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Much like one of its biggest competitors, Path of Exile, Diablo 4 is built with a live-service model that includes plans for all kinds of post-launch content over four seasons per year. With that comes new enemies, maps, D4 items to acquire, and a general refresh to the game's meta, allowing players new and old to get in on the action.
To experience a new season, Diablo 4 players will need to create a new character and start from scratch, which is the same approach other ARPGs have taken over the years. That doesn't mean old characters will be scrapped with any progress lost, as Blizzard plans to move everything to the so-called Eternal Realm: an endless season where everything is stored and players can continue to collect gear. However, each season's new content will not be available in the Eternal Realm, and the only way to experience it is to start from scratch.
While it might be interesting to test out new builds and elements once the meta changes, it takes a lot of dedication to a game that's unlikely to see dramatic changes from season to season. Diablo 4's core gameplay loop won't be changed significantly enough to make each season a completely diverse experience, even if the live-service model promises to do something like that. The game might become stale for players who go through each season, despite the frequent addition of new content.
According to the update, Diablo 4 is getting rid of Blizzard's old ways of trying to make every release come with some form of purchasable DLC, but a bigger problem may arise for those who don't want to commit to one. continuous loop that resets their progress. Having to start from scratch every season is a commitment, and while this strategy is likely to make the game more engaging with frequent patches, investing time and resources into a character that doesn't stick around could be daunting. Blizzard's intentions with Diablo 4 seem good, but the game might need more than added layers of scenery to stand out.
To experience a new season, Diablo 4 players will need to create a new character and start from scratch, which is the same approach other ARPGs have taken over the years. That doesn't mean old characters will be scrapped with any progress lost, as Blizzard plans to move everything to the so-called Eternal Realm: an endless season where everything is stored and players can continue to collect gear. However, each season's new content will not be available in the Eternal Realm, and the only way to experience it is to start from scratch.
While it might be interesting to test out new builds and elements once the meta changes, it takes a lot of dedication to a game that's unlikely to see dramatic changes from season to season. Diablo 4's core gameplay loop won't be changed significantly enough to make each season a completely diverse experience, even if the live-service model promises to do something like that. The game might become stale for players who go through each season, despite the frequent addition of new content.
According to the update, Diablo 4 is getting rid of Blizzard's old ways of trying to make every release come with some form of purchasable DLC, but a bigger problem may arise for those who don't want to commit to one. continuous loop that resets their progress. Having to start from scratch every season is a commitment, and while this strategy is likely to make the game more engaging with frequent patches, investing time and resources into a character that doesn't stick around could be daunting. Blizzard's intentions with Diablo 4 seem good, but the game might need more than added layers of scenery to stand out.