Brand GM Rod Fergusson has explained how Diablo 4’s initial loot grinding problems were caused by Diablo 2.
Diablo 4’s loot grind wasn’t well-receivedat launch. Critics and players found the never-ending search for better gear tedious, partly because the prospective items weren’t anything to write home about.
In addition, itemization felt unbalanced, and rare uniques were few and far between.Season 4: Loot Reborn altered coursein this regard, with an itemization overhaul that improved the grind, crafting, and endgame.
Such changes have left many wondering why Diablo 4’s loot grind lacked this level of refinement from the outset. Sitting down withWindows Central, Diablo GM Rod Fergusson explained the origins of these issues.
Blizzard took inspiration from Diablo 2 when building the latest entry, specifically embracing the “long grind” for powerful items.
“You can go three years before you find the Uber you’re looking for,” Fergusson said of D2. Developers, thus, assumed players wouldn’t mind a similar progression cadence in Diablo 4.
“And so we launched that way with D4 and we found out very quickly that if you don’t give me my Uber in my season, then I’m upset. And so we’re like, oh, wow, okay… now we actually have an uber currency, uber unique currency that you can go make the one.
“If you’re not finding it, you can actually go make it for yourself, right? …It’s just a kind of a recognition of how much players have changed in 20 years,” Fergusson explained.
Related:
The improved loot system introduced in Diablo 4 Season 4 gives players more control over the grind, courtesy of additions like Masterworking.
Fortunately, unlike mechanics introduced in previous seasons, much ofwhat players like about Season 4 will stick aroundlong-term. This includes Masterworking, Tempering, Helltide updates, and The Pit.
Brianna Reeves is a Games Writer on Dexerto’s US team. She is a Gaming expert, covering Baldur’s Gate, Diablo, Pokemon, fighting games, first-person shooters, and single-player games. Brianna has bylines at CBR, PlayStation LifeStyle, and ScreenRant.
