Dear Blizzard Diablo 4 Developer Team,
I have been a Diablo player since the original Diablo was released for Windows 95 in the mid-'90s. Diablo set a new standard in the ARPG genre and revolutionized RPG gaming. I played through Diablo 1 until Diablo 2 was released, which once again became the de facto standard for ARPGs. I invested countless hours into Diablo 2, treating it like a second job, which should illustrate just how much I love your games.
When Diablo 3 introduced Paragon Mode and Greater Rifts, I spent at least three years enjoying it. I reached Pit 130+ with a fire build sorcerer and truly appreciated the ability to blast through content with powerful builds. I only got into Diablo 4 a month after Vessel of Hatred was released, using the Spirit Born quill volley build to clear up to Pit 149 the day before the season ended. Initially, I hesitated to try Diablo 4 due to negative publicity, but I took a leap of faith, hoping that the expansion pack would address the issues from the game’s launch.
Having spent most of my waking hours playing Diablo 4 these past few months, I truly believe it has the potential to be as enjoyable as Diablo 1, Diablo 2, and Diablo 3. The ability to create overpowered (OP) builds and blast through content is incredibly fun and is what made the past two seasons enjoyable. While item tempering can be frustrating, the chance to craft strong characters reminiscent of those in Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 is what still makes Diablo 4 one of the greatest games despite its issues.
However, after reviewing lots and lots of Diablo 4 feedback, it’s clear that endgame content remains a problem. I acknowledge that Blizzard has made great strides in addressing this, but I believe the fundamental issue is that the focus has been misplaced. Instead of concentrating on endgame, Blizzard should focus on game continuity—giving players compelling reasons to continue playing after finishing the seasonal story, rather than making things artificially difficult.
The upcoming changes in Season 8, particularly making it significantly harder to reach Level 60 and Torment 4, is a step in the wrong direction. You are taking away what made Seasons 6 and 7 fun for those of us who truly enjoyed them. It seems as though you have listened to the wrong crowd—those complaining that the game is “too easy” and that everything can be one-shotted. But how many of those players actually reached Pit 150? If they found it too easy, why didn’t they challenge themselves by using non-meta builds instead of calling for blanket nerfs? Why punish players who invest time into theorycrafting and optimizing their builds? Those who think the game is too easy can create their own challenge rather than having fun stripped away from those who enjoy powerful builds.
Making content artificially harder simply to stretch playtime diminishes the core enjoyment of the game. Nerfing Spiritborn into the ground in Season 7 left many of us with no reason to play it at all. That is not balance—that is a failure to understand why Spiritborn made Vessel of Hatred successful. Let’s be honest: if Spiritborn had launched in Season 6 in the state it is in now, Vessel of Hatred would not have been nearly as successful. Recognizing this perspective could provide valuable insight into future design decisions.
For the long-term success of Diablo 4 and to win back players who have left, here are some critical areas to improve:
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Make PvP as fun as it was in Diablo 2. Introduce an option to go hostile against another player of the same level, paragon, and tier. Allow players to opt out if they prefer. Some of the most memorable moments in Diablo 2 came from engaging in PvP duels or unexpected hostilities.
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Give meaning to friends and clans. Introduce clan events with unique rewards, leaderboards, and competitive clan wars. This would provide a real incentive to engage beyond solo play.
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Create a well-designed trade chat and trading interface. Improve the trading experience to encourage a dynamic in-game economy.
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Improve the messaging system. Diablo 2 had a better private messaging (PM) system than Diablo 4. A more user-friendly chat system is overdue.
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Remove one-shot kill mechanics for bosses. These mechanics serve no purpose other than frustrating players and forcing repetitive, unnecessary deaths and countless hours beating a boss that could most likely drop trash instead of noteworthy items.
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Improve tempering and masterworking. Allow players to choose their third masterwork stat, and ensure all bosses drop Obducite to reduce unnecessary grind.
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When nerfing, avoid extreme reductions. A balanced approach would allow Spiritborn to remain viable in Pit 11-120 rather than struggling at Pit 70-80 after a drastic nerf.
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Acknowledge that Diablo 4 will never be Diablo 2—but learn from it. Diablo 2’s longevity was driven by the ability to create powerful builds (Hammerdin, Fire Sorceress, Auradin, Bone Necro, Javazon, etc.). Diablo 3 also had many powerful builds that made it fun. There’s no harm in embracing similar principles.
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If difficulty is a concern, introduce higher Torment levels. Instead of making Torment 4 an absolute wall, create additional Torment tiers for players who want greater challenges. If Pit 150 will become impossible and Paragon 300 unattainable, just remove them altogether then.
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Make all Mythic items worthwhile and bring back set items. Right now, only a handful of Mythics are useful (Shroud, Shako, Starless, and Heir). Set items were one of the elements that made Diablo 3 enjoyable.
I hope this feedback, coming from someone who has played Diablo games from the very beginning, helps guide the future of the Diablo franchise in the right direction.
I still want to play Diablo 4 Season 8, but the increased difficulty and drawn-out progression to Torment 4 is simply not the type of fun that players like me are looking forward to. Please reconsider these changes and keep Diablo 4 fun for those of us who love to push powerful builds and blast through content.
Sincerely,
A Dedicated Diablo Fan