Blizzard has announced the new Season of Divine Intervention for Diablo 4, and the most important thing that they are planning to do is to mess around with the gear by angels. Yes, you read that correctly. The official tweet says: “the Angels bring changes to your item affixes,” which indicates that the loot you are grinding so hard to get is going through a big change. The developers call this method “Item Reworking,” and honestly speaking, a change after the last few seasons is exactly what the players have been asking for. The new season is not that far away, and the community’s reaction is… well, it is a very Diablo-like reaction. It is expressed as a mix of skepticism with a slight touch of pure exhilaration along with a general mixed feeling.
You can easily conclude that being able to choose the desired affixes on your items would be a huge victory. AnsenHelm quite clearly put forward the sentiments of many gamers when he stated: “About time. We are allowed to pick what we like. Big win.” Besides him, there are also others supporting this point of view, who think that the random loot rolls that take place all the time make it very hard if not impossible to settle on a build. The new Item Reworking, if done the right way, could bring a lot of variations to builds and make the grind feel more rewarding. The thought of actually reaching the goal you are grinding for? Super crazy.
Nonetheless, the internet is still here, and the players of Diablo are so invested in their game. For every single ‘This is awesome!’ from Florencehg63, there is a corresponding ‘not so fast’ voice. The most frequent topic in the commentary is not even about the items—it is about the content and the much-awaited Paladin class. Numerous posts are simply inquiring when the holy warrior is going to be released. DaBrownBull shared a comic inquiring if the angels are ‘bringing the Paladin this week,’ and HudsonArruda even pleaded, ‘Let there be a Paladin of Light to fight the demons.’ It has definitely grown. Another user, haveagooddamon, was trying to be realistic and said that the main angelic item is just a cosmetic mount. Ouch! The hope of upcoming class changes is so strong that for some people, the season announcement is overshadowed.
On the contrary, there are those who think the seasonal cycle is too tiring and have had enough Already. Scottishborn_ put it bluntly that the main issue is still the same: ‘content. Play it for 2 weeks, get a couple of meta characters, and then boredom sets in.’ CapoFisk even more directly asked if along with the angels, the same old ‘bad monetization and mediocre content’ and the exhausting end-game grind have also been left behind. That is a point well taken. New affixes may be nice but if there is nothing new and exciting for them to be used on, then what is their purpose? Changing the core gameplay loop with mere stats updates will not give the players long-term engagement.
Moreover, let us not forget the habitual rivalry between Diablo and Path of Exile that always pops up in every comment section. Amidst the Paladin shouts and complaints about content, a handful of players just nonchalantly threw in ‘PoE 2 😎✌🏼💪🏼’ and ‘Can’t wait to play more PoE 2.’ as a little friendly competition. It is simply the way it is.
Some more practical concerns have also been raised. Ulad wanted to know if the specific quest, ‘the raising spears,’ would finally be unfixed. Michael Scott (not that one, probably) inquired if the hard early-season grind for Forgotten Souls crafting material would be any less hard. These are the minor annoyances that can really spoil the fun, and players are hoping that the ‘divine intervention’ in their favor will also include these quality-of-life issues.
What’s up, really? Blizzard is attempting to overhaul the most contentious aspect of Diablo 4’s itemization, which has been an issue since the game’s launch. With the Season of Divine Intervention, players are given more control, and modifiers with angelic characteristics are introduced. Naturally, the latter lends a heavenly touch to the theme that the developers have in mind. Is this sufficient? Not for each and every player. Michmatty2099 is coming back like ‘Just got back into playing and can’t wait for the new season.’ really. It is a good reason to log in and kill demons again. The hardcore players who have been playing nonstop might see the update as putting a band-aid on a huge content wound.
The reaction is like a mirror reflecting the current state of live-service gaming. There is the excitement for new features, the frustration with the unresolved matters, and also the memes. Always the memes. One player, Ghost, mentioned the delayed Compass to Carnage event. Others are already looking forward to other games like Elden Ring on Xbox and PlayStation.
