Things We’d Like to See Return in Diablo 4

The Diablo 4 open beta phase has concluded, and gamers have been given a taste of what they may anticipate in the game's official release. While Blizzard has been sharing more information about certain systems through developer livestreams and videos on a regular basis, little has been revealed about the end-game, whether certain game modes will return, or even whether certain features from previous games will return to help add more depth to general gameplay and character builds.

Here are some items we'd like to see make a comeback in Diablo 4.

Mode of Adventure

Diablo 3 had an alternative game mode called Adventure Mode. This mode allows players to bypass the plot and go directly into the action, tackling several objectives placed in the many settings accessible in the game's main campaign. Among the objectives were fighting important tale bosses, killing a certain number of foes in a given dungeon, unlocking cursed chests, and other things. When clearing all authorized quests in a region, players will get experience, money, and unique chests for completing the goals. 

These boxes would drop recipes for Legendary gear and Set pieces, incentivizing players to complete these goals before moving on to other end-game content like as Nephalem Rifts. While captivating, not everyone is interested in the storyline that the Diablo games have delivered for well over a decade, and an Adventure Mode is more than intriguing for those who just want to enjoy the game without being limited by plot advancement. 

Given Diablo 4's shift toward being more like an MMO, Blizzard may provide narrative skips through its battle pass or other means if Adventure Mode does not return.

The Crusader or Paladin's Return

While Diablo 4 has a good selection of playable classes, including the Rogue, Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, and Sorcerer, it lacks the Crusader and Paladin. The Crusader and Paladin, unlike the Barbarian and Druid, occupy a distinct niche as a warrior-type class that uses a variety of holy spells, capable of taking ridiculous amounts of damage while simultaneously offering important boosts to party members. 

While this may seem comparable to what the Druid can give, and to some degree, what the Barbarian can offer, both the Crusader and Paladin were more or less powerhouses in this respect, being one of the tankiest classes available in the Diablo series as a whole, while still capable of doing enormous amounts of damage. Overall, it was a good hybrid that didn't seem weak if you preferred one style of build over another. It would also bring more variation to what melee-focused classes may offer in general, creating a great medium ground between a decent DPS and a tank.

Rifts and Wider Rifts

Diablo 3 added Nephalem Rifts and Greater Rifts as content in the Reaper of Souls expansion. These apparently unending generated dungeons may not have received the same level of attention to detail as those in Diablo 4, but they were a tremendous source of end-game material. Rifts enabled players to routinely harvest Legendary goods and Set pieces, with Greater Rifts being a "high risk, high reward" variant of the ordinary Nephalem Rifts. 

The term "electronic commerce" refers to the sale of electronic goods. While we don't yet know what Diablo 4's end game will look like, Nephalem Rifts were a terrific method for players to not only earn highly wanted Set pieces and Legendaries, but also to try out builds against swarms of foes, shaping the meta for seasonal content. 

Runes

Runes, first introduced in Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction, are a distinct sort of socketable object that differs from diamonds. While gems offer for passive stat boosts such as improved barrier potency or damage against Elite opponents, runes have the potential to transform whole builds. 

Players might add more than one incremental stat adjustment by mixing runes on pieces of armor to construct rune phrases. These phrases would effectively produce Legendary passives onto goods, such as spawning a Nova after killing an adversary or spawning Charged Bolts or Frozen Orbs when hitting. While this may result in passive skill bloat since Diablo 4's Aspects effectively perform this role, seeing runes and rune words return would be intriguing – mostly because it would offer players an even better chance to personalize their builds to create something completely unique.

Unrestricted Respecing 

While not the most popular of the Diablo games, Diablo 3 enabled players to alter their builds on the fly and for free. Diablo 4 will need players to pay money in order to modify their talents and passive abilities. During the open beta time, this did not cost an exorbitant sum, but it may rapidly add up. Especially because removing and adding Aspects to weapons and armor may be rather costly. 

Forcing players to pay money to respec may seem like a good approach to keep the grind going, but it may be counterproductive to discovering new builds. Furthermore, leaving experimenting to individuals with large amounts of wealth may alienate more casual players. While it seems that Blizzard has made their decision on whether or not this feature will be free, it will be fascinating to watch whether they back down in the future if the feedback is less than good.

Companions and Pets

In Diablo 3, pets were inconspicuous, if not intrusive, companions that would go out and gather gold for you. This means you wouldn't have to race your character over or around gold to get it. It's a contemporary convenience that isn't necessary for the main game experience, but it's a modest quality-of-life component that was curiously absent in the Diablo 4 beta. 

Players have been able to acquire NPC friends to accompany them as they explore the land of Sanctuary since Diablo 2. Diablo 3 offered players to select from three distinct companions — the Templar, Enchantress, and Scoundrel — that could be built in a variety of ways based on the talents you chose for them and the gear you equipped them with. Because Diablo 4 is aiming for a more open world and MMO-lite experience, it wouldn't be shocking if buddies didn't make a return.

The Angiris Council Has Returned

With Diablo 2's Andariel returning in Diablo 4, important characters from prior Diablo games might possibly make a comeback – either as monsters or major characters in the storyline. Members of the Angiris Council may return as a result of the struggle between Inarius and Lilith, resulting in further information on the High Heavens' leaders. While Diablo 3 and its expansion Reaper of Souls gave players a taste of these storylines (where Lilith and Inarus' connection and eventual establishment of Sanctuary were briefly expounded on), Diablo 4 has the opportunity to elaborate on the inner workings of the council itself. And maybe even enable figures like Imperius or other council members to emerge following the open-ended nature of how that specific tale concluded. In any case, more backstory about the High Heavens would be amazing to see in Diablo 4, particularly considering one of the game's important characters used to live there.

These are just a handful of the features we'd want to see return in Diablo 4 after our lengthy experience in the open beta phase. Tell us in the comments what you'd want to see return in Diablo 4.