Maybe if the developers add a separate server to make the ones happy that want a harder challenge.
There is the default eternal realms, one for hardcore and one for softcore.
But should also have some ongoing fun events to draw players in that just want to have fun.
The regular season for hardcore and softcore.
This keeps those happy that enjoy new seasonal content, but don’t have the ability to invest hours into grinding like some do. But want to take part in the season.
The idea is maybe add an elite player season server for hardcore and softcore players that found the regular season way too easy and want a more difficult challenge for each season and more punishing endgame. With the idea of with higher risk and difficulty there should be higher/better rewards.
Basically the regular season, but with a noticeable increase in difficulty from the very beginning they make a character and even more as they push into endgame content.
If that is not an option or something the developers can do, another idea I do remember from Diablo III was it having up to Torment XVI (16), if it would simply be easier for developers for them to add more Torment tiers to the Diablo IV, to keep the players happy that want a harder challenge.
But just keep the Season Journey set as it currently is with having to complete the final tab of objectives on Torment IV.
If you try and make everyone happy you will make no one happy.
They just need to pick a lane and stick with it. The question they need to answer is:
Is D4 an arpg
Or
Is D4 a D3 mobile arcade blaster
Once they finally make that choice they will be able to start focusing on making the game appealing to one of the groups. The playerbases in the above are incompatible with each other.
Diablo and Diablo II were made by Blizzard North, which at the time had no interference from Blizzard (South)
There was no endgame content for either of them.
Diablo III and Diablo IV were made after everyone from Blizzard North left, and that left Blizzard (south) with those that made World of Warcraft.
Which explains their actions with Diablo III and Diablo IV, push for players to make parties of 4 people to get better rewards.
Yes, they were done by 2 studios. We all miss blizzard north but it is what it is. D4 has had an identity crisis since launch and sadly its still here.
The erosion of the diablo IP started with Jay Wilson and has gotten worse over time.
My thoughts are to end the eternal/season as it is now and create this:
Eternal: Slower crawl, fewer items, meant for long term journey. Rework levels & Paragon. This is meant to keep the same character playing for months, years, etc. Significant difference here is the season content we once knew becomes available on Eternal. For 4 months we have the season as it is now, but any powers are temporary to be replaced in the new season. The seasonal powers can be a boost or an entertainment, but not meant to build a character around. In the realm of aRPG the a is not the emphasis
Ladder: Gauntlet, Pit runs, PVP tournament, leaderboard tracking multiple stats from time to Pit finish to #monster kills, etc. This is what gets reset every 4 months. This is for the competitive player who wants fame, glory, and their e-ego boosted. This is the realm that Arpg has the action emphasized over character journey.
Because of difficulty, complexity and overall different style of gameplay during the progression phase.
In the end, you 1 shot everything with good build and gear in both games.
D4 has progression, and it is adequate for the purpose it serves. I start from level 1 doing 1 dmg per hit to doing billions of damage in end game. That is clear progression in my eyes.
POE isnt complex at all but it requires time to put in to get gear, levels, crafting ect. D4 doesnt. You level to 60 in 4-6 hours, spend another 3-4 hour to get gear to reach T4 and that journy is done.
D4 in its current fourm is a mobile arcade game. The fact that blizzard is doing small tweaks to try and get some resemblance of an arpg is telling. They however still need to pick a lane and roll with it.
this I agree. But PoE is definitely complex and very unforgiving. PoE 2 tried to shed some of that complexity out and tune it to be slightly more forgiving overall.
The difference here is, how fast is a player able to achieve the god like dopamine hit of power fantasy.
Both games intend to give that to the player but at a vastly different pace. D4 chose to give that to the player at a much faster, and enjoyable pace. (Note - enjoyable is my personal opinion, some other like yourself, might used the word “bording”)
This is where the divide in playerbase lies. It lies within how soon, and how easy it is should the player be granted the god like power fantasy all ARPG strives to achieve in the end game.
We ain’t talking souls like game , PoE 2 tried to mix in souls like game play and it is very much in debate if that was even like or not within their own community.
Most people copying builds will be fine.
It is the people who make their own build that will have to learn from adversity. And most people who set out to play their own build can do this.
If anyone needs help when stuck, just ask there are plenty of helpful people on these boards.
Just keep in mind it will be harder than the PTR becuase your glyphs will need leveling as you play.
I disagree. Its not complex but it does hold the player accountable which is good imo. Outside of HC in D4 there are no consequences for choices, standing in bad, dying or anything else.
S7 was my shortest season played thus far. When you create something with participation throphies every 30 seconds theres no purpose or point to playing it beyond a very very limitied scope. This is the reason D3 seasons have a shelf life of 1-3 days and D4 has a shelf life of under 2 weeks per season.
Correct, we have had many of discussions on these fourms and both our tastes are different.
To be fair POE2 does have challenge to it (pending gear) where D4 doesnt. You cant stand in bad in POE where you can have a picnic in D4 bad.
D2 as well. There comes a point where your character just runs in and kills super fast. D3 and D4 (to a lesser extent) have streamlined the process of getting you to the ‘blasting’ phase is all. They’ve taken out a lot of the time wasters, as is typical with games that focus on the endgame goal and not the journey to get there.
The key, as always, is balance. Now that doesn’t mean the majority will like it, but as you’ve both agreed upon, the issue is picking a lane right now and sticking to it.
I understand - But I am sure many people would agree with me that PoE is very complex and unforgiving in it’s progression journey and character building. But if you find it easy good for you.
Even for arcade blaster enjoyer myself, I think S7 was a bit too fast as well. But I honestly did not get bothered by it. I just enjoyed it as much as I should have.
Yup, hence there is a divide in the community right now about D4. Especially when devs and D4 has been going in pretty much the arcade blaster direction for 7 seasons already since S2.
Did you miss the S8 boss update ? the stacking debuff is gone but in T4, if you stand or touch anything bad from the boss abilities you get instantly 1 shotted. This is bad in my opinion, but you might like this ? However, not sure if this will make it to live server when S8 launches . As there are a lot of complain due to some torment bosses overtuned
you probably built heavily into defense, more than majority of the players will likely be building into . But, most people will likely get 1 shotted is what I am seeing from PTR videos.
I mean I had a GA Amulet with 72% bonus armor if that’s what you mean
With the other items (Melted Heart for ex.) I saw myself having 0 armor, at first I thought it was a bug of some sort but then when I tried to give a bit of armor (160 via a Skeleton socket) and saw it rise to 64
Then tried to give myself a bit more with the Amulet and voila, had 873 armor all out of a sudden and the Pit was playable
And yet they keep flip flopping. You and I belong to two different camps in what we want D4 to be. All my main point was is the fact they need to pick a lane.
If devs cane out and said ok we dont care about D4 being an arpg and want D4 to be an arcade game that would be fantastic because I would just move on only coming back to play new campaigns because I do enjoy the story telling.
They need to get out of the BS identity crisis. Its been 2 years since launch.
This does interest me. I didnt play the PTR and will wait for S8. There are enough neck beards to tell blizzard what broken interactions exist. Hopefully they actually attempt to balance builds and decimate unintended multipliers immediately.
Well just in PTR, ill reserve judgment upon release.
Most aprgs come down to a gear check. D4 should be no different.
