One quest line in Diablo IV is drawing in players not just for good loot, but because it has a strong mental health message that makes it feel meaningful beyond the actual perks.
The quest starts with A Question of Self and follows Taissa, a character who is dealing with a mental health struggle tied into Diablo’s world. We don’t need to get into spoilers here, but according to senior quest designer Harrison Pink, Taissa’s story, even down to the flavour text on the equipment you receive for seeing it through, was meant to deal with mental health and grief.
In a thread on Twitter, Pink explained that the quest line was about “overcoming grief and trauma,” and how you can’t force progress by brute forcing it.
(I created this quest to be about overcoming grief and trauma, and how you cannot force healing, or always slay your demons, but by accepting who you are NOW, you can continue to heal and move forward)
— Harrison G. Pink 💙 (@GilesPink) June 20, 2023
At the end of the quest, you receive the Mark of the Conclave, which is an amulet that includes a letter from another character initially meant for Taissa, and it includes words of encouragement for her that have been comforting to Diablo IV players. There’s a whole Reddit thread of folks talking about the message and how they’re dealing with their own mental health struggles. The flavour text for the amulet reads:
Healing is a journey. A series of steps. Some days you may stumble, but so long as you continue to put one foot in front of the other, you will reach your destination.
On top of having a lovely message, the Mark of the Conclave is actually a pretty good accessory to have. As YouTuber Coooley explains, the accessory can boost your Life stat, and because it’s a Rare item, you can reroll its stat boosts with the Occultist. Doing this means you can have a huge addition to your Life. So if you haven’t done these quests yet, take the time. You’ll get a good side story and leave with a great accessory.
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