Diablo 4 inhabits kind of an interesting space between Diablo 2 and 3. Skills and abilities obviously skew towards D3 (even if the general ebb-and-flow of combat is still quite different), while leveling up is absolutely in the vein of Diablo 2.
While I don’t quite know where I stand on D4 as a whole just yet, I think we can all agree, it does have a distinct feel that sets it apart. Obviously, we’re all going to have preferences either way, but that’s a separate discussion.
What I want to talk about is what Diablo 4 is, and how the idea of “Seasons” fit together with that, both for good and for ill.
In my mind, it all starts with the Leveling process.
In D3, leveling up is so trivial, I honestly think you could cut it from the game entirely and the game would be almost entirely unchanged. Again, whether you like it or not, that’s just how D3 is designed; it’s more of an “Arcade” experience than a traditional RPG.
Because of that, starting a new character each season is equally trivial. Sure, your power resets each season, but in roughly 30 min of gameplay (even less if you’re carried), you effectively have your playstyle back to normal, so you can just focus on acquiring better gear again.
As a stark contrast to this, leveling in Diablo 2 takes ages. I’d love to see the actual stats from Blizzard, but I would wager than less than 3% of players ever have a character that hits max level.
That’s because the game isn’t designed for your to hit max level.
D2 have three static difficulties, and it’s not so much about “overcoming new challenges”, so much as seeing a gradual progression in becoming more effective. If you’re playing the game as normal, you can reasonable expect to be able to kill every enemy you come across, though they’ll give you fits and occasionally kill you. As you progress, those enemies become easier and easier, until you’re eventually focusing more on speed farming than overcoming some impossible challenge.
The leveling speed reflects this, as you can spend weeks or months playing and only be in the level 70-80’s range. Most people don’t care all that much about level, because the game is also about gear.
However, also as a stark contrast are D2’s approach to “Seasons”, which in D2 are referred to as “Ladders”. Unlike D3, where leveling a new character is little more than a formality, the idea of starting a whole new character is a MAJOR commitment. Because again, you’s likely spend months playing and never achieve max level, and drops are rare enough that you might not even reach your desired playstyle for weeks or months.
Which is why D2’s Seasons/Ladders typically see less engagement; because the investment in a specific character is so much higher, players don’t want to throw all that progress by the wayside. D3, by contrast, characters themselves are largely disposable, since you can recreate them with virtually no effort.
So, where does Diablo 4 sit?
Well, given that leveling takes a significant amount of time, I think it’s reasonable to assume it will sit closer to Diablo 2, in terms of investment in your character. Leveling is obviously a much slower process – which, to be clear, is PERFECTLY FINE – but it does mean that players are significantly more invested in their specific characters.
So I imagine players are going to be much more hesitant or unwilling to start entirely new characters all over again.
That is, I think, part of the concern I have with the approach to Seasons, particularly the “Season Pass” model. I’m not “finished” with my current character (a Sorcerer), and I certainly don’t want to do it all over again. That’s not a knock at the game, but simply an acknowledgement that D4 is a greater investment than D3 was.
Additionally, because the Season Pass will also cost money for the cool cosmetic things, it means that if I’m not ready to completely start my adventure from scratch, then I also shouldn’t spend money on the season pass.
It’s essentially a Lose-Lose scenario; as a Player, the Season Pass isn’t a source of excitement but instead frustration, and as a Developer/Publisher, it means I’m less likely to spend money, which also means less resources to develop future content for me as a Player… the cycle repeats.
Now, right now people are complaining that “leveling takes too long”. Well, it really depends a lot on what the context is. Does leveling “take too long” in D2? Well, if your only goal is to hit max level, then yes, D2 takes too long. But D2 also doesn’t gatekeep content or better drops behind being a higher level, either. So it’s not really a problem.
My concern is that Diablo 4 is designed around the idea that players are going to hit max level, but at a very slow pace. There is a great deal of content and loot that is locked behind the numerical level of your character, than being something you can overcome at your own pace. After all, gear is restricted by level, whereas D2 is was restricted by stats, which you had direct control over.
Again, that’s not suggesting D4’s design is inherently good or bad, it’s simply acknowledging how it is different.
But for a game designed around a much slower pace, that does sort of work against the notion of “Seasons” or “Season Passes”, which lend themselves more to fast-paced progression like D3.
For my own part, I don’t think this is a matter of “make this one change and everything will be great”, because this is a fundamental design issue. I think Diablo 4 is a game that was designed one way, and the addition of Season Passes are something that go against that design structure.
Personally? I might suggest something like each “Season” is something that doesn’t necessarily require a new character, but instead allows players to push their existing characters to new heights. Maybe it’s something like increasing the ilvl of drops (relative to your characters’ available gear) by a few points, or even raising the level cap by 1-5 levels. Those things don’t necessarily need to go away when the season ends, either.
My thinking being that if Diablo 4 wants players to invest in their specific character, then Seasons should encourage that. Where you are encouraged to play the character you most enjoy, instead of where we are right now, where I kind of want to play a Barbarian, but I would be punished for starting one now instead of waiting for the new Season.
Again, food for thought.