Diablo 4 has had a relatively okay launch so far. Players have reported some odd glitches on the PlayStation side of things like not being able to access the game after buying the early edition. Blizzard was thankfully able to rectify that mistake within 24 hours.
For a new game within this franchise, it’s kind of a miracle, considering how wild things got with Diablo 3 in 2012. It would take too long to go over the Auction House debacle as one example. Needless to say, Diablo 4has elevated the series by introducing new features to make it more accessible than ever before to new players. There are still some things Blizzard could do to make the game even better though.
8 Add The Horse Sooner
One of the newest additions in this game is the horses which are a first for the series. Players can buy a wealth of normal and rare horses to explore the open-world environments.
The only problem is that they cannot be unlocked until the finale of the game, which seems counterproductive to including them in the first place. The point of this game, and overall series, is to replay it infinitely, but not all players are going to do that. Blizzard should either unlock horses faster or make on-foot traversal faster.
7 Add An Offline Mode
One more change in this game is the online-only mode. Players can no longer enjoy this offline for whatever reason they choose. The game seems like a perfect fit for the Steam Deck, but the lack of an offline mode will prevent players from enjoying the game on the go.
An offline mode for those players would be appreciated, along with players that either don’t have internet access or have inconsistent connections. Not being able to pause is another issue, so if an offline mode does come back, a pause option should be added too.
6 Zoom In And Out
Diablo 4 is the best-looking iteration of the series yet. It’s a return to the more realistic art style of the first two games, which was changed in Diablo 3 for a more cartoony, exaggerated art style. It’s a shame players can’t look at the graphics closer, as the monster and character models look great.
This has always been a top-down series, and it should remain one. However, Blizzard could add more options to zoom in or out of the action to get a closer look. A photo mode wherein players could really mess with the camera wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.
5 Increase Couch Co-Op
A true innovation in this game is the crossplay integration. Any version of the game can talk to the other, which means you don’t have to split up the friend groups for fun co-op nights. Players can create four-player co-op sessions online to destroy the evils of Hell together.
There is a local co-op as well, but it has been reduced from the last game from four down to two. Hopefully, Blizzard will rectify this mistake and add four-player co-op back in for the couch co-op enthusiasts out there.
4 Hire Minions
For players that don’t want to play with people or don’t have the option of co-op, then Diablo 4 has it covered. Most of the bigger story quests, along with a handful of side quests, will give players a temporary party member. From grouchy wizards to majestic wolves, there are a lot of companions in the game. It would be nice if Blizzard went a step beyond this and added a minion system.
Specifically, it would be cool if players could go to a tavern and hire three NPCs for help. Granted, some classes in Diablo 4 like the Necromancer do have a minion-like system but all classes deserve the aid.
3 Don’t Disperse Portals
There is one way that players can escape the chaos of a dungeon, and that’s with a portal. Going back to town is like a workaround to a pause button, but there is an issue with that. If players quit the game or get booted off, the portal will disappear.
That means players have to trek all the way back to wherever they left off and relearn the quest. Thankfully, items and experience won’t be lost, but it’s still a pain to deal with. Unless manually canceled, portals should always remain open.
2 Send Items To Storage
There have been a lot of Diablo clones over the years to sort of dethrone the king. None of them have succeeded, but that doesn’t mean they have failed either. For example, the Torchlight series added some interesting ideas to the fold, like pets.
Pets had separate inventory spaces, and players could send their unwanted items to town with them. It was an easy way to alleviate space without using a portal to go back to town every time. Players can’t do that in Diablo 4, but there should be a way for them to at least send items home to storage.
1 Remove Durability
One of the most dated mechanics in RPGs is item durability. It’s as quaint as random battles in turn-based RPGs. Unfortunately, Diablo 4 has item durability, which decreases upon death. Repairing items is cheap and easy, and since gold is plentiful, it is technically not an issue. It’s just a lot of busy work that doesn’t need to be there. Durability could stick around for hardcore modes, but the normal modes in the game should get rid of it completely. An option should at least be added in a patch.
Diablo 4 was released on June 6, 2023, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.