Spiritborn lost its identity – This mobility change made me quit Diablo IV

Spiritborn
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Hello Blizzard,

I’m writing this because, after this latest change to Spiritborn’s mobility, I’ve decided to stop playing Diablo IV.

This isn’t about damage numbers, balance or the meta. It’s about how the class feels to play.

The biggest reason I fell in love with Spiritborn was its incredible mobility. The movement was fluid, responsive and fast. It was, in my opinion, one of the most enjoyable classes Blizzard has ever created. Because of that, I invested hundreds of hours into the class and even spent real money buying cosmetics specifically for my Spiritborn.

After the recent change that requires movement skills/evasion to have a target, the class simply no longer feels the same.

It feels like my character is dragging an anchor.

Everything feels slower. Crossing the map is frustrating. Dodging no longer feels natural, and the entire gameplay now seems to happen in slow motion compared to what it was before.

This isn’t a balance adjustment; it completely changed the identity of the class.

What makes this even more disappointing is that I spent money on cosmetics because I genuinely believed Spiritborn would remain the class I enjoyed playing. Now I feel like I paid for a character that no longer exists.

I understand that balance changes are necessary in a live service game, but removing the fluid movement that defined Spiritborn removed the reason I enjoyed the class in the first place.

I’m not asking for more damage or for the class to be overpowered.

I’m asking Blizzard to reconsider this mobility change and restore the gameplay that made Spiritborn so unique and fun.

Until then, I simply don’t feel motivated to play Diablo IV anymore.

Thank you for reading.

7 Likes
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They don’t read the forums or care. It’s pretty evident with how they handle the game. Only thing they care about is $ and numbers for their investors, and parent company.

Take away that they will scurry to find out why its down.

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This is my 1st season as spiritborn since the released of previous expansion. Counterswarm feels awesome and fluid. If this is clunky I can’t imagine how it looked before :smiley:

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Well…bye. I have no issues w/ mobility. 35 ranks to ravager. It’s faster than my sorceress. Maybe learn how to make it work? And besides, no one cares. Folks rant on here all the time including myself.

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Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I get the same impression. It often feels like player feedback doesn’t carry much weight. The least we can do is keep these discussions active and increase their visibility, hoping Blizzard eventually pays attention. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

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Dragging an anchor??? My Evade Counterswarm moves so damn fast, I keep getting stuck on walls. Sounds like a skill issue to me.

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Most annoying this is no keeping your drive stacks up, because you get stuck evading in place…. trying to kill the boss or a mob. So your dps gets doodoo levels.

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Aim for +30 ranks in Ravager and you’ll be fine. Sure, you’ll need mobs to target, but the only time I ever run into spaces where I’m not using Rushing Claws is the occasional mobless gap in Helltides. Other than that, it runs just as fast as it did last season.

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I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to comment and take part in this discussion.

I just want to clarify my point a bit better: my criticism is not about the class being weak or unviable. Spiritborn is still strong, that’s undeniable. I actually pushed it quite far, even beyond the point where I was having fun, and managed to clear Pit 120 with the build.

The issue for me is that the way the class plays has completely changed. Before, the mobility was free, fluid, and a core part of the class identity. Now, having to rely on a target to move completely breaks that flow, especially in dungeons where everything is already cleared and you’re forced to just walk across the map.

This didn’t make the class bad — but it did take away the fun I used to have with it.

On top of that, I also feel like the current build has some limitations against bosses, mainly because it relies on maintaining stacks, which makes the gameplay less consistent in certain situations.

In the end, I respect those who still enjoy it and adapted, but for me it lost its appeal. Still, I genuinely appreciate everyone who understood my frustration and contributed to the discussion.

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I totally agree on spiritborns identity and mobility. I hate rushing claw with a passion and would never use it even if it worked correctly. Spiritborn needs to be reverted back to launch spiritborn this should be the one class where you aren’t forced into a playstyle/stupid meta build. This was the first class I played that was a complete class minus razor wings having charges/no autocast and soar having a delay. Making rushing claw a mandatory skill was a poor decision along with the protector in a thong.