We have just received the quarterly developer update for the latest Diablo installment that is in the works. No, we are not counting the heresy that is Diablo Immortal. Let's see what the devs have to show us on the upcoming Diablo IV.
After the disastrous launch of Warcraft III: Reforged, fans were eager for some good news. After months of relative silence from the Diablo development team, we got an entirely new blog section. The Diablo IV quarterly update aims to provide detailed information on the game's progress from many different aspects of its development. Let's see what the devs have for us this time.
User Interface
Diablo IV Lead UI Designer Angela del Piore had some nice UI tidbits to show us. For one, we got to see the character window and she also confirmed that people will be able to re-bind their left-click, something we've wanted for a while. Here is how a Barbarian looks so far:
And immediately, this image shows a glaring problem. If you take a closer look at the stats, you only have, what, three different statistics? There is nothing wrong with Attack, Defense and Life, but it's simply not the level of sophistication we are used to in Action RPG games. Stats management is an integral part of the genre and long-time Diablo players will be less than pleased to find that their stats have been dumbed down. Less is not always more. Sometimes, it is... well, less.
Let's take a look at Diablo's competition. There are quite a few of Action RPG titles that are more than willing to take in any disappointed Diablo fan. From the long-standing favorite Path of Exile to controversial newcomers such as Wolcen, the competition is quite fierce. The level of variety in builds, stats, and skills has been a key feature in PoE from the get-go:
Before you get your pitchforks out, though, keep in mind that this is a work in progress. There is a small likelihood that the devs might add more sophistication as they work on the game, so don't count your chickens until they've launched.
Besides, there is some good news, too. It appears that Angela del Piore and her team are doing some good controller optimization in parallel with classic mouse-and-keyboard mode. This will mean that users who play with a controller and fans of Couch Co-op will have the optimization they need to enjoy Diablo IV as much as everyone else.
Monster families: Cannibals and more
One big change the devs announced back at BlizzCon was in the bestiary. Monsters now come in specific types called "families", divided further into archetypes such as bruiser, ranged, melee, etc. Countering each monster family will require specific tactics. Diablo IV Senior Encounter Designer Candice Thomas also assures us that they have done a robust job in re-designing many monsters while still keeping old favorites:
Every monster has been reimagined, but in a darker, more gritty art style. We have lovingly handcrafted every creature you’ll encounter from the ground up: that includes demons, NPCs, Act Bosses, and even the skittering critters you can crush underfoot. Though we still pay tribute to some hallmark gameplay—such as Fallen Shamans resurrecting other Fallen—we have completely reimagined things in other places.
The focus of this Quarterly Update was the Cannibal monster family. The flesh-eating savages appear to be melee-only but will possess unnatural swiftness. Expect a lot of pounces and area-of-effect melee sweeps from them.
Thomas also mentioned other families such as the Drowned and the Cultists. We've seen Cultists in Diablo before, but the Drowned appear to be a new breed of undead, which is a nice touch.
This type of variety is a good addition to Diablo IV. While we cannot yet see what they really do, if the encounter team is being so thorough with monster and boss encounters, we will at least get some interesting fights on the way.
Words left unspoken
While Blizzard has definitely stepped it up with this quarterly update, it also leaves out some important questions. For example, we don't know if Diablo IV will feature any in-game purchases or other such monetization models. Infamously, Diablo III's real-currency item store was such a monumental failure that they had to take it down. For Diablo IV, we can only speculate. The cleanest approach would be something similar to Heroes of the Storm, monetization for cosmetic purposes only, but for now, we can only speculate.
Who is this game for?
This is probably the most important question we need answered. After so much disappointment with recent Blizzard releases, fans are wary of preordering a game that might end up not the gem that Diablo II was. However, old-time Diablo fans might not be the target audience for Diablo IV at all.
As with Diablo Immortal, this title might be for the eastern market, and if it is, we might end up with something only marginally Diablo-like. The quarterly update reveals content that is a lot grimmer than their previous tone with Diablo III, which is a return to the style of previous games, and a good sign for us lovers of Diablo I and II. Hopefully, with this new blog format, we'll learn sooner rather than later.
