rodrigolfp
Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
Someone did not play launch D3. That thing was literally hell.
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Diablo 4 needs to be harder to start with | Should be more like Soulsborne | Or does it?
GeorgPrime
Banned
I remember how often i died in Diablo and how i crapped myself because of the Butcher...
...now i played Diablo 3 and stopped because it was so boring
LazyParrot
Member
Did people forget how ridiculously hard torment was in Diablo 3 at launch? Getting touched by champion or rare mobs pretty much meant instant death unless you had insanely good equipment. They had to nerf that shit several times over before it was bearable.
The_Mike
I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
For fucks sake don't make every game be like Dark Souls.
Game doesn't need a higher difficulty. It needs way more content.
Also, there's a difficulty slider in D3. Does it affect you someone takes it on easier levels in any way?
Game doesn't need a higher difficulty. It needs way more content.
Also, there's a difficulty slider in D3. Does it affect you someone takes it on easier levels in any way?
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Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
same i was one of the unlucky ones with a launch day barb.
end game act 2 was basically brick wall end of game. thanks for playing please make new character
Nhranaghacon
Banned
Blizzard needs to ensure it is better than Path of Exile, and hopefully the Dev's behind Diablo 4 are aware of this.
Path of Exile is a far superior to Diablo on every level, if the Dev's are unaware of this... or are underestimating/making a game worse than Path of Exile - they have already failed.
Path of Exile is a far superior to Diablo on every level, if the Dev's are unaware of this... or are underestimating/making a game worse than Path of Exile - they have already failed.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
path of excile is not fun imo
godhandiscen
There are millions of whiny 5-year olds on Earth, and I AM THEIR KING.
A bit more of a challenge wouldn’t hurt. It doesn’t take long to feel overpowered in Diablo 3.
Fuz
Banned
Nhranaghacon
Banned
Yet Most Reviewers still agree it is the best Top Down Dungeon Crawler of it's time.
I liked neither personally, however Path of Exile still exceeds Diablo 3 by large margins in term's of what it delivered as far as I'm concerned, you may disagree but
then again no sane person or reviewer would align with you.
- RPGamer
May 9, 2014
Review Score: 100
Grinding Gear Games has created something special here, and given it gratis to the world. - PC PowerPlay
Nov 25, 2013
Review Score: 100
Once you get a hang of the numerous systems, Path of Exile becomes one of the best action-RPG experiences you can have. [December 2013, p.88]
All this publication's reviews
- GRYOnline.pl
Oct 28, 2013
Review Score: 95
Path of Exile is a fascinating and a really big game and simply talking about it can take hours. The game is focused on online gameplay and even though you can play solo, the most fun comes from adventuring with some friends. Path of Exile is a must have for all Diablo fans. It offers dozens of hours of great fun and does that completely free of charge. - NZGamer
Nov 4, 2013
Review Score: 94
For a free title, knocked together by a small team, it's stunning just how much it blows the opposition away. They have taken what was wrong with the genre and fixed it; what was right, they have made even better. - Destructoid
Dec 19, 2013
Review Score: 90
The world has a grimy, grungy, uncomfortable feel to it that constantly makes the player feel slightly off just for inhabiting it, which is appropriate given what goes on. Every person and object looks like it's at its lowest point. - CD-Action
Dec 13, 2013
Review Score: 90
The best hack’n’slash I've played in recent years. If the visuals are not the most important aspect for you and what you crave is a juicy adventure in a growing world (subsequent acts are on their way) full of monsters to slay, skills to acquire and loot to collect, you need to give Path of Exile a try. [13/2013, p.60]
All this publication's reviews
- GameSpot
Nov 8, 2013
Review Score: 90
Considering that Path of Exile costs you nothing beyond some Internet bandwidth, it provides an embarrassment of pleasures.- All this publication's reviews
- Read full review
- SpazioGames
Nov 5, 2013
Review Score: 90
Probably the best action gdr out there, much deeper than Diablo 3 and completely free. You can't miss this one. - Eurogamer Italy
Oct 24, 2013
Review Score: 90
Deep, dark, challenging, uncompromisingly hardcore: Path of Exile is so much more “Diablo” than the official Diablo III. And it comes for free, too. - Meristation
Oct 23, 2013
Review Score: 90
Path of Exile is a great alternative for the lovers of classic 'hack & slash'. It's an entertaining title with an interesting gameplay and completely free. The game is able to rival the great current references in the genre, despite just taking its first steps. Path of Exile has clear objectives and has managed correctly oriented toward them. Its use of the familiarity with the genre will capture the attention of many aRPG players in exchange for losing originality. - Pelit (Finland)
Mar 11, 2014
Review Score: 88
Hack & slash games are addictive because they follow a simple formula: kill, kill and kill some more. Path of Exile is no different in this regard. During your quest in the perilous continent of Wraeclast you need to slay thousands and thousands of monsters but it never gets boring because there are a plenty of fresh ideas like the very vast skill system and barter-based economy that differentiate it from other similar games. But it's not a perfect game. The story is weak and the difficulty level is too low in the beginning. [Dec 2013]
All this publication's reviews
- RPG Fan
Dec 30, 2013
Review Score: 88
A worthy contender to Diablo and Torchlight as the premium hack 'n' slash experience. - IGN
Nov 8, 2013
Review Score: 88
Path of Exile successfully captures the spirit of older action RPGs and updates it for an experience that's as visually appealing as it's fun.
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bender
What time is it?
Act 2 was such a nightmare of a gear check on Nightmare (?) difficulty. Act 1 was easy but didn't drop gear needed to progress.
Fart Knight
Al Pachinko, Konami President
Fuck Soulsborne
HerpDerpstreit
Member
and if you wiped the enemies healed. Vanilla D3 was fucking rough. I recall beating it and stopped playing then the patches started rolling in and I couldn't believe how much easier the game was.
Gandih42
Member
I would personally like Diablo 4 to be more "difficult" then Diablo 3. I don't think the SoulsBorne comparison is very relevant in this case though.
In my opinion, it's more about game design than actual "difficulty". Diablo 1 and 2 were (relatively) slow and methodical top down action RPGs where Diablo 3 is much more akin to an arcade action game with a loot system.
The difficulty in D3 is almost exclusively based on your numbers - you crank the health and damage output of enemies relative to your own to increase drop rates. I think it's a model that works really well for D3 and the game is really fun if you dig getting more and more efficient at mowing down hordes of enemies in spectacular fashion (especially with friends).
The endgame of D2 isn't too far removed from this, but the first many hours of D1 and D2 are much more difficult and methodical. And the emphasis on atmosphere is much stronger, as you can't just mow down hordes of demons in your first playthrough. Like, Blood Raven in D2 or the Butcher D1 can both be legitimately threatening when you first encounter them. Andarial's poison can wreck your shit, Duriel will murder you on the loading screen entering his room.
That last one is maybe bad design, but I would like this feeling to return in D4. More emphasis on fighting to survive, death shouldn't be an annoying loading screen but an actual defeat. I guess you can get a similar experience in D3 if you crank the difficulty from level 1, but I don't think it feels the same as difficulty experience that has been paced and designed by the developers.
TL;DR
I would like Diablo 4 to have a well balanced difficulty for at least the first playthrough, with a more ominous and oppressing atmosphere more akin to D1. And by the endgame it can turn into non-stop arcade action like D3.
In my opinion, it's more about game design than actual "difficulty". Diablo 1 and 2 were (relatively) slow and methodical top down action RPGs where Diablo 3 is much more akin to an arcade action game with a loot system.
The difficulty in D3 is almost exclusively based on your numbers - you crank the health and damage output of enemies relative to your own to increase drop rates. I think it's a model that works really well for D3 and the game is really fun if you dig getting more and more efficient at mowing down hordes of enemies in spectacular fashion (especially with friends).
The endgame of D2 isn't too far removed from this, but the first many hours of D1 and D2 are much more difficult and methodical. And the emphasis on atmosphere is much stronger, as you can't just mow down hordes of demons in your first playthrough. Like, Blood Raven in D2 or the Butcher D1 can both be legitimately threatening when you first encounter them. Andarial's poison can wreck your shit, Duriel will murder you on the loading screen entering his room.
That last one is maybe bad design, but I would like this feeling to return in D4. More emphasis on fighting to survive, death shouldn't be an annoying loading screen but an actual defeat. I guess you can get a similar experience in D3 if you crank the difficulty from level 1, but I don't think it feels the same as difficulty experience that has been paced and designed by the developers.
TL;DR
I would like Diablo 4 to have a well balanced difficulty for at least the first playthrough, with a more ominous and oppressing atmosphere more akin to D1. And by the endgame it can turn into non-stop arcade action like D3.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I played D3 a ton, but ya the rainbow colours were trash. Good to see D4 make it more gritty.
And the game was way too easy. Only way to die is to amp up the Torment difficulty to some level that's out of scope.
When you first play the game it caps you at a handful of torment levels. And it's so easy I'm pretty sure when I beat the game on PC when it came out I died only 3 times. And each time it was me Rambo-ing into a giant mob of monsters and some Elites kept doing that brick wall ability so I got trapped.
Never got killed by any bosses.
I'd say a rush mob attack of 20+ enemies swarming you with Elites and random abilities is harder than any boss.
And the game was way too easy. Only way to die is to amp up the Torment difficulty to some level that's out of scope.
When you first play the game it caps you at a handful of torment levels. And it's so easy I'm pretty sure when I beat the game on PC when it came out I died only 3 times. And each time it was me Rambo-ing into a giant mob of monsters and some Elites kept doing that brick wall ability so I got trapped.
Never got killed by any bosses.
I'd say a rush mob attack of 20+ enemies swarming you with Elites and random abilities is harder than any boss.
Gandih42
Member
Everything you're saying is completely true, but I think most people's problem with Diablo 3 (vanilla) was that the first playthrough was mostly a complete cakewalk.
And then the subsequent difficulties were often difficult in really unfun ways. I think that's partially due to the type of game - the game is about having big numbers so difficulty generally comes from facing even biggerer numbers rather than skillful play. Personally, I think they found a good balance with where the game ended up, but I would love something a bit different for D4.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I played it on PC in 2012. I forget if it was patched or not and when exactly I got it.
But it seemed pretty easy to me. I just Ramboed through most of the game with a Barbarian.
And then when I got in on Xbox later on, I used a Crusader and cruised through the game using boring Smite, Shield Bash, some purple vortex tornado and spamming that ability where a couple grey ghost warriors help you for 30 seconds. I spammed these 4 all game.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
LIST WAAAAAAAARS!!!!!
Bragr
Banned
Diablo 3 was made for more casual audiences and so will Diablo 4. And it makes perfect sense because the game clearly attracts a lot of people.
But from a more gamer-centric view, I think it's clear the XP scaling needs to go, it staggers the difficulty. I remember playing through on normal first, and you could just walk through it, and on the harder difficulties, it gives you so much XP that you get super-powered too fast. I always thought it was one of the worst balanced games I played in recent times.
But from a more gamer-centric view, I think it's clear the XP scaling needs to go, it staggers the difficulty. I remember playing through on normal first, and you could just walk through it, and on the harder difficulties, it gives you so much XP that you get super-powered too fast. I always thought it was one of the worst balanced games I played in recent times.
Bladed Thesis
Member
I enjoy the endgame gameplay loop of D3 and think this game reaching further back to the D1 and D2 in terms of mechanics and gameplay with the gameplay loop of D3 would be welcomed. GR grind is enjoyable and the seasons add further enjoyment.
Kuranghi
Member
The game is based around random drops though, if you take the XP/difficulty scaling out then what happens if you don't get a good drop, you just don't progress? Wouldn't that mean they need to remove randomness and makes the loot fixed. At that point it has none of the hallmarks of the genre.
Yes the game should be harder earlier on then it is but in a good way. Touch of death enemies are not a good way of handling the difficulty. I find in games like this that if there difficult it makes you think a lot more about your skill choices, equipment and strategy. I don't want to have to play until the 3rd playthrough before it gets to that point, I'd have gotten bored and ditched the game long before that. From what I've played of Path of Exile so far it's also way too easy early on and I got bored. I haven't felt motivated to play further yet.
Actual skill choices and meaningful weapons are something I'd really like back too.
Actual skill choices and meaningful weapons are something I'd really like back too.
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StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I always found it weird that one of the most damaging enemy attacks isn't even from an actual melee attack or boss fire breath.
Those cross crossing purple laser beams probably do more damage than 99% of the monsters in the game.
down 2 orth
Member
Feel free to discount my opinion because I won't buy the game either way. But I've never played a game more hampered by an easy difficulty than D3. It felt like I was supposed to earn a harder difficulty from grinding for dozens of hours. My reaction to that was: I'm never giving you assholes money again.
Lanrutcon
Member
The game...or just the starter difficulty? If you completed Inferno (the first real difficulty of post-game) in vanilla D3 you were like, one of couple of hundred of people worldwide.
ColdAfternoon
Member
A harder game means loot matters more, and diablo is all about the loot, so that would be a great change.
AncientOrigin
Member
Diablo should look at Path of Exile how it’s done.Path of Exile is mature scary brutal you see it hear it feel it and experience it.Has amazing content and lots of content. Diablo 3 is like a cheap kids game no content trash gameplay no variety the colorful look the cartoon look is absolutely trash and takes all the atmosphere away from an supposed hardcore game.I played Diablo 3 on PlayStation 4 alone and online for 1000 of hours And i played path of exile for 1000 of hours Diablo 3 is not even cheap shit compared to path of exile.The Diablo makers should watch and play path of exile and see how’s it done and please leave the trash cartoon look.
WalterSobchak
Member
I have always preferred D1 to the others ,D2 was fun also. D1 could get damn hard on nightmare and hell. Really had to pick off enemies 1 by 1 and avoid getting swarmed.
D1 on Playstation 1 , 2 player couch coop for the win.
D1 on Playstation 1 , 2 player couch coop for the win.
Bragr
Banned
The drops are still leveled to you though? not sure I understand your point. Either way, they should do whatever they did in Diablo 2.
Tschumi
Member
You could do that? Wow, nice
Zekra Dezivad
Member
Modern genre is pure shit, boring as hell, just mindless game with useless abilities. I played grim dawn this summer, I saw that was the same shit autoplaying game where skills, exploration, enhancements etc mattered ZERO. Unistalled before the half of the """""story""""". Boring, boring, boring. Booo.
Give me back the older PS2 hns games at least.
Give me back the older PS2 hns games at least.
Touch fuzZy. get BizZay
Member
One thing I noticed when I was playing demon's souls on the ps3 back in the day was how similar it made me feel to playing diablo 1 as a kid in 1996. The spookiness of the atmosphere, and especially the way that when you die you have to make it back to your body and claim it or you lose everything...the parallels were quite strong.
Diablo is too big now. It needs as many people as possible to "like" it, not a small devoted fanbase to "love" it. Given that, forcing the player to have meaningful consequences for failure would be too risky a design decision as it would alienate more casual players.
Diablo is too big now. It needs as many people as possible to "like" it, not a small devoted fanbase to "love" it. Given that, forcing the player to have meaningful consequences for failure would be too risky a design decision as it would alienate more casual players.
WalterSobchak
Member
Oh yeah , I still play from time to time and it's still fun. Saves and loads do take a while and the graphics aren't as pretty as the pc version. But the 2 player makes up for it , and it's pretty tough depending on your build and gear. Highly recommended.
Nhranaghacon
Banned
Oh and a couple of my own personal upgrades I'd like to see to Diablo 4, a rich story/main game that last well over 60 hours before asking you to start all over.
Perhaps new RPG element's like setting up camp, buying and furnishing a house, animal companions that can travel to town in your stead - an in village questline that involves theft and burglarism.
party companions maybe
A secondary underlying skillset
Warring human factions in the midst of the onslaught
Multiple kingdom's to visit
Dragon Mounts
A water centric dungeon/offworld - yes with swimming!
The ability to set up a catapult and siege area's until you are ready to battle
30 hour sidequests
10,000 unique enemies
Perhaps new RPG element's like setting up camp, buying and furnishing a house, animal companions that can travel to town in your stead - an in village questline that involves theft and burglarism.
party companions maybe
A secondary underlying skillset
Warring human factions in the midst of the onslaught
Multiple kingdom's to visit
Dragon Mounts
A water centric dungeon/offworld - yes with swimming!
The ability to set up a catapult and siege area's until you are ready to battle
30 hour sidequests
10,000 unique enemies
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I don't remember which difficulty.
I don't even remember a difficulty level called Inferno. I thought it was normal, hard, and after that all those torment levels.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
Fuck no, enough with this souls formula in every game. Not all of us enjoy it, if you want just chose the nightmare difficulty mode. Theres been 2-3 games that I was really interested in until I found out they got the souls treatment; instant death, reset to beginning of the level etc. No fuck no, I dont want that crap in my games. You already got plenty of those if thats your niche.
asocirev
Member
I remember it vividly and it all but forced you into using the auction house to progress.
asocirev
Member
Great description of launch Inferno!
I think enough time has passed start I can now look back fondly at how fucked up Inferno was. I had built a weirdly broken pre-nerf stun-lock witch doctor just so my friends and I could slow crawl through an Inferno level. Brutal.
Knightime_X
Member
You could always...I don't know...
Play on a higher difficulty setting?
Do souls players even understand that concept or nah?
Play on a higher difficulty setting?
Do souls players even understand that concept or nah?
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Threeshotgamer
Banned
I just pushed into 110 GR in the new season of D3. I really hope they keep the torment system and just give us more build varieties. The skill tree they showed not that long ago looks like that's gonna be happening but who knows what the final product will be.
Rikkori
Member
If it hasn't been made abundantly clear by the already shown gameplay & the direction Blizzard has been on, D4 will continue the cartoonification of the franchise in both style and gameplay, no matter how many shades of brown they decide to use instead of purple this time. I am grateful for the cinematic though, it's great as an old-school throwback to what Diablo used to look like and feel like, but that's done.
This will be another console-first Diablo game, so adjust expectations accordingly. Otherwise there's the actual sequel to D2 carrying the torch & has long surpassed it: Path of Exile. For the most part H&S games are going to remain a niche genre. But hey - unlike other old school giants it isn't dead yet at least (RIP Arena shooters, RIP RTS, RIP RTT).
This will be another console-first Diablo game, so adjust expectations accordingly. Otherwise there's the actual sequel to D2 carrying the torch & has long surpassed it: Path of Exile. For the most part H&S games are going to remain a niche genre. But hey - unlike other old school giants it isn't dead yet at least (RIP Arena shooters, RIP RTS, RIP RTT).
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