Sometimes it is better to put a game aside. Not permanently perhaps, but now and then. Sometimes you just need a change. Diablo 4 is exactly such a game, finds MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus. And that is exactly what makes the game so strong.
People are constantly complaining about Diablo 4. Still, I believe: it is one of the best games of 2023, perhaps even of the last 20 years or more. The series has always fascinated me because it manages to entertain for a long time with simple gameplay.
At release, I played the game for countless hours. Like many fans, I thought, that Diablo 4 is a worthy part of the series. Shortly after the start of Season 1, around the beginning of August, I put Diablo 4 aside for two reasons:
- I was simply “finished” for the moment, had seen what I wanted to see and was done with slaying demons.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 has been released, the game I’ve been looking forward to the most for the past 3 years.
I finished Baldur’s Gate after almost exactly 100 hours and even though I was disappointed by the ending like Cortyn, those were good hours. Still, I don’t need to jump into a second playthrough right away, especially since I would prefer to wait until the issues have been smoothed out.
A void has set in that I tried to fill with other games: Shadow Gambit, Stellaris, and also the new DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3. Nothing has entertained me for long. Then I remembered Diablo 3 …
I was already excited about Diablo 4 before its release and I still stand by how good it is:
Diablo 4 is very good, but simply not the only game
I always had fun with Diablo 4. The problem with the game was that I can waste a lot of time in it if I put my mind to it. However, I don’t have much of that left anymore:
- The story is fun once or maybe twice, after that the story skip is the more attractive option.
- The “power peak” is somewhere around level 70-80, after that there are rarely significant improvements.
- From here it’s about searching for better gear and the improvement of the various builds.
Sure, I could play each of the classes at level 100, but I also want to do something for the upcoming seasons. Additionally, the time I invest could also go into other things – like Baldur’s Gate 3.
Because of this, Diablo 4 did not get worse, other games are just better at the moment. And after I stayed logged out of my seasonal character for 2 weeks anyway, I completely stopped.
As if returning home from a hike
Now I haven’t played for about 4 or 5 weeks. An admittedly rather short break, but one that has been enough: Diablo 4 is almost as much fun for me again as it was on the first day. Not much has changed, but it feels a little like “coming home”:
- Whether unpacking old characters or starting new ones, slaying monsters is always fun.
- I am eager to try new builds or even create something completely crazy myself – I used to enjoy doing that in Baldur’s Gate.
- If in doubt, just grinding some nightmare dungeons is ideal for unwinding after work.
I am pretty sure that my excitement for Diablo 4 will not last too long. Starfield is coming out soon, followed by Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader shortly after. I will definitely be involved with that again.
But Season 2 of Diablo 4 starts in October. I will also be on board here, not just professionally but also privately – even if it’s just because I think vampires are really cool. Now I am sure that Diablo 4 should be played like that.
Even the bosses recommend a break
I think many fans made the mistake at release and ruined Diablo 4 by playing it too intensely. By that I don’t mean that they were “too fast” in the endgame, but that they literally did nothing else.
But both Diablo 2 with the ladders and Diablo 3 with the now 29 seasons have shown that Diablo feels better when you return and don’t play it constantly. Even the developers said: if you’re not having fun anymore, then don’t keep playing.
I can only recommend this advice to everyone. Before you ruin Diablo 4 with bad memories, find something else. I stopped while I still liked it, but I should have done other things instead.
Now I am looking forward to playing again. If you will: Diablo 4 is ideal to play while you wait for other games. Or when something is happening. And otherwise, it’s always a good idea to simply not play it for a while.
By the way, Diablo 4 is soon going to face some pretty big competition that my colleague Mark Sellner was able to preview:
I played Path of Exile 2 and it’s already doing 3 things better than Diablo 4
