UPDATE
WHAT’S NEW IN THE BIGGEST GAMES
Blizzard’s action RPG hits its stride in Season 2.
My Sorceress has one of the rarest items in Diablo IV. Ahavarion, Spear of Lycander, is an ‘Uber’ Unique that drops off one of the hardest endgame boss fights. It does absurdly high damage and periodically transforms my character into a god.
The spear isn’t technically good for my build, which funnels all my power into balls of lightning that orbit my character. But when the spear’s unique effect triggers and I become a pulsing ball of destructive energy, I don’t need a build. Enemies explode no matter what gear I have on. It feels like breaking the game – and in some ways it is – but it isn’t out of place in Diablo IV, an action RPG that spent the last six months learning how to celebrate what it’s like to be overpowered.
With Season 2, the Season of Blood, Diablo IV has finally stabilised. The launch of the game was grindy and directionless and now it’s only a little grindy – it’s an ARPG after all – and gives you plenty of things to do that are more than worth your time.
Here’s how Blizzard turned the game around in four months: around two weeks before Season 2’s October launch, Blizzard laid out its plan to reshape Diablo IV. Through a whopping 40% increase to XP gains and streamlined dungeons, Blizzard effectively chopped the time it took to reach the endgame in half. Loot drops were bountiful and rare Unique items were nearly guaranteed to drop off of specific bosses. Even your horse could get around the open world faster.
The Season of Blood is the reason I’ve played more Diablo IV in the last few months than I did when it launched. Every activity available to you at almost any level will net you loads of XP and resources. Blood Harvest events are active every hour in the open world and they’re stuffed with monsters that drop loads of loot and fulfil Grim Favor objectives for millions of gold. Every trip is a shopping spree and you can participate minutes after making a new character.
Vampiric powers are the core of the Season. These powerful abilities are unlocked by spending time collecting Potent Blood in Blood Harvests. You can
