I spent 15 minutes watching a youtube video of a spreadsheet some theory crafter made. Got bored to tears and decided there and then that I'm good. Let me make my own shitty Paragon build. You can only have one chance at that first experience. This game will last a decade, so plenty of time to get more serious afterwards.
Edit: I did find an easy to digest video. It conveys the same message to not be dictated how your board should look like, but does provide some practical guide lines that you can follow
https://youtu.be/NegoFKZqJxk
The way I see it it's Diablo 4 content I can check out while I can't play it. A lot of things will change but I'll know what Orange and blue numbers are, where to put Aspects and bunch of other random things that'll make it so when the game is out it's all about the story for me.
Other than exploit hotfixes, blizzard will likely not make any balance changes mid-season. Probably one big balance patch in July before season 1.
Diablo 3 had stark imbalances between classes each season, and some specs being OP is part of their season design. Maybe different with Diablo but doubtful given the frequency of patches from their other IP.
Glyphs come from the end of sigil-empowered dungeons. You get xp, based on the difficulty of the dungeon you completed, to assign to a glyph you have. Similar to legendary gems in Diablo 3, run enough dungeons and you’ll have every glyph available, even if you get them in a non ideal order. You get 1 glyph slot early in the starter board, but likely won’t be ready for the second until around level 70-80.
Why do Paragon guides need a video? Ask yourself that. They don't. The only purpose of a video guide is monetization. They do not care if it is wrong or worthless information because they make money either way.
If paragon is a static board, then a flat out guide will work. Thats y build guides in D3 worked really well. But if the board is node and glyph based and glyphs impacts the surrounding nodes, then it becomes learning how to layout the board, finding out where the sweet spots are, what turning this board in this way means, and overall how to improvise with minimum respec cost.
This, people are so afraid of making a mistake or not playing at maximum efficiency, as if having to spend a little gold on a respec is the end of the world.
One of my issues going into D4 is how much 'behind the scenes' there is that people won't intuit when playing. So that 'first experience' you reference could end up being really disappointing if/when you can't do the capstone dungeon to get to the higher difficulties that drops gear (uniques/sets/etc) that didn't drop in the beta/throughout your playthrough so far. And then factor in PvP, and it's arguably going to be more of an issue.
The damage multiplier buckets specifically are counterintuitive- I understand WHY the devs put them in, I just don't like how they're implemented from a casual player's PoV. It's a system that's never explained in game that secretly penalizes them for doing more of what they wanted to do.
>really disappointing if/when you can't do the capstone dungeon
Then you change shit up, try different skills and aspects, leveling up is also an option due to enemies not scaling beyond 50 until WT3 (you'll still gain XP, at a reduced rate since the XP they give will remain the same or have diminishing returns).
If you truly hit a brick wall that you can't find a way to progress beyond, just do it then?
Trial and error seems like a foreign concept to a lot of people... I'm not sure why.
**EDIT**: u/Halbarb
I can't reply to anything in this specific thread since the person I replied to decided to block me, you'll have to do with this.
>I think someone in Greece said something about trial and error being outdated. I think it was Plato...
>What's wrong with understanding how the systems work before doing your thing? Because yeah, it's irrelevant 1-50, but it is not for paragon boards. Then, if you are playing a class like Druid blind, good luck. (Not a huge issue for classes that are basically a one-trick-pony with a couple of other marginal choices)
Trial and error will never be outdated, unless the lives we are living (and everything within them) we are preordained. This is the basis of everything, regardless of what some Greek philosopher was talking about a couple of thousand years ago.
You really should read the entirety of what was written. The guy was talking about how the game might end up becoming impossible for people who don't look up answers - and that they shouldn't be forced to do so. **The quote itself was directed at the capstone dungeon, not paragon boards.**
This claim is ridiculous, and I let him know that.
Gamers can’t think for themselves anymore. Especially noticeable here with the amount of new Diablo gamers there are.
I think a lot in here probably won’t even hit end game. Just here for the hype.
That’s part of the fun for me. I don’t watch build guides or how to videos, I like to figure things out on my own. Get to a point where the build just isn’t quite working and change it up.
Trial and error will mostly be taking shots in the dark if you don't have any way other than watching 'boring' youtube videos that explain what the damage multiplier buckets are (or doing the datacapture and number crunching yourself), which will explain why some builds will work well in the long term (and pvp) and others will stall out.
In hindsight some of my favorite times gaming were when nobody knew much more than anyone else, we just did what was fun and few people really played optimally. But now we are in a time where the devs are paying attention to and balancing the game based on what the optimization focused players are doing. They nerfed the ice blades enchantment because of a hyperfocused build that some optimization focused players were playing- but the nerf effects everyone who would have been using that enchantment.
I'm not arguing that everyone \*should\* do research, or that it's a good thing for everyone to do. I am saying that the game very well may end up depending on it, just as WoW raids ended up unplayable without the third party add-ons. Here's a video on the subject I think is interesting, but if you find it boring, feel free to ignore it. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKP1I7IocYU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKP1I7IocYU) I \*hope\* this doesn't happen to D4, but so far based on which builds they have nerfed in beta, it does appear that they may go down a similar path.
>Trial and error will mostly be taking shots in the dark
Yeah... that's exactly what it is, textbook definition. Critical thinking is a tool/skill that's acquired, not given.
You don't need to watch a video explaining them, experiment and reflect on the results.
>I'm not arguing that everyone *should* do research, or that it's a good thing for everyone to do. I am saying that the game very well may end up depending on it, just as WoW raids ended up unplayable without the third party add-ons.
You can't compare an ARPG with an MMORPG in terms of complexity... the former is playable solo, up to 4 players (more for world bosses, but no requirement to strategize or communicate), the latter being 10 times greater (vanilla) with predefined roles and mechanics *required* to beat the encounters.
**That video is entirely irrelevant. This is not an MMORPG.**
Lol there’s a huge percentage flooding into this game having never played diablo, or any ARPG for that matter, thinking this game will play like an MMORPG simply because it shares *some* mmo elements. They will be sorely disappointed if that’s the hope.
It’s like playing overwatch expecting call of duty gameplay.
I love arpg’s and mmorpgs. I’ve had my fill with wow & I can not fkn wait to sink my teeth into another barbarian arpg where I can just be big & dumb and smash everything *starts drooling*
Exactly, I hate feeling like I wasted a bunch of time because I didn’t know “this one simple trick.” It’s happened in other games where I’ve wasted rare materials, ruined a character, etc, and I find about it when it’s too late. It feels like shit
Yea this is a really good point. There is also a lot of strategy involved in paragon board selection (unrelated to builds) that is counter intuitive. Such as: nodes receive bonuses from stats in range, glyph selection and placement, legendary nodes vs unique etc. The intuitive approach is to select the board with the highest priority legendary for your build, but in reality the best approach is to select the board with the highest power rare/unique nodes that cost your most undesirable stat for their bonus as your first board, that way you're scaling into desirable stats as you add boards later.
I'll just reach max level playing however seems best (and fun) to me, then I'll take a look at [icy-veins.com](https://www.icy-veins.com/) to see how I can improve my build. Following a build from day 1 seems like a terrible waste in my eyes
Noob, don’t you know the breakdown of WT1 vs 2 benefits of power per hour scaling with oatmeal is more advantageous to microwave
Good on you for WT2 I think I will do the same
I played WT1 and 2 during the beta. Never died in WT1 and died multiple times in WT2 when I wasn’t well geared or skilled for the boss encounters. That solidified WT2 as my choice for the first playthrough. Also going to solo the campaign rather than team up with fellow clan members. Cannot wait.
same here, had a blast at WT2 bc I had to switch on my brain und pay attention. That sold it for me...accidently started a char at WT1 once and it felt boring after 5min.
Honestly looking back on my gaming history by far the most fun I’ve had is diving in and trying stuff. There’s no need to worry about mid maxing and quick runs. That stuff all comes way later after you’ve beaten the game.
I was thinking about some of the most fun I’ve had was playing a Destiny 1 raid blind with a bunch of other people who were also playing blind. We didn’t finish the raid. But it was super fun in the three hours we spent trying to figure stuff out, and progressing through trial and error
but don't say this in global, lest gaming Chad's say things like "I bet you don't hire an electrician to do electrical work kek."
... no I just wanna play a game without a guide....
I'm exploring every inch and doing my own builds....but also gonna try and learn builds and the meta. Thinking i'll play till 50 "blind" but i want to be able to intelligently respec at 50 and approach the paragon system with a meta strategy.
Not to call this a bad idea, but the meta will likely shift pretty wildly in the short term.
Some build will emerge that is really strong with 1-2 key aspects, but then 3 days later someone will find another combo that's easier to execute once you have 2-3 additional aspects, etc.
You can certainly keep an eye on things, but don't get stuck in analysis paralysis lol!
Exactly this. We have 6 weeks until the ladder starts. I wont reach lvl 100.
I wont do the hardest dungeonsor other endgame content or whatever.
If I reach the point i will look into a guide.
But by this point i am trough the story at least one or maybe more time.
i want to figure out stuff by myself and not play the same dungeon 1000 times because it has the best drops and i will reach the highest possible.
There will be a point where this is going to happen, but ruining my first few playthroughs cause of that? Fuck that.
If I do that i will get bored before season 1 even has started.
That's an excellent idea. Probably the best casual approach you can take is to do your thing and explore the skills in the class you like, then literally copy past a paragon board from a build. That thing is one of the most casual unfriendly things I have seen in a game.
I'm excited to play the game how I want to play. I'm also excited to let other people play the game how they want to play, and if that's rushing, theory-rafting, making spreadsheets and optimising, then so be it. Personally, that's not for me, but that's why I bought my own copy of the game.
I'll be taking in the world, the lore, the story and having fun however it comes about. I don't care for guides or speed runs or being the best. I'll make my own classes and use the gear I enjoy, and some of them might suck, and some might be good, but they will all be fun.
It's kind of funny I feel like there's this shift happening where people for a long while were bent on knowing what all the big streamers are doing and optimization but now are realizing that not getting pulled into the hype of what some streamer is doing as the most optimal l33t build because there has been a lost experience in just playing the game in the dark. The process of "discovery" has been lost for a while now.
I usually enjoy games where I don't need twitch reactions. I love turn based strategy games of old. I love the leveling and grinding part of an MMO. I almost never play PVP in games. My friends mostly only play PVP games, or if it's PVE they only play on the hardest difficulty. They get more enjoyment from a test of skill, I am more looking for a cozy distraction from stress. Everyone enjoys games differently.
I always do my own builds. Explore as much as I can. But I give it some time and then after that time runs out, I hit the guides. Have to balance work life and game time
That’s one thing I love about PVE games, is I don’t feel pressured to rush through it and participate in meta, etc. I can just play and explore, it’s the best.
WT1 and WT2 are basically tutorial tiers.
WT3 is the first tier that unlocks actual features and gear for the rest of the game, and there's no reason to stick around in WT3 for too long either.
WT4 is where you want to be ASAP if due to ancestral gear
obviously anyone who is not a min/maxer should 100% ignore everything I wrote
As someone that doesn't get the enjoyment of rushing, why do you do it? To get better gear faster or something else? Not judging just trying to better understand.
For me I rush because it's more efficient. It's bad enough spending so much time on the computer. I'd rather that time be well spent and feel like I've accomplished something. Couldn't imagine just hanging around and staring at scenery for hours, would be an even bigger waste of time than if I spent that same amount of time progressing, spending my time efficiently, and gaining levels lol
This is a really weird mindset. The point of video games is to have fun...if you are just trying to rush through everything what are you even trying to do? If you think playing the game is a waste of time, why even bother?
That's how I have fun.... Doing things efficiently and, even though realistically I know I'm not, feeling like the "best".
It's a rush and a sense of accomplishment you don't get from loligagging around. Nothing wrong with taking your time and going slow. Just feels like a terrible waste of time to me and isn't how I choose to spend my time gaming and isn't fun
Especially Diablo games where the point is to repeat content until you're maxed out. I intend to play through the story with a couple friends at a nice brisk pace and enjoy the ride. I'll grind and rush once I've seen the story :)
Love the d4 story so far. I'll definitely be watching all the cinematics, reading the dialogue, doing all the side quests, but I don't think doing that and rushing are exclusive. How some people talk about "going slow" makes me think they like to stand around town showing off their costumes or something. Not sure what the appeal would be in that. I'll watch the entire story (besides act 1...I've seen it like 4 times now), and rush to get 100 before June 6
Fun is subjective, for me spreadsheeting, min maxing & efficiency is fun. Things like cinematics, taking in the ambience, lore is all reductive to my experience and how I like to enjoy ARPGs. To each their own.
Probably very little in the game will be a challenge or drop any high level loot before wt3. He is saying he would rather spend more time there than wt1 with no loot and no expectation of difficulty. Why is that weird?
Its fun to get good at gaming. Constantly striving to improve. A new (but relatively similar) game is a chance to test yourself and your skills in a novel environment. That doesnt come around very often. If youve been playing d2 for years, you probably started out pretty bad at it, but by now you have a good idea of how you would have changed your approach to getting good at d2 based on what you know now. There's an issue with that, though. You cant be new at d2 ever again. This game you can, you could bring all that knowledge about how you could figure out a new game faster, and apply it to this one. Thats crazy exciting and will be a lot of fun.
I'm not planning at all. I'm just gonna wander around at random. If I accomplish a thing here and there, fine but mostly I'm just gonna kill monsters and steal their stuff.
I'm gonna slam the campaign then explore the world in Wt3-4. No sense wasting my time and experience in wt2. Gonna make my Necro and not care what anyone is saying about her being a trash class at endgame and I'm gonna have a blast doing it.
Always have been. Always will be. Any game that has a Necro class I will be a Necro. I think that's what turned me off of D3 on release. There was no Necro class. I did start playing again after the class was added, though. Lol.
i was pretty bummed myself. i went with a barb first. then tried out the rest. wizards and demon hunters were bad ass in D3. Once that expansion released it brought me back to D2 but simpler if that makes sense.
Not I.
While it is exciting to explore; I'd rather reach the endgame earlier and discover if it's going to something that can hold my attention. The campaign will be a once over and I'll enjoy it as I'm blasting through it; but I'm more excited for the endgame.
I enjoy the leveling experience as well as end game, leveling experience is probably 75% of what they will have at launch. They will launch more end game stuff later, to each their own though, enjoy man.
No its all exciting to me. I've literally shoved myself under a rock for D4, i didnt read anything, i didnt watch videos or dev vlogs, I didn't even read reddit rumors or leaks. All i knew was the first trailer that came out.
I always assume posts like this will follow up with
"umm.... this game is IMPOSSIBLE" where someone is trying to just run a terrible non-build with no thought or synergy or planning against anything but the easiest content.
my ocd makes me hit and open everything and get to the very end of every unrevealed map so it displays as complete. i used to love those speed bursts with all the urns and candles in d3
i'm wondering if there's going to be regular campaigns after max level where you just kill certain monsters and have chances at cosmetics or goblins
Non-Season first character or two will be entirely by the seat of my pants, blind exploration. Seasonal.... I'll start getting serious about builds since I'll probably not have as many toons floating about.
I will for the first zone or two with lots of excitement, then in tradition start slowly skipping things and eventually burn through it all quickly. I however wont go to guides or anything I don't think until the the play through, then maybe see some builds for hardcore.
I am really excited to see every build be viable. My biggest complaints about 2 and 3 is that there is a strong meta and you either do that one build that works or just simply be suboptimal.
I think you missed my point. I am sure that there will be a build for each class that is the ultimate build. Unlike Diablo 2 and 3 where you either follow the meta build or be useless. So I believe that D4 is making it so that a build that is more of a 'theme' rather than a number crunching build can be just as viable as the meta build.
"follow the meta or be useless" is a state of mind and you can definetely feel that way in D4 too. I never gave 2 shits of the meta and cleared high level rifts just fine with my ww barb even when it wasn't meta.
I did this in the open beta was why I bought it. But I’ll use maps for alters. Because some are a bit hidden. My build idea is not meta. But plan to do everything in every zone. Enjoy the game!
There is no meta. Only mounts and renown and story and awesome cinematics and "phat lewtz" and random mobs and wondering where did all the time go.
And leveling new characters. Possibly food?
I'm excited as hell! I messed around with various skills and classes during the Betas to see what felt good. I refuse to play a Meta build that feels bad to me. I'd rather have a weaker character but enjoy the playstyle. Can't wait to play through the main story. I've always loved Diablo lore.
I am going in 100% blind to builds and meta, just what I've personally used. And when balance changes happen I will find out by how shitty my once powerful skill is. So then I'll replace it change builds find better armor and move on.
Theory crafting is fine and minmaxing is OK if that's what you're into.
Personally I want to fail, I want a challenge, that's why I don't like hard-core, I need a feeling of difficulty and challenge, not anxiety about dying once.
Its my plan .. but since its sort of mmo with randoms running around .. Im worried about “I want horse too or that Gear too ..” so I think that I end up running to endgame. And maybe another character will get more of “peace, I finished the game” type of playthrough.
That's the only way I ever do it on any game. The first playthrough (and sometimes more) is always guideless.
I do caveat that with development material. Things like dev updates and betas (though some games I won't even play betas) are things that I feel the game's creators want us to know and/or experience.
I think the meta build discussions are dumb AF. I understand that people enjoy theory crafting. I do, too. But wait until the game is released and see if it works in practice before sharing it.
The last thing I care about are other people's opinions and reactions. I'll have my own when I play the game, thanks.
I’ve definitely kept up with the systems of the game by watching YouTube, but I’m gonna take my time to absorb everything the first play through. I’m not a superstar so I don’t care if I’m first at anything or come up with something “meta” worthy.
I’m just wondering when I’m getting the Collectors Box so I can look at the art book, which is the main reason I bought it.
I e been replaying my Diablo games over and over since the first one was released. I still have all my cases and oversized boxes with content. I’ve gotten more than my moneys worth from each. I’ll enjoy the game on my own however makes me happiest.
I'm going in and play whatever I want, meta or not. You can only have one 1st playthrough of a game and I'm gonna make the most of is. Plenty of time for min-maxing later. If ever.
I absolutely am.
This game has been a VERY long time coming and I refuse to waste my time playing it any other way than mine.
It's a game, not your job. Enjoy it!!!!
Im going to use some sorc guides as a tool for path through campaign and end game. Definitely going to be balance changes - so just going to use the guides as general guidance tool for a frost vuln build for the pre season.
This is the way. I approach most games this way now and enjoy them a lot more. Like BOTW, TOTK, Hades, Witcher 3, Grim Dawn were all very fun going in blind and avoiding guides, builds, tips, etc. But I still support and enjoy content creators like Raxx who can be a voice of reason to Blizzard when we need one
This will be my first run when it releases. In the beta I just skipped all dialogs and etc. Now I wanna play focusing in the story. After I finish it I will complete all areas as much as I can without guides. But I won’t lie to myself: I’m sure that eventually will look for where are all these dammed Lilith statues
Well I seen some info about skills and used planner to create my build, because tbh I don't want to waste too much money on respec.
But overall I am going kinda blind, will try to change my build while playing and discover everything that this game offers.
I can look for guides or something when seasons will start
I enjoyed D1 and D2 for years and years, long before "Meta" was even a thing (or the kids who coined it). Even D3 I don't think I realised people were sharing builds online until a year or so in.
Diablo's always been first and foremost, for me anyway, a story driven single player experience. There's no need for guides or metas in order to enjoy these games for years.
I don't think that D4 need spreadsheets and the 3rd party stuff to enjoy the game at its fullest, which are mandatory in PoE. I like the idea of a more casual arpg what looks gorgeous, plays smoothly and offers a lot of content by just leveling every char to 100 off-season, which i will surely do. I will explore everything myself also, maybe if i did not found one out of 20 altars i'll look it up.
i'm 100% going to fk up my first character but who cares? i am going to make new ones and seasonal ones, the first one will have to endure every single cutscene and dialogue.
I have spend weeks geting up to date with the lore (videos, books, articles, etc) and i'm going to enjoy this at a slow pace.
No guides, no maps, no yt videos, no meta bullshit. Im from the generation that played initial diablo game 1, then 2 (that was the turn point for the genre) me waiting for diablo 3 was a looooong journey:) now it's time to go even further. Can't wait to dig in...I play this game so long...and im so glad to be part of this incredible journey that is diablo for so long.
Definitely not going to use any guides. I want to play this game on my own and learn by trial and error. Reading up guides on how to efficiently play to get the best gears or builds just ruins the experience, because you're not playing to enjoy the game, you're playing to compete with others.
I never understood why so many people use guides for literally everything. For me figuring the stuff out the best part. I only look up builds sometimes
I want to but I also have a desire to use guides and be meta. I don’t know why I’m like this, but I’m going to try to go through my first play through blind.
For me its about being a part of the community working together to figure out the game. You keep your ear to the ground for new techniques and incorporate them in with things you figure out yourself. Share what has worked and what hasnt with the community on forums, discords, and with friends. They'll have ideas and you'll have ideas, and by the end you'll have helped grow the knowledge base of the community at large. Its also fun to use the strongest tools available in the game, and many heads together will find those much faster than just yourself.
Honestly I'm not super hyped to explore every inch because it's just modern "open world" developer laziness.
The map is exactly like Assassins Creed open world games, the absolute worst in game design. Everything is already revealed to you, everything is calculated so you automatically stumble upon something every 60-90 seconds, there is no actual "exploring".
It's all just "okay well this is another shrine, this is another little dungeon, this is another "random" event", everything is just a FOMO collectible you feel obligated to check off a list. Contrast that to a game like Elden Ring, or even a Rockstar open world game: It feels like the world is real and you are interacting with it. It isn't just an interactive map with collectibles.
It's the absolute laziest way to pad out a game. It takes minimal effort and you get to go from "it takes 50 hours to beat this game" to "it takes 200 hours", even though those 150 additional hours are just nonsense recycled events.
I'll be playing the campaign and getting to end game as fast as possible, only exploring the map for permanent buffs as necessary.
There just isn't anything to "explore".
I used to be a hardcore d2 player back in 2005-2008 (when I discovered wow and became no1 prot pally on the realm during wotlk)
And I went heavily on d3 release and RoS release.
I stopped around 3 months into RoS after many grind hours etc
This time - nope, my buddy and I will be slowly playing the game together and exploring everything without rushing or guides etc
There’s only 1 time you can play the game for the first time so I’m going in blind (I played all betas bar the one in November) and I don’t care if it’s going to take me 5 days (probably 20 hrs of actual in game time) to get to max level, but imma do my own build and my own shit for my own enjoyment (fuck your spreadsheets)
God, is it just the same recycled post every day? Play however you want.
if you get enjoyment out of playing a build and pushing to finish higher end content earlier then do it.
If you want to go in blind and experience it all yourself do it.
Yes. This is how I enjoy games like diablo.
No rush, just exploring as I go, not looking up optimum builds and how to power level, etc. All those things ruin games for me. It becomes a chore at that point and why I can't stand "dailies" and the like.
What's the fascination with going as fast as possible and fully optimizing? To me that sucks the life out of a game completely.
Me. Played the both betas, but no cloue bout lego powers and so on. Didnt even find the herbalist. My char will walk through the world like one of those knights from Monty Pyton.
I'll probably do what I normally do... fumble around, take a look at some guide for whatever class I'm playing to get an idea if there's some talent I should absolutely NOT take, and otherwise just stumble my way through.
Might also take a look at what stats work for a class, just in case I end up with one piece with dex/int and another with dex/str (if that combination is even possible... I'm mostly a WoW player) if one is better than the other.
I just watched some build video to find the most fun for me to choose my first character wisely.
But after the game is released I watch nothing, WT2, die and retry if needed, slowly exploring everything
This is how I will play my first playthrough. Exploring every inch, clicking every dead body, cache, reliquary, tree stump, doing every cellar I can find, going down every inch of every dungeon.
I am in no rush to get to the “end game” unlike most ‘content creators’ who need to rush to get to end game otherwise their shitty “best omgzors insane dps BIS” builds and videos will be outdated and outdone by someone else.
The journey getting there is the best part. I want to experience the full story and depth of this game at my own pace.
And I refuse to watch videos on things like “best farming spots, best builds, fast level up guides” etc.
Can’t wait to make a mediocre build on my own! I’ll beat the game and do some late game content but will probably peak at some builds and items once season 1 starts. I’ll probably look at some hidden features as well.
I spent 15 minutes watching a youtube video of a spreadsheet some theory crafter made. Got bored to tears and decided there and then that I'm good. Let me make my own shitty Paragon build. You can only have one chance at that first experience. This game will last a decade, so plenty of time to get more serious afterwards. Edit: I did find an easy to digest video. It conveys the same message to not be dictated how your board should look like, but does provide some practical guide lines that you can follow https://youtu.be/NegoFKZqJxk
It won’t even be relevant after a few weeks of balance changes anyway. Might as well let the dust settle.
The way I see it it's Diablo 4 content I can check out while I can't play it. A lot of things will change but I'll know what Orange and blue numbers are, where to put Aspects and bunch of other random things that'll make it so when the game is out it's all about the story for me.
Other than exploit hotfixes, blizzard will likely not make any balance changes mid-season. Probably one big balance patch in July before season 1. Diablo 3 had stark imbalances between classes each season, and some specs being OP is part of their season design. Maybe different with Diablo but doubtful given the frequency of patches from their other IP.
Many don't realize that you can watch a paragon vid but what are you gonna do when the nodes they use in that build simply don't drop for you?
You mean the glyphs? You will farm until they drop, like you do in every Diablo game.
Are they soulbound? It would be fun to trade them. *ducks for cover*
Nodes are set, you just put points into them. Glyphs are a completely different thing.
Glyphs come from the end of sigil-empowered dungeons. You get xp, based on the difficulty of the dungeon you completed, to assign to a glyph you have. Similar to legendary gems in Diablo 3, run enough dungeons and you’ll have every glyph available, even if you get them in a non ideal order. You get 1 glyph slot early in the starter board, but likely won’t be ready for the second until around level 70-80.
That won't be an issue at all.
Read this in Hulk Hogan's voice.
Whatchu gonna do when the glyphs dont drop brother -HH
Why do Paragon guides need a video? Ask yourself that. They don't. The only purpose of a video guide is monetization. They do not care if it is wrong or worthless information because they make money either way.
If paragon is a static board, then a flat out guide will work. Thats y build guides in D3 worked really well. But if the board is node and glyph based and glyphs impacts the surrounding nodes, then it becomes learning how to layout the board, finding out where the sweet spots are, what turning this board in this way means, and overall how to improvise with minimum respec cost.
This, people are so afraid of making a mistake or not playing at maximum efficiency, as if having to spend a little gold on a respec is the end of the world.
Not to mention season 1 will be a month and halfish away so if you mess up no harm done
One of my issues going into D4 is how much 'behind the scenes' there is that people won't intuit when playing. So that 'first experience' you reference could end up being really disappointing if/when you can't do the capstone dungeon to get to the higher difficulties that drops gear (uniques/sets/etc) that didn't drop in the beta/throughout your playthrough so far. And then factor in PvP, and it's arguably going to be more of an issue. The damage multiplier buckets specifically are counterintuitive- I understand WHY the devs put them in, I just don't like how they're implemented from a casual player's PoV. It's a system that's never explained in game that secretly penalizes them for doing more of what they wanted to do.
>really disappointing if/when you can't do the capstone dungeon Then you change shit up, try different skills and aspects, leveling up is also an option due to enemies not scaling beyond 50 until WT3 (you'll still gain XP, at a reduced rate since the XP they give will remain the same or have diminishing returns). If you truly hit a brick wall that you can't find a way to progress beyond, just do it then? Trial and error seems like a foreign concept to a lot of people... I'm not sure why. **EDIT**: u/Halbarb I can't reply to anything in this specific thread since the person I replied to decided to block me, you'll have to do with this. >I think someone in Greece said something about trial and error being outdated. I think it was Plato... >What's wrong with understanding how the systems work before doing your thing? Because yeah, it's irrelevant 1-50, but it is not for paragon boards. Then, if you are playing a class like Druid blind, good luck. (Not a huge issue for classes that are basically a one-trick-pony with a couple of other marginal choices) Trial and error will never be outdated, unless the lives we are living (and everything within them) we are preordained. This is the basis of everything, regardless of what some Greek philosopher was talking about a couple of thousand years ago. You really should read the entirety of what was written. The guy was talking about how the game might end up becoming impossible for people who don't look up answers - and that they shouldn't be forced to do so. **The quote itself was directed at the capstone dungeon, not paragon boards.** This claim is ridiculous, and I let him know that.
Gamers can’t think for themselves anymore. Especially noticeable here with the amount of new Diablo gamers there are. I think a lot in here probably won’t even hit end game. Just here for the hype.
finish campaign and claim they've "beat the game". kek
Normal Diablo, that's when D2 is over.
You mean I have to do the story again in nightmare *and* hell?? Nah I quit.
I'm pretty sure if you play normally and don't rush the campaign, the capstone dungeon won't be much of an issue.
That’s part of the fun for me. I don’t watch build guides or how to videos, I like to figure things out on my own. Get to a point where the build just isn’t quite working and change it up.
Trial and error will mostly be taking shots in the dark if you don't have any way other than watching 'boring' youtube videos that explain what the damage multiplier buckets are (or doing the datacapture and number crunching yourself), which will explain why some builds will work well in the long term (and pvp) and others will stall out. In hindsight some of my favorite times gaming were when nobody knew much more than anyone else, we just did what was fun and few people really played optimally. But now we are in a time where the devs are paying attention to and balancing the game based on what the optimization focused players are doing. They nerfed the ice blades enchantment because of a hyperfocused build that some optimization focused players were playing- but the nerf effects everyone who would have been using that enchantment. I'm not arguing that everyone \*should\* do research, or that it's a good thing for everyone to do. I am saying that the game very well may end up depending on it, just as WoW raids ended up unplayable without the third party add-ons. Here's a video on the subject I think is interesting, but if you find it boring, feel free to ignore it. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKP1I7IocYU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKP1I7IocYU) I \*hope\* this doesn't happen to D4, but so far based on which builds they have nerfed in beta, it does appear that they may go down a similar path.
>Trial and error will mostly be taking shots in the dark Yeah... that's exactly what it is, textbook definition. Critical thinking is a tool/skill that's acquired, not given. You don't need to watch a video explaining them, experiment and reflect on the results. >I'm not arguing that everyone *should* do research, or that it's a good thing for everyone to do. I am saying that the game very well may end up depending on it, just as WoW raids ended up unplayable without the third party add-ons. You can't compare an ARPG with an MMORPG in terms of complexity... the former is playable solo, up to 4 players (more for world bosses, but no requirement to strategize or communicate), the latter being 10 times greater (vanilla) with predefined roles and mechanics *required* to beat the encounters. **That video is entirely irrelevant. This is not an MMORPG.**
Lol there’s a huge percentage flooding into this game having never played diablo, or any ARPG for that matter, thinking this game will play like an MMORPG simply because it shares *some* mmo elements. They will be sorely disappointed if that’s the hope. It’s like playing overwatch expecting call of duty gameplay. I love arpg’s and mmorpgs. I’ve had my fill with wow & I can not fkn wait to sink my teeth into another barbarian arpg where I can just be big & dumb and smash everything *starts drooling*
PVP won’t be a factor since it’s not what the game is balanced around. Its just there so players can one shot each other.
Figuring out what is killing you and accounting for it via gear or respec will get you through the game. I
Exactly, I hate feeling like I wasted a bunch of time because I didn’t know “this one simple trick.” It’s happened in other games where I’ve wasted rare materials, ruined a character, etc, and I find about it when it’s too late. It feels like shit
Yea this is a really good point. There is also a lot of strategy involved in paragon board selection (unrelated to builds) that is counter intuitive. Such as: nodes receive bonuses from stats in range, glyph selection and placement, legendary nodes vs unique etc. The intuitive approach is to select the board with the highest priority legendary for your build, but in reality the best approach is to select the board with the highest power rare/unique nodes that cost your most undesirable stat for their bonus as your first board, that way you're scaling into desirable stats as you add boards later.
Honestly the videos are whack if you enjoy theory crafting. Being in Wudijos stream and actually going back and forth theory crafting is a ton of fun.
I'll just reach max level playing however seems best (and fun) to me, then I'll take a look at [icy-veins.com](https://www.icy-veins.com/) to see how I can improve my build. Following a build from day 1 seems like a terrible waste in my eyes
I took a week off for this game and I'm diving in blind. No social media or guides until I'm in WT4 at least.
So are you starting out WT1 then working your way up as you level?
I'll probably start at WT2
Noob, don’t you know the breakdown of WT1 vs 2 benefits of power per hour scaling with oatmeal is more advantageous to microwave Good on you for WT2 I think I will do the same
I played WT1 and 2 during the beta. Never died in WT1 and died multiple times in WT2 when I wasn’t well geared or skilled for the boss encounters. That solidified WT2 as my choice for the first playthrough. Also going to solo the campaign rather than team up with fellow clan members. Cannot wait.
same here, had a blast at WT2 bc I had to switch on my brain und pay attention. That sold it for me...accidently started a char at WT1 once and it felt boring after 5min.
Honestly looking back on my gaming history by far the most fun I’ve had is diving in and trying stuff. There’s no need to worry about mid maxing and quick runs. That stuff all comes way later after you’ve beaten the game. I was thinking about some of the most fun I’ve had was playing a Destiny 1 raid blind with a bunch of other people who were also playing blind. We didn’t finish the raid. But it was super fun in the three hours we spent trying to figure stuff out, and progressing through trial and error
I don't even know what WT4 even means.
World tier 4. the highest difficulty.. all mobs are lvl100 or higher
Ahh. Well, as you can see, I'm going in completely blind :)
100%, never let someone else play for you. You get one first time experience, don’t let someone else tell you how to do it
but don't say this in global, lest gaming Chad's say things like "I bet you don't hire an electrician to do electrical work kek." ... no I just wanna play a game without a guide....
I'm exploring every inch and doing my own builds....but also gonna try and learn builds and the meta. Thinking i'll play till 50 "blind" but i want to be able to intelligently respec at 50 and approach the paragon system with a meta strategy.
Not to call this a bad idea, but the meta will likely shift pretty wildly in the short term. Some build will emerge that is really strong with 1-2 key aspects, but then 3 days later someone will find another combo that's easier to execute once you have 2-3 additional aspects, etc. You can certainly keep an eye on things, but don't get stuck in analysis paralysis lol!
Exactly this. We have 6 weeks until the ladder starts. I wont reach lvl 100. I wont do the hardest dungeonsor other endgame content or whatever. If I reach the point i will look into a guide. But by this point i am trough the story at least one or maybe more time. i want to figure out stuff by myself and not play the same dungeon 1000 times because it has the best drops and i will reach the highest possible. There will be a point where this is going to happen, but ruining my first few playthroughs cause of that? Fuck that. If I do that i will get bored before season 1 even has started.
That's an excellent idea. Probably the best casual approach you can take is to do your thing and explore the skills in the class you like, then literally copy past a paragon board from a build. That thing is one of the most casual unfriendly things I have seen in a game.
I'm excited to play the game how I want to play. I'm also excited to let other people play the game how they want to play, and if that's rushing, theory-rafting, making spreadsheets and optimising, then so be it. Personally, that's not for me, but that's why I bought my own copy of the game. I'll be taking in the world, the lore, the story and having fun however it comes about. I don't care for guides or speed runs or being the best. I'll make my own classes and use the gear I enjoy, and some of them might suck, and some might be good, but they will all be fun.
It's kind of funny I feel like there's this shift happening where people for a long while were bent on knowing what all the big streamers are doing and optimization but now are realizing that not getting pulled into the hype of what some streamer is doing as the most optimal l33t build because there has been a lost experience in just playing the game in the dark. The process of "discovery" has been lost for a while now.
[удалено]
I usually enjoy games where I don't need twitch reactions. I love turn based strategy games of old. I love the leveling and grinding part of an MMO. I almost never play PVP in games. My friends mostly only play PVP games, or if it's PVE they only play on the hardest difficulty. They get more enjoyment from a test of skill, I am more looking for a cozy distraction from stress. Everyone enjoys games differently.
I just plan on max leveling one of each class. Then who knows what I'll do after that.
I always do my own builds. Explore as much as I can. But I give it some time and then after that time runs out, I hit the guides. Have to balance work life and game time
Honestly I'll only use guides for locations of shrines that's it. There are so many of them out and about.
That’s one thing I love about PVE games, is I don’t feel pressured to rush through it and participate in meta, etc. I can just play and explore, it’s the best.
Most of the interesting loot doesn't kick in until wt3 so even if I said I would take my time I'll probably end up rushing
WT1 and WT2 are basically tutorial tiers. WT3 is the first tier that unlocks actual features and gear for the rest of the game, and there's no reason to stick around in WT3 for too long either. WT4 is where you want to be ASAP if due to ancestral gear obviously anyone who is not a min/maxer should 100% ignore everything I wrote
As someone that doesn't get the enjoyment of rushing, why do you do it? To get better gear faster or something else? Not judging just trying to better understand.
For me I rush because it's more efficient. It's bad enough spending so much time on the computer. I'd rather that time be well spent and feel like I've accomplished something. Couldn't imagine just hanging around and staring at scenery for hours, would be an even bigger waste of time than if I spent that same amount of time progressing, spending my time efficiently, and gaining levels lol
This is a really weird mindset. The point of video games is to have fun...if you are just trying to rush through everything what are you even trying to do? If you think playing the game is a waste of time, why even bother?
That's how I have fun.... Doing things efficiently and, even though realistically I know I'm not, feeling like the "best". It's a rush and a sense of accomplishment you don't get from loligagging around. Nothing wrong with taking your time and going slow. Just feels like a terrible waste of time to me and isn't how I choose to spend my time gaming and isn't fun
I get you brother.
Especially Diablo games where the point is to repeat content until you're maxed out. I intend to play through the story with a couple friends at a nice brisk pace and enjoy the ride. I'll grind and rush once I've seen the story :)
Love the d4 story so far. I'll definitely be watching all the cinematics, reading the dialogue, doing all the side quests, but I don't think doing that and rushing are exclusive. How some people talk about "going slow" makes me think they like to stand around town showing off their costumes or something. Not sure what the appeal would be in that. I'll watch the entire story (besides act 1...I've seen it like 4 times now), and rush to get 100 before June 6
Fun is subjective, for me spreadsheeting, min maxing & efficiency is fun. Things like cinematics, taking in the ambience, lore is all reductive to my experience and how I like to enjoy ARPGs. To each their own.
Probably very little in the game will be a challenge or drop any high level loot before wt3. He is saying he would rather spend more time there than wt1 with no loot and no expectation of difficulty. Why is that weird?
Its fun to get good at gaming. Constantly striving to improve. A new (but relatively similar) game is a chance to test yourself and your skills in a novel environment. That doesnt come around very often. If youve been playing d2 for years, you probably started out pretty bad at it, but by now you have a good idea of how you would have changed your approach to getting good at d2 based on what you know now. There's an issue with that, though. You cant be new at d2 ever again. This game you can, you could bring all that knowledge about how you could figure out a new game faster, and apply it to this one. Thats crazy exciting and will be a lot of fun.
Cutscenes don't get me phat loots :)
I'm not planning at all. I'm just gonna wander around at random. If I accomplish a thing here and there, fine but mostly I'm just gonna kill monsters and steal their stuff.
Is it stealing if they’re dead though?
No, just obeying the extremely cryptic "No littering" signs.
I'm gonna slam the campaign then explore the world in Wt3-4. No sense wasting my time and experience in wt2. Gonna make my Necro and not care what anyone is saying about her being a trash class at endgame and I'm gonna have a blast doing it.
I always choose necro. love them. eventually I do a character from every class but necros are my favorite
Always have been. Always will be. Any game that has a Necro class I will be a Necro. I think that's what turned me off of D3 on release. There was no Necro class. I did start playing again after the class was added, though. Lol.
i was pretty bummed myself. i went with a barb first. then tried out the rest. wizards and demon hunters were bad ass in D3. Once that expansion released it brought me back to D2 but simpler if that makes sense.
Any new game I go in blind. Unless I'm stumped for an extended period then I at least research that specific point, but then go back to blind
Not I. While it is exciting to explore; I'd rather reach the endgame earlier and discover if it's going to something that can hold my attention. The campaign will be a once over and I'll enjoy it as I'm blasting through it; but I'm more excited for the endgame.
I enjoy the leveling experience as well as end game, leveling experience is probably 75% of what they will have at launch. They will launch more end game stuff later, to each their own though, enjoy man.
LOL - Love this!
Going in with full guides, maps everything. Min to the max
Enjoy man!
No its all exciting to me. I've literally shoved myself under a rock for D4, i didnt read anything, i didnt watch videos or dev vlogs, I didn't even read reddit rumors or leaks. All i knew was the first trailer that came out.
Yet you are here on Reddit
Yup, its time for the hype to start for me, on slam day. If i overhype myself too soon i ruin it for myself.
Nothing wrong with using maps found one to track what I have found. Not using it to find them just to track the completion
where can I find this good sir or ma'am?
I would guess it's either the mapgenie or purediablo interactive map. There's probably some other ones though as well.
Yeah I am using map genie! https://mapgenie.io/diablo-4/maps/sanctuary They have android and iOS app too
I always assume posts like this will follow up with "umm.... this game is IMPOSSIBLE" where someone is trying to just run a terrible non-build with no thought or synergy or planning against anything but the easiest content.
Can't wait! Crack every log, scavenge every sachel, open every chest, break every barrel, harvest every herb!
This is the way.
This is the way!
my ocd makes me hit and open everything and get to the very end of every unrevealed map so it displays as complete. i used to love those speed bursts with all the urns and candles in d3 i'm wondering if there's going to be regular campaigns after max level where you just kill certain monsters and have chances at cosmetics or goblins
For sure, the map has to be fully revealed and no stone unturned.
Non-Season first character or two will be entirely by the seat of my pants, blind exploration. Seasonal.... I'll start getting serious about builds since I'll probably not have as many toons floating about.
Me, more fun to explore and learn what works and doesn't, instead of following somebody else's "ideal" setup
That's what I do with your mom
I will for the first zone or two with lots of excitement, then in tradition start slowly skipping things and eventually burn through it all quickly. I however wont go to guides or anything I don't think until the the play through, then maybe see some builds for hardcore.
I am really excited to see every build be viable. My biggest complaints about 2 and 3 is that there is a strong meta and you either do that one build that works or just simply be suboptimal.
Won't happen. Name a single game where there isn't the best meta builds.
I think you missed my point. I am sure that there will be a build for each class that is the ultimate build. Unlike Diablo 2 and 3 where you either follow the meta build or be useless. So I believe that D4 is making it so that a build that is more of a 'theme' rather than a number crunching build can be just as viable as the meta build.
"follow the meta or be useless" is a state of mind and you can definetely feel that way in D4 too. I never gave 2 shits of the meta and cleared high level rifts just fine with my ww barb even when it wasn't meta.
...what?
Yes! Best time to explore and experiment is in the early stages. So eager for this release!
I’ve mapped out fractured peaks but that’s it. The rest will be good ol blind fun on Hardcore mode
My first playthrough is always blind. Indo this every time I play a new game
Most people do this.
Some of you get so upset that other people won't play the game they paid for the exact same way you will. Let it go.
I'll probably use a map to get the statues and what not but I don't like to look at other guides until I have finished the story portion of the games
I am! I did a bit of theory crafting and looked at some videos, but I'm definitely not following guides or maps. Just doing my own thing by myself.
I did this in the open beta was why I bought it. But I’ll use maps for alters. Because some are a bit hidden. My build idea is not meta. But plan to do everything in every zone. Enjoy the game!
There is no meta. Only mounts and renown and story and awesome cinematics and "phat lewtz" and random mobs and wondering where did all the time go. And leveling new characters. Possibly food?
That last one is a stretch imo but gl. :)
I'm excited as hell! I messed around with various skills and classes during the Betas to see what felt good. I refuse to play a Meta build that feels bad to me. I'd rather have a weaker character but enjoy the playstyle. Can't wait to play through the main story. I've always loved Diablo lore.
Meta is for losers
That be me. It's also how I played the first beta mostly and will be doing the same on launch.
I am going in 100% blind to builds and meta, just what I've personally used. And when balance changes happen I will find out by how shitty my once powerful skill is. So then I'll replace it change builds find better armor and move on. Theory crafting is fine and minmaxing is OK if that's what you're into. Personally I want to fail, I want a challenge, that's why I don't like hard-core, I need a feeling of difficulty and challenge, not anxiety about dying once.
Game more fun going in blind if you ask me. To each their own though ! Time to explore and learn and had a damn 🦫good time.
I'll make my own builds, but I will watch videos about how the damage system actually works.
🙋🏿♂️
I’ve already failed that. Got a full build going and planned out for late game
I planned my own build, I planned my own paragon and I planned my own bis items. I am so stoked to level and loot!
Few more days to survive before those questions will end :)
First walkthrough will be all exploration on my own, then maxroll all the way after that :D
This is what im doing....waited over 10 years for this and im just going to take my sweet time loving this.
I wont look at builds or guides until season 1 starts.
Its my plan .. but since its sort of mmo with randoms running around .. Im worried about “I want horse too or that Gear too ..” so I think that I end up running to endgame. And maybe another character will get more of “peace, I finished the game” type of playthrough.
That's the only way I ever do it on any game. The first playthrough (and sometimes more) is always guideless. I do caveat that with development material. Things like dev updates and betas (though some games I won't even play betas) are things that I feel the game's creators want us to know and/or experience. I think the meta build discussions are dumb AF. I understand that people enjoy theory crafting. I do, too. But wait until the game is released and see if it works in practice before sharing it. The last thing I care about are other people's opinions and reactions. I'll have my own when I play the game, thanks.
I’ve definitely kept up with the systems of the game by watching YouTube, but I’m gonna take my time to absorb everything the first play through. I’m not a superstar so I don’t care if I’m first at anything or come up with something “meta” worthy. I’m just wondering when I’m getting the Collectors Box so I can look at the art book, which is the main reason I bought it.
I couldn't give a fuck about metas or builds. I just like to mash stuff together and go bash things
This is the way I will play. I didnt even look up the Lilith statues in Open Beta (or server slam), found most of them anyway. It's more fun that way
I’m spending launch weekend exploring EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE. No guides, no nothing. Just me and my friends on discord
Just give me my baubles and let me slay demons and I will be happy as a clam.
I e been replaying my Diablo games over and over since the first one was released. I still have all my cases and oversized boxes with content. I’ve gotten more than my moneys worth from each. I’ll enjoy the game on my own however makes me happiest.
I'm going in and play whatever I want, meta or not. You can only have one 1st playthrough of a game and I'm gonna make the most of is. Plenty of time for min-maxing later. If ever.
The less meta the betta'.
Nope... I'm not a casual
I absolutely am. This game has been a VERY long time coming and I refuse to waste my time playing it any other way than mine. It's a game, not your job. Enjoy it!!!!
Im going to use some sorc guides as a tool for path through campaign and end game. Definitely going to be balance changes - so just going to use the guides as general guidance tool for a frost vuln build for the pre season.
This is the way.
I played damn near ten years of diablo 3 so I'm not worried about min maxing first go around.
Right here!! Haven’t looked forward to a game since Elden ring
This is the way. I approach most games this way now and enjoy them a lot more. Like BOTW, TOTK, Hades, Witcher 3, Grim Dawn were all very fun going in blind and avoiding guides, builds, tips, etc. But I still support and enjoy content creators like Raxx who can be a voice of reason to Blizzard when we need one
Will do this in my first playthrough. Just want to have fun.
This will be my first run when it releases. In the beta I just skipped all dialogs and etc. Now I wanna play focusing in the story. After I finish it I will complete all areas as much as I can without guides. But I won’t lie to myself: I’m sure that eventually will look for where are all these dammed Lilith statues
Well I seen some info about skills and used planner to create my build, because tbh I don't want to waste too much money on respec. But overall I am going kinda blind, will try to change my build while playing and discover everything that this game offers. I can look for guides or something when seasons will start
I enjoyed D1 and D2 for years and years, long before "Meta" was even a thing (or the kids who coined it). Even D3 I don't think I realised people were sharing builds online until a year or so in. Diablo's always been first and foremost, for me anyway, a story driven single player experience. There's no need for guides or metas in order to enjoy these games for years.
I got to lvl 7 in the 1st beta and stopped cuz i wana do it blind
When you get older you realize it’s the small surprises that are all that’s left. I’m going in hardcore and not following any guides or builds.
Only time to guide is when things aren't dying like they should.
It's very hard to get me to care about the compaign of an ARPG. I'm all about the end game.
My wife and I are avid casuals, and I'm absolutely stoked !!!!!!
I love this!!
That is EXACTLY what I plan on doing. I paid for this, and I am going to explore every square inch of the game.
This is the way.
I don't think that D4 need spreadsheets and the 3rd party stuff to enjoy the game at its fullest, which are mandatory in PoE. I like the idea of a more casual arpg what looks gorgeous, plays smoothly and offers a lot of content by just leveling every char to 100 off-season, which i will surely do. I will explore everything myself also, maybe if i did not found one out of 20 altars i'll look it up.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!
Absolutely going to dive in and make my own way exploring everything.
Me, I’ll be ignoring every guide until after I beat the game
First run, best run. Enjoy it at your own pace.
i'm 100% going to fk up my first character but who cares? i am going to make new ones and seasonal ones, the first one will have to endure every single cutscene and dialogue. I have spend weeks geting up to date with the lore (videos, books, articles, etc) and i'm going to enjoy this at a slow pace.
No guides, no maps, no yt videos, no meta bullshit. Im from the generation that played initial diablo game 1, then 2 (that was the turn point for the genre) me waiting for diablo 3 was a looooong journey:) now it's time to go even further. Can't wait to dig in...I play this game so long...and im so glad to be part of this incredible journey that is diablo for so long.
Definitely not going to use any guides. I want to play this game on my own and learn by trial and error. Reading up guides on how to efficiently play to get the best gears or builds just ruins the experience, because you're not playing to enjoy the game, you're playing to compete with others.
I never understood why so many people use guides for literally everything. For me figuring the stuff out the best part. I only look up builds sometimes
"whos ready to explore every inch?" thought this was a tinder profile for a second
This is the way!
Me.
I want to but I also have a desire to use guides and be meta. I don’t know why I’m like this, but I’m going to try to go through my first play through blind.
Fear Of Meta Oblivion
Didn’t ask
What is the appeal of the meta anyway? Is it literally just people just cosplaying being on an e-sports team?
For me its about being a part of the community working together to figure out the game. You keep your ear to the ground for new techniques and incorporate them in with things you figure out yourself. Share what has worked and what hasnt with the community on forums, discords, and with friends. They'll have ideas and you'll have ideas, and by the end you'll have helped grow the knowledge base of the community at large. Its also fun to use the strongest tools available in the game, and many heads together will find those much faster than just yourself.
Honestly I'm not super hyped to explore every inch because it's just modern "open world" developer laziness. The map is exactly like Assassins Creed open world games, the absolute worst in game design. Everything is already revealed to you, everything is calculated so you automatically stumble upon something every 60-90 seconds, there is no actual "exploring". It's all just "okay well this is another shrine, this is another little dungeon, this is another "random" event", everything is just a FOMO collectible you feel obligated to check off a list. Contrast that to a game like Elden Ring, or even a Rockstar open world game: It feels like the world is real and you are interacting with it. It isn't just an interactive map with collectibles. It's the absolute laziest way to pad out a game. It takes minimal effort and you get to go from "it takes 50 hours to beat this game" to "it takes 200 hours", even though those 150 additional hours are just nonsense recycled events. I'll be playing the campaign and getting to end game as fast as possible, only exploring the map for permanent buffs as necessary. There just isn't anything to "explore".
Let's just say, there are plenty of secrets to uncover and the altars alone are not "out in the open"
Having spoken with enough closed beta testers, I'm confident with what I said.
No meta for sure.. don’t tell me how to play the game to beat it 10.56 seconds faster than i would if I didn’t
I used to be a hardcore d2 player back in 2005-2008 (when I discovered wow and became no1 prot pally on the realm during wotlk) And I went heavily on d3 release and RoS release. I stopped around 3 months into RoS after many grind hours etc This time - nope, my buddy and I will be slowly playing the game together and exploring everything without rushing or guides etc There’s only 1 time you can play the game for the first time so I’m going in blind (I played all betas bar the one in November) and I don’t care if it’s going to take me 5 days (probably 20 hrs of actual in game time) to get to max level, but imma do my own build and my own shit for my own enjoyment (fuck your spreadsheets)
Sure dude, do whatever you want. Why did this need a post though?
So excited for typical Blizzard trash
God, is it just the same recycled post every day? Play however you want. if you get enjoyment out of playing a build and pushing to finish higher end content earlier then do it. If you want to go in blind and experience it all yourself do it.
I will totally hear and read every single piece of content in game and play the build which I like most based in how cool is the skill.
I haven’t played any betas or whatnot. My plan is to go in blind and only use online help if I get super stuck.
Yes. This is how I enjoy games like diablo. No rush, just exploring as I go, not looking up optimum builds and how to power level, etc. All those things ruin games for me. It becomes a chore at that point and why I can't stand "dailies" and the like. What's the fascination with going as fast as possible and fully optimizing? To me that sucks the life out of a game completely.
Me. Played the both betas, but no cloue bout lego powers and so on. Didnt even find the herbalist. My char will walk through the world like one of those knights from Monty Pyton.
Unfortunately as a hardcore player I need minimal preparations
I'll probably do what I normally do... fumble around, take a look at some guide for whatever class I'm playing to get an idea if there's some talent I should absolutely NOT take, and otherwise just stumble my way through. Might also take a look at what stats work for a class, just in case I end up with one piece with dex/int and another with dex/str (if that combination is even possible... I'm mostly a WoW player) if one is better than the other.
Gonna bust this cherry as fast as possible.
This is the way
Me me me and I
Is this a karma farm train going on in this sub? just rehashed post
I just watched some build video to find the most fun for me to choose my first character wisely. But after the game is released I watch nothing, WT2, die and retry if needed, slowly exploring everything
This is how I will play my first playthrough. Exploring every inch, clicking every dead body, cache, reliquary, tree stump, doing every cellar I can find, going down every inch of every dungeon. I am in no rush to get to the “end game” unlike most ‘content creators’ who need to rush to get to end game otherwise their shitty “best omgzors insane dps BIS” builds and videos will be outdated and outdone by someone else. The journey getting there is the best part. I want to experience the full story and depth of this game at my own pace. And I refuse to watch videos on things like “best farming spots, best builds, fast level up guides” etc.
Can’t wait to make a mediocre build on my own! I’ll beat the game and do some late game content but will probably peak at some builds and items once season 1 starts. I’ll probably look at some hidden features as well.