Folks, it’s time for another Community Review! This time, we’re talking about the game of the moment, Diablo IV.
I know — it’s a bit early for a Community Review post. The game technically only launched yesterday. HOWEVER: it has been through several popular (and free) open betas AND an early access period for those willing to part with a bit of extra cash, so plenty of folks have spent time with it already.
We’ve seen what the critics have made of the game, but I’m interested in your thoughts. Did Blizzard knock it out of the park for you, or is this another Diablo III unfolding before your eyes? Does Diablo II still reign supreme, or does this scratch the ARPG itch just right? Let me know.
I’m also interested to know which class you’re playing, why, and how you’re building them.
I’ll go first on this one because I’m eager to talk about my boy. I’m playing a druid, and I loved him before I even assigned him a single skill. I think it’s great that Blizzard made one of the game’s five character classes a large, sweaty, pot-bellied man (or woman!) with a pet rock he carries with him everywhere (provided you’re living that one-handed weapon life like me). At first, I gave him lightning damage on each hit, the arc damage upgrade helping me tear through some early-game mobs. However, I found that it had a steep utility drop-off, rendering it more or less useless by Level 10 unless I bolstered it with specific gear, and nothing I found had any lightning buffs. So, I pivoted to the AoE poisonous vines move to help me thin out the herds of Goatmen a little. It worked a treat — the vines would slow them down, and the poison damage over time was so high that most mobs caught in its radius were dead in seconds. I later bolstered this with Rabies, another poison move that spreads between enemies in close proximity and deals even more damage over time. By pumping out that much poison, it didn’t matter that my base lightning attacks were pitiable. The poison was doing the job for me.
But that was just my first iteration of the character. The second version was more about Earth moves like earthquakes and slam waves. It was okay, but it felt a little too chaotic for my taste, and I quickly changed it up. The third iteration was all about transformation skills. Turning into a Werebear and mauling everything in sight was great fun for a few hours, as was turning into a slashy Werewolf. After a while, though, it all started feeling too similar to the Barbarian for my liking.
So, back to the original version we went because that was where I was having the most fun. By the time I dinged Level 30, even that setup struggled to keep pace with the game’s level scaling. However, as one cog in a multiplayer party, my Druid became an integral damage dealer. Much of the legendary gear I’ve accrued has buffed Earthen damage directly, so I may have to find a way to make an Earth build work for me.
But over to you. What have you been playing? What’s been the most effective? Have you come across any devastatingly OP builds or loot so far? Get in the comments and let me know!
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