Key Diablo 4 Indicator is Confusing Player by Being Too Complicated
The developers of Diablo IV apparently did not realize that one of the in-game indicators they designed would cause such chaos. Players don't know how to read the data it transmits.
Almost since the beginning of video games, various health indicators have been used. It is thanks to these inconspicuous graphics displayed on the screen that we know what is the condition of the character we are controlling at any given moment.
Depending on the type of game we play, the health indicator plays a greater or lesser role. We will react completely differently to low health in calm life simulators, and differently in soulslike games, where we are attacked time and again by dangerous opponents.
And although Diablo 4 does not belong to either genre, the health bar plays a crucial role in the game. The problem, however, is that the graphics, from which we should get all the necessary information, are incomprehensible to a large group of players.. Why? Because the indicator (in this case, a sphere) in the game illustrates not only the character's health stat, but also Barrier and Fortification.
Trouble begins when the three aforementioned indicators overlap, causing considerable confusion among players. The problem with understanding the graphics is so widespread that some daredevils have tried to explain this complicated phenomenon with the help of the following image on Reddit.
Reddit, d4fuQQ
Delving into the comments under the shared material, it is easy to come across users who still do not understand how the Health Sphere works in Diablo IV.
If there are also among you people who can not grasp the indicator markings, I rush to help. Below I will try, if possible, to explain its operation as simply as possible.
Health
The health indicator is the easiest to understand. A dark red sphere - your character is alive. Empty sphere - the character bites the dust.
Barrier
If the Health Sphere is colored light purple, your character has an activated barrier that completely absorbs the damage received.
Full Barrier will appear as a fully filled sphere and a blue-purple ring on the outside.. When it begins to be destroyed, the ring will continue to be visible, but the coloring inside the sphere will become weaker and weaker. Partial Barrier protects just as well as the full one - it will just run out much sooner.
Fortification
Fortification is used mainly by Barbarians, Druids, and to a lesser extent by Necromancers.
It provides damage reduction. Unfortunately, the active function is not as conspicuous as Barrier, since the red of Fortification overlaps with the already red health ball.
Fortunately, there is another easy-to-miss visual clue that helps interpret this indicator.
- A normal health sphere has a patterned center surrounded by a gray ring, while an Fortification sphere is more opaque and surrounded by a bright red ring.
If your Fortification status is higher than your character's Health, you may observe two things:
- A spiky iron ring surrounding your health sphere, indicating that the character is currently Fortified.
- A bright red ring representing the amount of Fortification you have.
And you? Have you figured out what the devs from Blizzard had in mind when designing the health indicator?
