TO THE DEVS
Hey there!
Ratha here,
Just wanted to say that I am so impressed with how the state of season 4 is on the PTR right now. I know that you guys are getting a lot of heat about the state of things and about how the itemization was terrible.
I just want to start by saying that I'm a diablo veteran and have been playing since diablo 1 originally released on PC. I've played all of the diablo game extensively since the release of the original. I was, and am still in love with Diablo 2. I loved parts of 3 but not all of it. I played diablo immortal for a bit and loved the art style but hated the arcade feel of it. I missed the dark and gritty nature of diablo that was present in diablo 2 and Diablo 2: Resurrected but was lost in Diablo 3 as the art direction took a turn to look more like World of Warcraft and more of a Disney like tone. Even the Death of one of the most beloved diablo characters of all time was hard to take seriously when he looked like he did in the cut scenes. I digress.
I am saying all of that to set the stage for what i love about diablo 4. I bought it when it came out. Actually I love the diablo franchise so much and wanted it so bad I paid over $100.00 USD to preorder the game and get a good version of it.
Imagine my surprise when I logged in for the first time to be met with a beautiful game that was everything I wanted it to be. It was Dark and gritty with a serious tone and moments that were beautiful and others that were almost even horror moments in a diablo game. It was amazing.
All of a sudden, around chapter 3, I noticed something... I wasn't having fun. There was something off about the whole thing. It felt like a slog, constantly sifting through screens and screens of inventory that was basically meaningless. The items looked cool but unfortunately the items didn't mean anything because of a mechanic in the game. You guys (devs) encouraged us to destroy the items we get so we can make stronger items. While that sounds good because we have a way to use unwanted items, it ended up making everything even less valuable and forgettable.
This made me realize that the thing that was missing for me that i had with the other diablo games was the draw to find better loot. The destruction of my items made me not want to look at their names and only look at the skills and if they were worth anything.
Fast forward to the PTR currently happening now as of 4/6/2024.
Thank you so much Devs. I think you guys have done what I thought was impossible and you’ve not only got me interested in the game again but I’m so attached to my PTR character now I don’t want it to end.
The Tempering is the mechanic I needed! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love rolling and hoping to get the affix I really wanted and then getting the amount I want. I just rolled a 40% to lightning storm duration earlier and cheered! I know that may seem silly to some but I got the exact one I needed to get and ROLLED PERFECT on the slot I wanted it. You only get a certain number of tries and I GOT IT! The feeling was amazing and it was the thing that drew me back in to the game. There are so many other features I could go into about the PTR and the updates to season 4 but I wont as this is way longer than it should be.
I just want to say thank you to the Devs for not giving up. Thank you for continuing to listen to the community and continuing to deal with so much negative feedback. You have given me hope for Diablo 4 and a new lease with the game. I will be back to play Season 4 when it officially launches as well as my wife, brother, and sister-in-law. We were just waiting for better items… It seems you’ve given us them!
Thank you very much
-Ratha