7 Things Diablo III Did Right that Need to Return
Last Updated on September 21, 2019 by Michael Brockbank
Diablo has changed a great deal since the late 1990s. From a simple dungeon crawler to an ever-expanding landscape, there is a lot to the game that keeps me coming back for more. What do I see as being some of the better things Diablo III did right?
Actually, quite a bit. I know I’ll probably sound like a fan-boy…but that’s because I am. The story line grabbed me by the health globes from the very beginning.[template id=”145″] Just keep in mind that everyone’s opinions are just that…opinions. What I find to be the best features and what Diablo III did right, you might not.
All I ask is to keep an open mind.
What I Think Diablo III Did Right
There is a lot that I think Diablo III did right. I also think there are several things it did wrong, but that will be in a future post. Today, I’m just looking at the most important things Blizzard added or expanded to make the game more enjoyable to myself.
1. No Microtransactions
In a world where “games-as-a-service” runs rampant, it’s hard to find good titles that are not saturated by microtransactions. I don’t mind making a few bucks from a game, but not from something most of us will pay $80 for as a collector’s edition.
A big part of why I keep playing Diablo III season-after-season is to place on the leaderboards at least once. If you’re capable of buying the items you need, the leaderboard becomes useless for those who want to test their skills.
It’s the biggest reason why I don’t play pay-to-win games. It becomes more about how much money a person has rather than how good they are at actual strategy and game play.
But what about cosmetic items? Microtransactions for cosmetics really don’t bother me as much. In fact, it’s why I’ll still play League of Legends and Smite.
2. Immersive Single Player Story
Contrary to Blake Jorgensen of EA, millions of players love linear game play. Not everything has to wrap around PvP or battle royale modes. This is evidenced by how popular God of War was recently as well as other single-player titles.
In fact, most of the games I by and continue to play are those which do have the immersive single-player instance. Fallout, Subnautica, Diablo, Starcraft and many more fall in to that category for me.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I teared up at the end of Starcraft: Heart of the Swarm.
I think it’s just that EA doesn’t have anyone who can write a decent story. It’s jealousy caused by a lack of imagination. That, and greed is a powerful motivator to squeeze out every dime you can with as little work as possible.
3. Overhead View
One of the things that makes Diablo is the overhead view. Not everything needs to be in first-person. Besides, some of the abilities would be next to impossible if it were.
Then again, I was also skeptical of Fallout 3 when the view became first person. And it turned out to be one of my favorite games.
However, I still believe one of the things Diablo III did right was keeping the overhead view similar to past titles. If Diablo did implement a first-person view, it may look too similar to a medieval Doom game.
We already have demons in first person. Don’t ruin a good recipe by trying to fix something that isn’t broken.[template id=”505″]
4. Player-Specific Loot Tables
Who hasn’t played with someone who picked up every morsel of treasure that hits the floor? My ex-sister-in-law would do what we called, “ninja-looting.” It’s when she would collect things before anyone would even know they dropped.
In Diablo III, each player has his or her own loot table. So if someone opens a chest, everyone finds something.
This doesn’t affect wearing items like Boon of the Hoarder. If I killed 30 creatures in a single blast from Multishot while wearing Boon of the Hoarder, no other player sees the immense amount of gold that drops but me.
Another aspect of this is how classes all have their own set items, abilities, needs and requirements to build on.
This greatly reduces griefing by ninja-looting everything that hits the floor. And trust me, there are a lot of players out there who purposely go out of their way to do it.
5. Near Endless Ways to Play
One of the reasons why I keep playing Diablo III after six years is the way it’s structured overall. Each season, I try something new and build on a class or character set that makes the experience unique.
After the story is finished, you can move on to bounties and exploration or test your skills during challenge rifts. There is simply quite a bit to do if you don’t mind grinding out a new character.
Something else that Diablo III did right for me was implementing hardcore mode. It’s a true test of skill as you try not to die otherwise you lose the character forever.
Which means you need to play much smarter and quickly adapt your strategies.
I first cut my teeth on hardcore mode in Diablo II. Now, it’s one of the features I look for in any game such as this. In reality, I would play a hardcore EverQuest server if one was available.
Coincidentally, I’ve been playing hardcore Subnautica on Twitch lately.
6. Grinding to Find that “Perfect” Item
One of the things a lot of people don’t like about extended Diablo III play is the grind. You have to go through a lot of demons to find those perfect items.
However, it’s one of the things I feel Diablo III did right and hopefully will be persistent in the next chapter.
Let me explain. I am the type of player who relishes in earning rewards, not just getting them. Even in EverQuest back in the day, I’d rather work for my gear rather than someone just give it to me.
My friend and I get overly excited when we finally find a piece to an armor set we’re building…which often results in a sense of pride and accomplishment.
The elation that comes from achieving something after hard work is worth it, at least for me. It’s why I would camp a certain part of Antonica for nearly a week at a time, and it’s why I continue to dive into Diablo III.
7. Not PvP Focused
Not everything needs to have a battle royale mode. I remember the frustration of both Diablo and Diablo II when all I wanted to do was play with a few friends. Then, someone would walk in, slaughter everyone and collect their ears.
Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes it’s nice to be in a PvP game and face off against others. However, it doesn’t need to be the primary focus of an online game. Personally, I prefer co-ops to straight PvP.
For me, Diablo III did right by using an arena where players can face off. If you don’t want to fight someone, you’re not forced to do so.
Coincidentally, it’s another reason why I like EverQuest and EverQuest II. If you want PvP, you need to play on those servers. Otherwise, it’s more based on teamwork and co-op play.
Looking Forward to a New Game
Although it will probably be a few years before we actually see progress in the next Diablo title, I hope many of these aspects return. I’m not averse to change, but sometimes changes are not all that appealing.
And for the love of the High Heavens, do not add a battle royale mode. This isn’t Fortnite…
It’s Diablo![template id=”543″]
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