The Diablo franchise, despite being one of the pillars of the loot-based action RPG genre, has developed a reputation for leaning more heavily towards the “action” side of things rather than the “RPG” side. Co-founder of Path of Exile developer Grinding Gear Games, Chris Wilson, spoke about this in the context of Diablo 5 and said that he hopes Blizzard goes back to a combat system that revolves more around builds rather than the “arcade and actioney” gameplay we’ve seen since Diablo 3.
Responding to this, Diablo 5 senior game director Joe Shely has taken to social media to note that Diablo 5 will continue to follow the franchise’s tradition of including “some DEX (moment-to-moment execution) mechanics”. However, he also confirmed that there will be an emphasis on planning and investment as well, which indicates that the title might have a larger emphasis on character builds than Diablo 3 or 4 did. He went on to say that any challenge in the game will be able to be taken on and overcome with the right build.
“While Diablo V will continue to feature some DEX (moment-to-moment execution) mechanics, on balance the game will be an INT/STR game (planning and investment). We are designing to the core tenet of ARPGs that any challenge can be overcome with the right build.”
When it comes to gameplay that revolves around figuring out character builds, the two major action RPGs that dominate the genre have tended to be Path of Exile and Grim Dawn. Both games also involve plenty of moment-to-moment execution. However, a character’s core identity almost always revolves around specific builds. Diablo 3 and 4, on the other hand, have largely opted to allow characters to set up just about any kind of build they might want. This has led to builds having generally less importance in these titles.
Diablo 4 is also noteworthy for suffering from the lack of many meaningful choices with its skill tree, where each node only gives players between 4 and 6 different choices. When compared to the gem system in the two Path of Exile titles, their respective passive skill trees, and even Grim Dawn’s intricate Masteries system that allows players to take on two classes whose abilities can be mixed and matched, Diablo 4’s buildcraft might end up feeling a bit disappointing to players who prefer thinking harder about their characters.
However, Diablo 5 is still quite some time away, with Blizzard confirming a 2029 release window. This long development period will give the studio plenty of time to observe the evolution of the action RPG genre. The studio has also revealed that it has high ambitions for the upcoming title, with executive producer Matt Zitterman going as far as to say that the team is aiming to make the franchise’s “best campaign ever”.
In the meantime, Diablo 4 won’t be getting any new expansions, since the team will be busy working on seasonal content for the game. The development of Diablo 5 has also likely taken away much of the workforce that would be necessary to make an entire expansion.
