Following the first early access beta weekend, Diablo 4 players debate each of the three available classes, ultimately criticizing the Sorcerer class for trivializing the game's difficulty. In most games, finding a balance for difficulty is a challenging aspect, as there are those who relish overcoming a tough enemy, while others just want to be able to experience the narrative or gameplay in a more casual way. Some games that have a focus on challenge like Dark Souls and Destiny 2, are constantly attempting to strike a balance somewhere between being too hard and too easy.
In terms of Diablo 4, the consensus from most players included within the first beta session is that Blizzard has managed to craft a really good ARPG experience, even if it may not break any new ground. Players experienced only a small portion of the overall game with Act 1 and a level cap of 25. Only three classes of Diablo 4 were available with the melee focused Barbarian, the stealthy ranged Rogue character, and the magic class known as the Sorcerer. While each one played differently, fans quickly discovered that only one of them made the game a little too easy.
Over on the Diablo 4 subReddit, fans began posting their impressions and thoughts on the first beta session including opinions on each character class. While the Barbarian and Rogue seemed to offer a good mix of challenging and fun combat, the Sorcerer class has largely been seen as the game's "easy-mode" by many players. While the Rogue also dabbles in this thanks to being able to fight at range, the Sorcerer is entirely magic focused and therefore can stay back and avoid most, if not all boss mechanics which are closer in range.
Considering the Diablo 4 early access beta only contained a small portion of the experience, it's entirely possible that this overpowered narrative gets flipped, especially on harder difficulties or with end game bosses that suddenly have magic resistances. With the Open Beta adding the Necromancer and Druid, two additional magic empowered classes, it'll be interesting to see if the narrative changes at all or if things remain largely the same for classes that can stay back and fight from range.
This isn't the first time a fantasy inspired action RPG has come under criticism for what many fans perceived as an easy class. Elden Ring, a game that is largely a descendant of From Software's other difficult franchises like Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Bloodborne, featured character classes that specialized in magic like the Astrologer. While the game received countless praise from critics and players alike, most agreed that magic abilities could largely reduce Elden Ring's intended difficulty thanks to certain spells hitting very hard and letting the player stay safely at range from massive enemy attacks.
Diablo 4 launches on June 6, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
