UNSETTLED BUSINESS - RETURNING TO DIABLO IV (FOR REAL THIS TIME)
What's going on, everybody?
Stephen here, and today we're talking about an old friend of mine: Diablo IV!
Recently, I've found myself jumping back into the game thanks to our good buddy Josh getting hooked again. On top of that, I picked up Diablo IV on the Steam Deck, which has made it much easier to squeeze in some playtime during the week. These days, I don't always have the energy or time to get into the office for a long gaming session after work and family time, so being able to knock out a few levels from the couch has been a game-changer.
I doubt I'll ever put in the same amount of time I used to, but after spending a few hours back in Sanctuary, one thing became immediately clear:
Diablo IV has definitely changed since I played. Outside of the obvious seasonal changes and 2 new classes. Tons of the legacy systems are different and alot of it IMO is definitely positive.
Now, this isn't going to be an in-depth breakdown of every system Blizzard has changed. There are PLENTY of creators far more knowledgeable and up-to-date than I am covering every patch note and seasonal mechanic. This is simply my perspective as someone who stepped away for a while and came back.
Leveling Feels Great!
One of the first things I noticed was how much smoother the early game feels.
I'm already around Paragon Level 10 (70+10 bascially) on my Druid, and progression seems significantly faster than it used to be. Not having to complete a class quest is a welcome change, and the overall pacing feels much better for players who don't have endless hours to grind.
More importantly, the skill tree feels stronger.
Back in earlier seasons, many builds felt incomplete until you found a handful of mandatory Legendary Aspects. If those aspects refused to drop, your build could feel terrible for dozens of levels.
That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
A lot of power that used to be locked behind specific aspects has been folded directly into the skill tree, making builds feel functional much earlier in the leveling process.
Check out Wudi’s video here on leveling in S14!
A Welcome Change for Druid Players
As expected, I came back to my favorite class: Druid.
More specifically, Companion Druid.
I've played some variation of Companion Druid since the earliest days of Diablo IV, even when doing so felt like an act of self-inflicted punishment. Veteran Druid players will remember the days when companion builds were basically considered a meme.
There were entire seasons where the build was little more than cosmetic wolves and a prayer.
Then it became incredibly strong.
Now it seems to have settled somewhere in the middle, but what I love is that key powers no longer feel locked behind rare drops.
The best example is the old Alpha Aspect, which transformed wolves into werewolves. In previous versions of the game, getting that aspect often felt mandatory. Now, much of that functionality is baked directly into the wolf skill itself.
As someone who has suffered through the dark ages of Companion Druid, I absolutely love this change.
I'm hitting surprisingly hard despite having very few legendary powers supporting my build so far, and that alone makes the leveling experience feel much healthier.
The Endgame Updates
I've only scratched the surface of the endgame systems, but I'm intrigued by what I've seen.
The new Warplan mechanic feels like a step in the right direction, allowing players to shape their endgame rewards rather than simply running the same activities repeatedly and hoping for the best.
It reminds me of the Atlas system in Path of Exile, which is a defintely a good thing to draw inspiration from.
I've also noticed that Mythic Uniques seem more accessible than they once were (whether thats good or bad can be a point of contention though). On top of that, players now have additional crafting including turning normal uniques/ancestral uniques into mythic variants, which is certainly….interesting.
I'm still deciding how I feel about that. Part of me likes having deterministic progression, but part of me also wonders if it risks making some of the rarest items feel less special.
Either way, having more crafting options is hard to complain about.
Season 14 thus far
The current season also introduces a charm system that caught my attention.
From what I've seen so far, you can equip charms that provide set bonuses that synergize with one another in ways that encourage specific playstyles.
Naturally, the one I'm chasing is the charm that summons a bear companion and buffs your existing companions.
Because if Diablo gives me another animal friend, I'm taking it.
The Rune system is still around as well, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with different combinations once I spend more time in the seasonal content.
The existing content, the Helltides, the Undercity, Pit, Compasses and all feel fun. Ive not reached Lair bosses or anything yet but I notice there are more of them now, and I fought Azmodan as a world boss, which was definitely new.
FYI - Steam Deck Dissapointment
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the biggest issue I've encountered so far.
If you're playing Diablo IV on Steam Deck, there is currently a known stability problem that causes crashes for some players. From what I've seen, there appears to be a VRAM-related issue somewhere in the mix.
There are a few community workarounds floating around, including:
Running the game using Proton Hotfix
Adjusting certain graphics settings
Using alternate compatibility configurations
Before buying the Steam version, I had been playing through Battle.net on Steam Deck as a “non-Steam game”. While that works, it comes with all the usual Battle.net headaches and wasn't the smoothest experience. When Diablo IV went on sale, I decided to buy the Steam version and grab Vessel of Hatred there as well. Thankfully, cross-progression carried everything over seamlessly.
The crashes, however, have been frustrating.
Hopefully Blizzard and Valve can sort that issue out sooner rather than later because Steam Deck has become my primary way of gaming these days.
UPDATE AS OF 8/17/2026!!
I found online that disabling the battery indicator and turning off peripheral lighting semeed to help, and I did play for like 2 hours without a crash after using the “Optimize for Handheld” option in settings, and then disabling those 2. Needless to say, annoying that this is something we have to fool with for a game that is verified checkmarked in the library, and honestly has really irritated me after making the jump to Steam client for D4 to make things easier on myself…
Final Thoughts
After a few hours back in Sanctuary, my overall impression is overwhelmingly positive.
The game feels more respectful of your time. Builds come online earlier. The skill trees feel stronger. The endgame systems appear more focused. And perhaps most importantly, I'm having fun again.
That's really what matters.
Over the next few weeks, I'm planning to dive deeper into my Companion Druid, experiment with some off-meta builds, and eventually roll either a Paladin or Warlock to see what all the hype is about.
I'll keep you posted with updates as I work through the new mechanics, bosses, builds, and seasonal content.
Until then, keep an eye on The Apprentice Corner. We'll continue covering Diablo IV, but you'll also find plenty of discussion around EDC gear, movies, other games, pop culture, and whatever else happens to grab my attention that week.
Until next time, take care and I'll see you back in Sanctuary!
