At the online-only BlizzCon 2021 event, Blizzard revealed new information aboutDiablo 4,the next mainline game in the loot-based ARPG seriesDiablo.Though its predecessorDiablo 3eventually transformed into a great game, this was not always the case, as it suffered from major launch and balancing issues. It appears that Blizzard is striving to avoid these issues inDiablo4,and has assured fans that the new mainline game will be a return to familiarity.
However, even thoughDiablo 3was turned around through its updates and DLCReaper of Souls,one of the biggest elements that theDiabloseries lacks is its endgame content. Compared to other loot-based ARPGs likePath of Exile,Diablogames rarely incentivize players to continue far into the endgame, and the balance between grinding and progression can be frustrating. WithDiablo 4currently in development, Blizzard should look to make a stronger endgame for their newest mainline title.
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Diablo 3’s Current Endgame
Launch problems aside,Diablo 3mostly accomplished what it set out to dofor the franchise. Changing the direction of the game may have been off-putting for some fans but, ultimately, made the game more accessible for newcomers. WhileDiablo 3at launch suffered from balance issues, a poorly implemented auction house, and bad drop rates, these mechanics were eventually changed and the game is in a good place as of theReaper of SoulsDLC. However, one of the biggest problems that remains for the franchise is the lack of endgame content and that remains true forDiablo 3.
As it stands, the majority of theendgame content inDiablo 3is repetitive, as players will take on more increasingly difficult rifts or bounties while slowly improving their gear. However, the problem is that there aren’t always defined goals for players, and it quickly becomes a huge grind as many of the upgrades aren’t guaranteed. Moreover, the scaling difficulty inDiablo 3feels more like a chore than a challenge at times because the character build progression rarely outscales the content itself.
On the other hand, games likePath of Exilehave defined endgame goalsand content for players to reach. Instead of repetitively doing the same content over and over again, there are mechanics to master and bottlenecks in the builds to overcome. However, once players have overcome these bottlenecks with their build or skill progression, the endgame content inPath of Exilecan be a lot less of a grind.
What Path of Exile Excels At
One of the key differences inPath of Exileis how it utilizes its leaguescompared toDiablo 3’sseasons. InDiablo 3,players are able to hunt for new items, attempt to reach the leaderboards, or engage in minor mechanic changes called season themes. While these offer some interesting changes, they are rarely substantial enough to warrant new runs each season.
On the other hand,Path of Exilefeatures challenge leagueswhich introduces new major mechanics for players to try and eventually become incorporated into the standard league in some way. Not only does this allowPath of Exileto create new endgame content on a consistent schedule, the number of new mechanics introduced to the standard league vastly outnumbersDiablo 3and allows players to choose the content they enjoy doing.
For example, the main component ofPath of Exile’sendgame comes from completing maps, which are areas where players kill mobs and bosses to gain loot in order to progress their builds. However, there are also a number of other alternatives introduced in previous leagues which allow players to continually progress their gear if they ever lose interest in mapping. The variety of endgame content ensures thatPath of Exilehas a solid endgame foundationwhile giving players the freedom to decide how they want to reach their goals.
WhilePath of Exileis naturally geared towards the hardcore audience and will inevitably offer a deeper endgame,Diablo 3often feels like a repetitive grindonce players are accustomed to rifts and bounties. There are rarely big enough changes to incentivize players to start a new run for the season, and much of the progression in the endgame content is limited to a few mechanics. The Paragon system introduced inDiablo 3helped with the lack of endgame content, but players are ultimately limited in the options they have to progress their Paragon levels.
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Endgame Content For Diablo 4
Of course, it’s unreasonable to expect thatDiablo 4will mirrorPath of Exilein terms of endgame content. After all, the target audience for both games are quite different, andPath of Exileoffers more build variety simply due to its massive skill tree. At the same time, though,theDiabloseries lacks options for endgame contentand there are no incentives for players to return each season. Instead, players will often leave the game months at a time simply because there isn’t enough new content to explore. Blizzard should look toPath of Exileas an example of how to do seasonal challenges better.
While it’s unlikely thatDiablo 4will introduce new major mechanics every season, there should at least be more options for players to progress their builds other than rifts and levelling gems. Introducing new seasonal events that allow players to progress their characters, or even adding more depth to builds will give hardcore players more goals to achieve. For example, sinceDiablo 3has almost infinite scaling difficulty, ineffective builds will eventually become a source of frustration leading to a set number of meta builds that progress the most difficult content.
Diablo 4might not be released anytime soonbut it’s important that Blizzard add more diverse endgame content for the series. TheDiablofranchise excels at gameplay and the multiplayer experience, which is a large part of why it has become the face of the ARPG genre. However, the endgame content pales in comparison, and for many players, the seasonal changes rarely offer enough content to give a different experience.
It’s inevitable that the endgame in loot-based ARPGs become a grind but there are ways to mitigate that issue and give it more variety. For this reason,Diablo 4should take inspiration fromPath of Exile’sendgamecontent to look at how build variety and diverse seasonal challenges can help make progression more interesting for players.
