Blizzard has put out the latest Diablo IV developer livestream, and… well, to say it’s not been received well could be a complete understatement. Who really would have thought the Sins of the Horadrim update would have gotten all the players excited for this new season? Those replies down there, though, turned into a burning-ropes kind of massive roast. Nerfs, lack of innovation, suspect design philosophies on balance… You should know the Diablo community is NOT happy.
What, really, happened here? Upon announcement of all the new things coming in the next season, the players, soon after, spotted the ‘nerf’ patterns in their own words: so-many-nerfs. One player by the name of Taargkrizzt summed up the whole thing about perfectly: “You get a nerf, you get a nerf and you get a nerf – everybody gets a nerf!” And that would be the entire storyline for the rest of the livestream. Heavy hits were taken by Barbs and Sorcs, and they now ask why Blizzard seems so antsy to just strip everything down instead of, you know, actually making it fun.
The nerfs themselves were bad enough, but were also worth a mention in the boring-ness department. Andy Pmith dubbed it “one of the most boring developer livestreams of any game,” and others agreed with him. The biggest complaint, though, was whatever content they showed was recycled. Redkev1904 stated frankly, “somehow it feels like I’ve heard all this before.” Ouch! When your own players tell you that your updates feel like reruns, well… that’s not good.
Next up, the debate about microtransactions. Coffee1Kiwi’s tirade began with: “The only thing this company put effort in is their micro transactions.” And, honestly? A hell of a lot of people seemed to agree with him. Consequently, players are left with the impression Blizzard might care more about the cash shop than actually working on the game. Maybe considering all the ill will stirred up by this update, it’s probably a pretty dumb move.
The positive sentiment did arise. KaiserAcedia praised the changes, saying, “probably the most changes you ever did after a PTR.” Yet we all know that was almost the only silver lining to that heavy, gloomy outpouring of frustration. Most players simply want Diablo IV to feel new again, and at this point, well? It just isn’t.
Some are calling it quits already. Jeremy said, “Fck Diablo 4, maybe I’ll try again next season.” He’s not the only one, as others are talking about uninstalling or staying with Diablo II. When your community rather plays a 20-year-old game over your new one, there’s a problem that needs to confront.
So, what’s next? There definitely needs to be serious repairs done. A frustrated player base, updates feeling like they’ve aged and nerfs killing the last breath of fun are not the recipe for an active game anymore. If they don’t start cleaning their act now, Diablo IV could very well be bleeding out players till there are none left. With Path of Exile 2 coming up just around the corner? Yeah, this cannot be allowed to happen.
This leaves the Diablo IV community in limbo, hoping against hope that season two doesn’t make things worse. Because right now? Things look terrible.
