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Essays 13 November 2021, 13:00

6 Things Diablo 4 Needs to Learn from Diablo 2

Diablo 2 might not be perfect, but it's still a classic game, which did a lot of things really well. I'm probably not the only one who would be happy if Diablo 4 borrowed some specific solutions from the cult-classic part two.

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Screw the kits

At first glance, item kits are a great thing. They set some sort of specific goal in a game of character development and scrap collection. They make it easier to choose the direction the character is going. Sometimes, however, they make it all too easy. So much so that they are blocking the field by the fence itself. This problem has been plaguing Diablo 3 for many years now. It's hard to craft a well-functioning hero, because the strongest synergies and damage multipliers are given by the sets. This allows us to create a fiddly build and a character that goes through the toughest rifts like a firing squad (I myself am the proud owner of a crusader thorns build). The problem is... without kits, you won't go wild.

Part of the fun of building a hero in Diablo 3 was taken away by the fact that we have to look for sets, and legendary items are out of the question (although they do come in handy in Kanai's Cube, which is a great tool and mechanic). First, it requires us to assemble a few pieces of particular wearables. Second, boredom creeps into the process of developing our hero. The game imposes a few specific paths for the player – as long as you're willing to challenge yourself with high levels of anguish.

The Kanai Cube is a great tool, an extension of the Horadric Cube, both in terms of game lore and mechanics. It allows you to enhance and transform unique tools, but also – to extract unique powers inherent in some legendary items. This allows you to wield any weapon you want and use the power of your choice, which can add a lot of variety to the gameplay – and, of course, spice up your character.

In a well-balanced hack'n'slash, sets are only one option. This is exactly what happened in Diablo 2 (especially in later patches that introduced really powerful sets). Green items offered a safe option, interesting bonuses and collecting satisfaction, but we could just as well meticulously collect runic words or extremely rare unique items – sometimes even powerful magic artifacts could be surprisingly practical. This created more opportunities for those with a little persistence and imagination. Blizzard, look this way. And screw sets.

This is not, by the way, the last word about loot today. Actually, I'm just getting started.

Hubert Sosnowski

Hubert Sosnowski

He joined GRYOnline.pl in 2017, as an author of texts about games and movies. He's currently the head of the film department and the Filmomaniak.pl website. Learned how to write articles while working for the Dzika Banda portal. His texts were published on kawerna.pl, film.onet.pl, zwierciadlo.pl, and in the Polish Playboy. Has published stories in the monthly Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror magazine, as well as in the first volume of the Antologii Wolsung. Lives for "middle cinema" and meaty entertainment, but he won't despise any experiment or Fast and Furious. In games, looks for a good story. Loves Baldur's Gate 2, but when he sees Unreal Tournament, Doom, or a good race game, the inner child wakes up. In love with sheds and thrash metal. Since 2012, has been playing and creating live action role-playing, both within the framework of the Bialystok Larp Club Zywia, and commercial ventures in the style of Witcher School.

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"Returning to the Roots". Blizzard Devs Talk Diablo 4

Diablo 4 is coming. We know the date, what it looks and feels like, but before the release, there’s still more aspects of the famous ARPG to uncover and discuss. That’s exactly what we did in this interview with the creators of the hack’n’slash behemoth.

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