Strongholds have been one of the major features since the release of Diablo 4 that were meant to make the game special. Now players are saying: There’s more that can be done – and they are gathering suggestions.
What kind of feature is this?
- Strongholds block certain areas of the map in Diablo 4. You need to unlock them to gain access to some dungeons, teleport points, and quests.
- The feature was one of the major innovations announced at the release of Diablo 4 that was supposed to set the game apart from its predecessors.
- So far, strongholds can only be completed once per character. After that, they are ‘finished’, you have freed the area and never need to take it back. According to players, this is wasted potential.
What makes strongholds so good: The feature has been well received since release, offering some variety to the constant grind in dungeons or vaults. Strongholds, according to players, enliven the world and make it feel more real.
Players especially praise that each stronghold has some different story, a mechanic, or something that sets it apart from others. It’s content that stays in memory. On Reddit, a fan writes:
In my opinion, every single stronghold I’ve captured is absolutely fantastic. From the one where the entire population was turned to salt […] to the one full of vampires and blood knights […] I enjoyed every one of these contained stories and themes.
Even today, strongholds are still a topic of discussion. One user even writes: Strongholds are what he looks forward to the most in every season. Early on, the consensus was: Strongholds are good content, but simply too rare.
Such threads have appeared repeatedly over the months, often with the dull aftertaste that there could be more possible. In a recent discussion, players are now gathering potential solutions.
Here you can see a run through one of the strongholds at a low level:
“Revamp Strongholds into Multiplayer Raids”
In the past, there have been ideas on how to improve strongholds. However, these were often rather simple suggestions, such as simply resetting the strongholds weekly – similar to the new leaderboard dungeons now.
One user now claims that strongholds are wasted potential. He receives numerous comments with new ideas (via Reddit). In over 170 comments, players have come up with thoughts such as:
- Strongholds as multiplayer raids: Once completed, you should be able to do them again in a group and on various difficulties
- Defensive events to defend the captured strongholds against the “original” inhabitants
- A connection with hell tides, which are designed to constantly attack various things, could create a new event in the tide
- Merchants who only appear in liberated strongholds and sell particularly rare items
All of the suggestions are well received, but there has been no response from Blizzard yet. We have directly asked the developers whether there are any plans for a revamp, but a response is still pending.
Currently, Blizzard is working on Season 4 for the game as well as the first expansion, Vessel of Hatred. There aren’t too many details on either yet, and specific dates are also missing. However, there are already several plans for the time afterwards. We have already been able to speak with the devs about the future: Diablo 4: “The community is the most important asset” – Blizzard talks to us about development and future
