Diablo: IV First Impressions. From a casual ARPG enjoyer.

Sanctuary

Diablo: Immortal this is not.

Praise Mother Lilith, Blizzard didn’t screw this up(at least at launch). Cosmetic only cash shop(and battle pass), no auction house, no Error 37, no BS. Just the straight up ARPG-ness of Diablo, but more….MUCH more.

I’m really surprised how well this launch has gone. Very minimal issues performance or connection wise. Solid as all hell and i’m really enjoying everything so far. Going to split this up into sections highlighting the different aspects of the game.

Beautiful Disaster

Visually, Diablo: IV is a treat. Blizzard stripping away the bright colorful aesthetic of Diablo 3 and going FULL GOTHIC mode. The first cutscene sets the tone really quick that everything is not ok in the world of Sanctuary. Cold, dark, disgusting, red. Just how I like it.

I didn’t mind D3’s visual style, it was my first Diablo. So i hold it in higher regard than the many D2 fans out there. But this is a real step up from that in every way, all while barely taxing the PC, even running smooth on Steam Deck! No matter the density of the enemies you encounter, this game runs so damn well. Which is a stark contrast to the piss poor PC ports we’ve had this year. Maybe signs of the ol’ PC Blizzard after all.

Yo Dawg I Heard You Like Content

I barely hit level 20. Just explored the Fractured Peaks, almost where the beta ended. The switch to full open world Diablo has been overwhelming. But not in a bad way, i liked D3’s procedually generated map mixed in with curated hub areas, but this is a full blown curated mammoth of a map with over 100 procedurally generated dungeons, SIX Acts and a fully formed endgame to look forward to WITH PVP, and then doing it all again with 4 more classes? Jeezus.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of this monster.

Demon Mama

The story so far has been really strong, the tone is definitely darker, but really disturbingly dark at times. Lilith’s stronghold over the people of Sanctuary has led them to madness, killing those they love for the chance at higher power. A mother consumed with darkness, ignoring the pleas of her own daughter to subdue the urges of Lilith’s embrace. Only to lash out violently towards her, and you for even daring to come close. Really good stuff here, Lilith is a fantastic villain so far, can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

Over Nine Thousand

I could go into depth about the changes D4 has done in comparison to D3 but honestly, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But to put it short, I like the changes, but the one thing that stands out that i don’t quite like: Level Scaling.

Most RPG’s i’m used to, you can feel the immediate power shift after leveling a few times or picking up that legendary item. You get that momentary badass feeling. Not so much here i feel. Now that your level scales with you everywhere you go, you never feel overpowered in earlier areas. While it’s nice to have challenge when you backtrack, you still don’t get that sensation of power that you would get in something like, say, Borderlands after getting a gun that is massively overpowered. Might be a nit pick, but early game wolves being as powerful as gargantuan demons, is a tad odd to me.

Take Me Home

Right now, Diablo IV is great. Down the line, it may even be amazing. The live service model suits an ARPG like this, constantly getting new stuff down the line, all of it free. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. It could change in an instant if ol’ Bobby Kotick feels it ain’t making enough money and Blizzard could shove microtransaction garbage down our throats. But as of launch…