Tag Archives: Mechanics

“Diablo IV” Beta Review: Having It Both Ways

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Lilith holding Diablo’s skull next to the Diablo IV logo

The recent free “server slam” weekend was an excellent chance to experience a late beta version of the upcoming Diablo IV. After my Path of Exile foray, I wanted to see Blizzard’s forthcoming offering and how it compared.

Action Role Playing Games (ARPGs), a genre that the first Diablo practically founded, has come to be dominated by live service, “forever games” aimed at hardcore players. The story, characters, and world-building take a back seat to optimising character progression and end-game power, like in Diablo III and Path of Exile.

Diablo IV aims to put the “role playing game” back into “action role playing game”. It delivers Blizzard-standard fantastic cut scenes. It promises a long campaign with biblical, mysterious, dangerous antagonists and prophetic dread. Those wanting immersion in atmospheric and sometimes squeamish gothic horror will not be disappointed. Memorable and relatable characters are back. Saving the world (again) gets old. Saving someone you care about means more.

The success of Diablo IV will likely depend on how you measure it. The buzz created by a large existing player base, previous goodwill, social media-friendly cut scenes and copious beta programs will likely ensure significant initial sales. 

However, Diablo IV‘s longevity and long-term player counts depend on appealing to the hardcore crowd. Those focused on the story will play through the campaign and then move on, perhaps revisiting occasionally. MAU (Monthly Active User) or DAU (Daily Active User) targets require people to keep playing (and paying). 

Thankfully, Blizzard is trying to create a game that appeals to both story-driven casual and optimisation-driven hardcore audiences. The server slam demonstrated the appeal to the former. Unfortunately, the server slam’s level 20 cap makes judging late-game content, important to hardcore players, harder. 

The potential is there. Diablo IV promises a huge paragon progression path after level 100 and seasons. Adventure mode allows players who have completed the campaign to bypass cut scenes and the main quest line for new characters.

However, Blizzard also needs to get the basics right. Many have written about Diablo IV‘s uneven class balance. Sorcerors were considered overpowered, barbarians underpowered, and necromancer pets were both at different times. 

The classes shown in the server slam are unlikely to be their final versions. Balance adjustments will continue before and after the release. However, resource limitations and risk prevent the designers from changing much before the June release date.

Many other design changes since Diablo III are both good and bad. For example, automatic enemy scaling always ensures an appropriate challenge. This auto-scaling means players can advance through the content at their own pace. Yet, not having the opportunity to be over- or under-powered can reduce the feeling of achievement or challenge.

Diablo IV procedurally generates dungeons like most ARPGs, but the above-ground world is fixed. This decision allows incidental player interactions, whether cooperative, social or PvP, instead of just at hubs. However, these interactions may not be always welcome.

The designers then leveraged this fixed, open world to facilitate and reward exploration. They hid temporary events or dungeons in corners. The reputation mechanic rewards focusing on particular zones. This decision, at odds with recent ARPGs, appeals to the less mechanically-focused players. However, it forces mechanics-oriented players or speed runners to waste valuable time.

Some design decisions make mechanical sense but threaten to break immersion. Limiting healing potions to four helps the designers balance fights. It simplifies healing and inventory management for newer players. However, boss fights broadcasting when they will drop potions on their health bar seemed too convenient. Non-boss creatures dropped health potions like rain, too, which seemed excessive.   

What I enjoyed most during the server slam were the little things. Revisiting Tristram, hearing its spine-tingling motif and being chased by the Butcher reminded me of the best bits of early Diablo games. The reveal of Inarius after ascending the long, ivory-coloured staircase was wonderful. I loved Sanctuary’s (literal and metaphorical) cold and unforgiving nature. 

That probably puts me in the more story-driven audience, focused on the lore and the world. Diablo IV may not be a “forever game” for me. Diablo III‘s early focus on the auction house and repetition put me off. However, the server slam made me impatient to see Diablo IV‘s story unfold. I hope Blizzard realises the game’s potential for both audiences, not just me.

“Path of Exile” Review: An Optimization Challenge

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Path of Exile is an action role playing game and a proud Diablo II clone. At almost ten years old, Path of Exile has ballooned from its original three acts. It now groans under the weight of ten acts, different game modes, seasons and crafting. It is “free to play” but, thankfully, not “pay to win”. 

Path of Exile is not the typical game type I play or review. I prefer role playing or adventure games with dialog, characters, settings and stories that I can analyse and deconstruct. However, as an old-time Diablo player and with Diablo IV on the horizon, it was time to hark back to a genre that I sank many hours into years ago.

For those unfamiliar with the Diablo formula, Path of Exile‘s setting is a magical fantasy world consisting of connected, randomly-generated maps. You control a single character’s movements and abilities via a fixed, isometric camera. You kill monsters and upgrade gear, occasionally levelling up, allowing you to defeat more powerful monsters and equip better gear. You play online to mitigate cheating and allow optional interactions with other players.

Path of Exile follows not just the Diablo formula but its style. Few games will match that haunting musical motif and unmistakable gothic vibes from the town of Tristam back in Diablo I. However, Path of Exile comes close, whether it be the claustrophobic shadows revealing maze-like passages or the pseudo-Christian iconography.

That said, Path of Exile is also distinct from Diablo. Different upgrade items are used as currency instead of gold. Potions refill with damage dealt instead of being consumed on use. Abilities, represented as gems socketed in items, can be easily swapped out. The number, type and connections for item gem sockets are almost as significant as the item’s various enhancements and bonuses.

I initially approached Path of Exile as I would an RPG. I took my time to explore each randomly generated map, making sure I missed nothing. I collected and sold all the dropped gear. I spoke to each NPC and absorbed the lore. I often spent too long in lower-level areas, trying to ensure I could handle whatever the game threw at me next. 

However, there are better ways to approach Path of Exile. Like most RPGs, many will say Path of Exile is a power fantasy about defeating endless swarms of creatures while saving the world. That is only superficially true. Death is a temporary setback outside hardcode mode, respawning you a short distance away without losing life or equipment. Quests are few, and bosses serve only to gate progression. The names of NPCs and the various opponents matter little. Most gear dropped is trash. 

Instead, Path of Exile is closer to a factory game like Satisfactory or Factorio. You construct a factory (your character) to convert raw materials (gear, abilities and skills) into increasingly complex processed goods (better damage and survivability). In both game types, players are motivated by speed and efficiency and enjoy tinkering with new tactics to eke out increasingly small improvements.

The only actual failure state in Path of Exile is a character that cannot progress due to poor skill and gear choices. While you can refund some individual skills purchased via level-ups or some quest rewards, the designers intentionally made rebuilding difficult, if not impossible. Perhaps better factory game analogies are those less forgiving of early mistakes, like Frostpunk or Ixiom.

Path of Exile also suffers from many of Diablo‘s inherent problems. Items are randomly generated and dropped liberally, often filling the screen with useless gear. Creatures, spell effects, and darkness can devolve fights into indistinguishable chaos, making important details hard to discern. The game does not explain its mechanics, relying on experimentation or third-party guides. Its randomly generated maps provide some exploration opportunities but do not increase replayability.

Path of Exile also often introduces side content in the early or midgame, like Delves or Heists. This timing means players can only progress through them a little, and their rewards are unclear. It sometimes requires metagame thinking to distinguish them from the main quest.

These problems make Path of Exile challenging for new players. For example, the passive skill tree and the number of interacting mechanics are meme-worthily huge. The choices can paralyse novice players. Creating an underpowered character whose progression grinds to a halt midgame is easy.

However, that challenge is just the way that hardcore players like it. Path of Exile is a game unapologetically designed for players that enjoy creating new characters, spending ever-decreasing hours to speed them through the game and test them against the end-game challenges. The designers aimed at those who enjoy spending hours farming rare drops to find that minor upgrade.

You can still play Path of Exile as a power fantasy, at least until the last few acts, and it is worth the price, considering it is free. The game can be fun for a quick, meditative play session or longer, such as when starting a new character. 

However, Path of Exile is due for an overhaul. Its systems need streamlining, and its plot is straining under the weight of numerous expansions. Path of Exile II, currently in development, will likely address these.