As a veteran of the Diablo franchise, having played hundreds of hours of Diablo 1, 2, and 3, I was eager to try out the new iteration of the game. After playing the early-access beta version of Diablo 4 for two days, I have some initial feedback to share.
Overall, the gameplay felt decent, but there were some issues with stutters, frame drops, and rubber banding effects that I experienced. While this could be due to my current computer setup, I also believe that it was impacted by the servers and the always-online requirement. Despite these issues, I feel that the gameplay has the potential to be great, once these issues are resolved.
I played as a Barbarian and found the combat engaging and the pace great. However, I did feel that it was a bit too easy overall, as I never really felt in danger except when facing the world boss and The Butcher. I also found the leveling to be off, as my character felt weaker after leveling up, which was not a great feeling. In previous games, seeing higher-level players was a source of inspiration as they were always more powerful and something to aspire to. This was not the case in the beta, as my low-level characters were doing as much damage as the max levels in the area. I hope that the developers will address this issue as it seems to be a major topic of discussion on the forums.
The loot system showed some promise, with interesting items and cool affixes that made me excited to try out different builds. However, there were an excessive amount of rare items dropping, which is concerning as they are meant to be key items in the game. Picking them up every time to see their affixes may become a tedious and annoying task rather than an exciting one. I am hopeful that there will be rare items that most players will be seeking out, creating an exhilarating experience when they finally drop.
The dungeons in the starting zone looked great visually but had repetitive mechanics. I am hoping that the additional dungeons further in the game will unlock more variety.
Character customization was underwhelming, but the transmog system was a welcome addition, and I especially appreciated the ability to toggle transmogs on and off at any time.
The story was presented in an interesting way, and I appreciated the grim introduction.
The graphics appeared decent when played on medium settings, but the frequent stutters and frame drops hindered my ability to play on high settings with my 1080TI. The sound and music were excellent and effectively enhanced the dark atmosphere. Nevertheless, I felt that the camera angle was too close-up, particularly in towns, which negatively impacted my immersion in the game environment.
Furthermore, the user interface seemed generic and unrelated to the game’s theme, and the necessity to scroll to find essential information was inconvenient.
In conclusion, the early-access beta version of Diablo 4 has some promising elements, such as engaging combat, an interesting story, and a loot system with potential. However, there are also areas that need improvement, such as addressing technical issues, balancing the leveling system, diversifying dungeons, and refining the loot system to make rare items more exciting to obtain. I also suggest improving the customization options and the user interface to enhance the overall experience. Overall, while there are certainly areas for improvement, I remain hopeful that these issues can be resolved before the game’s full release.