Diablo 4 needs to nail season 4 — here’s how Blizzard can do it

Diablo 4 Season 4 is going to be vital for the continued success of the game; here’s why Blizzard needs to absolutely nail it this time and how they can do so.

This issue with Diablo 4’s seasons is often that fans expect too much from them. Seasons aren’t designed to be DLC or an expansion; they’re simply another way to play the game for a few months to keep things fresh. Players have the freedom to dip in and out when they see fit and try another character class or build before going on their merry way again. It’ll be the same for Diablo 4 Season 4.

It’s also worth pointing out that not every season will appeal to every player. Some may do better than others, but some themes, such as vampires or killer robots, will resonate with some fans while boring others. Some seasons will fit a certain fan’s playstyle, while others will seem completely alien to them, so responses from the community will always be mixed.

Then there’s the other inconvenient truth: Diablo 4’s seasons have essentially just continued the Diablo 3 approach and feel out of date when compared to other live service games. Once players run out of new character classes to try by Season 6, Diablo 4 risks losing a significant portion of its player base. Of course, there will be those who are keen to start again every season with a new build, but other players will simply respec rather than going through the hassle of starting again.

Keeping things fresh in Diablo 4

Therefore, Blizzard needs to ensure that Season 4 of Diablo 4 reinvigorates players’ interest in the game and keeps them engaged until the end of the year when the Vessel of Hatred expansion arrives – with lots of fresh new content. The only problem is the current approach is running out of momentum, and the Season 4 delay showed that Blizzard knows there’s a problem. Thankfully, the solution is simple: Diablo 4 Season 4 needs to keep the successful seasonal gimmicks and discard the ones that flop. It also needs to make this content a permanent part of the game going forward.

While nobody really misses Season 1’s Malignant Hearts, Season 2’s Vampire Powers were popular with players. Season 2 not only improved upon Season 1, but it also added an exciting new story, characters, and enemies while expanding the mythology of Diablo 4 in some cool ways. Vampires are fun, and having this undead enemy in Diablo – and not aligned with the forces of Heaven or Hell – makes them an intriguing wildcard. Having different factions enter the lore, each with their own goals and agenda, helps enrich the Diablo universe beyond just angels versus demons, with humanity caught in the middle.

While elements of Season 2’s vampires remained in Season 3, the theme was replaced by the Constructs, ancient robots that have woken up to take over Sanctuary and represented the next threat for players to overcome. While ideas like the Seneschal Companion were excellent, Season 3’s theme was never as interesting as Season 2’s, and the game has suffered as a result of this. So, if the original idea for Season 4 was a whole new theme, then history will repeat unless this new gimmick can top Season 2’s. The only way to solve this conundrum is to keep the things players enjoy the most.

Blizzard needs to stop giving players a taste of an awesome new mechanic only to take it away and force them to engage with another, less interesting one. Many fans are happy to try the new seasonal gimmicks and look forward to them, but if something works well, taking it away only alienates players – and there are lots of other games out there competing with Diablo 4 for our time.

Not alienating players in Season 4

Diablo 4 Season 4 needs to be its own thing. Of course, it does, with subsequent seasons also having their own draw, but it also needs to not instantly make players resent it for taking away something they were enjoying. Vampire powers were awesome and should become a permanent fixture of Diablo 4, at least in some form. Lots of players would also prefer not to say goodbye to their little Seneschal robot buddy, especially in the absence of a mercenary or companion system, which Blizzard decided to omit from Diablo 4.

We understand there’s an argument that keeping each of these mechanics would lead to players becoming too overpowered, but surely there’s a way this can be balanced and factored into the game? Heck, why not let players only use one or two seasonal gimmicks at a time? That way, players can craft their ideal build, which has the potential to evolve every season.

There’s also an argument that this content should be added to the Eternal Realm for it to work and to stop so many characters from becoming redundant. This would also cater to the players who don’t want to start again every season – which there will be an increasing number of as time goes on. Many players want to keep working on their characters long after they’ve completed the seasonal content rather than feel pressured to jump into the next.

Each new seasonal theme should be exclusive to that season for its duration. This means players who want to try it as soon as possible will need to take part in that season. However, those who want to experience it with existing characters will need to wait for the season to end and for that mechanic and quest line to simply become part of Diablo 4’s Eternal content. This would be a compromise that keeps everyone happy and gives players motivation to return to seasonal play and still engage with the Eternal Realm, something Blizzard seems obsessed with convincing us not to do.

Ultimately though, Diablo 4 needs to nail Season 4 for the game to remain successful, and they can do so by catering to all players, but more importantly, by respecting our time. If it doesn’t, then Diablo 4 risks being left behind in the face of increasing competition. 

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