Diablo IV

so was Diablo!

So, any opinions on the game as it has launched? I still have doubts whether it's worth my money, and $70 seems like a bit much.

To paraphrase Skillup, whatever one might think of the microtransactions and battlepass, the game has a campaign that'll run you about 20 hours on the first playthrough, probably more. And a ton of side content. It's fun, not flawless. Doing everything across all characters you'd be looking at maybe 500h of play? So like, it's not like the game's short on content. Heck you'd be hard pressed to find a modern AAA games that has that much game TO play in it.

It's definitely fun, does some stuff very well, some stuff less so. Guess the question is "How do you feel about more Diablo"

I will say if one wants to wait until july to see how the battlepass nonsense changes the equation, that's valid.

Edited by Ghilz on Jun 6th 2023 at 11:42:35 AM

I merely hope this won't be just a similar amount of content to the previous two games but with better graphics, because this game cost as much as the previous two games combined.

A funny declaration - Sanctuary is a normal(ish) planet.

The existence of the High Heavens and the Burning Hells did make me kinda wonder if Sanctuary's astrological dimensions were kinda funky

Hrrrmr, one thing I just noticed is you can't go back and re-fight the story bosses. Except Lilith coz the game specifically tells you that's a thing. But the other bosses dont seem to respawn at all, which is a disappointing thing considering the franchise' tradition for boss rushes.

I mean boss rushing did already become completely redundant with D3, because now everything drops the same stuff.

Yeah but also some of them are really fun to fight.

Anyways I just got DIV, but I get this distinct impression of this game being just WOW again but isometric and Darker and Edgier. Does it get better from your experience?

Dunno I dont hate it so it can't be WOW.

Here's the list of my first impressions:

Positive:

• The art is great. Originally was kind of skeptical towards trying so hard to be dark, but I got used to it.
• The monsters are actually dangerous on base difficulty.
• Stats actually mean something now.
• The story is mildly interesting as of now.
• Lorath is infinitely better than his previous self.
• There appears to be a lot of good build variety, with a system that seems to balance the 2nd and 3rd games' skill mechanics very well.

Negative:

• The open-world nature of the game throws me off a bit, and takes away from the streamlined storytelling I liked about the first three games.
• There appears to be a higher focus on multiplayer and account aspects of the game, which were never really my favorite thing, and I don't see much appeal in it, especially if this is what most of the endgame content will rely on.
• The soundrack isn't much of an upgrade from the 3rd game, the most memorable track is still the reprise of the Tristram theme, and even then its inclusion feels a bit pointless

Overall, feeling a bit skeptical.

negative,where Diablo

Edited by Ultimatum on Jun 7th 2023 at 11:36:58 AM

double negative: where Paladin?

Also, is the Cathedral of Light and Zakarum the same thing? there doesn't seem to be much information regarding it in what I have played so far.

Edited by AoeAbility on Jun 7th 2023 at 4:04:25 AM

No they arent. The Cathedral of Light are followers of Inarius. Worship him as creator and savior of Sanctuary. That part's rather plainly explained. Big on burning people at the stake. Completely blind to Inarius' many character flaws.

Zakarum (remnants of which you can meet later) worshipped more generic light and goodness. Crystal Dragon Jesus Fantasy Christianity stuff. We're never given a lot about what they worship other than cooperation and dont be a jerk from that one preacher in Halezar

I feel that's giving a lot of credit to something that isn't there?

Diablo 1's plot is almost entirely backstory, given either in the manual or in books you may or may not stumble upon coz they dont always spawn. The game's actual plot is "Diablo down there. Get to level 16 and fuck him up"

Diablo 2's plot is a bit more, but most of it is about another guy following Diablo. Which basically is the replacement from the dungeon exposition books in D1 and serve to tell you what the villain is doing. The game's plot is "He went there, go get him" only to find that he's ahead of you again because Diablo protagonists are terminally late.

Diablo 3 is the only I'd say has a streamlined storytelling with characters and events the player is more directly involved in instead of playing catchup to a moving target.

Edited by Ghilz on Jun 7th 2023 at 4:49:21 AM

Also is it just me or is that Tristram flashback when you meet the Bloodied Hound kind of out of the left field? Certainly felt that way to me.

Yup. Also makes little sense when you find out who he is why he'd show you a thing he never was around to see. The game tries to handwave it later. It's weak.

Yep. At least there's still Kehjistan. And a dockside in the bottom left corner of the map. Am I connecting the dots correctly? If so, heck yes, Flayer Hell! If not, I will be kinda pissed.

Edited by AoeAbility on Jun 7th 2023 at 5:03:15 AM

The takeaway here is that if an angel's name ends with "-ius" then he is a colossal asshole.

Tbf there are only two Angels with names like that. There’s also Malthael and Izual, though “colossal asshole” is an understatement in their case.

Still a 100% rate of asshole angel whose ends with ius.

Dont forget Urzael

I saw people wanting Lucion in the game despite you know being erased from existence from the Sin War trilogy.

Edited by fateslay56 on Jun 8th 2023 at 10:16:58 AM

Soooo

The servers crashed today. Killing all the logged in Hardcore mode characters.

The game is apparently designed in such it treats disconnects as an attempt to cheese and avoid death.

Happened yesterday too, among the victims was the game's first level 100 hardcore mode character.

https://www.shacknews.com/article/135816/diablo-4-first-hardcore-100-player-loses-character

Always Online requirements are so fun.

So dont play hardcore mode.

Edited by Ghilz on Jun 8th 2023 at 1:57:43 AM

> Killing all the logged in Hardcore mode characters.

I felt a terrible disturbance in the force as though millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happned.

Blizzard's marketing department is amazing!

Wanna know something fun?

The servers didn't crash. Blizzard took them down without warning because an issue was preventing people from using the cash shop.