Beta signup Diablo 4

[Nymrohd]

The environment, music and general atmosphere is just exceptional. Both the world and the dungeons I saw were top notch. Very much a successor to Diablo 2 in that way.
Played a melee rogue, largely enjoyed it. Plays fast, very responsive.
Not really impressed with the actual mobs. First off, not that impressive visually. The variety is mediocre, they seem very randomly mixed and I cannot say any of the abilities looked impressive. Dungeon end bosses seemed to have some tactics but everything else was just attacking. Maybe it is that it is an early act/low levels and some abilities are off to keep difficulty low? That said, plenty of new monsters (vampires in Diablo feel weird to me)
Very much missing the constant journal entries from D3. They really helped with world building. Found very few in D4. The world is so detailed visually I wish we got more lore.

As for the story, it is appropriately dark. Lilith definitely has a chance to be a more compelling villain than anyone in D3. Still the story itself does feel generic.

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The way dungeons are intergraded into D4 is better than in Diablo Immortal. However, I prefer Immortal's dungeons that feel more "MMOish" than the ones in D4. Immortal's dungeons seem more spectacular and have a touch more mechanical depth to them than D4. In D4 the dungeons just feel like a few 4-6 minute runs like you're just going through the maggot lair looking for the exit.

I am hoping part of this is that we are playing at low level and world tier and that the boss mobs at least will have deeper tactics. The random mix of mobs though isn't helping. No idea why an abandoned keep was conquered simultaneously by werewolves, bandits, arsonists, ghouls and vampires (still not sure if they are meant to be vampires but the sillhouette gives Nosferatu)

[StillMcfuu]

Got to play for a few hours. Level 18 Rogue currently, playing a melee playstyle. It's been pretty great so far, found a couple of leggos, but only 1 has been a game changer. There is a pretty neat craft system hidden under there as well.

[Mamut]

I started as rogue melle but in one of the dungeons I got crushed by last boss. So I respecced to bow build and killed him easily. Now I mixed bow with melee and feels kinda good to play.

I wanna ask tho did you guys entered Menestad? I have quest here but when I try to enter I see invisible wall, my character just run in place and everything gets blurred near me. I don't know if its bug or just location locked due beta thing.

[Fencers]

They ought to copy the Immortal's Crusader melee tanking mechanics for the Barbarian. The way it is right now, you lack early movement and the attack delay on your bigger hits doesn't make up for the damage you take in melee. There is no real pay off to it for a long time. Even your warcries are don't scale with the fury/damage ratio.

Flip the placement of Lunge and Rend. Reduce the Fury cost of Double Swing, with the second hit having the same frame as the first. 12/s CD on Ground Stomp. So you can build fury more consistently relative to the damage intake.

[Kumorii]

I started as rogue melle but in one of the dungeons I got crushed by last boss. So I respecced to bow build and killed him easily. Now I mixed bow with melee and feels kinda good to play.

I wanna ask tho did you guys entered Menestad? I have quest here but when I try to enter I see invisible wall, my character just run in place and everything gets blurred near me. I don't know if its bug or just location locked due beta thing.

Menestad should be accessible. Could be phasing or progress locked?
I've been to that town though and done some side quests.

[Fencers]

Yeah, honestly. Immortal does dungeons way better. They feel more like set-piece content and less like the random little cave you found in the field. The ability to queue and join parties and run dungeons in Immortal is a lot slicker too.

I think calling these "dungeons" is a bit misleading.

[MakeMeLaugh]

Is it just me or are the Wizard spells effects kinda bland? Wondering if it's just because it's beta or that's how it's gonna stay.

[Iliena]

The environment, music and general atmosphere is just exceptional. Both the world and the dungeons I saw were top notch. Very much a successor to Diablo 2 in that way. Played a melee rogue, largely enjoyed it. Plays fast, very responsive.
Not really impressed with the actual mobs. First off, not that impressive visually. The variety is mediocre, they seem very randomly mixed and I cannot say any of the abilities looked impressive. Dungeon end bosses seemed to have some tactics but everything else was just attacking. Maybe it is that it is an early act/low levels and some abilities are off to keep difficulty low? That said, plenty of new monsters (vampires in Diablo feel weird to me)
Very much missing the constant journal entries from D3. They really helped with world building. Found very few in D4. The world is so detailed visually I wish we got more lore.

Yep also getting a very strong D2 vibe, I'm really enjoying the combat it feels impactful on Sorcerer, hopefully they fill out the lore in later acts.

[Fencers]

Is it just me or are the Wizard spells effects kinda bland? Wondering if it's just because it's beta or that's how it's gonna stay.

A lot of things are more muted this go-around.

[MakeMeLaugh]

A lot of things are more muted this go-around.

But is it because it's beta or that's kinda like final? I mean, even D2R has better effects to be honest. Wonder if other classes are like this as well, haven't tested them yet.

[Fencers]

But is it because it's beta or that's kinda like final? I mean, even D2R has better effects to be honest. Wonder if other classes are like this as well, haven't tested them yet.

I think it is final. There might be some minor effects here and there or polishing. But I doubt they are making a bunch of new spell effects.

The game is less flashy than other Diablo games. I don't think D2R is flashier than this- it's more cartoony.

[Gaidax]

Is it just me or are the Wizard spells effects kinda bland? Wondering if it's just because it's beta or that's how it's gonna stay.

I do think so too, remember Diablo 2 Lightning spells, yes the ones from 2000? You shot a fucking kamehameha out of your hands there and when chain lightning started going brrr it was glorious.

And here Chain Lightning is just some flimsy little electricity line.

I don't understand it.

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Other than that - game's good. They just need to not fuck it up with their legendary GREED, make sure endgame content is on point and of course eliminate all the rubber banding, instances and errors crap - and it will go well.

[Fencers]

Every aspect of the shared world, dungeons, and social interaction I think is done better in Immortal.

All these dungeons and world events are lackluster.

[vizzle]

But is it because it's beta or that's kinda like final? I mean, even D2R has better effects to be honest. Wonder if other classes are like this as well, haven't tested them yet.

It's an overall style/theme decision and one I respect. Too many games these days are so bright and over-the-top. Nice to have one that feels like it makes sense with the theme of the world.

[Nzx]

Every aspect of the shared world, dungeons, and social interaction I think is done better in Immortal.

All these dungeons and world events are lackluster.

Haven't felt this way at all - and honestly, I'd rather the "social interaction" elements were as bad and irrelevant as possible.

[Fencers]

Haven't felt this way at all - and honestly, I'd rather the "social interaction" elements were as bad and irrelevant as possible.

That would be against the design of the game then. They made it an open shared world as one of the major features. Not wanting that is not wanting Diablo 4.

[Biomega]

I do think so too, remember Diablo 2 Lightning spells, yes the ones from 2000? You shot a fucking kamehameha out of your hands there and when chain lightning started going brrr it was glorious.

And here Chain Lightning is just some flimsy little electricity line.

I don't understand it.

Flashiness and effect overload aren't universally popular by any means. Heck just look at D2R's current season - the Mosaic Assassin is being criticized left and right for blinding people with spell effects, and people are complaining about Diablo turning into PoE with its visual noise level set to "fireworks factory staffed by monkeys on PCP".

Toning things down can be a good thing.

[xskarma]

It's like 2 hours past my bed time, but I finally managed to drag myself away. Game is fun.

Been mostly doing overworld and story stuff, taking in the world and the atmosphere of the whole thing. I think they definitely got that stuff right.

Did 1 dungeon, the ones where you get stuff you can imprint on gear which turns them into legendaries, and it was honestly not really distinguishable from overworld content for the most part. Just more concentrated. Apart from the end boss there wasn't really that much in terms of different mechanics or anything. Hoping that's an early game and low World Tier thing. I think the outline is there for it to be more interesting, cause the dungeon did have more Elites in it. They just didn't really do that much.

Caveat for the above, I had been playing Diablo 3 at Torment 16 and fairly high Rift levels, so my idea of what a dungeon should look like and feel like might be warped, especially considering that is deep end game compared to this being like 1/5 the of the way to max level.

EXTREMELY FUN THINGS though about the 1 dungeon I did:

1) I saw, chased, failed to even touch, and nearly died from chasing a Treasure Goblin. Very surprised to even see one. VERY curious what they drop.

2) While in the dungeon I did, I was at some point, and totally randomly, suddenly charged by The Butcher. Yes, THAT butcher. I barely got to see him, popped my Shouts for extra damage and survivablity, whacked him a bit, but I died in seconds and The Butcher had lost NO health. I have no idea if this is meant to be something you can potentially defeat, but it sure seemed impossible in the few seconds I was alive. I died, respawned a little further back in the dungeon, ran back, absolutely STOKED to try again.....and he was gone. And I didn;t see him again either in the rest of the dungeon. BIT disappointing. On the other hand, if this is a random thing that can happen in any dungeon, and you have to constantly be ready to be charged by the Butcher and have a super hard fight, then that TOTALLY changes how these dungeons feel.



As to the rest of the dungeon, and the story fights too, I feel like that there might be a balance issue, where the trash and random mobs everywhere are no threat at all, and then the end bosses/special story fights are suddenly a HUGE step up in difficulty and complexity. I was for the most part fine on my Barb to just run around and use Flay and Whirlwind, and everything died. The occasional elite I would pop my shouts just to speed things up, but wasn;t hugely necessary.

But these endbosses required actual dodging of mechanics and using all my abilities, often timed to make sure I used them at the correct time to help deal with add spawning or helping a mechanic go easier. It was a STARK contrast. Now, I don't mind, I like the challenge, but sleepwalking through most things only to the get to a screeching halt and having to engage brain and gamer muscles was kind of odd. I'd prefer slightly more challenge and forcing of use of abilities during normal stuff. Even if it's just the Elites that force you to take a little more care and have to pay attention, that might already make the flow of dungeons and overworld content feel better and prepare you better for the end bosses.


But this is really a small thing compared to the overwhelming cool parts of the game. There's every chance that this is all intentional for leveling and low World Tier and that once you get higher that mechanics are very much more a thing. There's definitely hints at it on the occasional elite that will do a ground effect or something.

[Zodiark]

I'm assuming the handful of ARPG folks whose opinions I care about will be in this weekend. Looking forward to their thoughts on the early game before open beta next weekend.

If it really is "Diablo 4, but basically Lost Ark" as I keep seeing folks talking about and it sure kinda looks like in some regards, fuck yes.

I guess if you like Lost Ark. Wasnt my cup of tea. But on a side note. You have been around for 10 years now. Thats 3650 days. To hit 67.622 posts you would have had to post like an average of 18.5 posts a day. Idk how you people do this. I get bored after 2 or three posts and feel like I'm wasting my potential gaming time.

[Flame6]

I played for 15 minutes. Combat felt a bit slow for an ARPG, but i'm freaking level 6 and expect that. I played enough to think the game has good bones and decide not to cancel my pre-order.