Event

Diablo IV Campfire Chat: Exploring Abattoir of Zir and Midwinter Blight

updated Thu Nov 30 2023

During Blizzard's latest Campfire Chat on November 30, they once again acknowledged the problems with itemization currently in the game. The problems they highlighted are:

• Difficult to process all the items you find
• Difficult to find upgrades
• Virtually impossible to find a perfect item due to high degree in variability
• Affix combinations that don't make sense (up to 3 different plus Core Skills for example)

Customization and Engagement

They also acknowledge that items lack sufficient depth and engagement potential, proposing a shift in 2024 to view each item drop as the beginning of a journey.

This new approach aims to excite players about the possibilities of customization and modification, enhancing player expression and build-making.

The team's goal is to move beyond decisions based solely on the immediate utility of items, fostering a more dynamic and engaging gameplay experience where items evolve and integrate more deeply into players' builds and strategies.

One Big Release

The team emphasizes the challenge in making isolated adjustments to the system. They point out that implementing just one small change in isolation can be detrimental, as it may not integrate well with the rest of the game, effectively becoming an isolated concept that doesn't harmonize with the overall design.

Therefore, as they consider various changes to itemization and other aspects of the game, the team is mindful of the need for a holistic approach that ensures all modifications work cohesively within the game's broader ecosystem. This approach aims to enhance the overall gameplay experience without disrupting the game's balance and flow.

The changes to itemization are so significant that if we added a loot filter today it wouldn't work after we changed [the itemization].

Diablo Partners

Blizzard has engaged with a group of Diablo Partners and content creators to discuss these upcoming changes. The purpose of these discussions is to gather feedback and refine the ideas before presenting them publicly.

The team emphasizes their commitment to not working in isolation, ensuring that the changes are well-considered and community-informed. They acknowledge that endgame content and itemization are top priorities, requiring significant time and effort due to their expansive nature.

The goal is to bring all these changes together in a cohesive, major release. The team expresses excitement about the changes and the positive initial feedback received from content creators, indicating a collaborative approach to game development.