Even if Diablo 4 had hiccups, its long-term success will hinge on how Blizzard reacts to one of its most treasured series of games. If players see that the company is as quick to abandon the next game to a similar state as Diablo 3 , no number of interesting features will mat

This may sound radically different from what Diablo has had in the past, but there is reason to consider the possibility. Diablo 3 has suffered for years with the problem of creating engaging endgame content to keep players around for the long term. The ability to find Legendary gear is now trivial, and players are bombarded with drops, especially as higher levels of Torment are added with their increased drop rate multipliers.

In sum, the intent in Diablo 3 was to provide players with a safe, legitimate way to exchange in-game currency or real money for items, rather than continue to see players use unsecured, third-party websites. In that sense, the project was a success, but the Auction House also had the unintended effect of becoming the most efficient way to increase a character’s overall power level, rather than actually playing the game.

The lore for Diablo has had significantly more time to be developed than Path of Exiles has. While not typically a focal point for dungeon crawlers, Diablo has both a satisfying combat loop and amazing worldbuilding. All of this helps create memorable campaigns and experiences that very few games can replic

The intention of the Auction House in Diablo 3 was positive in its inception, but its implementation was flawed and problematic. With careful planning, a second iteration could be a hit in the game - but only time will tell if Blizzard ventures into a second attempt, or if the failure of the first Auction House was simply too harsh to ever consider trying again.

Removing the option for real money purchases should be obvious, as that is far too close to pay-to-win and would feel too similar to the misstep of Ghost Recon: Breakpoint . Integrating an Auction House into the next Diablo game should instead use only in-game currency -and what's more, it's time to move beyond gold as the only currency.

On the upside, we were treated to a preview of the upcoming Arsenal System in Diablo 4 , which for the Barbarian class allows for the simultaneous equipping of up to four weapons, which is a great way to receive the bonuses from other legendary items. While there is no word on how other classes will be balanced for this, there must be something in mind to maintain some type of class homogenizat

It was made clear during this past BlizzCon that the mechanics of creating class Broken Builds in Diablo 4 will be heavily inspired by Diablo 2. This means that there should be a heavy emphasis on skill trees with runes and should focus on making distinct, complex choices matter when constructing a class. The worst thing that Blizzard could do is replicate the simplistic and unpopular skill selection of Diabl

Path of Exile currently has a weak PvP offering, only allowing players in certain arenas to fight each other for no gain. In Diablo 4 , meanwhile, players can encounter other hostile players in certain curated locations in the world, allowing for tense and engaging areas that would otherwise not be possible. The lack of balance of skills in PoE makes the PvP offering less appealing than what Blizzard is offer

Without a doubt, one of the biggest criticisms of Diablo 3 was its environmental design and a decision to move away from a dark atmosphere. We already know that design will shift backwards to this darker, gritter style, and the gameplay we saw reinforced this style of environment design completely, with one outdoor area looking as gloomy as a dank c

Bioware's Dragon Age series is set over three games, each focusing on individual storylines that interlink in the universe's grand design. The first game, Dragon Age: Origins , was released in 2009, winning Game of the Year and several Best Roleplaying awards. Dragon Age 2 followed in 2011, which was well-received by critics but less so by players. The latest installment, Dragon Age: Inquisition , was released in 2014 and also won several Game of the Year awa

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this disaster however, is that Blizzard actually made a video to announce a new Diablo game , but did not want to reveal it at the event. Although it is a head-scratching decision, at least fans can find solace in the fact that Diablo 4 is definitely happening, even if Blizzard does not yet feel comfortable announcing the much-wanted main Diablo seq

Elden Ring , from Dark Souls developer FromSoftware , has been made in collaboration with George R.R. Martin, who has written the lore for the world for the game's setting. In contrast, Diablo 4 takes place in the established worlds of the Diablo series. While both games will make use of a variety of dark fantasy tropes, they will have vastly different gameplay styles and mechanics, meaning that those who can't wait to play them have a variety of different games that might appeal to them while they w