Blizzard unleashed its Diablo IV Anniversary event, and reactions have been… every bit far from being champagne-worthy. The official Diablo-Twitter handle really built this up: ‘Another year of glorious carnage 😈 Another year of #DiabloIV 🔥’—but the replies for that! A smattering are positive, while the majority are dragging Blizzard through the gutter like an unwanted loot drop.
First of that rare “good news” is that the party is up and live, with hopes of showering Rey with goodies and giving him at least some semblance of a reason to log in again. But what are these goodies? Here comes the dirty bit. Players have complained about being confused about the event tab location; some are missing rewards, while many others are, as per usual, heavy with empty promises. One player, @Nabs_Tagger, said it outright: ‘The Reliquary tab indicates that there is something new, but there isn’t any Anniversary tab or anything resembling that.’ Oof.
Needless to say, such thoughts cannot help but be poisoned by a Diablo Immortal comparison: merely one of Blizzard’s very lucrative mobile cash cows. There are indeed quite a few players pointing out that Immortal actually does receive a legitimate injection of fresh content for its events; boss fights, quests, and so on, whereas the Diablo IV anniversary feels rather hush-hush. @Yaagodkaa was quite direct: ‘It’s an anniversary; it’s a celebration. No awards, no content, nothing. But we will add everything to Diablo Immortal at once.’ Really salty.
Are we talking about that loot grind, or rather, the lack thereof? @CDavidPowell expressed his disappointment, saying that he’s been farming duriel for 3 hours without any upgrade to show for it. @MIDNIITE clapped back, “3hrs… pfffft, wait until you’ve gone 3 weeks without a single upgrade.” So hard sometimes, apparently.
Then, there came another drama about monetization. @McmxtTV exploded: ‘The battle pass is a money grab joke, all the best cosmetics are pay to play, all the monetization is geared towards treating players like simpletons.’ Meanwhile, @xaker89 wonders if they can just get a darn Darkblade cosmetic with working effects. Is that so hard to ask?
There is still some balance to cry for. Sorcerer mains are extra salty, @GamingKarmig shouted, ‘ANOTHER YEAR of hell for sorcerer players… ANOTHER YEAR of overpowered barbarians and Necros.’ Then, @ThePollus said seasonal fatigue was, “Two whole years of Seasons of recycled content. New colored Helltide and new ‘powers.’ When are we getting actual, meaningful, good content?”
That is not to say everyone is miserable. @nephram2023 put down an optimistic “Happy 2 years diablo 4 🎈.” @QuakeViking also floated the idea of an expansion sale, which would, y’know, be pretty cool.
Application? The Diablo IV Anniversary Event is out but if it’ll be worth your time depends on how well you hold up to minimum rewards and maximum frustration for a celebration. Blizzard has some work on their hands if they’re going to genuinely win back the trust of their demon-slaying fanbase. Or, y’know, just buffing Sorcerers is good with us.
For now, Happy Grinding—may your drops be legendary and your patience infinite. Something like that.
