Many players find the endgame in Diablo 4 to be barren compared to its predecessor, but there may be a way to provide more variety at little development cost through Strongholds. Though certainly a fun title that keeps breaking records, the critical and popular success of Diablo 4 is interlaced with a nearly inexhaustible stream of feedback from players and streamers alike. The foundation is good, the campaign is fun, and customization has never been better in a Diablo game, but its systems often feel at odds with one another, and the quality-of-life features in Diablo 4 are severely lacking.
The complaints and criticisms start to occur as soon as players approach the endgame in Diablo 4, which currently comes in the form of Helltides and Nightmare Dungeons. Running the same instances with extremely punishing affixes over and over again pales in comparison to the Greater Rifts of Diablo 3. Moreover, the itemization in Diablo 4 has often been characterized as unimaginative and rigid, with the truly fun Uniques locked behind a very small drop chance, and then further gated by an unspoken requirement to roll perfect stats.
These ingredients combined deter most players from enjoying the final stretch of their leveling journey in Diablo 4, as well as the grind that comes after. However, according to thedavv, there may be a way to alleviate some of the tedium by taking the concept of Strongholds and making them repeatable. Given that Helltides tend to cover a town in any of the five Regions in Diablo 4, repeatable Strongholds could function similarly in the higher World Tiers – allowing players to break up the monotony by banding together, clearing out a demon-infested town, and reaping the rewards.
A more dynamic version of Strongholds in Diablo 4 would allow developers to not only randomize the location, but also the enemies, affixes, objectives, and even boss fights. Though it does sound like a Nightmare Dungeon on paper, having more variety in content at the level cap would certainly be appreciated by the community. Ultimately, Blizzard will need to find a way to introduce new content that's appealing to chase. As it stands, there is no true benefit to tackling higher level Nightmare Dungeons, nor does the added difficulty provide a satisfying challenge.
Another feature that may help enrich the endgame is by making Diablo 4's campaign bosses repeatable, and then connecting them to a reward system similar to Bounties in Diablo 3's Adventure Mode. Fans seem to be frustrated because Blizzard had years of useful feedback to draw upon with the last two mainline Diablo titles, thanks to the recent release of Diablo 2: Resurrected, and ultimately it feels like Diablo 4 is back to square one – still in the process of figuring itself out. Though players are confident that the developers will fix the game's shortcomings, even the most patient and passionate fans have a limit.
Diablo 4 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
