The Diablo franchise has mostly explored the same locales since its inception, but Diablo 4 seems to be changing that. Blizzard has crafted a brand-new open world filled with never-before-seen locations and filled it to the brim with exciting content to experience. These new locations shine through Diablo 4's dreary art style, and they are all backed up by an engaging gameplay loop. It feels like a breath of fresh air for the franchise, but Blizzard should also not forget the series' roots.
Crafting new locales is always exciting, but there is a reason the older Diablo games are as iconic as they are. People have grown to love places like Tristram, Khanduras, and Westmarch, and it would be a shame if Diablo 4 is the first game that did not include some of these locations. While the focus should still be on the new locales, Diablo 4's seasonal model seems like the perfect way to bring some fan-favorite locations into the modern era.
Diablo 4 Whisks Players Away to New Locales
The first three Diablo games all featured different locales, but they also all explored the kingdom of Khanduras. The kingdom has featured prominently throughout the series, but it has not appeared in Diablo 4. The closest that Diablo 4 has come to Khanduras was a brief quest involving a burning version of the city of Old Tristram. The majority of Diablo 4 takes place in entirely brand-new locales that players have never really seen before. It whisks them away to a vastly different part of Sanctuary and leaves much of the Diablo franchise behind.
Diablo 4's world map is fun to explore, and the new locales give Blizzard a lot more freedom with its storytelling. New locations are not necessarily tied down by events that came before, and the studio can also create a brand-new cast of characters that call it home. It also lets fans see more of their favorite fantasy world, and lets the studio build out some exciting new bits of lore. While none of these zones are as iconic as previous Diablo settings, they all feel like a nice change of pace for the franchise. Not only is it new and exciting, but it also goes a long way in fully realizing Sanctuary's potential.
Diablo 4's Seasons Could Bring it Back to its Roots
Diablo 4's new locations should be the primary focus of the game's narrative, but classic locations could still show up over the next couple of years. Seeing these old locations remade with Diablo 4's graphics and letting players explore their favorite areas would be a fantastic treat for fans of the franchise. The game has dabbled in it with Tristram, and now it should go all the way through post-launch content.
One of the likeliest ways Blizzard would introduce these classic areas is through the two Diablo 4 expansion packs that it currently has planned. These expansion packs could bring players back to these zones, tell a brand-new riveting story, reintroduce fan-favorite characters, and even bring back some sorely missed classes. If it does not add these zones through the expansion packs, then it should consider doing it through the seasonal content updates. Some of the seasons could be themed after classic zones and bring players back to the earliest days of Diablo. Even if these zones are simply just dungeons or events, they would all still be fantastic additions to the game.
Diablo 4's new locations are all fun to explore, but it seems strange that this game would be the only one without regions like Khanduras. Blizzard will be breaking a series tradition if it leaves these regions out, but the post-launch content stream could fix that. While the studio has yet to share anything about these expansions or more specifics about the seasonal content, it will hopefully bring players on a couple of nostalgia trips along the way.
Diablo 4 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
