Since the announcement of Diablo 4, it’s clear that the game will get more MMO elements than the other main offshoots in the series. Especially fans of the first two parts fear for “their” gaming experience. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus sees things differently: MMO elements only make Diablo better.
Diablo 4 will be an MMO, even if Blizzard itself claims the opposite. It has too many elements reminiscent of MMORPGs like Lost Ark and features that are clearly aimed at MMOs.
Players can be seen all over the cities, in the open world you meet other heroes and the huge world bosses have to be killed even with strangers. Unless your name is Wudijo and you just do damage yourself for 12.
Since all of this is known and became more and more obvious in the beta, there has been a lot of discussion about whether such MMO elements are good or bad. There are critics who are absolutely opposed to a multiplayer Diablo.
I can understand if as a Diablo fan you just want a new version of the old games. But then, Diablo 4 just isn’t the ARPG these fans are looking for. Blizzard needs these features in the game.
Diablo 4 even has crossplay for all platforms. Here we explain how the multiplayer works:
In Diablo 4 you can gamble with players from all over the world – All information about multiplayer
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“The MMO junk kills it for me”
The criticism has come less frequently since the open beta, but it is still there and sometimes much more severe than before. A user on Reddit, for example, says that even technical problems and the queues are negligible, the MMO elements are the disruptive factor.
Having “Fannybaws69” or “dildoswaggins” running around doing the same quest or standing at the chest with the user would be annoying. It doesn’t fit Diablo. Such threads pop up frequently.
GameStar colleague Fabiano Uslenghi also says that Diablo 4 does not need a shared world. Many GameStar readers agree with Fabiano that Diablo 4 is better without MMO elements.
I have to admit that certain elements bother me too, or would bother me. Stupid player names don’t fit the world, and Diablo 4’s absurd titles aren’t ideal. But honestly: even if you meet the people, they are quickly out of the picture again or their names are covered by hordes of enemies.
So I take a very different position. The shared world and MMO elements save Diablo 4. They provide a future for the game and create more possibilities than were ever imagined before.
The bigger problem with Diablo 4 after the beta is the big unknown: What is the endgame? The assessment of the MeinMMO editorial team can be found here:
Diablo 4 Beta: Performance and fun are good, but important questions remain unanswered – the conclusion of the MeinMMO editors
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MMO features lead to more Diablo feeling
Diablo 4’s endgame will mostly take place in dungeons. Open world events and world bosses are likely to become major sources of Legendaries, but as of right now, dungeons are the farming spot.
Here you are alone or with a group anyway. And this is where Diablo gets better as an MMO. Even in the beta, some classes seemed to be weaker. But that’s only because they can fulfill other roles.
In Diablo 4, druids in particular have the opportunity to become supporters, tanks or, to a certain extent, healers. There was a kind of distribution of roles before, but never so pronounced. Even without a group, everyone in Diablo 4 has the opportunity to play the way they want and can find fellow players in town for the toughest content. This wouldn’t be possible without MMO features.
That is the most important point for me. I love playing classes outside of their Max DPS builds, trying crazy things. If there are no friends online, I can randomly grab strangers and try out the build.
MMO elements are good when used properly
Of course, everything has to be enjoyed in moderation, including MMO features. Even characters have to fit into the world somehow, so I appreciate that Blizzard doesn’t let us have totally stupid characters. Immersion is also important for an MMO and the freedom of individual clowns cannot be taken into account.
For me, the shared world is still necessary for Diablo 4 to survive at all. It ensures a lively community that interacts with each other and thus plays for a long time. Friendships keep you in the game. Our editor-in-chief Leya Jankwoski, GameStar podcast boss Michael Graf and Diablo expert Jessirocks have already talked about this in a talk on YouTube (from minute 32).
Pure single player games still have a future, but they will never be as big as MMOs. And Blizzard badly needs a win right now.
Solo fans have now taken the second hit in a row with Diablo Immortal and Diablo 4. But Diablo 4 has to be a success if you want good games in the future:
What Diablo 4 means for the fate of all Hack’n’Slays