Diablo 4 faces a huge problem after Vessel of Hatred

After the triumph that was the Vessel of Hatred expansion, Diablo 4 now risks a major player drop-off, but there is a way they can prevent this.

Let me start by saying I love Diablo 4. I love the new expansion and Spiritborn class, and the game’s seasons are going from strength to strength. While the Season of Hatred is light on new story content compared to Season 5, it was released alongside the Vessel of Hatred expansion, so I can look past this and praise it to the High Heavens.

At this point, not only have I completed the Vessel of Hatred DLC with my mains, but I’ve also played through Season 6 with my bad-ass new Spiritborn and have gorged myself on all the tasty endgame offerings. Essentially, I’ve had the best time, but I’ve now come to a realization about my relationship with Diablo 4 – I’m done making new Seasonal characters, mainly because I’ve got no more to try.

I’m done making new characters – for now

I reached this same destination in Diablo 3 once I had played through the game’s early seasons with a separate character class. Sure, I returned when the Crusader and Necromancer were added to the game, but after that? Well, I stuck to the Eternal Realm and only jumped back in for the Darkening of Tristram events. And I know I’m not alone.

See, I’m not bored of Diablo 4; I’m more invested than ever, but I am tired of making new characters every season. I just don’t want to do it anymore. “Just try a new build,” I hear you say, and my response is: “No. If I want to do that, I’ll respec one of my mains in the Eternal Realm”. I don’t have the time or the inclination to run a class I’ve already used by the time Season 7 rolls around, just to do the same endgame activities I can now with the characters I’ve worked hard on.

Season 7 may have a fancy new theme and gameplay mode, but if this gimmick is truly worth my time, it’ll eventually be ported to the Eternal Realm anyway, just like Vampire Powers and Infernal Hordes were. As for the Seasonal Journey? Let’s be honest: it mostly involves doing Helltides, running to an NPC, doing more Helltides, repeat. I can’t take anymore. Some seasons have had fun new questlines to try, but I’m not starting a new character just for this.

More of the same

There are other games to play, and I just don’t have the motivation to keep starting the same one again and again, like Groundhog Day. I’ve also become quite attached to the six characters I’ve built over the first six seasons of Diablo 4, and I don’t want to replace them with a class of the same type. Chances are I’ll return next year and jump back in when they release another character class, but until then, I’m happy to stay on the Eternal Realm.

Season 5 gave me this, it finally allowed players in the Eternal Realm to experience some new quests based on that season’s theme. If only Seasons 1 to 4 had done this too, but it’s not too late to add that content to the Eternal Realm. I’d love to hack up some vampires with my Necromancer main from Season 1 or explore the vaults of Zoltun Kulle with him. But I’d settle for new story content in the Eternal Realm every season going forward, just like we got in Season 5.

I want to keep playing Diablo 4, and I’m happy to return every season, just don’t want to start a new character. I want to keep adventuring with the six characters I’m invested in, to continue their story as the story of Sanctuary evolves. This is especially important now, as future seasons will likely see us on the trail of a certain Prime Evil who’s about to cause a Hell of a lot of mischief in the world.

An Eternal player-base

Blizzard has said that Diablo 4’s player base is split into two sides: one who wants to push to level cap with a new character every season and the other who wants to play new story quests with their favorite characters. The company has strongly favored the former in Diablo 4’s first year of life, but Season 5 gave me hope that those who enjoy questing the most will continue to be catered for.

If Blizzard wants players like us to return to Diablo 4 each season between now and the next major expansion, all I ask is that they continue to make seasonal questlines for us to follow. Most importantly, though, I want these to be added to the Eternal Realm as they did in Season 5, rather than gating it behind starting a new character as they did with the Vampire questline, among others.

Blizzard has shown it’s happy to make new questlines every season, so adding these to the Eternal Realm is the perfect way to keep all players happy. If not, then I’ll see Diablo 4 in 2025, I guess.