Diablo 4 executive producer found the traditional battle passes „antiquated” and sees some room for improvement
Diablo 4 may refresh battle passes in the future, as these are expected to be „antiquated.” Rod Fergusson also talks about „extravagant” cosmetic elements.
Diablo 4, as befits a proper game-as-a-service, regularly receives new seasonal battle passes containing various digital goods for players. However, the general director of the series suggests that this element will soon undergo significant changes and become less "antiquated." The same awaits cosmetic items that are supposed to be more "flamboyant."
Antiquated battle pass
The seventh season of Diablo 4 is currently underway, and just like the previous ones, it offers a fairly standard, linear experience in terms of leveling up in battle passes. Rod Fergusson was recently a guest of journalist Stephen Totilo and his project Game File. In the interview, he conveyed that the team plans to introduce several "interesting" changes.
We do think battle passes are probably an antiquated system now. There are different ways to gamify and to give the players more agency. So I think what I would say is, watch this space for us. I think we're going to be introducing some interesting things.
Fergusson praised the system that players used in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 on this occasion. It enabled planning a personal route through rewards, allowing the players to select which ones to claim first, rather than progressing sequentially through 100 levels. It's not excluded that something similar may appear in Diablo 4 in the future.
"Flamboyant" cosmetics
Another key aspect of games-as-a-service is cosmetic items, and Blizzard intends to make some changes in this area as well. At present, they are "grounded," aligned with the aesthetic of Diablo 4, but Fergusson hopes to introduce a bit more "flamboyant" and crossovers to the game in the future.
Diablo 4 might follow the same path as Call of Duty or Fortnite, and in the future, we'll encounter players on the battlefield dressed as cartoon characters. I suspect that the community might not receive such a novelty well, so Blizzard may want to exercise some restraint in this matter. On the other hand, if it would ensure a greater influx of cash, the company would most likely not hesitate to take such a step.
Update 2.1.3 is already here
It's worth mentioning that the 2.1.3 update has already arrived on the Diablo IV servers. It primarily focuses on buffing several characters. Besides, a bug that Necromancers have been struggling with for a long time has been fixed.
Diablo 4 along with the Vessel of Hatred expansion is available on PC, PS4, PS5, XOne, and XSX/S. The basic version of the game can also be checked as part of the Game Pass subscription.
- Necromancers in Diablo 4 will return to favor. Patch 2.1.2 fixes annoying bug in season 7
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