Summary
Diablo 4introduces a bunch of franchise-first features, including one of the largest maps to date. While the franchise has always had unique locales to explore, this version of Sanctuary takes it to an entirely different level. Players will be traversing tall mountain peaks, exploring vast cities, conquering forests, and trekking through vast deserts as they attempt to vanquish Lilith’s forces. This all sounds good, but navigatingDiablo 4’s world is not so great.
While veteran players playing through theSeason of the Malignant contentwill not really feel any navigational problems, newDiablo 4players are forced to move through the world slowly. The game does not let them unlock mounts until near the end of the main narrative, and that seems like a strange choice. Blizzard crafted a very unique and exciting world for players to explore, but it should have given them the reins of a horse a lot sooner.
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Diablo 4’s Horses Should Come Sooner
Diablo 4’s version of Sanctuary is split up into five distinct regions that are a joy to explore. Each region is vastly different from the last and helps give this world so much life. It is around 10 to 20 times larger thananyDiablogame before it, and players can traverse the entire thing right away thanks to level scaling. It is one of the best aspects of the ARPG, but its size can also make traversal feel a bit sluggish.
The mainDiablo 4campaignwill often send players all over the game world, but they can only do it on foot. There is no fast travel until players discover nearby waypoints, and there is no way to access a mount until they finish the Donan’s Favor quest. This quest does not unlock until players start the fourth act of the story, and that feels a bit too late.
Players have estimated that it takes around 10 hours to completethe first three acts ofDiablo 4, and that means that they are forced to traverse the world for 10 hours on foot. While the world is impressive, walking around for that long can get rather boring. It gets even worse as players are often sent to the farthest corners of the world just to continue the story. They must fight through hordes of demons, discover the correct paths through the regions, and may hit multiple roadblocks on their journey.
ExploringDiablo 4’s worldcan be a lot of fun, but players should be able to explore it how they want to. The first couple of missions can be on foot, but then players need to be given a horse. Those that want to traverse the game on foot can do that, and those that want to gallop through the streets of the city should be allowed to do that as well. While Season of the Malignant characters can use a mount from the get-go, new players should be allowed to use them pretty quickly into the story.
Just like withWorld of Warcraft’s flying, it seems like Blizzard really wantsDiablo 4players to experience the world that it created. It is an impressive world and part of what givesDiablo 4its charm, but no one should be forced to traverse it in a way they do not want to. Removing player choice just makes some players not want to check it out in the first place and may make others resent the world after spending hours in it. With Blizzard’s new commitment to its players, hopefully, it takes another look at its approach toDiablo 4’s mounts for future seasons.
Diablo 4is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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