One could say that Diablo 4 has come full circle in its approach to gameplay and classes compared to the first game in the series, as it plays a major role in defining what character archetype the new ARPG will have. Diablo 2. Diablo 3 wasn’t quite the success story Blizzard had probably hoped for, and it floundered from the get-go, only improving on the Reaper of Souls expansion, which was still too little, too late for some fans. Firmly rooted in a good action RPG, Diablo 4‘s approach to looting and item drops is not very different from Path of Exile, which brought success in a perfect storm.
Much like classic RPGs, Path of Exile has several types of rarities for its items, as does Diablo 4. The rarest drops for the former are called unique, and for the latter it is the same, as they are divided into legendary items (meaning they are items with a legendary aspect) and unique items (tools with effects that cannot be obtained elsewhere). Diablo 4The end game will likely be tweaked and added to over time, but this will be the core Path of Exile remains, which are chase uniques, items so rare and so powerful that they can easily define entire builds. However, their inclusion is a double-edged sword.
Diablo 4 Harlequin Crest and Grandfather are double-edged sword
Because these items are so rare and valuable, Diablo 4’s drop-shipping model and seasons can be a barrier to those lucky enough to get their hands on these unique items. In fact, items and characters obtained in previous seasons or Diablo 4’s current seasonless launch plan do not carry over to new characters created specifically for the first season. Also, players who want to play Diablo 4 will need to create a new character in the first season to fully enjoy the update.
Considering that only one player has been confirmed to get one of these two uniques in the nearly ten days since the game launched early, it’s fair to assume that only a handful will actually drop in any given season. Diablo 4’s first season starts in July, making it even more likely that players will rarely, if ever, see these items. Using these so-called chase uniques is a smart move by Blizzard, but there are a few issues that play into it as well as Path of Exile, as there are also typically three-month seasons called leagues. Only time will tell how successful this type of loot is in Diablo 4.
Diablo 4 June 6 is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.