Diablo 4: 10 Huge Things It Must Fix From 3

The Diablo franchise has been one of Blizzard’s most iconic creations. Each edition of the dark-themed hack-and-slash dungeon exploration game has shattered sales records and has earned great distinctions. The original was one of the most popular games of its time, and was a pioneer in online multiplayer gaming. Its successor, Diablo II, featured improved graphics, better character mechanics, a longer and more in-depth storyline, and considerable replayability.

Then, there’s Diablo III. What should’ve been an absolutely epic game was met with widespread criticism over a myriad of factors. It should’ve been better than Diablo II in every respect. Instead, it had people either booting up D2 instead, or simply turning away from the franchise altogether.

Thankfully, Diablo made many crucial changes with the Reaper of Souls expansion that had many people thinking that this wasn’t so much as an add-on per se, but a completely different game. That said, RoS does feature many of the same elements as the original Diablo III, and many of them are what make the game - in some respects - still inferior to Diablo II.

Blizzard, being Blizzard, will eventually release another game in this franchise. When they do, it will need to have certain features that made the franchise famous in a positive way, and none of what painted Diablo III as such a laughing stock amongst longtime fans. 

This is a great example of Blizzard removing players’ freedom to experiment in the game.

In Diablo III, Blizzard removed stat requirements for items, except for level requirements. While this made sense on a practical level, it completely did away with the importance of Strength and Dexterity attributes. Now characters only needed Vitality and their primary attribute, with the other two being considered useless for those classes.

In the game’s predecessors every attribute mattered, which added many layers to both gameplay and preparation. Having these stat restrictions was part of the fun; it taught players the importance of careful planning and decision-making.

Furthermore, in Diablo I and II players had the freedom to have their characters use any item they wanted, even if it looked silly (e.g. a Necromancer wielding a great sword, a Paladin with a bow & arrow, etc.). Diablo III puts restrictions on several items, including ones that aren’t even class-specific, robbing players of the ability to make truly unique characters and just have fun doing whatever they want in the game.

Thus Diablo IV should go back to the old system where weapons and armour have realistic requirements, whilst retaining the plethora of magical bonuses and unique item abilities found in Diablo III.