Quick feedback after playing through Season 8, finishing the storyline, doing all the bosses, getting into Torment 2 and running out of things to care about:
- Leveling speed is much better now that it has been slowed down a bit. However, I still feel that levels 1–10 are progressing too quickly. Slowing down this early range just a little more would put it in a perfect spot.
- Blue items rarely drop with two affixes during leveling, I think this should be increased.
- Similarly, yellow items rarely drop with three affixes during leveling. Increasing this would help progression feel a little bit better.
- I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—please increase the number of uniques that drop at lower levels (1–60). Being able to experiment with builds before reaching the endgame would make the leveling more fun and provide a smoother transition into late game. Across three seasons, I’ve seen maybe two uniques drop before level 60, and those were closer to level 50–60.
- Unique drops need to be more evenly distributed across the game world. Right now, farming bosses is the only reliable method, and it gets very repetitive and boring. Bosses drop uniques like candy, but they rarely appear elsewhere, which makes the rest of the game content pretty bland.
- Please rethink how seasons are being handled. It’s always about “power this, power that,” and it looks like the next several seasons will continue this pattern. Bring something fresh and original. Seasons 7, 8, and the upcoming ones seem more focused on fixing existing systems than delivering new content. Last season, it was 5,000 whispers; this season, it’s repeating the same event hundreds of times. It’s just not fun anymore.
- Potions need a rework. Currently, they’re just a baseline heal plus a percentage-based heal, which is pretty uninspired and unengaging. Removing the % heal and making potions more upgradable or modifiable (e.g., adding temporary buffs like attack or movement speed) would make them more interesting and strategic.
- Runes also need a rework. I’ve shared detailed feedback on this before, but the current implementation is underwhelming. Diablo II largely nailed the rune system—why not take inspiration from that? This system was delayed due to community concerns, but it was ultimately released in the same underwhelming state.
- There are still far too many item drops, which makes loot feel dull and unexciting. The item rework was a good first step, but more needs to be done. Stats also need to feel more impactful and engaging.
- Tempering should allow saving a specific roll. For example, if you get the stat you want but with a low value, you should be able to lock it in (like enchanting) and re-roll until you run out of tempers. This would make the system feel less punishing.
- The new boss ladder is a big improvement. Separating summoning materials from boss summoning has been great. However, due to ongoing itemization issues, farming bosses hundreds of times becomes repetitive, and the lack of a prestige challenge makes it less rewarding.
- Diablo 4 has an amazing open world, that is barely leveraged at all. Once you complete all the side quests in a zone, you literally just run past everything on your horse like it doesn’t matter anymore. If you’re looking at fixing a system a season, I suggest having a look at the open world and working out how to make this aspect of the game more interesting.
Steps in the right direction are being made, but I’d say the game is far from where it should be to carry the Diablo name. I think the devs are doing great work, just keep pushing!