Diablo 4 - We all have PCs

[theshadowcult]

100. We get a new Diablo once every 10 years, no need to feel guilty about it.

depends on whether you feel guilty about giving money to sex offenders and psychopaths i guess.

[pax]

20-30 seems about the right length, if the beta is any indication. I don't really need a 50+ hour diablo game and quite frankly I'd be less likely to replay it with other classes / harder modes if it was that long.

D3 took me like 19 hours. D1 half that.

A lot of D2 players hated D3 because of this tho among other reasons and I dont think that will change for D4. Sure if you dont like long campaigns you could have a mechanism to skip it, and D4 supposedly has it, but for those who like a good adventure like they used to do its sad to see these AAA games seem to put more money in promoting a game than actually making it. Now if you care about builds you have to play grindings to max them out and that gets you back to the same issue of a long game to achieve that. I just think its a lot more fun in a campaign and a rich story in a big sandbox than in hundreds of hours in mindless procedural dungeon grinding.

Metacritic for D3 is currently the same as it is for D4 at 88 but player score was abysmal for D3 at 4.2. We'll soon see what D4 players think.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/diablo-iii

https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/diablo-iv

[the_sextein]

I'm trying to decide between 6K DLDSR at 100FPS with frame generation or 4K 116FPS without frame generation. 6K DLDSR looks more crispy and the game doesn't really feel any different running 16FPS slower but I haven't played enough to tell if frame generation causes noticeable visual problems or not. I'll probably put some time into this over the weekend. I've watched some lets play videos on youtube and I like the art style this time around and most fans seem to think the game is pretty solid but not Diablo 2 levels of originality and replay ability. Still, there is a decent amount of content planned for the future and this looks like it could be a decent time sink for me since I've been struggling to find games that interest me these days. These types of games really don't have the depth to keep me coming back over and over again to grind for elite items though. I've never been a die hard obsessive Diablo player even back when Diablo 2 launched. I did the bare minimum to beat Diablo 3 and never touched it again. Hopefully this will be better than that. The game is reserving 21GB of video memory for some reason but my card is running at 68C like it normally does and gameplay is silky smooth with no hitches.

[theshadowcult]

Seyiji started a Rage3d clan named Rage3d if you guys want to join it.

[the_sextein]

I'm not super pissed or anything but they do charge a premium to get early access to the game and every time I try to play it won't log me on to their servers. I remember when the same thing happened for Diablo 3 and it doesn't seem to matter how good technology gets, they just can't launch a game properly and always force their online only BS on everyone. I don't know why they can't just make PVP and co-op and option that can be turned off in the gameplay section and therfore, doesn't require this game ruining experience for people who just want to play a single player game. Especially when they are gouging extra money from people to play early and then they are stuck not being able to play early...kind of a scam due to their own incompetence.

[theshadowcult]

Just a heads up, mainly sey. There is apparently a bit of a bad game design choice while leveling that isnt apparent till you hit level 50. You are stuck at lvl fifty until you complete the campaign. So im seeing people suggest not doing so much side stuff and mainly focusing the campaign till you are allowed to enter world tier 3 at the end of the campaign, so you can actually keep leveling.

Like dont do a lot of side missions, or explore around to much killing things and grabbing the collectables, until after the campaign. Still play what ever you want though, there are some areas that are like level 40 or 50 minimum, but if you are starting to get to 40 or even 50, start focusing on the campaign hard.

Ive not seen a single person mention if side quests disappear when you finish the campaign, or if there is anything locked if you do. Some suggest there isnt, and someone mentioned quests seem to be tied to map completion, so it wouldnt make sense for that to happen.

EDIT: To clarify why i thought it was important to post though. Ime lvl 37 and am most of the way through act 2 of i think 5, with only about 70 percent of the side quests ive come across done, and only a few dungeons done. With just about nothing else i still hit lvl 37 here.

[nutcrackr]

I finished the first act after about 8 hours or so, doing some side content and some side dungeons. I'm up to 11 hours now. Anybody that beat this whole game in 11 hours is just rushing the main story. Whatever floats your boat but that is, imo, a dumb way to play.

So far I'm enjoying it more than D3. Big reason for me is the Necro class is great fun. So many fun skills and mechanics.. I'm commanding skeletons but also using blood surge and a curse thing. I only wish they gave you more than 4 skills.

Story has been fine, most of it is what I played in the beta, plus a few side quests I never did before. I've done a few good dungeons, and fought some fun bosses.

[theshadowcult]

I finished the first act after about 8 hours or so, doing some side content and some side dungeons. I'm up to 11 hours now. Anybody that beat this whole game in 11 hours is just rushing the main story. Whatever floats your boat but that is, imo, a dumb way to play.

So far I'm enjoying it more than D3. Big reason for me is the Necro class is great fun. So many fun skills and mechanics.. I'm commanding skeletons but also using blood surge and a curse thing. I only wish they gave you more than 4 skills.

Story has been fine, most of it is what I played in the beta, plus a few side quests I never did before. I've done a few good dungeons, and fought some fun bosses.

You missed the point. Its not about rushing the game, but about focusing on the main campaign. There is a progression lock that is the end of the campaign, and if you get to lvl 50 before then, you will not get any more exp, or higher level items or anything. You HAVE to complete the campaign before levelling past 50, or getting to difficulty tier 3.

[KAC]

You both need sex. I am still not ready to pay 20 euros to play it over the weekend. That is a steep price imo.

So angry at this price gouging.

[Mangler]

It looks like blizzard has nerfed everything after observing how easily the paid beta-testers blew through their content.

[theshadowcult]

i got it as a present, and then paidf a little extra to upgrade it. The base version is already too expensive.

[theshadowcult]

It looks like blizzard has nerfed everything after observing how easily the paid beta-testers blew through their content.

Well **** me... just looked at the patch notes and it was like my entire build got nerfed... i didnt even get to end game yet to see why it got nerfed. Still gonna play it, i worked on it, but **** me...

[KAC]

Isn't there like only 1 build. Sorc lightning with freeze shields. Every damn reviewer had the same build. Also every tuber. That or the necro w/ blood and skeletons. Seems Rogue is not going to cut it this time.

[theshadowcult]

no. people are just babies. That think that because a couple builds are super strong then everything must suck. Im playing a druid, which everyone else says is terrible and does no damage. Yet ive not once had a problem with it, or felt weak playing it. It even got some big nerfs in the recent patch. For some reason arpg's have started getting this stupid stigma of anything not meta is garbage, and its bad for the games.

Other than dlc and microtransactions, i dont think the new generations have brought anything as bad to gaming as this meta bullshit. Nobody actually plays the games anymore, they just follow guides.

[the_sextein]

haha to each their own. I don't care how people play but I see these guys on youtube that played 24 hours straight with bloodshot eyes and I can tell you....the game is not that fun or addicting. I think they get a rush out of being the first to max their characters or discover things that the rest of the community hasn't found yet. Personally, forcing my way through a game like that is not fun and everyone is going to max their characters and discover these things on their own because the game is desinged so that the main stream masses can achieve these things if they put the time into it. Perhaps it's because they have youtube channels and they want content to report before others do but this has been a trend for at least a decade now. I'm a rogue and I'm taking my time. I've hardly progressed the story but I'm just kind of soaking up whatever interests me. I'm level 19. I'll probably focus more heavily on the story pretty soon though. Don't want to hit a level cap because I neglected the story.

[nutcrackr]

You missed the point. Its not about rushing the game, but about focusing on the main campaign. There is a progression lock that is the end of the campaign, and if you get to lvl 50 before then, you will not get any more exp, or higher level items or anything. You HAVE to complete the campaign before levelling past 50, or getting to difficulty tier 3.

I was mainly replying to pax's comment about somebody beating the story in 11 hours. It remains to be seen if I get to max level before the end (probably) and whether it makes much of a difference, which depends on how long I'm stuck @ 50 and if the end battles are unbalanced.

I'm playing a necro on veteran and finding it pretty strong. I've been killed a few times but I'm not playing it super cautiously or even optimizing my equipment, so I expect a few deaths. I've changed my build slightly a few times, and I still find the combat quite enjoyable in and of itself. It's very rapid to dispatch mobs and chew through areas. Not sure which classes are the most "fun" but necro is fun for me.

[theshadowcult]

Some info: It seems like aspects that effect skills are also affected by the skill points you put in those skills, and effects triggered by them. So you can make some fun combos with different aspects changing skills that you dont even have points in. Which is kind of cool.

[pax]

Making the game harder could make it longer if they keep nerfing things. I think Ill wait for the beta phase to be over and maybe grab it as part of the Nvidia promo if it lasts that long. Did watch it on buds PS5 and it ran well and his impressions on the campaign well into act2 are pretty positive. Prices on the 4070 slowly coming down... hope it hits 600$ CAD or so I might grab it. Vega 64 gave up the ghost after a bunch of tinkering again this weekend and word to the wise dont test a problematic or dying gu on your main pc as it will corrupt your boot sector.

[KAC]

4070 is a terrible card to buy. Just saying. If you are looking for a new card, try to nab a used 4080.

[nutcrackr]

Game runs pretty well on my low-end 6700xt, 1440p, ultra settings

Also forgot to mention the music is pretty nice in a lot of places.

[the_sextein]

Yeah sound and graphics are great. Good surround sound separation. Rocks crumbling from above channels, reverberation traveling in all directions. Doors slam and rock the couch. Battle rattles the chest cavity and blows waves of powerful low end LFE that ruffle the cuffs of my pants when big spells go off or I level up. The quality of the sound recordings are great and have very detailed and varied low end effects that give the game a very powerful and immersive feel. The Sound design is generally pleasing to hear from your characters clothes when they move to the clang and clatter of battle. CGI is top notch and pushing things as far as I have been able to do with DAZ 3D. CGI is starting to hit the uncanny valley and I'm pleased to see a slightly less photo realistic but just as technically impressive and more artistic direction from Blizzard in the CGI department. Voice acting isn't bad and the music is good especially in cutscenes.

Lilith is a cool character design but I would say the story is a weak point for me. I like the game world and demonic elements but if I compare it to other games I would say that the story doesn't invoke any emotion in me. I don't generally care about any of the characters in the game including the one I'm playing as. RDR2 for example, I felt like I knew everyone in the camp and I teared up at the end of the main story arc for Arthur. That being said, I'm still mildly interested in Lilith's plans and how the various factions will react to her. Gameplay is repetitive of course but some of that is down to the player and how much they want to experiment. I would say the gameplay is pretty good, better than Diablo 3 but it's not super addictive or groundbreaking in any way.

Personally, I'm glad that the game world is not randomly generated. It makes the game feel like a generic, uninspired game world and would kill the exploration and art design. I get that it adds a sense of "new" to a dungeon when you enter it but it gets old all the same in my opinion and it detracts from designs that have true artistic inspiration when the locations are all cut up and randomly blender mixed into every place that you roam. I think Diablo 4 has a satisfyingly large world with great environmental design elements that are fun to explore and I'm glad to see it pull away from Diablo 2 in that area. Diablo 2 made the best of a situation where the game design was limited financially and technically hardware wise. Those limitations are no longer an issue, and I don't see Diablo 2's RNG system as being a good choice in a modern game.

[pax]

4070 is a terrible card to buy. Just saying. If you are looking for a new card, try to nab a used 4080.

At 810$ CAD yea but soso at $5-600. 4080 is ~1500$ plus tax here to over 2 grand. Even used on ebay.

[KAC]

Played a bit and finished prologue. Game is good. Playing Sorc w/ Lightning stuff.

[Mangler]

Yeah, the game is really fun to play, the monetization is a bit icky though, but that is to be expected from activision.

It does not really affect me since I don't buy cosmetic ****, but $20+ for that crap is .

[nutcrackr]

the prices for cosmetics in games has been absurd for years and years. Whales buy this **** and it's gross imo. Hard to believe that oblivion's horse armor for a few bucks looks good compared to the crap we get these days. This is why you can't give devs an inch or they take a mile.

anyway the game is pretty fun. the hawezar region is probably my favorite. One thing I will say is that I see a bit of repetition in the dungeons now (corner chunks), and even the overworld needed a bit more variation imo. I guess they wanted it to seem cohesive.

[theshadowcult]

I wish people would stop blaming devs for the monetization of games. There are a few indie devs who do this bullshit, but NONE of the devs tied to publishers like activision, or ea, or ubisoft, etc, are putting this crap in the games because they want to. Not a single one of those devs making these games gets a cent of the money made from those sales, so why the **** would they want to? Most devs just want to make good games they can be proud of.

[KAC]

They do get fat bonuses when games sell cosmetics so they get paid. Probably commensurate with the efforts of loading up them frickin Barbie dress em up items.

[theshadowcult]

They do get fat bonuses when games sell cosmetics so they get paid. Probably commensurate with the efforts of loading up them frickin Barbie dress em up items.

they DONT get fat bonuses when the cosmetics sell...

[KAC]

Dude, they are FTEs. Means their bonus is commensurate of their company's success. They are not salesmen that they will be incentivized on unit sales.
So if they sell cosmetics as overall part of monetizing a game, they will get a fat (ter) bonus vs. a company that is only trying to monetize through core unit sales.

[theshadowcult]

Dude, they are FTEs. Means their bonus is commensurate of their company's success. They are not salesmen that they will be incentivized on unit sales.
So if they sell cosmetics as overall part of monetizing a game, they will get a fat (ter) bonus vs. a company that is only trying to monetize through core unit sales.

you dont read any of the news or anything do you? People from all the big publishers have already talked about their income and bonuses, and what they get paid for. They do not see any money based on success of the company. They get a wage, and are normally promised a separate and finite bonus, if they meet certain goals. They do not get any money from the sales, or the dlc, or the mtx. Hell, multiple times they either get shafted on the bonus, and some of the publishers try and force non monetary bonuses. The one that gave the staff nft's instead of cash was particularly funny.

[SD-[Inc]]

you dont read any of the news or anything do you? People from all the big publishers have already talked about their income and bonuses, and what they get paid for. They do not see any money based on success of the company. They get a wage, and are normally promised a separate and finite bonus, if they meet certain goals. They do not get any money from the sales, or the dlc, or the mtx. Hell, multiple times they either get shafted on the bonus, and some of the publishers try and force non monetary bonuses. The one that gave the staff nft's instead of cash was particularly funny.

Usually all bonus goals are based on company goals + individual modifier. Regardless, they don’t make a “fat bonuses” ever. Those are only for execs. Developers, if they are lucky, will get a nice little bonus when the company does well. But, the bonus amount never make up for the extra hours they are required to work in order to release a new game.

[nutcrackr]

oh btw you aren't capped to level 50 in the campaign, I just hit 51 near the end of the campaign. And even if it were capped there are other ways of gaining progression (e.g. each area has 3 tiers for extra potion / skill point etc), plus Lilith statues give u passive boosts.

[KAC]

Hit level 19 and realized I could upgrade my health potion. Is there somewhere I can upgrade mana. Also when tf do I get my mount?

Still learning but game is boring af and also addictive if that makes sense. I am full lightning sorc build and can’t find the ice shield that makes incoming attacks numb.

Am such a nub lol. Only spent maybe 5 hours so still lots to learn/do I guess.

[Drexion]

when tf do I get my mount?

Around 70% into the campaign, the avg player will be about L30-35 or so when they get it.

If you're having trouble follow a build guide. Regarding mana, resource generation sucks in this game and is clunky and annoying for most classes (from what I've read). At least until you get some end game gear/mods.

[KAC]

Build guide for Tier 1? Seems like I will spoil the game for me. Maybe for latter tiers I can try.

Most likely like most games I will finish story and call it. Not a fan of grinding in anything.

[nutcrackr]

Hit level 19 and realized I could upgrade my health potion. Is there somewhere I can upgrade mana. Also when tf do I get my mount?

Still learning but game is boring af and also addictive if that makes sense. I am full lightning sorc build and can’t find the ice shield that makes incoming attacks numb.

Am such a nub lol. Only spent maybe 5 hours so still lots to learn/do I guess.

Mounts come in Act 4, which is fairly late. I think it was about 20 hours into it for me. To be honest I don't use it much anyway because I prefer walking, but it's sometimes handy to just go between places you just traversed

[Exposed]

How's the "feel" on this game? Does it feel like Diablo 1 or 2, or more like 3? I started Diablo 3 but never finished it. Talking about single player perspective only.

I miss that grand epic feeling I got when I played Diablo 2 and Dungeon Siege, from the starting area to the end and the journey in between. Recently only Eldin Ring fulfilled that itch. Not interested in Coop or MMO styles or anything like that.

[pax]

How's the "feel" on this game? Does it feel like Diablo 1 or 2, or more like 3? I started Diablo 3 but never finished it. Talking about single player perspective only.

I miss that grand epic feeling I got when I played Diablo 2 and Dungeon Siege, from the starting area to the end and the journey in between. Recently only Eldin Ring fulfilled that itch. Not interested in Coop or MMO styles or anything like that.

To me it felt like Diablo 3.5. But only played the 3 beta weekends...

But some users liked it:

https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/diablo-iv/user-reviews

Its hitting about same user review score as D3 whereas D1 & D2 are as high a score as critic reviews.

[the_sextein]

How's the "feel" on this game? Does it feel like Diablo 1 or 2, or more like 3? I started Diablo 3 but never finished it. Talking about single player perspective only.

I miss that grand epic feeling I got when I played Diablo 2 and Dungeon Siege, from the starting area to the end and the journey in between. Recently only Eldin Ring fulfilled that itch. Not interested in Coop or MMO styles or anything like that.

To me, it's better than D3. It's hard to compare it to D2 because I was much more young and got hyped about this sort of thing easier. For it's time, D2 was more exciting and addictive for me. D4 is a good game, whats there is done well enough to keep me occupied. I'd probably give it an 8 out of 10. I actually have the time to be a hardcore gamer but can't really find any games that I want to play or can get into enough to really dedicate the time these days. D4 isn't hardcore and like most modern games it's been watered down for the masses. It's graphics and music stand out but the heart of the game while good, is not groundbreaking or exciting to me. If you are bored and looking for something to play it will pass the time and give you a decent amount of entertainment for the money. Just don't get your hopes up too high or expect anything too deep. It's got alot of content if you are willing to grind for long periods of time with a mild challenge at the harder difficulty levels.

[GravY]

Is there a Rage D4 discord server? Would love to chat with the old crew. (I'm no longer PC)