Genuine character development is back. 5 reasons I can't wait for Diablo 4

One of the biggest problems Diablo 3 faced was the lack of a direct impact on character development – at least until we crawled our way to the receipt system (i.e. when the hero reached the level cap; we could add points to his stats at subsequent receipt levels). Sure, in return, they were allowed to switch character skills quite freely, which meant a lot of flexibility, but also definitely less satisfaction.

In Diablo 4, skill points are back. It is beautiful and it requires you to stop for a moment and think. It's mandatory to read the descriptions and calculate what's more profitable for us and what fits the way we build a heroin or hero. The system has undergone a complete reconstruction. The need to choose active skills and enhance passives returns, and the whole thing is drawn on a tree, where we unlock access to more advanced sets after investing the right amount of points. It's simple, logical and encourages the use of both powerful and basic skills.

In each "tier," there's a lot to choose from, the designers have prepared somewhat of a character development sandbox, and each of the characters has at least a few ways for choosing and developing a build. The rogue can choose the path of a surprise assassin, but can also grab the iconic bow and, like an amazon or demon hunter, turn into a crit-sowing sharpshooter. Each of the choices requires careful consideration and focusing on the proper positioning of the character in combat.

At the same time, we develop the character's equipment by strengthening it and switching up special affixes and properties – some are unlocked by exploring dungeons (more on that in a moment) and other locations, and some are extracted from items. Thanks to this, we can really have some fun, properly assembling the equipment, and even stupid health potion boosting feels satisfying and looks like an achievement, because we do it by collecting and mixing herbs (oh, hi Geralt).

The character roster also works well. There will be something nice for everyone. Each of the five classes stands out, though I do miss a knight/paladin type, because I'd rather play an armored bastard than a barbarian. And honestly, the Diablo 3 crusader was the best melee character (ah, the thorns build), not counting the Diablo 2 druid. Maybe they'll consider some bitter form of this swordsman in a DLC?

At the moment, it's hard to say how flexible these builds will be and how Blizzard will deal with the problem of "self-hardening" meta (will high-end prefabs prevail or maybe players' creativity will prevail, for once?), but so far, I find this aspect a highly addictive fun factor.