To start, I love Diablo. It’s probably my favorite series as far as concepts go, and the ARPG genre has a special place in my heart because of Blizzard.
I’m pretty seasoned now (old might be a better word, but I prefer seasoned). I’ve played D1, 2, 3, and Immortal. I’ve played PoE, EQ, WoW, FFXI, FFXIV, and plenty of other ARPGS and MMORPGs in between, so I’m pretty familiar with mmo games, endgame content, and the potential for growth that is presented on release. It’s never fully realized right away. That’s perfectly fine.
So after my original playthrough–which I enjoyed, by the way–I took a break. I felt like time would help make the game mature and become more developed in the later stages. I thought there was a solid base to build upon, and I looked forward to new content, updates, and expansions. Player feedback would help improve the game.
And while I know it’s only season 2, I look at recent updates and… I’m just struck with a feeling that the game is relying on gimmicky content. No real core concerns seem to be being addressed. Here is another side quest and a new mechanic that’s going to alter a few builds here and there, but the game essentially remains unchanged and undeveloped. Give us another payment, and we’ll give you a new version of legendary aspects, a new type of gem, a new Helltide…
Definitely not attempting to criticize the dev team, nor am I white knighting. I have no issue with paying for new/good content. I’m just trying to get a feeling for the future of this game.
Is everything season going to be repeated gimmicks to try and make the game last for another 3 months, or will there actually be attempts to make the core gameplay better? Will you try to make this game a lasting rpg that people wish to replay for decades (like previous entries), or is the team content with tiny injections of mildly entertaining content that just hits another quarterly milestone? Is the eternal server useless?
Either answer is fine. I just feel an upfront, “This is what we want D4 to be,” would go a long way in telling fans whether they should hold on to hope for a better version of the game, or if they should just let their hope for repeat success fade.
I’m sure plenty of people will say, “Go play another game.” And I have, I have. Many have. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to play Diablo 4. I just don’t see a reason to return, yet. I (and many others) really want that reason. We want to be playing Diablo because we love what it was and what it could be.
But if it’s not happening, please let us know.