TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 4,672
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Finally, something to use those big numbers on.
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The fun of a loot-based action RPG disappears when monsters pop in a single hit and the only thing that goes up are the damage numbers. Right now, you can upgrade your gear all you want in Diablo 4, but the majority of the game doesn't really require it.
This is a problem in a genre where incremental power gains are the carrot on the stick that keeps you chasing after more loot. I tend to quit playing every Diablo 4 season once I'm at the point where I'm only picking up items with slightly higher numbers. There's nothing to do with that kind of power but see how fast you can clear the new speedrun dungeon for a spot on the leaderboards.
Blizzard wants to fix this in the Lord of Hatred expansion when it launches next month, and it's doing so by borrowing an idea from Diablo 3. Currently, Diablo 4 has four torment difficulty tiers, each one raising the health and damage of every monster in the game and improving the loot they drop. In Lord of Hatred, that number is getting expanded to 12—news that was revealed by associate game director Zaven Haroutunian in a recent interview with YouTuber Wudijo and explained to PC Gamer in a separate interview with two designers in January.
Wudijo brought up the balance of power gained through a character's items versus their skill tree and how easy it is to get to the point where you're smacking monsters for billions of damage. Haroutunian said while "big numbers feel cool, they feel good for players to get," the game isn't actually asking you to have those big numbers.
So all that power you're getting, you can go and be useful with it.
"I think a lot of the 'it feels like it's too big' is when it encroaches on I'm just getting numbers higher and they're not actually meaningfully changing how I play or what I do, they're not unlocking the potential for me to do something that I otherwise wouldn't do," he explained. Dungeons like the Pit and the Tower scale way past the rest of the game so players can test their builds and compete on the leaderboards, he added.
Lord of Hatred's eight new torment tiers are an attempt at making everything else relevant as you grow stronger. "So all that power you're getting, you can go and be useful with it," he said.
Design director of systems Colin Finer told PC Gamer that the team sees these new torment tiers less as difficu...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
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Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
The fun of a loot-based action RPG disappears when monsters pop in a single hit and the only thing that goes up are the damage numbers. Right now, you can upgrade your gear all you want in Diablo 4, but the majority of the game doesn't really require it.
This is a problem in a genre where incremental power gains are the carrot on the stick that keeps you chasing after more loot. I tend to quit playing every Diablo 4 season once I'm at the point where I'm only picking up items with slightly higher numbers. There's nothing to do with that kind of power but see how fast you can clear the new speedrun dungeon for a spot on the leaderboards.
Blizzard wants to fix this in the Lord of Hatred expansion when it launches next month, and it's doing so by borrowing an idea from Diablo 3. Currently, Diablo 4 has four torment difficulty tiers, each one raising the health and damage of every monster in the game and improving the loot they drop. In Lord of Hatred, that number is getting expanded to 12—news that was revealed by associate game director Zaven Haroutunian in a recent interview with YouTuber Wudijo and explained to PC Gamer in a separate interview with two designers in January.
Wudijo brought up the balance of power gained through a character's items versus their skill tree and how easy it is to get to the point where you're smacking monsters for billions of damage. Haroutunian said while "big numbers feel cool, they feel good for players to get," the game isn't actually asking you to have those big numbers.
So all that power you're getting, you can go and be useful with it.
"I think a lot of the 'it feels like it's too big' is when it encroaches on I'm just getting numbers higher and they're not actually meaningfully changing how I play or what I do, they're not unlocking the potential for me to do something that I otherwise wouldn't do," he explained. Dungeons like the Pit and the Tower scale way past the rest of the game so players can test their builds and compete on the leaderboards, he added.
Lord of Hatred's eight new torment tiers are an attempt at making everything else relevant as you grow stronger. "So all that power you're getting, you can go and be useful with it," he said.
Design director of systems Colin Finer told PC Gamer that the team sees these new torment tiers less as difficu...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?