Diablo 4 players slam “half-baked” Strongholds as a “missed opportunity”

Diablo 4’s Strongholds can be a fun change of pace from the game’s more by-the-numbers content. Unfortunately, their one-and-done nature is a problem for many players.

Diablo 4 has a plethora of in-game activities with new iterations added every season. Reception to these has been mixed with Season 2’s Blood Harvests receiving massive acclaim while the Vault dungeons introduced in Season of the Construct are a lot less popular.

Alongside these seasonal inclusions, more permanent additions to the game are added on occasion to bolster Diablo 4’s core content. Things like The Gauntlet and its accompanying leaderboard systems which despite some initial hiccups, have the potential to extend the game’s playability.

While the critique of new additions is commonplace for Diablo 4, certain features that have been in the game since launch still draw some heat. Reddit user u/mcbeardsauce took to the game’s Subreddit to bemoan the “missed opportunity” of Diablo 4’s Strongholds and many players agree.

Strongholds are a missed opportunity
byu/mcbeardsauce indiablo4

The primary issue with Strongholds that Diablo 4 players have is their short shelf life and the disconnect between how they were positioned in pre-release marketing versus their in-game implementation. These unique mission-based overworld dungeons are completed a single time and beyond unlocking a fast travel point, there’s not much reward.

“Here I see an empty, half-baked idea that has been left to just be another icon on the map we all ignore,” u/mcbeardsauce reasoned. “They need to flesh out this aspect of the game more, adding meaningful endgame content.”

“I honestly haven’t even bothered with them since Season 1 unless I needed to open up a dungeon or want a fast travel point,” another user agreed. “They’re just not interesting after the first clear.”

Many Diablo 4 players took a constructive approach to their critique offering potential improvements such as unique vendors or horde defense opportunities. “The one thing I want more than anything is more multiplayer interactions and strongholds seem like the perfect opportunity,” one player summarised.

As it stands, Strongholds offer some of the more unique combat encounters in Diablo 4 and are an especially good way to increase region progress.

Whether any major changes to Strongholds are on the table in future updates remains to be seen but the Season 4 Campfire Chat is set to unveil a host of new additions to Diablo 4.