Diablo IV players are loving the nostalgia, but hating the glitches

Ever since Diablo IV officially released on June 5-6, it has taken the internet by storm. Reviews are flowing in from all corners of the gaming world, and while some gamers can’t stop gushing over the fun they’re having in Sanctuary, others are not too keen on the latest edition to their favorite ARPG series.

Here's a low-down of what gamers are saying in the first week of release.

The Good

The scenic beauty of Sanctuary is where Diablo IV truly shines. All the different game environments are very well constructed and brimming with details, adding multiple layers to the world-building. The soundtrack perfectly compliments the grim undertones of the game and one can imagine listening to it for hours while slashing through hordes of enemies. 

Player and Reddit user naturzaros said in a Reddit post that they were "still trying to handle how fucking amazing the game looks," and they praised the game's art, which, "Really captured the essence of Diablo!"

As far as the main quest line is concerned, Blizzard seems to have done a pretty good job. The story truly captures the essence of the dark, demonic world of Sanctuary and invites players in for a fun time. Reviewers think that the story is markedly better than that of Diablo III, which was a disappointment for many players after playing Diablo II — the undisputed king of the series. 

Here’s a sample of what Reddit users have to say about the storyline:

The Bad

While many gamers are calling the game a fun ride as a standalone, how it stacks up against the other titles in the series is a different matter. Casual players seem impressed by the game more than ARPG veterans who have grown up playing old Diablo games, and feel that the recent game is lackluster and shallow in comparison to the lore-rich Diablo II. 

Reddit user F4NT4SYF00TB4LLF4N was initially drawn in by the nostalgia surrounding Diablo IV; now they regret buying the game. They feel that the game's combat gets repetitive and boring after a while, and that it's missing a lot of ARPG components that draw in players, such as a diverse set of skills for leveling up the character, a variety of side quests that make grinding seem fun, and more unique and challenging enemy types.

"It doesn't feel epic to me. I'm having a hard time even getting invested, it just feels so shallow," that user wrote in a Reddit post.

Another downside to this game stems from the fact that players have to be online and connected to servers all the time while playing the game. Glitches have led to something called "error 300008." It seems that after triggering the error, players have to wait for some time before they can successfully login to the game.

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The devs say they're trying to fix issues with the game, but the login issues might continue until the backend trouble shooting gets completed.

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However, it seems that players are running out of patience now.

A user named Bushons said the following on the official forum on Blizzard's website: "This is the second or third time now that they just decided to perform maintenance and take the server down without announcing it in game. This is like MMO 101."