Diablo 4has finally arrived, and it brings with it a whole host of improvements that should become series staples. WhileDiablo 3was a fun game, it was lacking in many areas, including its overall aesthetic and skill trees. Fans were worried that Blizzard would repeat the same mistakes withDiablo 4, but the studio seems to have proven them wrong. It looks like it took every complaint to heart and delivered one of the most engaging ARPGs in years.
It is great thatDiablo 4was able to bring the franchise backto its roots, but perhaps its best feature comes in the form of its skill trees. Skill trees are a staple of the RPG genre, andDiablo 4’s version may be one of the best iterations of it in the franchise so far. It gives players a plethora of options to choose from so that they have the freedom to play however they want to, and that freedom will likely give the game some much-needed longevity.
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Diablo 4’s Skill Trees Offer Limitless Potential
Each class inDiablo 4features its own unique skill tree, and those skill trees are filled to the brim with upgrades to choose from. Players will earn a skill point every time they level up, and they will invest that point into one of the many skills. It is presented as a zigzag blood web, with each node featuring multiple offshoots that give players immense freedom in how they design their character. It has already led to some wildly powerful builds and will likely lead to even more as the years go by.
As players pour more points intoDiablo 4’s skill trees, they will unlock even more purchasable skills. They have to spend a certain amount to unlock an additional node, with each node costing a bit more than the last. The skills themselves all have specific categories attached to them, and each skill also features a range of upgrades to choose from. There are also numerous passive skills throughout this tree that help make players even more powerful.
Diablo 4’s skill trees are not that much different from other ones across the RPG genre, but they may be the most advancedDiabloskill tree yet.DiabloandDiablo 2’s skill treeswere pretty clunky by today’s standards, andDiablo 3’s skill trees felt a little bit too streamlined.Diablo 4seems to make it way more complicated, but that complexity is exactly what the franchise needed.
The sheer amount of skills thatDiablo 4players can choose from allows them to createall sorts of uniqueDiablobuilds, and players are already debating what skills are actually worth the price. What makes this feature even better is that players are not stuck with whatever skills they choose. Before level 15, players are able to switch their skills for free whenever they want. After level 15, players can reset their skills for a bit of gold. This lets them constantly mix-and-match skills, and many players will likely experiment with the feature for years to come.
This freedom and flexibility will keep players coming back for more. Maybe they saw a fun build on the internet that they want to try out,maybe Blizzard tweaked someDiabloskillsand they want to give them a go, or maybe they just got bored and want to try something fresh. Whatever the case may be, these skill trees should give the game tons of life. It is a much-needed change, especially for the endgame, and will hopefully carryover to everyfutureDiablotitle.
Diablo 4is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
