As far as Action-RPGs go, the Diablo franchise is one of the most well-known and loved. When Diablo 3 was released in 2012, it was a bit of a mess, to say the least. Finding the best loot was next to impossible, a real money auction house turned the game into a business, and endgame content was lacking. However, by the end of the third installment's lifecycle, it was in an excellent place and spanned more than 20 seasons.
Fast-forward to 2023 and the release of the latest iteration, Diablo 4. Although no one is without their gripes for the game that pits players against the Daughter of Hatred, it did improve many things from Diablo 3.
10 All Diablo 4 Classes Can Dodge
Certain classes, like Monk and Demon Hunter, could dodge in Diablo 3. However, it usually required a skill on your hotbar, taking up space that could be used for more damage output or defensive abilities. Additionally, it made it so other classes, like the tank-like Barbarian, were slow compared to the nimble classes.
For Diablo 4, this was easily improved by giving each class a dodge move usable at any time. Best of all, it's permanently assigned to the same key (or button), so you don't have to lose a valuable ability to use it.
9 The Occultist Transfers Aspects
In Diablo 3, legendary and set items provided players with a unique upgrade not found with other pieces of gear. It's what makes each rare item special and the primary contributor to any player's optimal build. Those Aspects, ranging from passive upgrades to abilities to entirely new effects, completely change how your class will take on the monsters of Hell and were bound to specific items, forcing a choice.
In Diablo 4, players can use the Occultist, located in many of the cities found around Sanctuary, to remove an aspect from one piece of gear and apply it to another. In short, if the base stats on a helmet are better than those on another with an irreplaceable Aspect, you can now take the Aspect off your current helmet and apply it to the new one. Of course, the Occultist asks for some coin and a few crafting materials to make it worth their while.
8 Transmogrification Is Easy
For those unaware, to transmogrify means to make one piece of gear look like another of the same type. In other words, you can take that awesome-looking battleaxe with terrible stats and scrap it at the blacksmith. Then, it's easy to make your grotesque weapon with good stats look like the beautiful battleaxe. No more mismatching armor sets.
While a similar system was present in Diablo 3, it was much more difficult to use. Previously, you had to go back to town and transmogrify every new piece of gear you equipped. In Diablo 4, once the transmogrification is applied to a certain armor piece or weapon, the slot will stay that way, no matter how many times the actual piece is swapped out. Meaning if you transmogrify your boots and swap them with a better pair, they'll still look the same until you change them. The third game also used a dye system, which were one-time-use bottles at one point. However, Diablo 4 allows you to change the color of all armor pieces completely free.
7 Item Socketing Isn't Random Anymore
One of the strangest and most frustrating system designs in Diablo 3 was socketing gems into weapons and gear. You needed to re-roll certain stats, like Armor or Intelligence, and hope to get an empty socket. Although it was still usable, it was a small, unenjoyable thing that made creating the best possible build a little more difficult.
In Diablo 4, merchants allow you to install empty sockets on just about anything that doesn't already have them. The result is player characters getting an excellent passive boost of whatever stats they've deemed necessary through a series of rubies and emeralds installed in their armor.
6 World Bosses Bring Players Together
In any Diablo game, you've probably encountered other real players who exist in the same world as you. Although you'd have to party up to complete quests together, seeing another real person in Diablo 3's shared world was common. However, there was almost nothing the two of you could do without becoming friends or getting into a party. In Diablo 4, world bosses change that for the better.
One of the fourth game's biggest improvements is the addition of timed world bosses. Not only do they spawn at a specific time, so everyone can see when and where they'll be, but all players have access to them. It isn't unusual for a party of four to approach a world boss and find five or six other parties of the same size doing the same thing. Taking down these massive beasts of Hell can be as easy, or difficult, as the number of real people who show up to fight. Defeating the world boss in under 15 minutes gives everyone plenty of loot to take home.
5 A Masterclass of Cinematics
Diablo 3 had an interesting story, some fun-to-watch cutscenes, and no lack of interesting characters. However, players went without a fully animated and voiced character of their own. Additionally, you usually never appeared in a cutscene, so it never felt like you were actually part of the world.
Seeing the Druid, Necromancer, Sorcerer, Rogue, or Barbarian you customized and created having a discussion with Inarius or Lorath isn't just cool; it's immersive. Not to mention, some of the cinematics are an absolute masterpiece.
4 Everybody Mount Up!
Although the Crusader of Diablo 3 could use an ability allowing them to ride a horse for a few seconds, it just wasn't the same as having a mount. And with the massive open world of Diablo 4, walking on foot is far too slow. That's why it's an incredible improvement that in Diablo 4, all classes can use a mount at will.
With the push of a button, players can get on and off their horse, and each class even has a unique attack to use when jumping off their mount. Even cooler is that horse cosmetics are in the game and might be the best loot to find. Change the color of your horse, give it unique armor, and ride it around town or to your next objective.
3 The Tree Of Whispers Provides More Ways To Get Guaranteed Loot
The Tree of Whispers has its place in the lore of Diablo 4, so to avoid spoilers, that isn't part of this discussion. Just know that it's one of the endgame systems provided to give you access to guaranteed loot and provides a few ways to earn it These include completing dungeons, unique events, killing a certain number of enemies, and more.
Each objective allows you to earn a specific number of Grim Favors. Once you've collected ten, giving them to the Tree of Whispers earns you a cache of your choosing. It can be a targeted piece of armor or a weapon type that vary in rarity. Unfortunately, the resulting loot isn't the best, and a legendary isn't guaranteed, but future updates could fix that.
2 Endgame Content Makes Sense In The Lore
By the end of the lifecycle of Diablo 3, most players were happy with the endgame content. Greater rifts provided enemy mobs to demolish, oversized bosses, and plenty of loot to go around. However, there was never a real reason for doing any of it.
Many people don't play the Diablo franchise for its story, just chasing loot and wiping out mobs for fun. However, Diablo 4's endgame has an explanation for everything. There's a reason to bring Grim Favors to the Tree of Whispers, complete Nightmare Dungeons, participate in PvP, and defeat world bosses. It all makes sense and the additional depth is welcome.
1 Diablo 4 Has Crossplay
Crossplay isn't discussed as much anymore because it's almost expected at this point from triple-A studios that release multiplayer games. However, in Diablo 3, PC players could not play with console players at all.
For the first time, Diablo 4 allows players of all platforms to become friends, party up, and smash through Hell together. It's no longer an issue that your friend who just bought a Diablo game for the first time on Xbox needs help, and you've been playing on PC for 20 years since Diablo 2 came out. Accessibility with other players is seamless, making Diablo 4 much more enjoyable than previous iterations.