Hate Vessel solves half of the Dungeon Crawler equation.

Key conclusions

  • Diablo 4 struggles with dungeon crawling elements, despite improvements in other areas.
  • Vessel of Hatred improves exploration and boss fights, highlighting the need for additional work on dungeons.
  • While Vessel of Hatred brings the focus back to dungeon exploration, Diablo 4's dungeons lack unique boss fights and interaction.



Diablo how the series has always stayed within the dungeon-crawler genre, offering players multiple variations on the concept of dungeons as well as loot and action combat, and Diablo 4 meant to follow their example when he came out. With a lot of attention to its open world, dungeon crawling elements Diablo 4 fell a bit flat, especially with the mostly objective-based dungeons split into different sections, each with a main mechanic to address before heading to the boss room. This slows down the process, forcing players to go back and explore each dead end for items that solve the mechanics. Vessel of Hatred fixes this, but still doesn't completely solve the “dungeon equation”.


You can argue with that Diablo 4 it's two steps forward and one step back in more ways than one, as it improves on many aspects of the series or even adds interesting new ones, but leaves other core elements behind in the process. Experience the dungeon in the Diablo 4 falls into the latter category because major parts of the game like Nightmare Dungeons are usually disappointing in the long run. In this particular case, the problem has always been the lack of a true dungeon crawling experience, and while Vessel of Hatred helps, there are more difficult challenges.

Relatives

Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred Proves It's Time for Blizzard to Steal Path of Exile's Best Build Feature

Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred launched with a new class, and while the game's build variety is better than before, Path of Exile's system could help.

Diablo 4: Nahantu Dungeon with Vessel of Hatred is an unsung DLC ​​hero

Dungeon-crawling in Diablo 4 returns to classic design at the cost of uniqueness

Diablo 4Dungeons of Nahantu is the unsung hero of the expansion in that it brings the series back to the days of dungeon crawling with an experience that is more focused on exploring dungeons and killing bosses. This is a nice change, as the game essentially removes the requirement to perform side tricks before you can even access the boss room. This kills two birds with one stone:


  • Exploration can be rewarded with the same side cheats that were once mandatory, but this time they give extra loot if completed and no penalty if missed
  • The action part of the ARPG doesn't stop every now and then to take care of switches, keys, or the like, and instead players can just go ahead and kill the boss when they're ready

Therefore, Diablo 4The Vessel of Hatred expansion brings the focus back to this important aspect of the series, perhaps even more so with Nahantu itself. In fact, Nahantu has a lot of narrow paths and small mazes that are true to the idea of ​​following the side walls of the dungeon to reach its ends. The problem is that it's not the whole package.


Diablo 4's dungeons still lack a spark

Diablo 4The endgame content has changed since Vessel of Hatred, and while the departure from Nightmare Dungeons is a good thing, it's another step back from the series' dungeon-crawling roots. Not only that, Nahantu's dungeons being more “classic” in design and philosophy also make them stand out much less from each other – especially without unique and mechanically interesting boss fights. This remains a huge pain for the game for now, and hopefully for the next one Diablo 4 the extension will solve this.

even then Diablo 4The progression system lacks the element of interconnection between dungeons outside of Sigil at the end of Nightmare Dungeons, which simply acts as a way to guide players to their next activity. As a result, the dungeon-crawling experience feels barebones for the most part, even as the game moves away from the side effects. Dungeon in Diablo 4 just don't matter in the grand scheme of things, and while it could be argued that the Dark Citadel raid in Diablo 4 online dungeon crawling at its best, it's not an activity most players will encounter. It's a start, but the actual return to form may take longer than a single DLC.


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