Diablo 4 devs are embracing “broken” exploits but players aren’t convinced

A Diablo 4 dev has explained why embracing OP exploits in the game may be beneficial for the overall enjoyment of it, but fans are not convinced it’s working. 

When Diablo 4 first made its debut, fans were not happy with the state of the game. This was true to the point where it was getting review bombed by fans, despite the rave reviews it received from critics. 

Since release, the devs have made significant changes to the game in hopes of making it a better experience for players. While there are still issues that make the game unfun for players, some can be used to their advantage. 

Diablo 4 General Manager, Rod Fergusson, has spoken on concerns from the community after reflecting on the game’s performance in its first six months. In an interview with Electronic Playground Network, Fergusson said that Blizzard has learned lessons about leaving certain things “broken” to keep them fun. 

“The thing about a Diablo game is that it’s those overpowered moments where you feel like you’re cheating or that you’ve fooled the development team, where you’re taking advantage of some exploit – it feels really, really fun,” Fergusson explained. “And that’s what we’ve really tried to embrace.”

While this sentiment bodes well for the future of Diablo 4, fans are not convinced that this method is working as the devs intended. In a Reddit thread that discussed the points Fergusson made, some players feel that if the game didn’t have the Diablo title attached to it, it would have been a flop. 

Players also pointed out that the current system only works because the game is run in seasons. As one fan put it, “If D4 was not a seasonal ARPG this would be a problem, but they can get away with it because seasons only last for three months.”

While it might ring true that players being able to exploit OP mechanics in Diablo 4 can bring more fun to the game, some were unsure about deliberately keeping them. Another fan said, “Idk man having broken builds like this run rampant through the seasons just seems like a cop out for poorly designed and balanced content and enemies.” 

Overall, it’s clear that the Diablo 4 devs have their work cut out for the future to keep the community invested. Either way, players will be relieved to see they are keeping that community in mind when making changes to the game. 

For more on Diablo 4, read about players struggling with lag issues and great tricks to maximize damage with any build.