because it becomes easier, but also because of the class mechanics themselves.
Especially as a druid, I have the opportunity to support my allies. I remember Maik’s surprised outcry: “Oh, you make the enemies vulnerable?” Through our synergy, we were both able to tap into our potential better and had more fun with the classes. It brings an interpersonal level to the game.
For some content, co-players cannot even be ruled out. World bosses, for example, you will only rarely see alone. In dungeons, you are usually either alone or in a group, but if you know Diablo as a “I play alone in my world by my rules” experience, you won’t find this in Diablo 4.
What surprised me particularly was the German voice acting. The atmosphere in cutscenes and the game is also excellently conveyed in German, only now and then you see inappropriate lip movements. But the choice of voice actors was certainly very well done:
In the endgame, I have only scratched the surface. I couldn’t accomplish too much in the endgame alone, but the nightmare dungeons are already a huge challenge, even at the lowest level. Not quite balanced yet, but definitely something that can keep you occupied for a long time if you push it to the limit.
The “Whispers of the Dead” is surprisingly interesting. The mechanic actually just replaces what bounties were in earlier parts, but with targeted rewards and more tasks to choose from. If you want to grind anyway, it’s ideal.
- In the GameStar review by Peter Bathge, you can find more information on single-player and endgame
- Kevin Itzinger from GamePro focuses on character creation, skill trees, and Paragon
- But all three of us agree: Diablo 4 plays great
At least Peter’s impression was that the MMO features weren’t that dominant. Perhaps that will change when more people are out and about in the shared world. Personally, I found the features very present, which may well be due to the various perspectives. Looking at GameStar’s rating, solo fans will certainly get their money’s worth.
At the end of my test, I am convinced that Diablo 4 will be worth at least 70 or 80 euros per hour. I completed the campaign after about 20-25 hours, with most side quests still open. So, there is still significantly more story content in it.
After the last tests, my biggest concern was that Diablo 4 could be ruined by a too greedy shop, like Diablo Immortal did back then. Based on what I know now, the worries are less, but still not completely gone. I remain somewhat skeptical but optimistic.
I would have liked more time for the test. Simply to be able to play more. However, since progress won’t carry over anyway, maybe that was even for the best.
Diablo 4 costs 70 € – Is the game worth it for me? The quick check
