D1 - All the encounters have a reason, reading books was like descending into hell itself.
D2 vanilla was a good sequel , but LoD was a bit rushed.
D3 tried to continue a good history , but Leah… and Diablo with T1ts , Malthael saved the game, they destroyed Tyrael arc.
D4 , lets bring a feminist icon like the Demon Lilith , retcon all the history , make Inarius looks like the Villain here, put a ridiculous girl like Neyrelle to be the strong hero, those Patriarcal Horadrins! , the history is shallow and rushed.
21 Likes
D1 - I agree
D2- I disagree. LOD saved that game.
D3 - I liked all the lore in D3. I agree with you on Leah and Diablo design. RuPaul butterfly thing was trash too. Malthael sorry… another badly thought out idea. Great lore but the design of that expansion was meh at best.
D4 - It’s ONLY strong point is the story,lore and atmosphere was better than all other Diablo games(except maybe 1 for its time). Everything else is lacking.
4 Likes
Tyrael arc was destroyed in D3 , we can agree on that one.
on D4 yes , the storytelling was good , but the story itself dont connect on NOTHING at serie.
3 Likes
I mean she was an Uber in D2 and act 4 & 5 in D3 had several lore books on her. I’m not sure if she was mentioned in D1 it’s been forever.
Diablo 1 is the best because monsters actually matter. Though I like D2, it began the trend of mowing the lawn. Monsters started to become blades of grass and you the lawn mower. Who’s scared of monsters that are so easily killed? No one. Diablo 1 almost has more in common with Dark Souls type games because monsters weren’t weak.
14 Likes
It’s hard for me to put d1 or d2 above eachother. I love them equally for different reasons.
However as far as atmosphere and world building d1 is better than all other Diablo games combined.
There’s been games that taken d2 and improved upon what it did but no game has ever done that with d1.
3 Likes
Diablo 1 is definitely one of the greatest dungeon crawlers of all time.
I think it’s too premature to pass judgement on D4’s lore and story. The game supposedly has yearly expansions and the base game left a lot of room to expand and a lot of plot points to follow up on.
3 Likes
D1 was so atmospheric due to the sounds (under the church). If one had decent speakers, it could easily draw one into the story. Then darkness was very claustrophobic. Now they rely too much on showing less of the screen. The first meeting of the Butcher was an unparalleled experience, and really got the blood going. It wasn’t without faults, though. Having most of your inventory filled with potions seems terrible now.
5 Likes
I agree. D4’s story was so predictably bad, like most modern political allegory.
6 Likes
my memory of Diablo 1 is the best. I remember hanging out in #blackdragon and every other character was named Blade. I did the most multiplayer with that for sure. Funny how that works out, lol. You would think it would be the opposite because of dial up, etc.
killing caine specifically 
1 Like
I agree, D1 was a masterpiece.
Atmosphere, lore, music, sound design, horror, were crafted with a lot of care. The monsters were really well done.
Just the feeling of descending lower and lower into darkness, madness, and horror was captured perfectly. They have yet pay homage to that aspect of it or attempt to replicate it.
If I were in charge of development, I would have expansions for each of the 3 Greater Evils.
With Mephisto, I would focus the expansion on the feeling of hatred. The only time I felt hate in D4 was with Astaroth in the final Act 2 scene. There needs to be much more of this. Give us characters we can really get attached to and then take them away in a meaningful way (i.e. not killed by a spire wtf)
With Baal, I would focus it on the theme of destruction. I’m sure there are great ways to do this.
With the expansion centered on Diablo, I would create another claustrophobic descending labyrinth and emphasize the feeling of terror as it was in Diablo 1. New demon families need to be abundant and terrifying as hell.
2 Likes
I can’t believe anyone thinks D4’s Atmosphere and Story are bad. It’s easily 2nd place only to D1 in that category. It’s just last in everything else.
The storytelling, for me, misses its potential. Lots of campaign story issues that I could detail if you’re interested. We had a lot of storytelling compared to other titles, but I think it got too cheesy at many points.
1 Like
I just want D4 to get out of D3 mode, i cant stand it.
It’s not fun, engaging or what a arpg should be, it’s auto pilot gaming, farming sim.
Feels like drinking, feels good at first, but nothing beats that first night and peak, after that you are chasing and it only feels worse.
4 Likes
Diablo 3 has annual Darkening of Tristram events during Jan-ish time.
They do the retro build graphics and all that jazz. you guys should check it out
I mean more cheesy and predictable than 2 or 3 though? I dunno but I’d love to hear.
For me,
D1 was great but…
D2 was better, a lot
D3 To much of an arcade game for my taste
D4 I really like it, has it’s problems, but I’d rather play it now than any of the older ones.
2 Likes
best game in this series is Path of Exile
3 Likes
D1: Just the thought of that makes my brain play the Tristram tune! 
1 Like