A developer who was significantly involved in the development of Diablo 3 has long been engrossed in Last Epoch. Now, the former Blizzard employee talks about what distinguishes the two games – and why Blizzard could never have created something like Last Epoch.
Who is the developer?
- Andrew Chambers was employed at Blizzard between 2011 and 2014 and from 2015 to 2020.
- During his time, he mainly worked on Diablo 3, particularly on the crafting system, skills, and the Crusader. Later, he contributed to the WoW expansions Battle for Azeroth and Legion.
- Chambers has been in the industry since at least 1999 and has in his portfolio works like Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War and Space Marine, as well as positions at Relic, Klei Entertainment, and Netflix. Today, he mainly works independently as a content creator.
You can watch the full video of Andrew Chambers here:
This is what Chambers says: In a video on YouTube, Chambers compares the recently released Last Epoch with the Diablo series – specifically with Diablo 3, which he participated in. Last Epoch had captivated him for a long time.
He states in his video: Blizzard would have never been able to create something like Last Epoch. The main reason for this is the skills. They are much more complex and extensive in Last Epoch than in Diablo 3, but that seems to be exactly what action RPG players desire:
Although [the skill system] of Last Epoch is ridiculously complicated, I think that’s exactly what players want. You have your passives that you choose while leveling, a subclass that you level up, and then more and more skills that you unlock by selecting passives. […] That’s insane; it allows you to tailor a very specific class for yourself.
We couldn’t do something like that in Diablo 3. […] We didn’t have a stat system that would have allowed such complexity. The stat system is the heart of everything else related to it. If it’s fundamentally simple, then you are limited in what else you can do. […] With a broad stat system, you can make items, skills, and passives more complex or detailed.
In the meantime, there was even a system that was similarly complex to that of Last Epoch – with runes that needed to be used in skills and had specific affixes. However, that was discarded because it would have led to too much chaos. Chambers regrets that decision today.
In the end, Diablo decided to be less complex to appeal to more players: “We targeted a larger audience than just Diablo players. We didn’t want to just win over the Diablo audience; we wanted to expand it.” For that, systems needed to be more accessible.
We have already talked live with the heads about the future of Diablo 4:
Diablo still does some things better than Last Epoch
Chambers goes on to discuss features like the trading system of Last Epoch, which he believes every ARPG developer should take a look at. The two guilds that complement your playstyle are precisely what such a game needs. It caters to every type of player: those who prefer to go solo or with friends and those who enjoy trading.
Here, Blizzard made a huge mistake. The controversial real-money auction house of Diablo 3 and the opportunity to trade and resell items led to chaos and made it feel like there was no sense in actually earning an item:
The gear never felt like it was yours. There was no story behind it. It was more like: “Hey, I’m borrowing the best monk in the game and skipping the whole journey there.” That is not satisfying; that is the definition of cheating.
Nevertheless, Last Epoch is not simply the better game. Chambers emphasizes that he does not want to speak ill of Diablo. It has even spoiled all other action RPGs for him, as he says. He lists several features:
- The game feel and gameplay in Diablo: using skills feels simply better in Diablo 3. The chaining and use of skills are excellent.
- Diablo 3 has a deeper story than Last Epoch; you build a real connection with the characters. This was also a focus of the team, for which the endgame was neglected.
- Cinematics – this is still something that no one can match Blizzard on.
- Enemies and, especially, enemy families that allow for the creation of various enemies within thematic coherence in a corresponding area.
Interestingly, Chambers states that in terms of gameplay, Diablo 4 no longer reaches that standard. At least for him, “it just doesn’t deliver.” However, players here say exactly the opposite and believe that Diablo 4 now feels as smooth as Diablo 3 – especially when returning from Last Epoch: Some players are returning to Diablo 4 after hundreds of hours in Last Epoch: This is what they say
