Since the launch of Diablo 4, I’ve sunk about 240 hours of game time. I’ve lived and breathed Diablo 4, and these are my thoughts of the state of the game at the moment.
This game is an unfinished product. Ngl, I bought this game as an impulse purchase on the 4th of June assuming that it’ll be a finished and polished game. This is my fault for not doing enough research. At the same, I feel misled because there was a period of testing prior to launch and so much hype, so in my naive mind, I thought that the release of the game would be a finished product.
And as a consumer, when I buy something, I expect it to be a complete product unless it is described otherwise. Apparently, this is not the case when it comes to games. It was my expectation that a triple A company would release a refined and completed product.
I am severely disappointed with my purchase, and at the same time, I am beating myself up over it. This is the result of myself not doing enough research on the game beforehand to make a more rational decision that could have saved myself from feeling this way.
I’d like to say that I am a victim of marketing. I only watched a few videos on youtube that were endorsed by Blizzard. At that time, I was busy with work.
Sure, more accurately, I am a victim of myself not taking the necessary steps of preventing this outcome, but that is not the point. If a product is described, then the product itself should be that. Otherwise, you are misleading your customers.
I have learned my lesson. Thank you for providing it Activision Blizzard. I want to understand your direction and what you want. From here on out, I will do my due research into everything about your company, your CEO’s, the departments, management hierarchy, about who is on your teams, credentials, company culture, etc etc, before I even think about reaching into my wallet and handing over cash to you. I do not want to self victimize myself again. More importantly, I do not want to waste time on a product I do not end up enjoying.
I like APRGs. I enjoy the grindy nature of the genre, and the repetitive gameplay loops, and the GG items that can potentially drop to fuel my build into something faster and stronger: a build that feels increasingly buttery smooth to play over time with correct decisions I invest within my control regarding the skill tree, item choice, affix enchanting, and in D4, the paragon board. But Diablo 4, in my experience is not enjoyable.
My POV is coming from the Sorc class. I have two chars: one is Iceshard and the other is Chain Lightning. Both are in Torment difficulty. Neither is at lvl 100. I really want to create a third alt for some version of a Fire sorc, but in the current state of the game, I really don’t. And here’s why:
Vulnerable damage.
The Iceshard build has a natural path towards capitalizing on vulnerable damage by investing 1 skill point. However, a lightning build or a fire build have very limiting and expensive options on accessing it:
Frost bolt makes Frozen enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds
Frozen Orb’s explosions has a 25% chance to make all enemies hit Vulnerable for 2 seconds. Frozen Orb Always makes Frozen enemies Vulnerable
Frost Nova makes enemies vulnerable for 4 seconds, increased to 8 seconds against Bosses
Iceblades (6 secs), 30% chance to make enemy vulnerable for 2 seconds
Frostburns + Aspect of Biting Cold (When you freeze an enemy there x% chance they become vulnerable for x seconds
Simply put, in order to access a strong and currently, mandatory, damage multiplier, lightning and fire builds have to choose one of these options to apply vulnerable.
Item slots are expensive. Enchantment slots are expensive; we only have two, and these two builds are limited by how they can access and apply vulnerable.
I cannot reliably clear a mob pack with crit damage and CC alone in higher nightmare tiers as a Chain Lightning sorc. Even in nightmare tiers 2-4 levels above me, I have trouble clearing these without vulnerable status in a smooth way.
And this is with my build stacking as much crit damage as possible on item affixes; this is near 230% crit damage with 30% crit chance. With perfect item affixes, I’m estimating a ~260 - 280ish crit damage % cap on item affixes alone. Over 300% if I grind Destruction glyph to max and other paragon nodes. The glyph is currently sitting at 15 to access all the stat nodes I need to activate the secondary effect.
But I don’t feel like grinding it all the way to 21 based on the current state of the game to give me some marginal increases when I can increase Vulnerable dmg % to give me a similar damage outcome.
This is why I don’t want to play the game. It’s not because I don’t want to grind. It is because the amount of time I have to invest to grind does not result in something rewarding. My choices at the end are limited. And this is because of the way Diablo 4 was marketed.
Inside the Game: Your Class Your Way
So then, what is this? What is #playyourway?
Based on the current state of the game, this is false advertising. You cannot play your way. If you play your way, at some point, your build will hit a wall.
Personally, I want to rely just on Int + crit damage + cc to be able to smoothly delete packs of mobs. The fact that I have to apply vulnerable damage via frost nova or take up two item slots with Frostburns and Aspect of Biting Cold or any other convoluted way of applying vulnerable status - as a lightning sorc, this is a mystery to me.
Then there is the issue with item choice. Our current meta item is an amulet that gives
- 3 Devouring Blaze (increases Critical Strike Damage against burning enemies by 30%, 75% if immobilized)
- 3 Defensive Skills
Mana cost Reduction
Cooldown Reduction
Any Sorc build that wants efficient damage, their path will eventually funnel into this limiting item choice path. And then consequently, we’re forced to take fire arrows to take up one enchantment slot.
Nah. There is no #playyourway. It’s #playthisway.
Activision Blizzard,
Please rework the skill tree or paragon so that every build can access vulnerable status in a meaningful and fluid way that makes sense or just remove vulnerable status entirely and simplify the damage formula.
Please separate PvE and PvP into two different systems and balance them individually. You cannot slap something on like a 92% damage reduction on PvP in a PvE game and say that’s PvP. You complicate the decision making process for skill balance and class creation by thinking about PvE and PvP at the same time. I am 99% sure this is one of the reasons why progress feels incrementally small and why cooldowns are so long.
More concisely, please focus on increasing the fun in PvE while focusing on balance in PvP.
Please, in the future, before any other game releases from your company, please do not release an unfinished product without describing it as an unfinished product.
And lastly, please keep your word.
I’ve said earlier that I will do more research before buying any more of your products in the future. This will keep true, and I will never forget this feeling of regret.
Prior to the Activision Blizzard merge, Blizzard was an amazing company, and I remember fondly playing amazing games.
With Diablo 3, Diablo IMMORAL (I WILL NEVER PAY MONEY FOR THIS), Diablo 4, Warcraft 3 Reforged, I have lost confidence in this company’s intention to stay in touch with the loyal community and to make games that appeal to them. It’s apparent that sales is more important than good, enjoyable, lasting games.
Keep the $130. It’s likely the last you’ll get from me.
- From a concerned and nostalgic customer
