After investing approximately 400 hours into the game, I find myself in substantial agreement with your observations. The campaign spans a modest 20-25 hours if approached leisurely, incorporating side activities—a duration that falls short, especially within today’s gaming landscape. Perhaps contrary to popular opinion, I believe the campaign should offer a solid 100-hour experience (disagree if you must, but this is my stance, also i recommend MMOexp Diablo 4 gold here, good luck).
Regrettably, the game seems lacking in exciting content, and those who assert otherwise might be unquestioning devotees of Blizzard, prone to purchasing anything bearing the company’s label, regardless of its merits. With such a vast game world, the campaign merely brushes the surface by guiding players to one or two waypoints in each act of every region. Upon reaching Act IV, you’re left traversing the land on your mount, hurrying from place to place to alleviate the monotony. The subsequent two acts speed by so rapidly that the story concludes rather abruptly. The art of immersive storytelling seems to have dwindled. The continuation of the story appears to be reserved for a future expansion costing $20-50, an approach that’s disheartening. While the existing content holds promise and enjoyment, it’s overshadowed by rushed pacing and a formulaic “move to the next region for the next quest” approach.
Once the campaign wraps up, you’re meant to dive into what’s often described as the game’s true content—the grind of 100-200 hours in Nightmare dungeons, the occasional Helltide participation, and, if you’re so inclined, the Whisper events (though this seems ill-advised). The experience is underwhelming, and I won’t accept the argument of “perhaps you’re unfamiliar with ARPGs.” I’ve played every installment of the Diablo franchise, and while Diablo 2 wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t a monotonous loop of battling the same boss repeatedly while rolling dice for a minuscule chance at a rune, or resorting to purchasing items online from bots for a price.
At the end of the day, Diablo IV represents an improvement over its predecessors, D2 and D3. However, the notion that its main allure lies in the “fresh start” concept is a farce. Beginning anew and repetitively grinding through indistinguishable content, where the only variance lies in the dungeon’s tileset, is an uninspired approach for a game that commands a price tag of $70-80-99. The nearly decade-long wait for a sequel to D3 has led to a series of patches that have left the fan base disgruntled. Take, for instance, Season 1, which introduced “malignant hearts” gems to counteract a widely disliked patch. If the development team isn’t cringing at having to retract changes supposedly intended to enhance the game, I’m unsure what would constitute an embarrassment. The presence of numerous bugs—ranging from bugged resistances and uncapable aspect combinations to problematic elite affixes—further highlights the game’s developmental shortcomings.
Drawing on my experience of playing Old School RuneScape (OSRS) intermittently for over 18 years, investing 1,000 hours results in a commendable character equipped with high-level gear, substantial gold reserves, trophies, completionist accolades, pets, and even a residence. OSRS continually introduces content that enhances character development without necessitating a reset that wipes away hard-earned items. Achieving high scores demonstrates progress, even after reaching a “completed” status, a milestone requiring a minimum of 3,000 hours. Many MMORPGs, including World of Warcraft, boast similar character evolution.