It Sure Looks Like Diablo 4 is Becoming Diablo 3

[@maikelb1098]

85% of the people playing solo indeed surprised me. Thought it would be closer to 95%

[@barrymacdonald3439]

Does not seem solo with the amount of people that beg for Lilith carries in chat. I've carried at least 100 this season alone lol

[@maikelb1098]

@@barrymacdonald3439 I hear what you say. Let's say you join a group 1 to 4 times at a season playtime with let's say 40 hours. Makes this you a team player in the math used? It makes you a team player, and a good one.

[@faustomadebr]

Id say the same... The closer I got to play the game was saying "no" to a friend asking me if I wanna join him, but I didnt even buys this crap.

[@Sssoneca]

Me 2

[@IdgaradLyracant]

% of botting might explain that. That's when I quit when the bots were out of control in D4.

[@cinnabun117]

Wait the 85% solo play number is surprising? I always assumed Diablo games were almost entirely solo players, myself included.

[@stratvids]

that's because of group bias, which ever group you're in you overestimate the percentage of players in your group

[@deaddrunkgamer7399]

group play i must admit is so much better, you get a lot more done, and its so much easier as well. Which i find is a shame. i also assume the high number is because they forgot to implement any form of match system for a intended multiplayer game.

[@INMATEofARKHAM]

​@stratvids Also, people don't seem to understand just what an increasingly high percentage that 85% is. You drop a 100 humans into a room and get 85 of them to agree to anything would be surprising. Hell, they probably would even agree that the sky is blue.

[@Wabbajack-t7p]

​@@stratvidsthis also applies to everything outsie of games too.

[@zerochance1958]

I've played D3, DI, and D4 from launch. And I've never once been in a group. Considering I have to stop/start often, given that I have a family and a life, playing in a group that I'd have to stick with is just not worth the trouble.

[@gfjungle]

not even vaguely surprised by the amount of players who play solo thats entirely what i expected

[@MS-en7mt]

The game borderline forces it by not having any reasonable options to play with others. Inviting random people running by is obviously not a good way to do anything and few want to go to discords to find groups. It's a major step backwards in terms of design even compared to Diablo 2s lobbies.

[@IGarrettI]

@@MS-en7mt ong. They tried to set up D4 to be a semi MMO with the open world and shit, but it's still as solo as it gets

[@MyN0N4M3]

@@IGarrettI An MMO is a game with an open world that is shared by hundreds of players. Please tell me how small scale 4 man content turns Diablo into an MMO? Ppl are so brainwashed by the WoW'fication of vid games where everything that has a multiplayer dungeon is now suddenly an MMO. If you want to make D4 into an actual MMO, then add in GW2 style Meta events into the open world. Adding small scale instanced group content makes it less of an MMO and not more, as the open world gets even more irrelevant, which is the same reason why WoW doesnt feel like an MMO anymore but only an ingame lobby for ppl running constantly the same instanced dungeons/raids and PvP arenas. Seeing how inherently borken and unbalanced D4 is though one could ask the question if it was a good idea to try and turn it into an MMO in the first place. We all know what happened to world bosses and the same thing would happen to all open world stuff. Some genres are just incompatible. And a game with the soul purpose to find a gamebreaking build to become an immortal god that oneshots everything is maybe not suited to become an MMO.

[@Fredrikwikberg]

most ppl i know that play D4 play in groups

[@IGarrettI]

@@MyN0N4M3 I'm not reading all that. On top of that you're clearly triggered by nothing lol..relax girl

[@whary07]

The reason why I play solo is because I feel like the power range is so wide that you are either carrying or being carried and rarely ever close to the same power as the person(s) you are playing with. I don't mind helping other people out but I don't like being carried through games, it just becomes super boring and unfun for me. I want to engage with the game, I want to be the one slaying the demon or at least feel like I'm contributing, I want to feel the progression of becoming stronger and stronger but playing with someone who is multiple magnitudes stronger than me just isn't fun.

[@MandoMerc12]

💯

[@queenbrightwingthe3890]

Also most sweetlord groupes only accept people who are like them in the groupe or you get kicked anyway. Just like it was in D3.

[@Jokervision744]

I got into the surfing,but with ppl I know.

[@hakim6933]

Even with an 85 percent playing on solo mode, we still won't get an offline mode

[@cinnabun117]

Where I live we lose internet fairly regularly, and each time the thought crosses my mind that I could kill some time with D4. Except of course I can't because corporate control mongering.

[@ryanmanuel1222]

Blizzard just doesn't want to admit that Diablo is a single player game, it always has been. And I'll bet that a large majority of the remaining 15% are streamers who have to play multi-player because it's their job, and they would be pretty lonely without a team.

[@spycozelot]

I play 99% of the time solo... I don't like talking or communicating with others is what I play to relax and avoid people.

[@barrymacdonald3439]

Let me guess that 1% if time is just getting boosted and saving a few hours 😂

[@Slitheringpeanut]

Amen, bruh.

[@queenbrightwingthe3890]

@@barrymacdonald3439 Emojie kid got boosted.

[@MrRoninzg]

Same

[@spycozelot]

@@barrymacdonald3439 exactly. XD

[@JH-xz6gy]

I play solo because I'm an anti social without any friends to play with. In game during world boss or legion I use the hello emote and that is the full extent of my multiplayer experience

[@Funkpocalypse]

Yeah, my experience as well. I eventually gave up being social all together in D4 lol.

[@kylejamer]

i had one conversation with a minion Necro the beginning of this season, he apologized for slaughtering all the event monsters 😂🤣 We got like 13-ish waves of enemies ​@@Funkpocalypse I told him i was super jealous because i gadnt been able to make a pet build on a Barb work

[@marsovac]

Being antisocial is something you are led into through habit. It is how the human brain works. If you only play solo you are addicting yourself to play more solo and be more anti social. The other way around also has drawbacks, if you addict yourself to play only socially in a group, you will not enjoy playing solo anymore and feel more lonely. This applies to the real world as well. Balance is almost always the best option. Which is why I don't mind if there is an activity that engages socially, as long as it is not forced and too frequent. Trading is one such "balanced" activity. You don't do it often or feel it is necessary for the enjoyment of the game, but at least you feel the game has a social component.

[@TehPwnographer]

You know that nobody talks in games anymore, right? May as well be playing with NPCs.

[@elkageorgieva8515]

What means to be anti social.. i will never understand this. You have one life only and instead take all the best from it you are capped yourself ... please guys change yourselves. I say this for your own better. Not need to be always around 100 people but to have 10 friends is better feeling. Trust me guys. Much love to you all.

[@literaltruth]

I'm honestly surprised it's as low as 85%. When Rhykker said "You might be surprised at the number" my immediate thought was "I'll only be surprised if it's lower that 90%. Diablo 4's grouping tools are so bad it's like the game is actively hostile to group play.

[@PsycholicalGAINS]

its crazy we are only getting a group finder 1 year later

[@freak8263]

@@PsycholicalGAINS im happy were miles ahead of where we were at season 1 though. they know PoE2 is coming and they know they have to step up their shit or lose a lot of their player base

[@Jenosaido841]

@@freak8263 I think they already lost a lot of player base. Which wont be a bad thing necessarily. But I know a ton of people that left because its so much closer to D3. IF they mixed in some D2 or PoE style stuff and find a balance/middle ground I think it would help to capture those players. I found myself have "D3 syndrome" this season even without having anything like set items like in D3. I got to level 100 on my Barb in like 7 hours killed a bunch of ladder bosses and started to progress higher in pit and Infernal hordes to just have it start feeling "eh" like it did in D3. Legit had a group of friends and we all played a season of D3 a few years ago, 1 of us kept dying all the time, 2 of us were so unkillable and bored we were falling asleep playing and 1 guy just up and quit. Now, I don't know exactly what they can do, and I found myself enjoying most season of D4 for the most part but as it creeps more towards snoozefest D3 I think more and more people will leave.

[@alonbinyamin]

I only play with a single friend. So technically I'm not a solo player but you can't really claim I'm playing with other people.

[@jimmythecrow]

diablo 4 as a whole is bad.

[@gscgold]

I didn't realize they were trying to make Diablo4 an MMO. I'll keep playing Diablo 2 thank you

[@revannia]

The Diablo team has learn absolutely nothing from WoW - solo players do not like to be forced into group play. Making the game open world with no option for a private game was a major mistake and they're only compounding it by thinking adding mandatory group content will change how people play.

[@benlarson6031]

There's no way that you're really making the argument that wow the biggest MMO of all time had an issue with people not wanting to do group activities. If that were the case the game literally wouldn't exist

[@revannia]

I didn't say WoW had an issue with anything; the devs just finally realized that many solo players aren't going to do group content no matter what they put in it to try to incentivize them to do it. The WoW team itself has said that solo players have been underserved and they're only now trying to give solo players endgame activities - see delves. My point was Diablo devs are going backwards at the same time WoW devs are moving in a positive direction and getting positive feedback from the community for doing so.

[@HTeeB]

@@revannia How are they going backwards? This take is legit so fucking bad. There is MORE content in the game. If you CHOOSE not to do it, that's fine. No impact to you. It's a massive plus for everyone else that does have friends or doesnt mind using LFG etcetc. What dont people get about more content for the game always being good, even if it doesnt cater to you? Maybe more sales, more player retention etc etc and then they can make some more experiences just for the solos. Think about the last 5 seasons we've had, nothing was co-op only. Now there is 1 thing and everyone wants to have a fucking whinge. Unreal. Get a hold of yourself and realise not every update in every game has to be beneficial to you specifically.

[@necaacen]

@@HTeeB more content for the game that is only accessible to 15% of the player base being used as a way to try and fix the 'problem' of people playing the game the way they want to play it isnt really just more content, the guy has grounds to question the wisdom and motivation of this decision. jay wilson, lead dev of D3 said when he was given the job of making D3 he had never played diablo 2 before. joe shelly lead dev of D4 said that he has never played other arpgs like path of exile and has about 50 hours experience playing D3. The reason both these games have had such massive problems and received massive hate on launch is because they were both made by devs who are not arpg players and do not understand arpgs. all their instincts were wrong and they had to fix their games by adopting solutions already used in previous arpgs 10+ years before, solutions they were ignorant of when designing the game because they dont play arpgs. and here we are again with stats showing he devs that the vast majority of arpg players play solo, and they as people who do not play arpgs have decided that is a problem that needs fixing and they are going to attempt to force arpg players to change and play the way they want them to play. its like someone whos never eaten a steak taking over a steak house and deciding the fact their customers arnt vegan is a 'problem' that needs to be fixed. maybe the problem isnt the customers or the steaks, the problem is the new owner.

[@Tombstonecross]

Cater to the 85%, ignore the 15%.

[@OfNoImport]

"And the devs believe the solo player number percentage will drop as a result of this." Hahaha no. That's not going to happen. Instead, there will be outcry until the raid is redesigned to be solo-player friendly.

[@Feroce2023]

It will drop because they will stop playing, so they are correct. They will lose most of the players, but the statement is still correct.

[@Ningishzidd4]

That's exactly what's going to happen. It's like these dumbass developers are forever doomed to repeat their mistakes over and over. Insanity is repeating the same behaviour and expected a different result.

[@ThePunisher-h5i]

​@@Ningishzidd4 DEI is the problem.

[@Evermourn1]

Why are people always so desperate to force group play on players? If over 80% of players play solo, then why is the conclusion to put in features to force grouping? Surely it should be to put in more solo features.

[@MS-en7mt]

So many are solo because the game has worse multiplayer options than games from the early 2000s. There should be group options and all content should be able to be played solo. It doesn't need to be one or the other.

[@hiddenxalpha7053]

Solos can play in a group more easily than groups splitting up to solo things. E, the other reason is that 'you have more fun in a group', more time played = more time looking at the shop option.

[@kaylanclark4402]

Because 20% use discord. I bet at least another 30% would love to play in groups but can't be bothered to use external means.

[@RH-gz7or]

Profitability for consoles. End of discussion.

[@Zasz428]

Money. Alot of cool skins are micros. People care more about skins when other people are around to see them.

[@Nebuli2]

As a solo player, I'm not in any way surprised that so many other people play solo. I also don't think it's likely that most people are going to play in groups just because there's a group finder. If I had a group of friends playing D4, then maybe I would play with them. But I'm not playing solo just because I can't group up with... random people.

[@MS-en7mt]

Most are. Having no grouping options or lobbies is crazy bad design.

[@Brat2513]

As a guy who play 90% solo and 10% with friends i did not even play diablo 2 and 3 in groups with randoms and never would

[@Djuntas]

To play solo is shooting yourself in the foot. Rotation tormented bosses are insane. Its sad how unbalanced it is for solo. Not to mention how powerful trading is. You can gear up a great LS sorc for like 2-3 billion gold only. And that comes fast when you trade your own loot for gold.

[@hoofhearted4]

@@Brat2513 i did just when farming because 9 times out of 10, someone else could clear it faster, and it made farming easier. that said, i also play solo. I think solo play is better in D4 and I'll likely continue doing so. Though I'm sure I'll try the raid.

[@swallowedinthesea11]

Have fun missing out! Millions of people have met life long friends, bone marrow donors, and even their spouses by playing with strangers in video games like Diablo 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and World of Warcraft.

[@CarlosAlberto-hb1fh]

All Diablo games have their story focused around one main character, it's always been like this. Why would anyone be surprised that most players prefer to play solo?

[@MegaFlame57]

Saying D4 is going towards D3 and that's a good thing is wild. As an avid D2 player it's wild how people still don't or can't see the problems with D3 and how D2 had already solved many of the problems, all while incentivising cooperation and trading. D4 2.0 is butchering runewords and every concept already existing in D2. It's crazy how developers are trying to capitulate on D2 concepts while butchering them in an attempt to make people forget about the good systems we had.

[@Cdael1986]

You are 100% correct; just remember that Ryker & his fanboys were the same claiming that D3 was a great game, with its flaws, of course, but way better than D2 (as they considered D2R antiquated in several aspects). If you look at the numbers, D2 has at least 3 times more active players than their beloved D3 and similar numbers of D4 when ladder resets...yet they still want D4 to have a greater % of elements they consider "good" in D3, even though both player numbers and the "game fun" factor say the opposite.

[@Piratesaregay12322]

I've never played ARPGs in a group. These games appeal to me for the fact that I do not have to interact with anyone if I don't want to.

[@sigh6140]

Indeed I've always loved that it was 100% optional, I cannot express how disappointed I am in the raid feature. Using it to gatekeep critical QOL changes especially. It feels like there is a force on the dev team that is very determined to not have this be.... diablo. They try some shit.... and go back to the diablo way two seasons over over over. I have a feeling they will be a pretty big flop and 2 seasons later we will see a big rework, kinda like everything they've tried so far to "reinvent" this wheel. People don't roll up on the 4th entry in a series because there looking for some wild new different thing. They want diablo 4. Not DiabWoWPoe4.

[@TheDravic]

@@sigh6140 Dark Citadel is literally optional, too. Nothing gameplay reward-related is exclusively locked behind it.

[@thatblindtekkenwarrior1177]

@@TheDravic I am someone that exclusively plays solo. And I will continue to exclusively play solo. Like you say there is nothing locked behind the Citadel that I need. Sure the scroll of tempering would be nice but it certainly not enough to make me want to interact with others. I am happy for you group players who want group content, and I hope you enjoy it. It's not for me and that's fine.

[@TheDravic]

@@thatblindtekkenwarrior1177 Scroll of Retempering can drop outside of Dark Citadel, too. Even if you don't own the expansion, it will be part of the base game.

[@thedecoy99]

@@TheDravic we dont know the drop rate though. Uber uniques can drop outside of ubers but i dont know anyone whos evever found one. If scroll of retemperings fall into the same category then they are gated behind dark citadels too.

[@KnEpH131]

So what your saying is that they "hope" solo player's opt to group, in actuality means they are "gently" trying to force us into grouping? Nah, that isn't gonna work.

[@jessepratt8294]

I feel like the issue with co-op in ARPGs is that it still ends up boiling down to whoever kills fastest. There isn't much room for cooperation in these games. It's more, everyone chases around the guy who has the fastest clear. Not very fun. Especially if you choose not to chase the meta.

[@MehmetSevil]

100% this.

[@narzz7440]

true,.even playing with my friend, he just blast through everything in a blink and i constantly need to chase him, it just become a walking simulator after that,.not fun

[@Pikwhip]

I don’t want people to lose jobs but if you spend 8 years and millions of dollars developing a game and get 1,000 players, you’re probably in the wrong industry.

[@LandoKalrizzian22]

I don't choose to play solo. It seems people nowadays don't like making new gamer friends. So it's been hard to party up in game with random people. Nobody responds or interacts.

[@bragmas]

The reason I play solo. Most people tend to be negative or toxic or are non-communicative. It takes more of my energy to work around the person than to just solo content. I will SUFFER FAILURE over and over until I get it vs just playing with others. Only time I don't solo is with people I know irl.

[@apros101]

Pets having a mini loot filter that does auto salvaging would be wonderful

[@007vix]

so......similar to the goblin ring that picks up normals and spits out rares & uniques

[@hiddenxalpha7053]

@@007vix Only normals, after X spits out a legendary, but yes.

[@callenroeder3784]

I want to hide my pet. It’s a distracting thing zooming around I lose my focus on t7 hordes like 😅 please let me hide the dog

[@mezmir]

@@007vixthis but anything less than legendary would be great. Idc if it’s 100 to 1 I want it.

[@AngelErrene]

you mean like the option that was finally added via the alter of rites for seasonal players in D3???? O.o

[@alexsmith8364]

None of my friends play d4, and i have no desire to rely on randoms to get my loot. How am i supposed to communicate on ps5? Type 3 words per minute? Nobodies going to get on mic either. This is a big fail imo

[@kapcus]

i am using wireless PC keyboard...with a gamepad it is impossible to interact properly

[@TiaguinhuxD]

That's why I went back to PoE: I want to play ALOOOONE. I'm alone at my hideout, doing my maps and playing on my own pace. ALOOOOOONE FFS

[@GiggyWiggy2086]

Fr pvp is overrated and I'm getting old people are getting toxic I mean look st shitnite textbook example of an ass game

[@stratuvarious8547]

Welcome back to the gold tier of ARPGs. Maybe someday, something will surpass PoE, but I seriously doubt it's something Blizzard makes that does it.

[@RantingMonkey]

Every Diablo player I know, from Diablo 1-4, have mostly played solo. Blizzard is desperate to force multiplayer on us and it's never been the huge draw.

[@MrNeutral01]

Adding something that forces you to group isn't 'persuading' grouping. It's forcing it.

[@SirZelean]

It depends. If the rewards from this content aren't necessary for the endgame and/or can be acquired somewhere else, then it's 100% up to you if you play that content or not.

[@Dr0N1kaL]

@@SirZelean They literally pointed out and highlighted that the co-op dungeon will have exclusive cosmetics. Given that the free options for obtaining cosmetics are close to none in the game they are literally forcing you to play co-op if you want the cosmetics.

[@disturbed1734]

@@Dr0N1kaL LOL, you don't have to have cosmetics to climb the ladder. Cosmetics are literally made for microtransactions. How entitled do you have to be to complain about free cosmetics?

[@Dr0N1kaL]

@@disturbed1734 The gaming community has degraded a lot if having free obtainable ingame cosmetics in paid title makes me entitled. What kind of delusional reasoning is this?

[@TomPraytor]

@@Dr0N1kaL Literally forced sounds a lot more dramatic than... co-op rewards.

[@neonshadow5005]

If anything, the number of solo players is lower than I expected.

[@INMATEofARKHAM]

I don't know... 85% of a player base is an incredibly high percentage. Hell, more people probably chose to play DIV solo than would agree that the sky is blue.😂

[@ixl911ixl]

@@INMATEofARKHAM We all know the Sky is actually TEAL don't listen to BIG BLUE PROPOGANDA! (/s)

[@MorionAikanaro]

​@@INMATEofARKHAMI mean.. how technical do we wanna get here on calling the sky blue? Lol

[@barrymacdonald3439]

​@@INMATEofARKHAMthese people ain't solo when begging for carries

[@Elrohof]

@@barrymacdonald3439 most people who play solo do it because they like progressing at their own pace, so the people who get beg for boosts are the ones who already are group-players.

[@Matt88g]

I still play d2, d3 and d4 every season and have always been solo self found player, it’s why I love Diablo is because they don’t depends on mmo features like raids

[@BobMotster]

Your idea about the pet automatically salvaging unwanted gear is exactly what I want too.

[@moxydelta]

I like the concept I just don't think it should be the pet. I like the idea of some kind of quest that you can do that will give you some sort of magical artifact that does it

[@napalmviper3213]

In torchlight one you could send your pet to town to salvage.. they should just do that..

[@sven8633]

Let play a Autoplay game. What's the point of playing a game that plays itself. Gamers these days area lazy af

[@IDCSAO]

@@sven8633 yes because having an inv full of useless legendaries, so i can talk to the smith every 5 mins so i can use the "salvage all" button is riveting gameplay. Not about being lazy its just in the way. Quality of life is not lazy it gets rid of the chores that takes you away from the experience

[@Sigmorn583]

The co-op "group play" only requirement does not "encourage" group play it just forces it. if they wanted to encourage group play, they would make it solo'able, Whilst having additional incentives like being able to clear it faster or just reward a few more item drops at the end based on the difficulty scaling from the number of players in the group.

[@EggsAndBacon14]

i almost always play arpgs solo because when youre in blast mode, you dont want to wait for others to gear, craft, set up skills, etc. unless we are on the same page to grind, ill waste time waiting around.

[@davidskidmore3442]

This has been the one downside to group play I've found. When I'm running NM dungeons, I race through the mechanic and only kill what's in the way; get my glyph xp and then start the next one without leaving (it automatically kicks you out, just open the map after it loads and click the next door). When you've got others who want to clear and get xp and other stuff, it just takes a lot longer. That said, I really only group with people who are already my friends. Would definitely not put up with the nonsense with randos unless the rewards were much better than I can get solo. Been tempted to join Tormented Boss groups, but haven't yet.

[@alexcunningham9012]

Yeah I spent years playing WoW on other people's schedules. I'm not interested in that at all anymore. I had 2 friends who played D4 at launch more casually than me, they both quit. I'm not interested in grouping in D4 at all and I'm not going to buy the expansion if there is forced coop content I'll be paying for but not playing.

[@Stefiou974]

I like the idea of my pet eating all the junk items from the floor and then shitting mats in my inventory 🤣

[@saintdiddy]

😂😂😂 love it!

[@FromTh1sDayForward]

Beautifully poetic.

[@theobell2002]

They added this in D3 with the altar upgrades.

[@kapcus]

or you could salvage him and get all those drops back on the floor in the city :)

[@MurkyConspiracy]

I loved Diablo 2, it is still my favorite ARPG of all time. I wanted another Diablo 2; I don't think the rest of gamers wanted that. I think D3 is closer to what modern gamers want, so it makes sense that D4 is trying to recreate that. I wish I got the sequel that I wanted; but honestly I'm happy that modern gamers get to enjoy a series that I loved growing up. I'm glad memories are being made under the same name I got so much joy from.

[@cinnabun117]

I don't actually think modern gamers want this, I think game devs have convinced themselves this is what people want.

[@glothdrogen]

​@@cinnabun117no, the D3 folks have no concept of actually enjoying a game during leveling and storyline and AOE meta'd D4 to death. The devs tried their best to nerf that way of gameplay to start then just gave up

[@JohanCardel]

Thanks for saying this, as I was about to reply with about the same words (or close).

[@gutofreitas84]

me too, i wanted the closest possible to D2. I really didn't like D3.

[@HawkZombie]

Honestly, I loved D2, but also really enjoyed D3. I wanted a D4 that combined the best of both and I think 2.0 is gonna get closer.

[@theobell2002]

There's no issues with taking things from D3 and implementing them into D4. However, I have a problem of them turning the entire game into D3. It's very uninspiring and shows they lack directions. They don't know what they want D4 to be so they just turn it into D3. I like D3 but I want D4 to be it's own thing.

[@Krangbot]

Its almost impossible to play with friends. After every fun event or encounter you have to wait for 2, 3, 4 of your friends to all sift through dozens of items in their inventory, decide if maybe one of those items is a 0.03% upgrade to the identical version you already have on, then they all have to dump everything else of value in their banks, gems etc. Then sell/scrap the rest and then finally teleport back into the "fun". In other words it's nearly impossible as a group.

[@sombrego2260]

I'm actually surprised not more than 85% players are playing solo. It's the irony of ARPG. Everybody ask for multiplayer but nobody actually plays multiplayer. And servers cost an absolute fortune these days. We would get a lot more, and better ARPGs if players stopped begging for multiplayer in every single game.

[@Drunkencrono]

I like and play multiplayer for ARPGs, it's just easier to play solo most of the time. The game also has to want people to play together. I love Diablo 2, but there's basically no reason to play it multiplayer because drops are shared and runs are fast. I like Last Epoch, and play it multiplayer all the time because there's individual loot, but if something good drops my friend can use I can pass it over. Diablo 4 is in a weird design space where it's the most multiplayer Diablo's ever been, but the multiplayer functions are limited. Trade is severely limited, there's no clans, there's nothing that's made easier by being in a party yet, and anything that does benefit from other people (like helltide, etc) is fine as long as there are randos around. If you give people the ability to play solo, and playing solo is mechanically superior to playing with other people, then people will solo. "Forcing" people to play together is the only way to actually MAKE people do it (like dungeons and raids in modern MMOs).

[@Baldur1005]

Well you cannot have micro transactions business, if there is no one to admire your 200$ sexy wings

[@barrymacdonald3439]

​@@Baldur1005correction I payed 90 bucks for my wings good Sir 🫠

[@Afura33]

Selling skins and battlepasses is just too tempting to not make an online game only. 85% is really a lot and I am pretty sure that blizzard is well aware of this, but profit>utility.

[@thapsico26]

Yeah, Diablo should always be a major solo game, with the option to group play (group being totally optional). Sucks to have a "must to be in a group" dungeon, even more if you get scrolls of retempering as a reward

[@HawkZombie]

D4 not having a rebirth option is insane to me. It was what made seasons more appealing to me in D3

[@barrymacdonald3439]

Why just delete old and make a new takes literally 5 mins I would understand if the character creation was more in depth, but cmon we get like 11 hairstyles and like 6 face options

[@bondsmatthew]

@@barrymacdonald3439 Just easier. Plus some people like the idea of having everything on one Barbarian, one Wizard, one Rogue. Not me, not for diablo, but I can see where they are coming from

[@lovesnsdsica]

Delete character is feeling baddd. It feel like you delete your time

[@AjuntaPall316]

Of course it is. A lot of us were saying this back at release, that the game would eventually just continue to devolve to D3... and here we are. It was anticipated, not celebrated. At least not by anyone who were actually excited for the game when it was first coming out.

[@CloudK23]

I'll just say this. The first Diablo game is arguably the ultimate solo game. The very D&D inspiration, the character spread sheet, carefuly choosing where to put my stat points, the time period of video games in the late 90s and especially pc games, provided that environment for Diablo to be just that, the ultimate single player game. The premise of the game isn't beating Diablo, but leveling and most importantly finding loot. I'm surprised how today so many do not want to do this -spend the time leveling, grinding it out for your gear. This ties into why I play solo and I think why many people do. For me, it's about the actual achievement of gathering my gear, working it, progressing without the aid of someone or buying loot whether in-game currency or RMT. Group play is fine. If you want to play with friends, it makes perfect sense. Even I occasionally feel the desire to play with another [although I hardly do when the feeling arises and if I do the experience is sorely not what I was feeling. I think there's room for group activities but not as apart of progressing a character. One, how many will just reap the benefits of such; only playing there to speed up the process of loot finding to reach . . . ?

[@Complication84]

It always amazes me that developers never learn that you can't force people to group up for content if they don't want to. Nothing is going to make people do a raid if they are playing the game purely for solo play. All it is going to do is waste time and resources for the development of the content that could have been used to make real ARPG content that would make d4 better. I don't give a single fuck about group play in Diablo, PoE, Lost Epoch. I play these games to genocide demons and get loot. Not group up with random people.

[@Schizm1]

Yeah... As it should be. Franchise and looter aRPGs were always solo-first games with optional coop. That's why it breaks my heart to see forced coop raid coming in the expansion:/

[@Freestyle80]

making friends always so hard for youtube twitter and reddit addicts 😂😂😂😂

[@Winterb0rn88]

​@@Freestyle80 Kind of a poor take. Making "friends" is an extracurricular that a lot of people don't have time for or just don't want to engage in. I don't care about social aspects to games anymore. With a career and kids, I am there to focus on the task at hand, loot and more loot. I don't need to spend time with the bro's like I did when I was 17. You have to remember a lot of people playing these games today started with the original Diablo. We grew up with classic Blizzard. Like it or not we are a big part of Blizzard's demo and their revenue stream.

[@NofirstnameNolastname]

Lol, basing your opinion on how games were when there was no internet or online play.. rofl I bet you still use a rotary phone too because everything was better back then.

[@Schizm1]

@@Freestyle80 Speaking from experience huh? It's ok bub. I'm sure at least your mom loves you.... a bit

[@Freestyle80]

@@Schizm1 and no one loves you since adding coop to a game triggers you so much but the tired old excuse of “omg i have a life i work 90 hours a week with 10 mortgages and 10 kids reeeeeeee” as if having kids means you cant make friends anymore

[@hitlord]

Only 85? I was expecting somewhere closer to 95. It doesn't surprise me AT ALL. More often than not, the only people playing ARPGs, no matter which, in groups, are the ones abusing mechanics. Aurabots/zDPS buffer, MF culler, craft/boss mats sharing, difficult rushing. Among many others. What surprised me was finding out just now that The Citadel will be a FORCED coop experience. The introduction of the mercenaries should have been the perfect counter to that problem, I actually expected then to think of that. SPECIALLY when they have those numbers at hand.

[@bronzejourney5784]

Whats so oh terrible about playing with another random dude who wants the exact same thing as you do? Are you that socially inept?

[@d4mephisto]

And on top of all of that, there's even more context. Their co-workers, in the wow development team have recently created follower dungeons. A way to do dungeons as a solo player, in a game where there are defined trinity roles such as tank, damage, and healer. Follower dungeons have been widely praised by that game's player base. Why can't the D4 devs take a page out of the dev playbook from the wow team?

[@chiefinasmith]

Very on brand for Blizzard to add a raid that can’t be completed solo even though they have the data showing the majority of their players are solo.

[@donindiana8504]

Good to hear xbox certification stopped wukong from releasing the game with a memory leak. Quality control and assurance is good for the players.

[@vitoraugusto1085]

Games of this genre have become successful because they can be played alone. If Blizzard insists on the live-service model and groups, the game will certainly lose more players. I think Blizzard has already made a lot of mistakes...

[@duskshadow25]

I personally like how D3 had it for party match because I was able to build a support role for 4 players GR push. If solo players don't want to be involved with party, they can still solo and do their own greater rift/rift, etc. I don't understand why D4 doesn't have these features for party finder while still giving solo players the option to do their own content too. It would also be kind of cool to get set pieces back, as they have always been a part of OG Diablo, especially sets such as Tal'Rasha, Immortal King, Trag'Oul, etc. and just have a special aura effect or transformation around your character if you have full set equipped. They also need to convert all of these keys for tier X into collectible inventory, instead of taking your character equipment inventory. This would save a lot of space and just give players the space to use their stash for equipment only, instead of 100 keys.

[@Neonmirrorblack]

Guess the Dark Citadel won't see much action when 85% of the players prefer solo.

[@quinnthalas]

The Mental gymnastics they put them selves through to avoid even saying the name Diablo 3 was the most hilarious part of the dev blog, the features look great though, as some one who loved D3 I am glad they are going this way.

[@InfernalPoetry89]

Finally a YTer that fixes error with audio instead of overlay text! Thank you!

[@How__]

Unless I’m playing with my 1-2 friends that play Diablo on a pretty consistent basis, I’m playing solo. Personally I avoid group play like the plague unless it’s for selling items or a boss rota. I don’t typically search out groups for NM’s or Pits, or Anything of the sorts.

[@marsovac]

I am the same as you, but I don't dislike the idea of having an option to do it. If there is no power locked behind such an activity it is fine for me. I also don't dislike the idea of locking comestics behind it, since farming cosmetics is an activity that has to put people out of the comfort zone. If it just happens anyway for everybody then those cosmetics have no sentimental or display value. I remember in D3 farming the portrait in the cow level. It was something awful I very much disliked and it was tedious, something that put me totally out of the comfort zone for a few weeks. But thankfully it only needed to be done once, since cosmetics remain forever. And now it is a good memory for the great sense of accomplishment it had in the end.

[@parakek390]

i even hate the ROTA thing, forced grouping cause u get x4 items for your x1 summon. why do blizz even care if people play solo? a lot of us would even want a SSF ladder which is quite popular in a lot of games and it's a mode many players love to play

[@ohno7582]

ROTA is completely unecessary i grinded maybe 24 hours this season for all mythics 3 of which had ga's. When stygian stones were so rare it made sense but now you can farm 40-50 an hour.

[@jaleeltyson5704]

The majority of our players play solo Blizzard: Lets put out a multiplayer only dungeon!

[@clementguitard6653]

they want us to see the skins

[@SirCanuckelhead]

This makes the most sense. Any game with mtx want to shove the cool ones in the face of everyone. Often mtx games just need to get 1 sale from someone to “break the seal” and get more from them.

[@jaiwright197]

Not at all surprised, I don't actually know why I'd want or need to play with someone else outside of my immediate friends. Even my immediate friends choose to play a different way and choose to solo.

[@ExhumedTornado]

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is from 2009 and had a companion that you could summon anywhere in the world, where you could leave items, like the main crate in the city. And you could use this companion to dismantle items! Crazy, right!? And the D4 devs are not able to add something similar to D4. It's crazy.

[@Olorin-gc8zo]

Love that game. The soundtrack is awesome.

[@sunsfever83]

If they force you to party, of course solo player averages will drop.

[@npalsensei]

I'd also argue the the overall player count will also drop.

[@MrGoesBoom]

Nailed it.

[@MrFearlesskiller]

@@npalsensei D4 is trash anyways so let it die

[@ExcessumGaming]

Thats good.

[@Mercenary-1914]

GOOD! More new players will join up because this is a mulitplayer game...and I PREFER to play with my friends and other players.

[@RainWalker24c]

I absolutely despise any game activities that force group play. It never makes me want to play with others more, I lose interest fast & eventually uninstall the game if it becomes or is the center of the game.

[@skootershroomgaming9629]

Playing with the public is trash. Trolls, selfish people who want reward but offer no materials for summons, leeches who just beg for carries even though the game is a faceroll, or they beg to be dragged around because they decided to do capstones 30 levels too early and now can't survive or kill.

[@bagboybrown]

I haven't seen anyone ask for a carry who didn't have the mats to summon the uber boss. I help these people every day without issue.

[@skootershroomgaming9629]

@bagboybrown it's been my personal experience that when I form a tormented group, there have always been at least 2 of the 3 people that will leave after others have done a few summons. I just stopped trying to group because it was still just me doing all my summons, and then I got to watch people leave. I might as well run them solo if thats how it breaks down. However, tormented summoning isn't the only spot to put up materials. Back in green helltides, when they introduced the ritual boss, there would be 4 or 5 people dancing around the stones, but no one contributed. The same still seems to apply pretty regularly to the current helltide ritual. You would think that people would be rushing to summon the next rotation, but they dance around for a minute or 2 until either someone puts up all 3 or they just leave. Granted, this is minor because the material is easy to acquire, but it still has some common curtesy attached to it being that it's a public realm.

[@bronzejourney5784]

Do you know the purpose of Clans in online games, or do you want me to humiliate/educate you?

[@NapFloridian]

​@@Halsyan I hate people, not only in this game but in general. The reason for it just a s an example... The other day someone gave a speech about How great our master savior Donald Trump is and long live the republican party... I puked for real, not only do I puke when I go to a supermarket and see a MAGA Cultist but people in general. Driving on the freeway, gosh when do cars come with Maschine guns?... I hate groups, interacting, and even seeing them... That is why I play video games. Diablo 3 was great, I didn't have to even look at people, now in D4 you see all these idiot Gen-Z pukes who don't even want to play the game but expecting you to carry them... Disgusting

[@NapFloridian]

​@@skootershroomgaming9629bingo

[@BeHempy]

I don't understand the 85% "solo" player surprise. Also, I'd say I play solo 85% of the time. Is that what they mean? Am I part of the solo statistic or "plays in party" stat?

[@JustinReinhart89]

85% of players playing solo in D4 is surprising. Surprisingly low. I honestly expected it to be closer to 95%.

[@philosocrates]

85%. I am surprised that it is so low.

[@yshomatsu]

Adding a required group play content at the same time as added Ai teammates with Mercs but not letting them count is crazy. Esp with so many of us that play solo most of the time AS for Outlaws, the game is very basic, stealth, combat, nothing new but basic can still be fun. I foresee it becoming very repetitive but for right now I am having fun with it.

[@davidbong4121]

you can't force people to do something they don't like to. no matter what social feature you're addding.

[@benlarson6031]

It's a good thing youre not forced then

[@SirCowdog]

85% solo Blizzard: Let's make a non-solo game mode. Fun detected!!!!! Fun eliminated!!!

[@NinjAaaron87]

This made me giggle lol

[@thomasbergmann2870]

Sorry, but NO. The idea behind Battlenet was to create a room for people to interact together.

[@SirCowdog]

@@thomasbergmann2870 There is a world of difference between a chat room that I can talk to people in while I'm playing solo, and locking/hiding content behind forced multiplayer.

[@Blitz54154]

I suggested a scaling factor for mythic drop rate when grinding the boss ladder solo because it’s more efficient using 4 people’s mats than 1 persons and some people don’t like to do random group finders, going through all of the logistics etc… Reddit apparently thought it was the worst idea in the world… i was so confused by the reaction, but my point is… there’s more things in the game that benefit group play and no advantages for the “harder” solo play aspects… mostly grinding mats solo sucks

[@RFlairPC]

You choose to limit yourself then get upset when you’re limited. Dumb take

[@JacobMueller]

Have no friends that play, I don't 'choose' to play solo, I just do.

[@dezmundogaming8780]

12:32 PLEASE push this idea to blizzard. On controller the right analog stick currently does nothing. We should be able to use it to scroll through loot on the floor. That would save soooo much time so we dont have to pick up trash just to get the item we want. Simple fix, make it happen.

[@TheJakebriscoe]

No the right joystick should be for scroll of escapes

[@dezmundogaming8780]

@@TheJakebriscoe lol theres a custom control layout so if u want it for that as an R3 sure

[@Nomdro]

Should also be used to target so I can finally use leap barb on controller.

[@dezmundogaming8780]

@@Nomdro im pretty sure R3 already lets you target lock the enemy you are facing closest towards but as a way to change targets that could be nice and it could still allow you to select loot from the floor once youre no longer locked on to an enemy.

[@soho2409]

"you think you want to play solo, but you don't"

[@ajaehall7695]

I want to play Diablo solo and offline, but I will settle for being worse solo and online.

[@barrymacdonald3439]

​@@ajaehall7695if their was an offline version it would be better then crap players can just use wemod and kill Lilith themselves and stop whispering me for help all the time 🙏

[@sincacetona8112]

@@ajaehall7695 you can have that with titanquest 2

[@wuggza]

You think im gonna be suprised that everyone plays solo? Thats what happens when the game has absolutly zero community support. No group finder. No lobby creation. No global chat channels. No guild support. No ladder. The game doesnt have shit going for it.

[@gopatriots1991]

The 85% stat is far from shocking, even without the fact grouping tools are garbage in D4, people who played diablo were mostly offline solo players. I think this is hilarious as it shows how greedy blizzard is since they ignored their fanbase with the complaints about live service with no offline play, only to have NEW fans of the game also mostly playing solo.

[@warrenbuitendag5286]

Yes that solo player number will drop, but not cuz people are suddenly deciding to group play, instead it will be cuz people are deciding to play POE 2 instead.

[@FrigidNorthAk]

Or poe1, I recently started playing Poe, almost stopped cause it seemed a bit slow at start. But once leveled up a little and getting used to the way things work, I think overall, it’s a better game then both d3 and d4. And I’m not even done with the campaign yet! 😂 Can’t wait for Poe 2.

[@azazelreficulmefistofelicu7158]

Sorry for going offtrack but you should be a voice actor. Every video I watch I'm shocked by your voice.

[@tomokokirihara3436]

I play solo because I was almost executed in chat for asking the question whether someone can help me with the Tormented bosses for a chance to get a Mythic.

[@Electric_Doodie]

Pretty sure you was not, if you had the Mats and just asked for help, people would fuckin jump you to have that kill before someone else gets it. Everyone loves those Ubers to kill from any new player, because they don't need to spend any own resources.

[@joseph3982]

Who are you to say he's lying. Who the fuck are you to know?

[@Electric_Doodie]

@@joseph3982 just a random on the internet, so what. Saying you get flamed and shit for asking for a Uber Boss kill (especially if you can provide mats) is the biggest cap ever. Heck people Don't even care if you are undergeared in a rotation as long as you got mats and atleast one if able of actually clearing the Boss lol

[@benlarson6031]

If you had the mats this is a massive cap, I will put that I need help in chat and get atleast 4 messages back within 10 seconds of people asking to join

[@MJW98101]

The biggest problem with online play for diablo 4 is the voice chat doesn’t automatically select with the people you’re playing with. you have to manually find it in the clan settings. Even though I have a wireless keyboard chatting with people like that is in cumbersome. there’s too many buttons to start typing and then send the message. The keyboard is the easy part

[@jayreimsgaming]

I feel like the rune words not being created and made not even remotely like D2 was a big L. Hopefully they remove the capstones and just leave what level you want to play on solely to the player and then unlock once you start paragons.

[@Hoowwwww]

i hope D5 is a single player game, no online, no seasons, just a story and story dlcs redoing the same shit every seasons is not fun, waste of time

[@Nytukas]

Are you living under a rock ? 😂 Games are only going to get worse with forcing you to be online.

[@cybergun01]

@@Nytukas As long as the bagels control the purse strings, this is unfortunately true

[@benlarson6031]

​@@cybergun01 ain't now way you're being a Nazi rn 💀

[@cybergun01]

@@benlarson6031 The good guys lost WW2

[@barrymacdonald3439]

Just play eternal realm I enjoy the refresh every season

[@Akira-jd2zr]

I loved D3. Just need my monk now

[@clementguitard6653]

spiritborn is kindof a monk

[@obergruppenfuhrersang-froi8203]

Everyone I've grouped with in D4 has to go to town every 5 minutes, goes AFK, and generally annoys the piss out of me.

[@Ninakoru]

D4: They don't know what they're doing: creative bankrupcy. The best they can do is to rescue mechanics from other games or previous entries.

[@OneFiveYankee]

The ability to play solo is the main reason I play ARPGs instead of MMOs. I raided in WoW for years and having to schedule time for a video game has become too much as I’ve gotten older. I have a few buddies I play D4 with that I’ll be able to do the raid with on spontaneous occasions and that’s perfect for me.

[@agoganjas]

poe 2 is the answer to all d4 issues

[@JekaZMD]

The amount of solo players is probable due to the hassle of forming a group and then dealing with the sluggishnes of the process of running in a group like people going afk, having their inventories filled and having to go to the city, and so on. Matchmaking would certainly help in the case of some activities like boss farming and pit pushing, but in every other ocasion it's far quicker to just solo farm.

[@Addlib-mv8bg]

I play games to get away from people. Why should I have to play in a party. If I wanted to do that I would just play wow

[@sarco_imperator2670]

They could still turn these "rune combos" into actual runewords by allowing white, blue or yellow items to be socketed with 3 or mode sockets. Input a certain combination of runes "runeword" and create a brand new powerful, unique item. Id love to see this.

[@CasualDadGamer]

As a longtime Diablo player, I’ve primarily played the games solo. On the rare occasions I’ve grouped up, it was with friends to tackle higher-level dungeons or bosses. While adding a raid could address the group play aspect, I’m not convinced it will fully “solve” the issue. To truly enhance the multiplayer experience, clans need a significant overhaul. Incorporating Clan Halls, along with perks and benefits for being in a clan-like clan level-ups that offer XP boosts and other bonuses-could make joining a clan much more worthwhile.

[@SithLordBishop]

Players prefer playing our game solo let's force them to group.... ugh

[@cinnabun117]

Lololol

[@IOAwaits]

Blizzard is clueless

[@Allugotisdeuces]

That 85% solo metric is not an accurate depiction of the player base. That's like hypothetically saying 85% of a country prefers not to travel internationally when all they had access to was a paddle boat - no planes or cruise ships

[@ragmancometh]

the numbers are skewed when there's no in-game group finder or community section to explore. people had to make discords etc and probably not everyone thinks to use it. if they were ignoring an in-game community organizer then we could suggest they prefer solo.

[@IOAwaits]

@@ragmancometh are you an idiot? People play EVERY arpg solo most times. Poe last epoch grim dawn etc. you can group yet players dont. Why? Cause we dont want to play ARPGS in groups. Ffs blizzard drones are the worst

[@TironaBloodspiller]

I'm 100% sure the raid isn't about getting people to play together. It's about making you look at other people's cosmetics so you want to buy them too.

[@sephiroth661]

I had heard that was a theory as to why you couldn’t run with the horse in towns was so other people could show off there horse

[@thebranchise]

I can play 3 for hours on end, but I get board in 4 eventually.

[@Frayme11]

Bored

[@Greenapple30]

That's how it is for me as well

[@thebranchise]

@Frayme11 lol I didn't even notice that.

[@coryhyatt2035]

I want the option to save builds. For instance, go to the wardrobe and 1 button click can change your build out. Skill tree, paragon, cosmetics, wardrobe, and gear. Instead of having to spend hours switching things just because you want to play meteor instead of lightning spear. And our stash size needs to be bigger.

[@zebrion5793]

Honestly, Blizzard just doesn't know how to do endgame without making it repetitive and damage-spongey as hell. Most players want to just experience the Diablo story on their first playthrough, do some endgame stuff and then quit when the game gets boring. Diablo, by its nature, is insanely repetitive because of the way loot is farmed and the amount of runs you have to do to get the stuff you want. If you want a deeper experience in an RPG, you're just not gonna find it in Diablo.

[@stratvids]

I'm really disappointed that they are going in the d3 direction. Its not a terrible game but it's by far the worst diablo game. I prefer that i actually experience game mechanics rather that having to kill everything before the mechanic happens or I'm dead

[@GiggaVega]

"Diablo 3 is terrible! It sucks!" Diablo 4 transforming to Diablo 3: "Diablo 3 was great!" Me, D3 was always great, stop it! I always play solo in D4, D3 had the excellent ability to find a group that I used often to Paragon level to 3000. Great video Rhykker🎉

[@raine5503]

I have played Diablo since the original beta released for D1. I play solo and do not enjoy group/party play. I wont be playing the raids and if I have too..I wont play. Its simply the way I like to play, I am a solo player and will always be a solo player😊

[@AtakanG]

As with other's comments, i'm not even remotely suprised by 85% of playerbase is solo, honestly expecting higher. Arpgs born and mainly designed around solo play.

[@a3lorenzo]

I mean multiplayer for me is basically participating in map activities, other than that, I go where I want to go, and do what I want, so having someone with me will probably annoy them anyway lol

[@zalard6896]

D4 sucks. Rhyker is such a blizzard shill

[@AlbertCloete]

Instead of trying to encourage people to play in parties, they should just realize people don't want that and focus on making single player better.

[@panthrax555]

That's not the Blizzard attitude though! Gotta force people to do things they don't want to do!

[@Thedudeman8282]

The ruby change is what worries me the most, removing that feels like we're going back to diablo 4 launch when things could 1 shot you from off screen. Maybe I am wrong, but Blizzard does not have a good enough track record with fixing 1shot mechanic quickly enough.

[@D34doneTTV]

The number of people playing solo not only surprises me because I thought it was going to be a closer split like 50/50 so to have it be 85/15 is nuts to me, but also really makes me wonder if Blizzard realizes that turning D4 into this MMO but not really but still ARPG amalgamation is not even helping the player base come together like you'd expect.

[@micson128]

For me, playing solo has always felt like it was supposed to be the diablo experience. I've tried group play in all of them, and it always quickly gets kind of stale, and the only reason to do it in D2 was experience runs to level faster and showing off what your awesome build of hard to obtain items and carefully slotted skill points can do, and maybe a chance of some good loot, if someone else didn't snag it first. I don't enjoy group play compared to going solo, and I don't think I'm alone in that camp.