I really want to like Diablo 4, but in its current state, it feels like I’m forcing myself to keep playing rather than actually enjoying it.
The biggest problem for me is the item grind. You can spend hours running the same content over and over again and walk away feeling like you’ve accomplished basically nothing. Diablo is supposed to be about killing mobs and getting excited when something awesome drops. Instead, most of the time I’m sorting through piles of items that aren’t meaningful upgrades, just so I can keep grinding for another chance at something slightly better.
The Mythic changes haven’t helped either. The game seems to be moving further away from “kill monsters and find awesome loot” and more toward building and modifying items yourself through multiple systems. Crafting and improving gear isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it feels like it’s been pushed way too far. For a series that helped define the ARPG genre, Diablo 4 has somehow made finding loot one of the least exciting parts of the game.
Then there’s the Steam Deck experience. When it works, Diablo 4 is actually a great game to play on the Deck. Unfortunately, the constant crashes make it incredibly frustrating. I’ve had the game crash repeatedly during normal gameplay. It’s already hard enough to stay motivated through the grind when meaningful upgrades are so rare. Having the game crash in the middle of that grind makes it even harder to want to keep playing.
The store doesn’t help either. The prices are ridiculous for a full-priced game, and there’s no meaningful way to grind in-game and earn premium currency toward something you actually want from the store. You’re constantly being asked to grind, but almost none of that time or effort carries over into the cosmetic side of the game.
The seasonal changes aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re not great either. More and more, they feel designed around finding additional ways to get money out of players rather than making the game itself more rewarding. The premium pass especially feels like a joke considering this is already a full-priced game with an expensive cosmetic store.
The combat is isn’t bad, but endgame feels like you just spam all your buttons and pray you don’t miss an enemy attack and get one shot. I keep wanting to come back, but the grind, itemization, monetization, and constant Steam Deck crashes keep getting in the way.
I can’t recommend Diablo 4 in its current state. If you really want to play it, wait for a sale.
TL;DR: Diablo 4 has become an unrewarding grind where meaningful loot upgrades are too rare, item progression feels unnecessarily complicated, and the monetization is excessive for a full-priced game. Add the constant Steam Deck crashes and disappointing seasonal content, and I can’t recommend it at full price. Wait for a sale.
